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Nehemiah 13 - Singular Intent

What happens when you don't obey the commands of our God? You head for a sure downfall. That consequence however, is the same if you don't know those commands because you will then unknowingly be in disobedience.

The Jewish people living in the land were ignorant of the commands of the Lord. As a result they were living in disobedience. When the law was finally read to them, and Nehemiah saw their sin, he took action.

Nehemiah 13:1 On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written...

Nehemiah 13:3 When the people heard this law, they...

Nehemiah 13:17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this wicked thing you are doing...

Nehemiah 13:25 So I reprimanded those Jews, cursed them, beat some of them, and pulled out their hair. I made them swear by God...

Here was a man of singular intent. When something was revealed to him by God, he did not delay in acting upon it.

It is amazing to me how often I will balance on the edges of sin, peering over. I'm not sinning, but I'm also not wholly following the Lord when I do this. Solomon was guilty of this same thing. And as Nehemiah pointed out, it was his downfall. God had clearly commanded that the Israelites should not take foreign wives.

Nehemiah 13:26 I said, "Wasn't it because of marriages like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? There wasn't a king like him among all nations. God loved him, and God made him king of all Israel. But his non-Israelite wives led him to sin.

It may have seemed like a harmless thing, even a thing that was expected of a king, to take foreign wives to seal alliances. But God had commanded otherwise.

In my life I have sinned willfully and I have sinned ignorantly. When it is willful then it is plain rebellion or disobedience. However, ignorance is due to not knowing what God desires. So how do I correct this? By reading His word so that I know and do His will.

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Hide His words in your heart. Jan
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Nehemiah 12 - Rejoicing

The very first thing that Nehemiah did to dedicate the walls of Jerusalem was to find all of the singers that he could muster.

Nehemiah 12:27-29 When it came time for the dedication of the wall, they tracked down and brought in the Levites from all their homes in Jerusalem to carry out the dedication exuberantly: thanksgiving hymns, songs, cymbals, harps, and lutes. The singers assembled from all around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites, from Beth Gilgal, from the farms at Geba and Azmaveth - the singers had built villages for themselves all around Jerusalem.

He wanted to ensure that this would be a celebration to be enjoyed and remembered.

Nehemiah 12:43 That day they offered great sacrifices, an exuberant celebration because God had filled them with great joy. The women and children raised their happy voices with all the rest. Jerusalem's jubilation was heard far and wide.

This evening I celebrated with my fellow followers of Christ as a new church assembly was birthed. The service started with songs of thanksgiving to God, and ended with the same. As in any new birth, there was much travail and pain to get to this point. And I'm sure there is still more to come. But as the words of a Petra song that I love point out, "joy is not in where we've been, joy is Who's waiting at the end." This life journey we are on will have trials, tests and yes, times of joy. As King David sang to our God during every season of his soul, so should we. And just like Nehemiah, when there is a special occasion for joy, may our songs of thanksgiving and praise be heard far and wide.

Rejoice! Jan
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Nehemiah 11 - Sacrifice and a New Life

On January 5th, 1968, Alexander Dubcek took charge of Czechoslovakia when the the Communist run government collapsed. What followed became known as the "Prague Spring". Sweeping reforms that allowed freedom of the press, more personal freedom, and plans for the creation of a multi-party democratic government were instituted. The communist party heads in Russia were not pleased and intense negotiations began. These ultimately failed.

In 1969 my father and mother made the most difficult decision of their lives. My father had seen the "handwriting on the wall", he foresaw the coming communist response. Therefore, my parents staged a daring escape to freedom in August of 1969. They left everything behind except for two suitcases, about $100, and two young boys - my brother and me. A week or two later the combined forces of the Warsaw Pact countries invaded with five to seven thousand tanks, and two to six-hundred-thousand troops. The iron curtain fell, the borders were shut tight and freedom was suppressed for another twenty years until the "Velvet Revolution" of 1989.

