The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Nehemiah 4:14-16,
"'Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.' When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor."
The surrounding peoples became angry when they saw the Jewish returnees rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem. Here in this verse we read Nehemiah's encouragement to the Jews and steps he took in light of the threat they faced.
Nehemiah was a godly man and his encouragement of the people lay squarely on the Lord, "who is great and awesome". Certainly the Lord would watch over the rebuilding of the walls and gates in Jerusalem and the workers could take solace in his protection, "Remember the Lord..."
However, I note that Nehemiah took all the prudent steps a responsible person would to provide protection for the workers. He arranged for watches during the night, guards during the day, "constitutional carry" for the workers (he had the workers keep weapons on themselves as they continued their work).
At times in the church today, issues arise that surround both our dependence and faith in the Lord in some way, and yet on the other hand, determining what we should do on our part in a given situation: do the steps we take reflect our faith in God?
A great example of this is whether to provide armed security for a congregation in worship. Given the mass shootings we have seen in the past couple of years in churches, this raises an issue. Do we trust in God to provide protection of worshipers? Do we have elders or others who are tasked with concealed carry weapons for security in church? Do we post guards, arrange for security in other ways?
Can we acknowledge God's protection and watchful eye on us, and yet, at the same time, provide armed security for ourselves? Does faith and action work together? Does the Lord expect us to do some things for ourselves?
I think Nehemiah, a godly man, can provide us all the answers we need in this regard.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"'Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.' When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor."
The surrounding peoples became angry when they saw the Jewish returnees rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem. Here in this verse we read Nehemiah's encouragement to the Jews and steps he took in light of the threat they faced.
Nehemiah was a godly man and his encouragement of the people lay squarely on the Lord, "who is great and awesome". Certainly the Lord would watch over the rebuilding of the walls and gates in Jerusalem and the workers could take solace in his protection, "Remember the Lord..."
However, I note that Nehemiah took all the prudent steps a responsible person would to provide protection for the workers. He arranged for watches during the night, guards during the day, "constitutional carry" for the workers (he had the workers keep weapons on themselves as they continued their work).
At times in the church today, issues arise that surround both our dependence and faith in the Lord in some way, and yet on the other hand, determining what we should do on our part in a given situation: do the steps we take reflect our faith in God?
A great example of this is whether to provide armed security for a congregation in worship. Given the mass shootings we have seen in the past couple of years in churches, this raises an issue. Do we trust in God to provide protection of worshipers? Do we have elders or others who are tasked with concealed carry weapons for security in church? Do we post guards, arrange for security in other ways?
Can we acknowledge God's protection and watchful eye on us, and yet, at the same time, provide armed security for ourselves? Does faith and action work together? Does the Lord expect us to do some things for ourselves?
I think Nehemiah, a godly man, can provide us all the answers we need in this regard.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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