Monday, July 7

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Nehemiah 3

3 Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. ² The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them.

³ The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. ⁴ Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. ⁵ The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

⁶ The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. ⁷ Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah – Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth – places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. ⁸ Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. ⁹ Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. 

¹⁰ Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him. ¹¹ Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. ¹² Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

¹³ The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. They also repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

¹⁴ The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.

¹⁵ The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David. ¹⁶ Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.

¹⁷ Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. ¹⁸ Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites under Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah. ¹⁹ Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armoury as far as the angle of the wall. ²⁰ Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest. ²¹ Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.

²² The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. ²³ Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. ²⁴ Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner, ²⁵ and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh ²⁶ and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate towards the east and the projecting tower. ²⁷ Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.

²⁸ Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. ²⁹ Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. ³⁰ Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. ³¹ Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; ³² and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

I’ll never forget the first time my name was written in the local newspaper.  It even included a picture.  As you can see I still have it today.

Granted it wasn’t all that special…the bottom of the photo simply read – Doug McEvoy and his son Bruce caught two jumbo bluefish off the coast of Ocean City.  But it was the first time I saw my picture and name in the paper!

I also remember that it took nearly ten more years before it appeared again when my name appeared in an article following our first round playoff lose when as a freshmen I played for an injured Senior Soccer captain.  Honestly, it was only a nice statement made by the coach because I really didn’t do anything special, but I remember it!

Chapter three of Nehemiah is like one’s name being written in the local paper but times a bazillion.  Think to yourselves how you would have “felt” if your name was written in this chapter.  Would you dog ear the page?  Highlight it?  Buy a few copies of the book to give to friends?  Let’s not kid ourselves…you’d do ALL of that and more.  It is far greater than either of my first two newspaper memories.  It’s their family’s name written in God’s Holy and inspired Word.

This is no less significant to the Hebrews who were risking their lives for the vision set before them.  PLEASE read this whole chapter a bit slower and star the examples that make you scratch you head for whatever reason.  The “listing” is so much deeper, right?  Which one or two “names” stands out for you?  Why?

Faith at Home Questions to Consider:

Today share about a time when your name was recorded in the paper.  How did you feel?  Can you find it in a scrapbook in the attic?

What big God “assignment” have you been ignoring, that if your honest you need to “accept” and commit the next 52 days to?

…next don’t be silent about it.  TELL SOMEONE and start making the vision reality.

BRUCE MCEVOY

Pastor of Family and Serving

Friday, July 4

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But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”  Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”   - Nehemiah 2:19-20

Tobiah (a Jewish name) was a man of influence, being associated with the high priest’s family, and getting help from the priests (Nehemiah 13:4). “Tobiah” was a prominent name in priestly families for generations to come. The name “Tobiah” means “Yahweh is good” - a strange name for a man who was an opponent of the work of God.

Sanballat was connected by marriage to priestly families (Nehemiah 13:28). An ancient document from this period refers to Sanballat as “governor of Samaria.”

These men were Jews - fellow Israelites - of Nehemiah and the citizens of Jerusalem. We might have thought they would have supported his work, but they do not. Opposition is always difficult; but when it comes from inside, it can feel like it is mixed with the pain of betrayal as well.

“They jeered at us and despised us” Sanballat and Tobiah used scorn in their attack. They wanted Nehemiah to feel mocked, stupid, and foolish. They laughed us to scorn shows that they showed their spite (and despised us) with a humorous edge.

This scorn may come to us in an inward feeling (“Who am I trying to kid? I must be some kind of fool!”). Or it may come through the words of those who, if they know it or not, are being used by our spiritual enemies.

Many are turned away from God’s will because they experience or fear scorn. Men who were not afraid of death have been manipulated because they did not want to be laughed at. It seems that sooner or later, God will allow every Christian to be tested at this point; as to whom they regard more, man or God. We must never be more concerned about what people may say about us than what God requires of us.

The way that Sanballat and Tobiah used laughter and scorn as weapons against the work of God should also make us reflect on our own use of humor. Some Christians who are otherwise well-meaning are tools of the enemy, all for the sake of a few laughs.