God's providence had allowed us to leave at just the right time. If my parents had waited just two more weeks, my life would be profoundly different now. A whole new life began for my family. We knew very little of where we were going, and we had left everything familiar behind. We did however have a few relatives in the United States, so that is where we settled and remain to this day.

This brings me to today's reading. Jerusalem has just had the walls rebuilt, the gates repaired, and a huge red target painted on it for it's enemies to see. This pile of rubble, with a handful of squatters living amongst the ruins, has just emerged as a hilltop fortress. It is now a power to be reckoned with, except for one small problem.

Nehemiah 7:4 Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt.

There were not enough people in the city for it to succeed as a city. Nehemiah needed to increase the population - and quickly.

Nehemiah 11:1-2 The leaders of the people were already living in Jerusalem, so the rest of the people drew lots to get one out of ten to move to Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine remained in their towns. The people applauded those who voluntarily offered to live in Jerusalem.

The people voluntarily submitted to a draft. They chose to abandon that which was familiar to them and to start a new life. It would not be easy for them. The houses of the city were in ruins, but they were committed to doing the Lord's work. They might or might not know some of the other people moving there. Yet they chose to go. Three thousand forty-two families were chosen, and the rest is history.

Father, thank you for the decision of my parents to live in the New World. If I had been raised under an Atheistic government it is very likely that I would not be in relationship with You. Thank you for your continued blessings. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Blessings to you, Jan
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Nehemiah 10 - Neglect

The last sentence of today's chapter got me to thinking - I know, that is a very dangerous thing, me thinking. A particular word was used in that sentence in most of the bible translations that I read today. That word is neglect.

Nehemiah 10:39 ..."We will not neglect the house of our God."

The people were guilty of doing nothing. How often am I guilty of neglecting something or someone that is important to me? How often do I do nothing when I should be doing something? How often does my sedentary behavior rob me or someone else of something that God had planned? I'm sorry to say that I am lazy, and if presented with the option to sit on my rear, I will almost always choose the latter. I don't think it is going to get any easier either. Satan would like nothing more than to immobilize me and anyone else that claims Christ as brother. After all, if he can't keep us from being a Christian, his next best move is to make us ineffective. He will be sure to provide us with enough distractions and excuses to last the rest of our lives.

The people in Nehemiah's time were guilty of getting used to their surroundings. As my wife pointed out to me, they lived in the ruins of the city, they passed by the devastation on a daily basis. To them it was just the way things were. However, one man, one man made all the difference in the world. His will, empowered and emboldened by God, brought about the restoration of the entire nation.

Father, please forgive my sloth and help me to truly be a doer of Your word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Don't just sit there! Jan
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Nehemiah 9 - Repentance

All too often there are passages in the bible that put me to personal shame, like the opening verses of today's chapter.

Nehemiah 9:1-3 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel gathered to fast in order to show sorrow for their sins. They had already separated themselves from all foreigners. They wore sackcloth and put dust on their heads as signs of grief. Then they stood and began to confess the sins that they and their ancestors had committed. For about three hours the Law of the Lord their God was read to them, and for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.

I have committed many grievous sins in my lifetime, yet my idea of repentance is to confess it and get on with my day. While this is a valid and scriptural practice, there are times that it is too easy. I see here that the people of Israel were mourning their offenses against God for six hours or more! Not only that, but they spent at least three hours humbled, kneeling or laying on the ground. The word worshiped in Hebrew is Shachah (shaw-khaw), a verb, which means to bow down or prostrate oneself. Thanks be to God however, because in the next few verses I see that there does come a time to put the past behind us and move on with life.

Nehemiah 9:5b-6 ...They (the priests) said: "Stand up and praise the Lord your God; praise him forever and ever! Let everyone praise his glorious name, although no human praise is great enough." And then the people of Israel prayed this prayer: "You, Lord, you alone are Lord; you made the heavens and the stars of the sky. You made land and sea and everything in them; you gave life to all. The heavenly powers bow down and worship you...

