Bible Thoughts

June 3, 2001

The invading armies of Babylon had destroyed the temple of God, the walls of Jerusalem, and sacked the city. As Nehemiah viewed the desolation a few years later, he determined that, in order to "no longer be a reproach," rebuilding would be the task at hand. His appeal is for the Hebrews to assist him in achieving the rebuilding. Nehemiah, with God's help and the help of the people, would restore what had been destroyed.

Nehemiah stated, "I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, 'Let us arise and build.' So they put their hands to the work"(Nehemiah 2:18).

It is the function of a leader to inspire those who follow to perform work that is needed to be accomplished. Such a person was Nehemiah. He did not hesitate to inform the Hebrews of the conditions and the opportunities that were before them. Their reaction was positive: they put their hands to the work. No leader can be successful without the willingness of the followers to listen and perform their tasks.

Nehemiah was a motivator. His example of dedication to the task they faced became the energy by which he would inspire others to work. Nehemiah was an able leader, a dedicated student of God's word, and one who did not hesitate to tackle a job and complete the work.

For the Lord's cause to accomplish the greatest good, there must also be the willingness of all to work together for the Lord. The greatest good is accomplished by determining that each one will work in the kingdom and put forth the greatest effort for the Lord, both leaders and followers.

The people of God were not free of the disgruntled opposers to a good work. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem "mocked" and "despised" the efforts of the people. They even accused Nehemiah and the others of "rebelling" against the king. The answer to their opposition, "The God of heaven will give us success"(2:20). Why? Because the servants of God would "arise and build." Opposition can never defeat the efforts of the Lord's people unless we bow to such.

The negative crowd should never deter those who follow the Lord from the going forward with the work that is to be done. Discouragement affects only those who will listen and bow to its message. In every good and righteous pursuit, let us move forward for the good of the Kingdom and the spread of the gospel.

May the Lord bless us with more Nehemiahs among Christians and those who are willing to "put their hands to the work."

All four gospels tell us that Jesus rose from the dead, and Matthew tells us how the tomb was found empty and, later, how Jesus appeared to the disciples. The resurrection has great significance for both the believer and unbeliever. For the unbeliever it verifies that Jesus truly is the son of God, and if that is so then it demonstrates that he truly has all authority. We read where Jesus told about his death and the suffering he had to go through and if he was telling the truth about this then all other teachings of his are also truth. If he had not been raised then we as believers have placed our faith in nothing. Our preaching would be in vain, there would be no purpose for it. Our belief in Christ would also be empty and meaningless. It would also mean that all the faithful have perished after death because they have no atonement for sins. And if that was so, then we are to be pitied above all for we have placed our belief in a false messiah. But because he had been raised he gives us a living hope, something to belong to. The resurrection has everlasting implications for all of mankind, without it we have nothing.-Vaughn Botha

Sin has been defined in many different ways. Often it is referred to as a "social problem." This leaves an opportunity for one to commit evil without feelings of guilt. Modern liberal religious teachers use such an approach.

Sin was real when it entered into the lives of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden(Romans 5:12). It was a reality among the Israelites as they ignored God's law. The apostle Peter felt the weight of transgression as he denied Christ. The destruction of the Sodomites is a continuing monument to the existence of sin.

The early disciples were warned against committing fornication, homosexuality, stealing, lying, etc., in passage after passage(see Romans 1:26-32; Ephesians 5:3-5; Colossians 3:5-6). John reveals the consequences of such transgressions as he points out, "But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death"(Revelation 21:8).

Men lacking the courage to speak against such sins as noted above, as well as those who go so far as to condone such transgressions, are not pleasing God. Rationalizing away the terribleness of sin by modernistic social approaches will not remove the eternal consequences God has assigned for immoral conduct.

The reality of sin brought about the death of Jesus, the revelation of the gospel, and God's plan of salvation. Do you believe that condoners of evil will change God's word?