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.”
THE STUDY:
Nehemiah is addressing the
three individuals who seem to be trying to discourage and even halt the
rebuilding of the wall. He states 3 facts in this verse: God will give them
success, the people will rise and build,
and Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem have no
right or claim in Jerusalem.
For the sake of the
workers, Nehemiah’s response to this first oppositional strategy was important.
His answer had three parts: (1) He did not speak of his authority or the king’s
but of his trust in “the God of heaven.” (2) Nehemiah advised his people to
ignore the ridicule and threats and simply work.
(3) He refused to compromise. He denied his opponents a share in the work, the
land, or the worship of the Jewish community (cf. Ezra 4:3).
In former years Sanballat
and Tobiah may have had some jurisdiction over the affairs of Judah, but now Nehemiah
was in charge, commissioned by the king. The “historic right” Nehemiah
mentioned is the term zikaron, which
can mean “a reminder.” The word can refer to historic rights (property,
participation in the community, etc.) but probably was used in the sense of a
right to participate in the temple worship.[1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY
WITH ….
- We walk away this morning with the understanding that Success comes from God. We need to stay focused on the job at hand and not get sidetracked by Satan’s diversions. Finally, nonbelievers have no civic, legal, or cultic rights in the community of faith.
APPLICATION:
As I watch over the next few months the
presidential debates culminating to the election in November, the one thing
that stands out in my heart is knowing my God is in control. I don’t get to
bent out of shape when it comes to the outcome. My God rules! I encourage the
church to stay focused on the Cross and not the candidates. They seem to tell
us what we want to hear and not what needs to stated.
I believe that as time will tell
God wins and the only ones who will be able to claim this victory is the
believers. All the Sanballat’s of the world will realize the victory is ours
(believers) and they will have no claim to it.
Today, you will be faced with the
world and all it has. Remember three things: 1) God is in control. 2) Stay
focused on the Cross. 3) In the end, WE WIN!
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Breneman, M. (1993). Vol. 10: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (electronic ed.).
The New American Commentary (184). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
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