It Takes A Village – Week 13

As we turn the thin, silky page of the Scriptures, we encounter the name and memories of a man named Nehemiah. He was a cup-bearer to the rich foreign king of Persia. Requesting permission to return to Judea to help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he was granted the blessing and sent as the governor of the province.

Though Nehemiah’s account is not long, it is mighty. With the king’s resources at his side, he was able to gather the people and rebuild the walls in 52 days. Nehemiah forged an alliance with the priest Ezra to continue to purify the Jewish people preaching God’s decrees and calling all Jewish men to divorce their non-Jewish wives in order to keep the bloodline pure. It would appear that in their common goal, Ezra and Nehemiah developed a strong community and village within the hearts of the people.

Both Ezra and Nehemiah possessed very different gifts and abilities that perhaps they witnessed as a great benefit in strengthening their people- God’s chosen people. They would gather in unity with the priest Ezra reading from the Book of the Revelation each and every day in order to restore their hearts and solidify their faith.

Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.
Nehemiah 13:14

But Nehemiah’s time in Jerusalem eventually came to an end and he returned to his foreign king. After a time he made a request to return to Judea only to learn that the works he had established had once again been tainted by the sin of the people. His anger caused him to lash out upon the men of the congregation pleading them to not intermarry their sons and daughters. Nehemiah leaves us with his final good works in God’s name and a seemingly resigned heart as he cleansed the people once again.

Life Application:

The greatest strength we have in our village is the alliance we form with those who are like-minded with a moral compass pointing in the same direction. It is so very easy for us to lose sight of the end of the race allowing our faith to fall into disrepair. We learn from the alliance between Ezra and Nehemiah that though we may have different gifts, talents, and abilities, we need the strengths and weaknesses of others to compliment the works of one body in unity. Though we may not follow the same rules of intermarriage between Jew and Gentile in our modern day world, the scriptures do call us to marry like-minded believers so we may be strengthened in our union not divided. Let us form alliances with those who possess a heart after God so we may witness God’s plan unfolding in the redemption of His people- us, the brothers and sisters in Christ.

Father, may the alliances we create bring honour to your kingdom and not glory to our own name. Let us do good works in your name purifying our hearts before your throne so we may be steadfast in our faith. In Jesus name, amen.

Don’t forget to share this devotional or make comment below!