“What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” This question shows that Sanballat and Tobiah had a low view of God’s authority. Their question showed that they figured the king of Persia was the highest authority in the land.

It is important for us to note that they were completely ignorant. They didn’t know what they were talking about. The king had given permission, even if they didn’t know it. The king was partner in the work. Many times, those who are being used by our spiritual enemies against us simply don’t know what they are talking about.

It is also critical to remember that they were not concerned with God’s authority. Really, it did not matter if the King of Persia was against this work, if the God of heaven and earth was for it. One with God makes a majority. Nehemiah could have turned the question back on them: Will you rebel against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

When faced with the choice of pleasing man or pleasing God, Nehemiah knew exactly what he would do. Let them mock - he would serve the LORD.

Nehemiah did not give a point-by-point reply. He did not show the document proving the king’s support of the project. If he did, Sanballat and Tobiah would have just claimed it was a forgery, or would have come up with another objection. Nehemiah knew that hearts that refuse to be convinced will never be convinced.  Nehemiah instead proclaimed his confidence in God. “It doesn’t matter if you are against us. God’s work will succeed.”

Jeff Frazier

Thursday, July 3

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Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.  But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.   - Nehemiah 2:9-10

Sanballat the Horonite & Tobiah the Ammonite, these two guys are going to come up again and again.  Nehemiah first met these two enemies of Jerusalem and of the work of God at the Governor’s station. They were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.  

You might wonder why they should care about Nehemiah or his wall building project at all?  Sandballat was the governor in Samaria to the north of Jeruslaem, and Tobiah was governor of the Ammonite territory to the east.  These two cared nothing as long as Jerusalem was weak and vulnerable; even though the temple was there, and worship conducted, that was fine, but a fortified Jerusalem was a threat to their political, economic and military security.

Notice when this opposition came: not at the heart stage, not at the vision stage, not at the prayer stage, not at the planning stage, but when progress came in doing something.  Opposition comes when God’s people start doing God’s will!  Later in the story, when Nehemiah makes his plans known and the people begin to work, these two rear their ugly heads once again.

But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”  Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”   - Nehemiah 2:19-20

Some people are surprised when opposition comes and they quickly become discouraged.  Some people fear ever stepping out for the LORD, because they know opposition will come. They somehow think their life will be better or easier if they stay in their low, mediocre state before God. What deception! A better life from holding back for Jesus Christ? Tough times are going to come anyway; but when we are growing and stepping out to follow Christ, we are far more equipped to deal with them.

The Bible makes it clear we have enemies and opponents also, but chiefly they are spiritual enemies: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . . . spiritual armies of wickedness in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). However, we also realize that attacks from spiritual enemies can come through flesh-and-blood people.  We can experience spiritual attack on a direct inward level from spiritual enemies, or through people who are, wittingly or unwittingly, being used as tools by our spiritual enemies.

But whenever this kind of spiritual opposition comes our way, we should not be surprised and we should remember the words of Jesus, who said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Jeff Frazier

Wednesday, July 2

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I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem...The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.  Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”  I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.  - Nehemiah 2:11, 17-18

Nehemiah is abut to embark on a monumental task of rebuilding the nearly 41/2 mile long city wall of Jerusalem.  This wall has been in ruins for over a century, the people living in the Jerusalem have become used to the broken down condition of their city.   While rebuilding the walls is an important job, it is really not the main point of the book of Nehemiah.  The central theme in the book is the sufficiency of God.  Nehemiah’s mind is fixed on the greatness of God and he wants those who will join him in this wor to have the same focus. 

Nehemiah didn’t reach Jerusalem because he was a skillful persuader, or because he was clever or persuasive, or because the king was a generous benefactor, but only because God is a sovereign provider!  Since God had done all that, He would certainly help them to complete the task of rebuilding the walls.

Now remember that these people have been living in this broken down and vulnerable condition for 100 years!   Generally speaking, the longer people live with a problem or an issue, the more used to it and accepting of it they become.  The Jews in Jerusalem had likely become complacent about the condition of their city.  They probably thought, “well this is just how it is for us”, they had lost sight of the vision God had for His people and for Jerusalem.

