FAMILY FAITH:Study Nehemiah’s lessons, then apply them

The book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament is an interesting study. It details the account of Nehemiah’s journey to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall that had been destroyed there.

There was a Jewish remnant that had survived the attack of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar and had been exiled to Babylon.

When Cyrus came into power as King of Persia, his heart was moved to build a temple for God at Jerusalem. He allowed any exile who felt led to go up to Jerusalem and assist (II Chronicles 36).

The traditional view holds that Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in the year 445 B.C.

Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah encounters socioeconomic problems; the poor are being oppressed by heavy debt. Nehemiah cancels the debts of the poor and lives an unselfish example in chapter 5 of this book. What strikes me most about this particular chapter is Nehemiah’s reverence for the Lord.

“But the earlier governors — those preceding me — placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land” (Nehemiah 5:15-16). Nehemiah feared God. The Bible tells us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10).

In chapter 7 there is a spiritual revival among the people led by Ezra.

These people were hungry for God. They actually publicly read the Scriptures — aloud. What power there is in this.

So what can we grasp from this book for our personal lives?

First, we see God’s faithfulness — the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt.

Second, we witness God’s mercy — He cared about the oppression the poor faced and brought a righteous man to rectify it.

Third, we see God’s ability to draw His people to Himself — spiritual revival broke out from a disastrous experience (Nehemiah 8). These people even confessed their sins in chapter 9.

The lessons we can learn from the book of Nehemiah transcend the few stated here. Many of these lessons can be useful to us and our families: We can reflect on God’s faithfulness and power.

In addition, we can remember to show mercy to those less fortunate than we are: financially, spiritually, physically and emotionally. And even the example of reading the Word of God aloud in our homes is something we can practice.

If you have never studied the book of Nehemiah, or it has been a while since your last read of it, it is a wonderful example of God’s faithfulness and our obligation to respond in reverence to it

It is well worth the time to study, and then apply.