WAR ON THE HOME FRONTPART ONE
War
has been declared on the family. At one time we enjoyed a social charter
where you could trust the church and society in general to live up to a
certain code of behavior. Although churches did not all preach the same
message, there was a well-accepted set of basic values. However, in the
last twenty years there has been a significant change in the accepted
values. The growing
predominance of two earner families; an increased emphasis on personal
freedoms; the focus on financial performance; restrictions in government
funding for social programs; and the removal of prayer and Bible material
from the public realm have all contributed to a general decline in social
values. In
this social revolution, the family has suffered the most casualties.
Dysfunctional families abound; adolescent crime has increased; and school
violence has increased. All of these are mere reflections of a much deeper
problem. In many ways, the decay of our current social structure is
comparable to the decay that had come upon Jerusalem and the Jews who had
been in captivity in Persia. (Nehemiah, Chapter 1).
While most of the Jews had been in captivity the city of Jerusalem
had fallen into disrepair and the spiritual lives of the Jews had as well.
It is easy therefore to associate with Nehemiah’s cry to fight
for Jerusalem and its inhabitants. We should recognize the deterioration
of the spiritual walls around our families. We
need to cry out to God, asking him to bless the modern family in all its
forms: single parent families, nuclear families, blended families, double
income-no-kids families, as well as all the other modern family
structures. Hear Nehemiah’s sad words concerning Jerusalem, in Neh. 1: 1
- 3 1.The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In
the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of
Susa. 2.Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men,
and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile,
and also about Jerusalem. 3. They said to me. “Those who survived the
exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The
wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with
fire.” Our young people are
suffering from a brutal assault launched against their values and their
faith The lure of being popular, the search for significance among their
classmates and the doubts about the validity of their faith combined to
send mortar shells at their defense system. Their spiritual walls are
being broken down. We have to be careful about our values. The world
system is out for profit – the Christian is supposed to be outfitted for
service. The world stresses sensuality and God desires spirituality. The
majority scream, “to thine own self be true”, Jesus says take up your
cross and follow me. Our very expression before our families communicates
a value. So we have to keep asking ourselves: Whose value system are we
living by? The
gates and walls of the city of Jerusalem were its defenses in the time of
attack. We know God often fought for His people but many enemies also
assaulted her walls and on many occasions they were broken down. In this
case they were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Whenever in her history the
city was rebuilt, the wall and gates came first. Her survival depended on
being able to be defended. Can we say the same of our homes and families?
If godly principles are in place we have our first and best line of
defense. But there also has to be a willingness to fight. Watch how
Nehemiah began this battle: “When I heard these things, I sat down and
wept, For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of
heaven” (Neh.1: 4). Nehemiah began to cry. He sat down and mourned.
Rightly so since being seated on low stools was the posture of a mourner.
Nehemiah also fasted. Fasting for Jerusalem during the days of the Exile
was a common practice. Mourning and fasting were not Nehemiah’s only actions. He also prayed a moving prayer to the God of heaven. (Neh. 1: 5 - 11) : 5.Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the
great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love
him and obey his commands. 6. Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open
to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for
your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites,
including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. 7.
