Giving ourselves to God

9/9/2011 7:13:21 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                                             Focus:  We must give ourselves to God

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                         Reference:  Nehemiah 11:1-12:26

               

                Message of the verses:  Today’s SD begins two new chapters from the book of Nehemiah and the eleventh chapter from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on Nehemiah, “Be Determined.”  I have mentioned that I have been using Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s “Be” books to aid me in my study of God’s Word.  He entitles this eleventh chapter “The Shout Heard ‘Round the World,” and it covers the eleventh and twelfth chapters of Nehemiah.  As on most of the chapters that he writes we find a clue as to what the chapter will be about and here is the clue from this chapter:  “Nehemiah calls on the people to present three sacrifices to the Lord for the sake of their city, sacrifices that God still calls His people to give for the sake of the church He is building in this world.”  The first sacrifice will be the subject of today’s SD.

                I have mentioned in an earlier SD that it is believed that Ezra is the author of Nehemiah, and also the author of the book that bears his name.  It is also believed that Ezra penned both first and second Chronicles.  There is a common thread in all four of these books, a thread that comes up in today’s lesson, and that is a list of names.  We find lists of names in all four of the above mentioned books and there is a good reason for them to be included in these books, for all are post exile books.  After the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC many of the people were sent to Babylon and thus their heritage could be lost if it were not for the efforts of Ezra, Nehemiah and a host of the Minor Prophets who wrote during this time.  It was very important for Israel to remember why she was called by God and that is why there are so many of these lists of people that are found in these four books of the Bible.  God had called the nation of Israel to record His Words in what is called the Bible, and He also called Israel to bring the Messiah into the world and on these list we will find some of the names that are in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ which are listed in the books of Matthew and Luke from the New Testament.

                It was very important to have people to move into the city of Jerusalem after the walls and the gates were rebuilt, for after all the city would be much safer since these repairs were already done.  There was a need for the people to protect the city and also there was a need to have people there to work in the temple in order to continue the worship of the Lord in the manner it was done at that time.

                Jerusalem was the city that God had chosen to be part of through the temple worship.  God had promised that He would chose a city to dwell in and that city was Jerusalem. 

                Dr. Wiersbe writes that he believes that these people who were to live in Jerusalem were not unlike who Paul was writing about in Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”  Dr. Wiersbe writes “The men women and children who helped to populate the city of Jerusalem were serving God, their nation, and future generations by their step of faith.” 

                We talked about the tithe (10%) in an earlier SD and now we see that Nehemiah had to draft a tithe of people to live in Jerusalem, for many did not want to live there, which made it necessary to draft people to live in Jerusalem.   

                The list of names that is found in this section were those who would live in Jerusalem, a very important list of names indeed.  In listing these names we can see the appreciation of Nehemiah for their sacrifice.  Nehemiah puts these names into categories in order to make more sense of the listings.  Judah and Benjamin were the two tribes that composed the southern kingdom after the split that took place after Solomon died.  Then we see the Levites and then we see other lists of names including those who would work at the temple. 

                When we look at the Body of Christ today we see people with different gifts and different skills that make the church operate in a way that will bring glory to the Lord.  It takes many people to make the church run in an efficient way. 

                Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I suppose that many of the names that are listed in the one plus chapters of Nehemiah are unknown names trying to do the will of the Lord in their lives, and that is what I desire to accomplish in my life.  Yesterday I had a wonderfully opportunity to listen to a young married lady who had a great burden upon her heart.  I told her that I cared for her and would pray for that burden to be lifted from her, and in that way my prayer is that she will come to know the Lord as her Lord and savior.  There is one list that I am blessed to be on that and that is the list of the Lamb’s book of life.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.       Continue to be ready for those “divine appointments.”

2.       Continue to learn contentment.

9/9/2011 8:47:44 AM