So...how does Nehemiah rouse the people to action after 100 years of complacency?  What does he do to inspire them?  He doesn’t wow them with his intelligence.  He doesn’t fire them up with his strategic plans.  He tells them the story of what God has done!  This is what motivates them - the story of how God moved the heart of a king to allow Nehemiah to return. The power of a story to impact people’s lives is an incredible thing, and we have the most amazing story in the world to tell, it is the story of how God gave Himself to ransom lost sinners and bring them into His family!

By telling the people what God had already done, Nehemiah was firing them up for what He was about to do. His appeal focused on the glory and greatness of God. When you think about it, it’s amazing that the people said, “Let us start rebuilding.” Think about what they could have said. They could have been apathetic – they had been living in the rubble for a long time and could have just stayed there. They could have reminded Nehemiah that the Jews had “already tried that” before in Ezra 4 and were stopped by the authorities.

We often face those same two obstacles within the church. Either “we’re content with the way things are” or, “we tried that before and it didn’t work!” I’m thankful that this church responds much like the wall builders did in this chapter...because the gracious hand of our God is upon us, let us rise up and build!

Jeff Frazier

Tuesday, July 1

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I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.  Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”  I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.  - Nehemiah 2:11-18

After months and months of praying, planning and traveling, Nehemiah finally comes to the people and says, "Okay, I've got some news for you, but first the bad news." Rather than minimizing the problem, he emphasizes it.

Verse 17 "Then I said to them, `You see the trouble we're in? Jerusalem lies in ruins and it's gates have been burned with fire. Come let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and we will no longer be in disgrace."

These are emotional word pictures he uses here. "The place lies in ruin ... burned with fire ... we're in disgrace."  He's lays out the seriousness of the situation. Why?  Because the people had been living in these conditions for years.

Isn't it a fact of life that when you live with a bad situation long enough, you start ignoring it, you start getting used to it?  When you live with a situation long enough you can become apathetic about how it is. In this third step, Nehemiah refocuses their attention to the problem "We have got a mess." He's getting them to face the facts!

Nehemiah does two very important things here; first he gets the people to face the reality of their condition.  Leaders face the facts; and leaders help others to face the facts. Change never occurs until we become discontent with the way things are. The second thing Nehemiah does that is so important is that he identifies himself with their desperate condition.  Nehemiah does NOT say, “you’ve got a problem”, he says “WE are in trouble.”  He is one of them, leading from among them.

When Nehemiah states the problem he does not use external motivators. We're going to rebuild this wall; whoever gets their section done first gets an all expense paid vacation to the Dead Sea! He doesn't use external things. The older you get, the less external motivations work. External motivators work great on kids. But the older you get those kinds of motivators don't work anymore.

The greatest motivation in life is not external, nor internal, but eternal. Nehemiah says, "Let's rebuild the wall for the glory of God! So God's name is not in disgrace. Let's rebuild the wall for the kingdom of God and for the glory of His people." He challenges them with the right kind of motivations.

For all of us - Let's build FBCG into the church that shakes the world for Christ!

Jeff Frazier

Monday, June 30

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 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.  - Nehemiah 2:11-16

It is fascinating to me that after 5 months of prayer, Nehemiah confronts the King and asks for permission and provisions to go back to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the wall.  He travels 800 miles from Susa, the capitol of the Persian empire, to Jerusalem.  This journey would have taken him over 2 months!  He finally arrives with a caravan of timber and supplies and a royal military escort...what does he do?   "I went to Jerusalem and after staying there three days I set out..."   He does nothing!  He stops for three days. Nehemiah does not make some grand entrance, flash the flags, bands playing, ride in on a white horse. He doesn't proclaim, "I'm here to save the day. Now get to work!"  When he arrives in Jerusalem, he didn't even announce why he was there. He did nothing for three days.