The people were told to stand up, get off the ground, now is a time to praise. In my life I must remember this. I need proper balance, which involves true sorrow for my sins. For only if I meditate on the great disappointment and hurt that my sin has caused will the lesson stick. However, once that true repentance has been fulfilled, restoration is sure to follow - brought in by praise.

Thank You Father for Your unfailing love and willingness to restore. Even when I'm disciplined, Your love never quits. Help me to live my life in proper balance, thereby fulfilling Your will for me. In Jesus' name.

Amen, Jan.
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Nehemiah 8 - Understanding

Up until the early 1300's the bible was not available in the English language. In fact just about the only language it was available in was Latin. The only way you could truly know what the bible said was to learn Latin - something that was quite difficult to do. Actually available is the wrong word, because they were hand produced and cost more than most people could earn in a lifetime. All that changed with the invention of the printing press. The bible became available in the native languages of the people, and it could be mass produced, which meant that it became much more affordable.

In ancient Israel the Torah was only available for the priests. And even then you needed to study for years to understand what was written therein, because of the abbreviated form of Hebrew that it uses. The average person, if they could read, would get almost nothing from the scripture. It would be like one of us trying to read the IRS tax code.

So how did they learn? How do any of us learn? Via a teacher. Ezra the scribe was employed by Nehemiah to read and explain the scripture to the people.

Nehemiah 8:8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.

He gave meaning to what was read. In other words, he explained it. As a result, they were greatly troubled by what they heard. They now realized the gravity of their sin. However, Nehemiah and the priests told the people to rejoice, for they were ignorant before. However, God had forgive them and restored them to their land, a new era had begun.

Nehemiah 8:12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

We live in such an amazing time of knowledge. In my Palm Pilot I have twenty-three different versions of the English bible, three commentaries, and two dictionaries. All of this is available at my fingertips. Everything I could want to know about God's word is at my disposal. With the availability of the internet, public library system, and the resources of our Christian brothers and sisters, there is no excuse for us not understanding what the Lord requires of us. Knowledge now comes easily. However, we need to be willing to actually seek it. It will not come looking for us.

Heavenly Father, it is one thing to understand, and an entirely different thing to obey. Please help us to be doers and not hearers only. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Blessings to you, Jan
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Nehemiah 7 - Singers

I find it significant that one of the first things that Nehemiah did upon completing the walls, was to appoint singers.

Nehemiah 7:1 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.

I suspect that God likes music even more than we can imagine. After all He had an entire order of the priesthood dedicated to this one task. Obviously He wanted it done well and with focus.

May our songs of praise receive the same type of devotion as that of these men whose lives were dedicated to "the joyful noise."

Real men sing real loud. Jan.
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Nehemiah 6 - Rumors or Peace?

What an interesting parallel in today's chapter to some of the events of today itself.

Nehemiah 6:6a Geshem tells me that a rumor is going around...

I have heard more rumors in the last twenty four hours or so than I have ever heard before. What is truly sad is that they are being spread by some that I call brothers and sisters. Clearly this should not be so.

Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the LORD hates – no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers.

The verse above sounds a lot like the recent past. God hates when discord is spread among brothers. Our job as followers of Jesus is to be agents of peace. We are to promote it, encourage it, and work for it. We are charged by our Lord to live peaceably with all men - not just those that agree with us.

If we are involved in spreading any information about anyone or any event that will not bring glory to God's kingdom, then we are enemies of peace. We are just as bad as Tobiah and Sandballat if we attempt to tear down, in any way, anyone that God has placed over us in authority.

Either you are a follower of Christ or you are not? Do you want to be blessed? If you do, then you should want to be one of his peacemakers. To do otherwise is sin.

Here are just some verses about peace.

