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 5:1-5,
"Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, 'We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.' Others were saying, 'We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.' Still others were saying, 'We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."
The occasion for these complaints and outcry from a number of the returnees to Jerusalem under Nehemiah took place during an apparent famine. Since the Lord had arranged for the return of Jewish captives in Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem's walls and gates and to build a new temple, why the famine? Since the Lord made other arrangements for his plans for Jerusalem to go forward (influencing King Artaxerxes, etc.) why didn't he simply provide conditions so these returnees would not suffer in a famine?
I believe the explanation for this lies in the outcome of this account. The Jews were taking advantage of one another, charging interest, taking land and slaves from among their fellow Jews. Clearly there were some real flaws in the national fabric of the returnees. The outcome was a commitment on everyone's part to do the right thing. That change came about because of the desperation the famine caused which precipitated action that might not have taken place had things not been so difficult.
By allowing a famine to take place at this point in time, the Lord was already preparing his people in certain ways for when the Savior was to come to the nation. Due to the desperation of the people, it created such an outcry that reform had to take place and under Nehemiah's leadership these things were dealt with.
This is a very instructive account for us in our own lives. We may find ourselves in a desperate situation, struggling with something. It just may be that, as the Lord allowed difficulty in the lives of his people in Nehemiah's day to bring about needed change, so the Lord may be using difficulty in our lives to bring about some kind of change.
As the writer of Hebrews puts it, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all... God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7-11.
"Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, 'We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.' Others were saying, 'We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.' Still others were saying, 'We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."
The occasion for these complaints and outcry from a number of the returnees to Jerusalem under Nehemiah took place during an apparent famine. Since the Lord had arranged for the return of Jewish captives in Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem's walls and gates and to build a new temple, why the famine? Since the Lord made other arrangements for his plans for Jerusalem to go forward (influencing King Artaxerxes, etc.) why didn't he simply provide conditions so these returnees would not suffer in a famine?
I believe the explanation for this lies in the outcome of this account. The Jews were taking advantage of one another, charging interest, taking land and slaves from among their fellow Jews. Clearly there were some real flaws in the national fabric of the returnees. The outcome was a commitment on everyone's part to do the right thing. That change came about because of the desperation the famine caused which precipitated action that might not have taken place had things not been so difficult.
By allowing a famine to take place at this point in time, the Lord was already preparing his people in certain ways for when the Savior was to come to the nation. Due to the desperation of the people, it created such an outcry that reform had to take place and under Nehemiah's leadership these things were dealt with.
This is a very instructive account for us in our own lives. We may find ourselves in a desperate situation, struggling with something. It just may be that, as the Lord allowed difficulty in the lives of his people in Nehemiah's day to bring about needed change, so the Lord may be using difficulty in our lives to bring about some kind of change.
As the writer of Hebrews puts it, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all... God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7-11.
Sometimes we only do some of the things that need doing or change some of the things in our lives that need changing when a point of desperation sets in. I firmly believe the Lord engages in our lives in such a way.
How about you? If you are struggling in one way or another, is there something the Lord may be trying to do in your life?
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.
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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