He arrives with a king's escort, into a town that is defeated and discouraged. He goes to his home and says nothing for three days. Don't you think that caused a little curiosity? Do you think the existing power structures in Jerusalem said, "What is this guy here for? What is he going to be doing?" For three days the speculation, and the “buzz” is rising. What is Nehemiah doing? By the third day everybody has heard of Nehemiah. He's actually using the delay to his advantage. He's using it for psychological build up so that when he presents the proposal, they'll be ready to listen.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 says "There is a time to be silent and a time to speak." Ecclesiastes 8:6 says, "There is a right time and a right way to do everything."  If you're going to share in changing a life or a situation, you've got to wait for the right timing. Jesus had a profound sense of timing in the ministry. At various times in His life He would say, "It's not time yet. My time has not yet come."

In verse 12-16 we have Nehemiah's research party of actually going out and inspecting the walls of Jerusalem. You've heard of Paul Revere's midnight ride. This is Nehemiah's midnight ride.

In v. 12 he says, "I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding. By night I went out through the Valley Gate to the Jackel Well and the Dung Gate examining the walls of Jerusalem which had been broken down and its gates had been destroyed by fire."

He goes on and explains how at midnight he's out traveling around the walls of the city, actually inspecting. He is personally inspecting the damage in the middle of the night. He only takes a small group with him. He obviously didn't want to attract attention.

Every good leader knows exactly what Nehemiah is doing here. He is doing his homework. His background checks. This is the lonely part of leadership, the unglamorous part of leadership. It's the part nobody ever hears about. It's the guy doing his preparation, checking out the situation, getting the facts. Verse 14 says there was so much rubble he even had to get off his horse and walk through it. At this point the size of the project probably starts to sink in and he thinks, "This is worse than I thought. Why did I volunteer for this? I've never built anything in my life."

Verse 16 says "The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews, or the priests, or the nobles, or the officials or any other who would be doing the work." 

Why is he being so secretive about this survey? Because he didn't want the plan to be stalled before it got out of the starting gate. There had been over 100 years of discouragement and defeat for the people living in Jerusalem and he didn't have all the facts yet.  Is it easier to promote a good idea or kill a good idea?  Have you noticed that negative people tend to be more vocal than positive people?  After months of prayer, preparation and travel, Nehemiah has learned the secret of waiting on God’s timing. 

Jeff Frazier

Friday, June 26

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Nehemiah 2:1-8

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.

Let’s just think about that last sentence for a moment.

We’re only one chapter and 8 verses into the story and we already know that Nehemiah is quite a guy. He has risen to a position of great responsibility and influence even though he is a Jew living in exile in Persia. He has kept his role as cupbearer to the king for 20 years. He speaks daily with the most powerful man in the known world. He has put together a plan to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem and has waited patiently for just the right time to approach the king with his plans. He has just received permission to take a leave of absence from his job to undertake this great project; he has been granted the promise of protection while he travels; and he has been given access to all the material resources he will need. So right about now we might expect him to indulge in some chest thumping or to give himself at least a little pat on the back.

Nope.

What we get is a simple and humble statement of faith that is all we need to know about Nehemiah.

And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.

Nehemiah lived under and by the gracious hand of his God. That’s why his heart was broken by the news from Jerusalem. That’s why he fasted and prayed for four months. That’s why he was willing to risk his life to show his sadness to King Artaxerxes. That’s why, when the king asked, he was able to respond with both respect and boldness. And that’s why the King of Persia granted his request.

Because the gracious hand of God was on him.

So often I think we live as if we aren’t sure if this is true. We live as if we’re not sure God is gracious. We live as if we aren’t sure the hand of God is on us. Therefore, we live as if our failures are final and our fears are debilitating.

Nehemiah knew that even if Artaxerxes refused to grant his request the gracious hand of God was still on him. Nehemiah knew that even if showing his sadness to the king cost him his life the gracious hand of God was on him.

Nehemiah knew God.

And because he knew God he knew that his failures were not final and that his fear was not debilitating. He knew the great freedom that comes with knowing the gracious hand of his God was on him.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that as followers of Christ we have the same promise:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

The purpose is God’s.

The work is God’s.

The power is God’s.

The resources are God’s.

The glory is God’s.

The call is ours.

Pastor Brian Coffey