Acts 10:36 36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

James 3:8 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

1 Peter 3:11 Turn away from evil and do good. Work hard at living in peace with others.

As a wise man told me recently. What is being spread is manure. Don't spread manure, spread Peace!
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Nehemiah 5 - Healing

As of this writing, there are suddenly things happening in my life, and in the lives of many people that I care about, that are truly painful. We are confused, we are hurt, and we are offended.

Now there comes a choice. How do we respond? Or more directly, how do I respond?

The first verse in today's reading hit me square between my eyes.

Nehemiah 5:1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.

The things that are happening are causing some people to raise an outcry against their brothers in Christ. Just as in Nehemiah's time, there are cries of "It is unfair." and "How dare this happen!" Yet I see a much deeper question. Where is God in all of this, what is His will? That is where I see Nehemiah himself coming into the picture.

Nehemiah 5:6-7a I got really angry when I heard their protest and complaints. After thinking it over...

The protests and complaints of the oppressed people got the attention of Nehemiah. He became angry. But, and this is a big but, he did not fly off the handle, start a tirade, or begin verbal executions. No, he thought it over. How many of us have truly "thought it over" when we are offended or have a grievance? Nehemiah ensured that his response was in line with the word of God. We need to be sure that our responses are too.

As a result to seeing a clear violation of scripture, Nehemiah confronted those officials that were violating God's word, and great healing was the result.

Nehemiah 5:12-13 Then they replied, "We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say." Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials formally vow to do what they had promised. I shook out the fold of my robe and said, "If you fail to keep your promise, may God shake you from your homes and from your property!" The whole assembly responded, "Amen," and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

I note that Nehemiah called the priests together to witness and seal the covenant, the promise, made by the officials. We men are the priests of our home. God had the priests lead the procession into the promised land. We men must lead in righteousness and lead in not accepting an offense of Satan. We must continue to do those things God has called us to do, and leave the rest to others.

I close with this prayer of David. May it be the prayer on all of our lips. For then we will truly be in the will of our Father. When you get to the word "Israel", insert your own name there.

Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me. Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms, so my heart is quiet within me. Israel, trust in the Lord now and forever! - Psalm 131

Amen, Jan
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Nehemiah 4 - The Horn

I love the imagery of the horn presented in this chapter. It reminded me of two similar passages from C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. The first is from The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, where Father Christmas presents the children with gifts. In this tale, he is a representation of the Holy Spirit, since it is the Holy Spirit that gives gifts and help to Christians.

Father Christmas: Daughter, Susan. Trust in this bow, for it does not easily miss.

Susan: What happened to, 'battles are ugly affairs?'

Father Christmas: And, though you don't seem to have trouble making yourself heard, this. When you put this horn to your lips and blow it, wherever you are, help will come.

The horn is a divine gift with magical power to summon help. When it is sounded in this tale help comes swiftly. Now to today's passage from Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 4:18b-20 But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!"

We see here that when the trumpet sounds help will arrive, wherever it is needed. The people are to gather to fight, but the most important combatant of all will be there as well - God himself.

However, if the enemy encroaches and the horn is not sounded, the work may stop and never be restarted. There is a danger in not watching or in waiting too long.

This brings me to this excerpt from The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian. Generations have passed from when the horn was first used by Susan. Free Narnia fell many years before to an invading force. The original inhabitants are hunted, and if found executed. The horn has recently come into the possession of a force attempting to liberate, and rebuild Narnia into what it once was. The battle is going badly for them, very badly.

"If your Majesty is ever to use the Horn," said Trufflehunter, "I think the time has now come." Caspian had of course told them of his treasure several days ago.

"We are certainly in great need," answered Caspian. "But it is hard to be sure we are at our greatest. Supposing there came an even worse need and we had already used it?"

"By that argument," said Nikabrik, "your Majesty will never use it until it is too late."

"I agree with that," said Doctor Cornelius.

They were having trouble deciding if the need was great enough to summon help. In this tale, the horn was sounded, and help did come, victory was secured, Narnia was freed. But what if they had delayed. They were surrounded, supplies were running out, and morale was low. I suspect the outcome would have been much different.