We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands,
decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8.:”Remember the
instruction you gave your servant Mosses, saying, “If you are
unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. 9. But if you return to
me and obey my commands, then even if you exiled people are at the
farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the
place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.” 10. “They are your
servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and
your mighty hand. 11. O LORD, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of
this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in
revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor
in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king. Points on Nehemiah’s prayer:
We too must recognize the sin in our land, in our
homes and in our own lives and how it enslaves. Drugs and alcohol enslave
many young people today. We must be ready to confess the sin to God and to
repent of it. To repent means to turn away from sin and strive for
obedience, determined never to commit that same sin again. We must reflect
on the wrong of our behavior and feel genuine sorry for our sin and then
ask Jesus to forgive us and come into (or return to) our lives as our Lord
and Savior. Continued, unrepented sin results in slavery or bondage to
sin. Until we recognize the wrong of our actions and have sorrow for our
sin, we cannot come to a point of repentance. But when we come to God in
repentance, He is faithful to forgive us, and give us cleansing and
salvation. Putting it simply then “sin process” involves: SIN
>>>SLAVERY>>>SORROW FOR SIN>>>>REPENTANCE OF
SIN How gracious God is depicted in Nehemiah. Even though the nation had fallen into sin, Nehemiah was conscious of the fact God would restore them by His strong arm. Nehemiah understood the character of God to care for His people because He had made a covenant with them. All they had to do was repent. Nehemiah ends his prayer in Chapter 1 with a petition to
find “mercy in the sight of this man”. Which man and why? Obviously it
was Artaxerxes the king of Persia. Nehemiah adds; ‘For I was the kings
cupbearer.” It isn’t a part of the prayer. In fact it seems to be out
of place but it illustrates two facts:
How could Nehemiah possibly succeed In the great task that burdened his heart so deeply? Perhaps a clue to the answer lies in he meaning of Nehemiah’s name. Nehemiah is the son of “Hachaliah” - a name that means “wait on God.” Nehemiah itself means “God has comforted.” Combined, the names can mean “WAIT FOR GOD AND HE WILL COMFORT”. The power of that thought had to give Nehemiah a determination to follow on the path God has set him on. When God sees an honest heart, whether it is a group of sorrowful Jews in Babylon or a cupbearer in the court of Artaxerxes or a woman at a well or a brakeman trying to raise a family - He responds. Don’t demand God to work our way, but trust Him and He’ll give every reason to take those harps off the willow trees and play a happy tune again. Remember, God’s purposes always come with God’s grace and God-given ability. It is easy to lose heart. Nehemiah began right. He humbled himself before God and prayed, wept, fasted, and mourned. Then he waited his opportunity and when it emerged he acted. He confessed his sins and picked up a brick to begin building. The point where most people are likely to call it waits, Nehemiah used as his beginning. How do we apply this lesson to our lives? The story is told of a young woman was abandoned by her husband. She was of course devastated at the betrayal and overwhelmed to see her dreams dies and to be left alone. She sat alone in the rubble of her life and contemplated suicide. She shared her feelings with a friend who counseled her, “If you take your life you will have to face Jesus. And, you will have to tell him, ‘You weren’t enough for my problems.’” She reconsidered and picked up the pieces and began to rebuild in the midst of the rubble. It is far better to face the Master having tried your best than to have given up when He is available through Faith to help us achieve the impossible. QUIZ ON BIBLE
STUDY PART ONE 1. Who had suffered the most causalities as a result of the social revolution? 2. What steps did Nehemiah take to start to build up the walls of Jerusalem/ 3 . What did Nehemiah’s prayer consist of. 4. What were the defenses in the time of attack against Jerusalem? 5. Who destroyed the walls and gates of Jerusalem? 6. Name 5 points about Nehemiah’s prayer. 7. How can we build up the family walls that have been broken down and protect our families? 8. What was the most important lesson you learned from this study? (Answers are provided on the previous page - Bible Studies. INDEX OF
FUTURE STUDIES ON THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. 1. SURVEYING THE DAMAGE 2. WORKMEN ON THE WALLS 3. THE MAN WITH THE TRUMPET 4. SHAKEN OUT OF GOD’S HOUSE 5. CONCLUSION TO SHAKEN OUT OF GOD’S HOUSE 6. I WILL NOT COME DOWN 7. SHOULD A WOMAN LIKE ME RUN? 8. GOAL BEYOND GOAL 9. FIVE HOURS AT A WATER GATE 10. THE FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS 11. THE VINDICATION OF GOD 12. CUTTING A NEW COVENANT 13. DEDICATING THE WALL OF JERUSALEM 14. CURSED, SLAPPED, PLUCKED AND CHASED If you have questions on this study please feel free to write me at b4c3h3@yahoo.com and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have or find the answer for you. If I can be of any help to you in any matter please do not hesitate to contact me. |