Sketched IV Day 2 Nehemiah: Digging Deeper
Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Nehemiah!
The Questions
1) What is the significance of completing the wall in 52 days?
2) Why were Judah’s nobles speaking well of Tobiah, who was staunchly against them?
3) Why were gatekeepers, singers, and Levites listed first in order of who was being appointed to stand at the new wall?
Nehemiah 6:15-7:4
15 The wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. 16 When all our enemies heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
17 During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. 19 These nobles kept mentioning Tobiah’s good deeds to me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
1 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed. 2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. 3 I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”
4 The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.
Original Intent
1) What is the significance of completing the wall in 52 days?
The walls of Jerusalem had been severely destroyed, and in many places, nearly leveled. The gates had been burned and were rendered useless (Nehemiah 2:13). The toppled walls had created such narrow passages that a horse or mule couldn’t even pass through. (Nehemiah 2:14) For comparison, these same walls would be destroyed and rebuilt several times after Nehemiah’s initial rebuilding, but these projects took years instead of one and half months. (see Wikipedia). 52 days compared to multiple years is extremely significant, especially given the tools available to Israel at the time. Clearly, this was something ONLY God could do through His mighty Spirit as His people chose to be obedient to His calling.
2) Why were Judah’s nobles speaking well of Tobiah, who was staunchly against them?
Tobiah was an Ammonite who was “greatly displeased” to hear that Nehemiah had come to protect, guard, and rebuild Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 2:10) The Ammonites would have liked nothing more than to obliterate the Judeans from the earth. So, if Tobiah was such a bad dude, why would Judeans be advocating for him to Nehemiah? Here’s the catch, the Judeans had intermarried with the Ammonites, something the Lord God had strictly forbidden because He knew the Ammonites, with their false religion, would lead Israel away from Yahweh, the One True God. Jews had been deported to Persia, a 70-year exile, while Jerusalem was razed, for exactly the reasons that led to these intermarriages. Israel had forgotten the first Love. They had stopped worshipping Him as their Redeemer, choosing instead to follow their pride and arrogance. As a result, they reaped nothing but sinful havoc for the nation as a whole and Nehemiah personally.
3) Why were gatekeepers, singers, and Levites listed first in order of who was being appointed to stand at the new wall?
It seems odd doesn’t it? A wall being rebuilt for the whole purpose of protecting the people within and the very first who are sent to their posts as guards are worshippers. From beginning to end, Jerusalem and her wall was never about trusting in her own strength, it was about returning to the God who loved her. Israel’s choice to abandon Yahweh time and time and time again, was a decision that had huge ramifications. Because of Israel’s disobedience, their land was destroyed, their kingship removed, and their people exiled to a foreign land for an entire generation. When they were invited to return home, rebuilding their walls was one thing, but being restored by the One True God was another matter entirely. Nehemiah understood that more than a military presence, Israel’s heart was what mattered most. Trusting God for protection meant worshipping Him first and foremost, exactly what they hadn’t done 70 years prior. When it came to priorities for Nehemiah, he knew worship had to be first, signifying trust in God and not their own strength.
Everyday Application
1) What is the significance of completing the wall in 52 days?
Far from the common misconception that God will not give you more than you can handle; He most assuredly will! This was clearly the case for Nehemiah as he began the incredibly daunting challenge of rebuilding a demolished wall. With pressure on all sides, and even from within, it was humanly impossible to finish this large of a project without Divine intervention. Even Nehemiah’s enemies knew this and attributed the success to God. (Nehemiah 6:16) This truth is for us, Ladies! The Lord will always call us to do work that is beyond our ability to perform, but take comfort in that; His strength is most beautifully displayed in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:8) Where are you feeling overwhelmed, at the end of your rope, and beyond hope? Bring this to the Lord in prayer, taking confidence in His endless strength! (Psalm 59)
2) Why were Judah’s nobles speaking well of Tobiah, who was staunchly against them?
As famous teacher Ravi Zaccharias says, “Sin will always take you farther than you want to go, cost you more than you wanted to pay, and keep you longer than you want to stay.” Every Single Time. The Lord gives boundaries and sets forth instruction in His Word because it is good, wholesome, and life bringing to us! He know that what we need most is to find our complete satisfaction in Him, and He will continue to pursue us until either we say yes to His invitation of unconditional love or we forever turn our back on Him, choosing instead to trust ourselves. The latter will always lead to eternal death. (Romans 6:23) But the trusting Jesus will always lead to life! Where do you need new life today? Relationships? Finances? Fear? Emotional tension? Physical ailments? Jesus has come to bring hope, eternal hope, but it begins and ends by trusting in His name alone, not a counterfeit, and certainly not ourselves. Take a cue from Tobias and the sin of Israel as they chose to trust themselves and follow their ways instead of God’s. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
3) Why were gatekeepers, singers, and Levites listed first in order of who was being appointed to stand at the new wall?
Nehemiah’s perspective isn’t one we commonly fall back on. Trial. Overwhelming odds. Destruction. Fear. Disrespect. Rumors….and Nehemiah chose worship as his first defense. I know for myself, the temptation to tense up, snap at the ones I love most, become distant, angry, isolated, and fearful come a whole lot easier than worship and praise. I also know from experience that Nehemiah was right. Choosing to worship in the face of extreme difficulty fundamentally shifts our heart perspective to safety in God because we know He is worthy of our trust. If we are in Jesus, when we lay our worship before the King of Kings, our fears slide away and that sense of overwhelmed is covered with indescribable peace. He designed our hearts to find ultimate satisfaction in a deep, living relationship with Him. Need peace? Try worship. Facing insurmountable odds? Try worship. Worship the King, sisters, and find His good heart!
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Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Nehemiah!
Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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