Now, how about our lives? We do not need to sound a horn like Susan, Caspian, or Nehemiah. We merely need to call upon God. But how often do we ignore Him, forget Him, think that our needs are too trivial to bother the Master of the Universe? I know that I personally have missed many opportunities for God to show His power in my life as I have attempted to rescue myself, only to have it go badly and then need restoration and even more help.

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

Do not hold God like some ace-in-the-hole, waiting for the opportune moment to bring Him out. He wants to help now. He want to always be active in our lives. He delights in giving good gifts to His children.

Matthew 7:11 Even though you are bad, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you.

I think more often than not, it isn't that God doesn't want to help us. He truly does, but he wants us to ask. I think James put it very clearly in this verse.

James 4:2 ...And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it.

Don't wait for the walls to be overrun. Sound the spiritual trumpet, cry out to God, and in an instant He will be there, fighting for you.

Amen, Jan
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Nehemiah 3 - Men of Jericho?

Hmm, men of Jericho rebuilding the city walls in Jerusalem. This sounds a bit odd to me.

Nehemiah 3:2 The men of Jericho worked alongside them; and next to them, Zaccur son of Imri.

Now I don't find it odd due to distance, as the two cites were close to each other. Josephus reported that Jericho was "one hundred and fifty stadia from Jerusalem and fifty from the Jordan." This meant that the city was only about 18 miles away from Jerusalem.

However, didn't Joshua pronounce a rather nasty curse on anyone that would inhabit Jericho?

Joshua 6:26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: "Cursed before the Lord is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates."

Joshua was quite specific. So I guess the curse was only against the nitwit that undertook the rebuilding - Hiel and two of his sons. Not against those that chose to live there afterwards.

1 Kings 16:34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.

A simple word search shows that Jericho continued to be a city frequented by the Jews after this rebuilding.

2 Samuel 10:5 When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."

Since Elisha stayed there for a while, and Jesus and his disciples went there, it obviously was not considered a sin in God's eyes to be in the city. It was a city like any other. The historical significance was just that, history.

2 Kings 2:18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, "Didn't I tell you not to go?"

Matthew 20:29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.

The men of Jericho recognized that a citadel of safety was being build nearby in Jerusalem, and they wanted to ensure that they had a stake of it. It took effort on their part. But it was worth it, for their faithful work is now recorded forever in the bible.

Thank You Father that You are our citadel of safety. We can come to You and know that nothing can come our way without Your permission. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Peace, Jan
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Nehemiah 2 - History Lesson

I started reading chapter two last night and realized that there were events in this book that sounded familiar. It sounded like other events I'd read about in other books of the Bible. Based upon that, I did some research. I cannot claim credit for most of the information below. All I did was compile it.

The book of Nehemiah begins in the month of Kislev, around November or December. The setting is the Palace of Shushan, east of the Tigris river. It was used by the Persian kings in winter. Historian Flavius Josephus reports that Nehemiah was walking on the palace walls one evening and heard men conversing in his native Hebrew language. He was well aware of the fact that eleven years earlier Zerubbabel and Ezra had led the first group of Jews to reoccupy their ancient homeland. Their directive from the king was to resettle and repair the temple. But, it is important to note that they did not have the king's authority to refortify or rebuild the city. Nehemiah approached the group and was introduced to Hanani. From him Nehemiah ascertained that they had returned from Jerusalem, and inquired as to the state of affairs of the Jews now in his homeland. The report so greatly distressed him, and as we saw yesterday, that Nehemiah began a protracted fast and prayer session.

As a cup-bearer, Nehemiah held an honored position that would put him close to the king on a regular basis. His job was to clean the king's cup, with much ceremony, and pour the wine into it. Then he would pick up the cup with his right hand, and pour a little bit of wine into his cupped left hand from which he would drink in the kings presence. However, the king did not have just one cup-bearer. He would have several that would rotate in and out on a schedule.

