And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: “Stand up and bless the LORD your God Forever and ever! Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!” Nehemiah 9:5
God’s people had disobeyed and disregarded the Lord (again) and ended up exiled in Babylon for seventy years. Needless to say, during that time, things deteriorated in a physical sense just as they had spiritually. Thus, the wall around Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, was broken down and the city was in ruins. As is usually the case with the Lord, He is illustrating spiritual truths through the physical world all around us.
Ezra the priest had already led two groups of Hebrews to Jerusalem and now Nehemiah is leading the third group from Babylon back to the Promised Land, to Jerusalem. This is Mount Zion, the City of the Great King and yet, after seventy years of neglect, it is in ruins. For almost two generations, the people had lived in a society that exalted and demanded the worship of false gods. There were those who would not bow down; Daniel and his three friends. But by and large, you don’t see many people standing up for the Lord.
So, with God’s help and with a firm commitment to the Lord’s will, the people complete the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. The place, out of all the places in the entire world, which was set apart by God for His presence to dwell with His people. The place where Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, the place David bought to provide a dwelling place for God, the place where Solomon built the temple, the place where the priests and high priests would stand and minister before the Lord year after year, the place where Jesus, our Great High Priest laid down His life for the sin of all mankind.
And here we find God’s people, after seventy years in Babylonian captivity, hearing the Word of God for three hours and worshipping the Lord for three hours leading up to this prayer by the Levites. This is, if not the longest, at least among the longest prayers recorded in the Bible. It recounts God’s covenants and His faithfulness, His longsuffering and His miracle-working power on behalf of His children time and time again. It calls to remembrance God’s supernatural provision and the peoples’ propensity to forget the Lord and start complaining when everything does not go their way.
There is plenty to learn from Nehemiah today just as there was then. All around you is Babylon; a society so devoid of the fear of God that a person could grow up never even hearing about the blessed Savior. Most people will “go along to get along”, but that does not bring glory to God. As a Christian, you are the temple of the Most-High God. It is as if wherever you are, that is a type of Jerusalem. God’s presence dwells in you and with you.
With that being the case, the lamp of God should never go out in His house. You are called to let the light of Jesus shine through you and light up the darkness all around. You are called to stand up for the Lord and to bless His name. Not just when you feel like it, but forever and ever. The Lord, by His abundant mercy, has brought you out of Babylon and given you a promise of a city to come — the New Jerusalem. Stand up and bless Him!
Need a gift that keeps on giving? Order some extra copies of the book to give to others Here
Don’t forget to join our Email list and become a Fellow Traveler! Just Click HERE
And, please help us spread the word by sharing this post with others!