Remember the word that
you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will
scatter you among the peoples, 9 but
if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your
outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them
and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’
THE STUDY:
Nehemiah is a
man who knows scripture. He is also a man who knows the consequences of the
sins of a nation. He is made aware of the consequences by knowing scripture.
God speaks to Moses, “If you are
unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples”! In verse 8 & 9 we
see two human actions that have a divine reaction. One is negative and the
other is positive. 1) If you are unfaithful God will scatter you about the
world. But, 2) If you return to me & keep my commandments this relationship
will be restored.
The word “scatter”
gives the impression, by its definition, as something that is shattered to pieces
to a point that it could only be restored by divine intervention. God places
himself in the position to be the only restoring possibility and so his
conditions are as followed: return to me and keep my commandments. There is no time,
distance, or space (uttermost parts of
heaven) that can keep God from fulfilling His promise. The only thing that
can keep God from restoring the broken pieces is the people themselves.
WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY
WITH ….
- We walk away this morning with the understanding that this relationship with God is one that has conditions. These conditions are given to us so that we may be “His people” and have the life that was originally planned for us at the very beginning of time. If we dishonor these conditions there is a negative consequence.
APPLICATION:
Teenagers
seem to think parents are people who make their lives miserable and along the
way get some type of enjoyment out of it. We tell them to do something or not
to do something and if this goes against what the teenager had planned, we
become the bad guy! I tell my children, all the time, their mother and I DO NOT
lay in bed at night thinking of things to make their lives miserable. We tell
them “do something” or “not to do something” for two reasons: 1) Because we
know what’s best for them and we have their best interest at heart. 2) Because we
love them more than anyone else on this earth.
We can act
like teenagers with God sometimes. Sometimes we believe God is trying to make
our lives miserable instead of better and He sits on His throne and gets
enjoyment out of our misery. He speaks to our heart, to “do something” or convicts
our hearts to “not do something” and we get all bent out of shape about it.
Today, we
need to remember two things: First, God sees all, He knows all, and He has our
best interest at heart. Secondly, HE LOVES US more than we can ever imagine.
Let’s stop acting like teenagers and start acting like children of God who
trust and obey, because there is no other way!
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