A four month period of time elapses between when Nehemiah is first called by God to do something about Jerusalem to when he actually makes his move. He may have been waiting for winter to end so that his journey would be easier. Perhaps it was not his time to serve the king yet, or perhaps he was waiting for a more favorable time to bring the matter up. In regards to the latter supposition, one verse stuck out to me.

Nehemiah 2:6a Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me...

Biblical scholars Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown in their Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) believed that the queen mentioned here is Esther. If that is the case then the four month delay takes on further significance, for Queen Esther was a Jewess who would have been quite favorable toward Nehemiah's mission.

It was not at all unusual that some time would elapse before Queen Esther would be in the king's presence. He had a harem to keep him occupied and would only call for Queen Esther when he pleased.

Esther 4:11 "All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king."

Additionally, Persian queens were not usually present in matters of state business, and the kings dined alone. So this particular audience with the king was most likely a private matter of some sort. This was the perfect opportunity for a personal request.

A king would always watch his cup bearer carefully. After all the cup bearer was the taster. If there was something wrong with the wine, it would quickly show on the cup bearer's face. The fact the Nehemiah approached the king with sadness on his face was a grave action for a man in his position. The king would be certain to notice, and it was forbidden to be downcast in the king's court. (Esther 4:2). The penalty could have been a swift and sure death for Nehemiah. However, through the providence of God, King Artaxerxes looked favorably on Nehemiah and inquired as to his distress. The result was that God moved the heart of the king, most likely with assistance of Queen Esther, to grant everything that Nehemiah requested.

The king asked how much time Nehemiah would require. It appears that a six month leave of absence was granted, because after only fifty two days from arriving in Jerusalem, the walls were rebuilt and Nehemiah returned from Jerusalem, for a time, to Persia. Eventually he returned again as governor of the region.

Now to the fascinating part...

The date of this edict authorizing the rebuilding of Jerusalem as a city is extremely relevant and important to Christians. It was the year 445 BC. Why is this significant? Because of the following prophecy from Daniel, given 160 years prior to Nehemiah's time.

Daniel 9:25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

From the time that King Artaxerxes issued the decree, the countdown clock to the Messiah's appearing began!

Therefore, with some careful calculations we should be able to determine that date. Biblical math relies on a 360 day year. (Trust me in this, the research is exhaustive. For details, go to http://endtimepilgrim.org/70wks8.htm). So we have a total of 173,880 days, if the math is done properly. This must then be put into the terms of solar years to come up with a correct date. The result is 476 solar years and 24 days.

This countdown clock would terminate on the day when the messiah, who we know is Jesus, presented Himself to His people politically as "Messiah the Prince". Using the calculated date, we find that it was to happen in the Passover month of Nisan in 32 A.D. There is a prophecy given in 520 BC concerning the method of the Messiah's appearing.

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Was this fulfilled? Yes, and exactly on the date that the math revealed.

Matthew 21:6-9 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"

Wow! What a ride. This should be a fun book. I never realized how pivotal in history this particular book was until now. Nehemiah, the cup bearer, was instrumental in setting the date that Jesus would come to save us all.

Rejoice! He lives! Jan
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Nehemiah 1 - Favor

I find it amazing that this man, Nehemiah, knew who God was, what His nature is, and that he knew His capabilities. After all, Nehemiah was a captive in Persia (Iran) for most of his life. Apparently there were still devoted men and women that did not give up the faith of their fathers - a faith that must have been practiced and taught. Look at the understanding Nehemiah displays in this verse.

Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success now as I go to ask the king for a great favor. Put it into his heart to be kind to me. "In those days I was the king's cup-bearer.

He clearly shows that God is all-powerful and that He can turn the hearts of kings wherever He wishes.

Romans 9:17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, "I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you, and so that my fame might spread throughout the earth."

God can do whatever He pleases, with whomever He pleases, whenever He pleases. Nehemiah understood this. We should too. For we are His children to whom He shows favor.

He Rules! Jan
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