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Scripture: Nehemiah
7:60-65, 73; 8:1-8
60All the temple servants
and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.
These
were properly registered. There
was another class of Levites that had no credentials.
64These searched among their ancestral
registration, but it could not be located; therefore they were considered
unclean and
excluded from the priesthood. 65The governor said to them
that they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest arose
with Urim and Thummim.
They
could not serve until verification by divine intervention.
73Now the priests, the
Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple
servants and all Israel, lived in their cities.
And when the seventh month
came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.
1And all the people
gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate,
and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which
the LORD had given to Israel. 2Then Ezra the priest
brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with
understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. 3He read from it before the
square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until
midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and
all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 4Ezra the scribe stood at a
wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood
Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand;
and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left
hand. 5Ezra opened the book in
the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and
when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6Then Ezra blessed the LORD
the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!”
while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the
LORD with their faces to the ground. 7Also Jeshua, Bani,
Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah,
Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people
while the people remained in their place. 8They read from the book,
from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood
the reading.
A.
The Regulation of the Priesthood
vs. 60, 64, 65 & 73
Nehemiah
lays the groundwork for placing the Israelites on solid ground
spiritually.
vs.
60 Speaks
of the 392 qualified ministers, about 1% of the total congregation,
(42,360). In the churches
under the Headship of Jesus Christ, God expects all His people to be
wholesome. (see Ephesians
1:4) On
the other hand, He requires wholesomeness from all of
His ministers. (see 1st
Timothy 3:1-13)
What a blessing to live in a
country that was established by men who highly regarded God’s
Sovereignty, His Providence and His Word.
B.
The Congregation of the People vs.
1
After the people were
settled in their cities and Nehemiah had laid a solid spiritual
foundation, the people responded by gathering and requesting Ezra to bring
the Scrolls. Can you imagine
the excitement of over 20,000—30,000 people hungry for the Word of God?
C.
Comprehension of the Scripture vs.
8
8 “They read from the
book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they
understood the reading.” WOW!
Expository teaching for a nation founded on the Word.
There
was a similar spiritual climate in the New World when our Founding Fathers
laid the foundation for the Constitution of the United States of America
in the Declaration of Independence. Modernist would
have us believe that the founders were not Christian but deists, atheists
or secularists. Instead, generally speaking, there were 29 Anglicans, 16
Calvinists, 2 Methodists, 2 Lutherans, 2 Roman Catholics, a Quaker and
Benjamin Franklin was a Deist. He
attended many churches and at age 81 called for public prayer to be held
in the assembly every morning before delegates proceeded with the agenda.
He also requested one or more clergy from the city be present to
officiate. Prayers have opened
both houses of congress since that day, Thursday, June 27th, 1787!
God blessed these men with biblical insight. Our Declaration of Independence boldly
states that our entity as a separate nation exists as a divine right under
divine law. “When in the course of
human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the
political bands which have connected them with another, and to
assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to
which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they declare the causes which impel them
to the separation.” (emphasis
mine) God Bless AMERICA!
If you have never
received Christ as you Savior, you have no assurance of
heaven. Why not
trust Him today? If you know
Him, take heart. He loves you!
9Let us not lose heart in
doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10So then, while we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are
of the household of the faith.
Thanks
for reading this message. DO YOU have need of salvation? God's Word
tells us to repent of our sins and come to God
accepting the fact that Christ died on the cross, rose from the dead and
paid the full penalty for all that come to Him in faith.
See
John 6:35-40
35Jesus
said to them, “I
am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who
believes in Me will never thirst. 36“But
I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37“All
that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I
will certainly not cast out. 38“For
I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him
who sent Me. 39“This
is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose
nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40“For
this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and
believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up
on the last day.”
For those of us who know the Savior, we must make every
effort to avoid sin, but should we
sin, (and we know we will, right?), let us keep our sins confessed up to date.
Let us pray for those who serve God while we ourselves serve HIM. Let
us lay hold of every occasion
and opportunity to minister as God directs and enables us.
Here are some points to consider:
Have you found a church home? If you are in the
area of Port St Lucie, why not visit us?
Have
you found new life in Christ? Why not come to Him today? God will receive those who will come to
Him. He has provided the
means for you to be saved, baptized and be a part of His New Testament
Local Church ministry -- He gave His Son to intercede; all you need to do
is cast yourself upon His mercy and grace.
Jesus said in John
6:37-40
38
“For I have come down from heaven,
not to do My own will, but the
will of Him who sent Me. 39
“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all
that He has given Me I lose nothing,
but raise it up on the last day. 40
“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds
the Son and believes in Him, may have
eternal life; and I Myself will raise him
up on the last day.”
It
is important to note Luke's comment in Acts
4:12
“And
there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”
Please contact
us if you sense your need to come to Him. We can help. (To
reach me just
click on "contact us.")
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