Today, we find ourselves in the book of Nehemiah. It’s worth remembering a couple of things about him. First, Nehemiah was a king. God called him to restore Jerusalem. In order to accomplish this, he first set out to protect the city. This was accomplished, miraculously, by constructing a wall around the entire city. Once Nehemiah could guarantee the people’s safety, he restored the integrity of the city’s economy by returning the land to its rightful owners. It had been taken from them as payment for taxes. Nehemiah knew, however, that there was one more thing to do. He must instill God’s law back into the hearts of the people.
It’s simple really. Nehemiah gathered the people together and he read to them from the Book of the Law. Not only did he read the words, but he “clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people to understand each passage” (v8). This is the beginning of a new Jerusalem. What made this so effective? Let’s look at two additional scriptures.
First, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) tells us that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” That’s right, scripture does that for us! There is a second benefit to the scriptures. It transforms our very minds (Romans 12:2). That means it changes us completely. We morph into something new.
Reading and digesting scripture promotes our renewal too. That’s what I love about our BibleJournal. It is our opportunity to read and clearly explain the meaning of what we read. Thank you for your commitment. Thank you for putting God’s word first. Thank you for sharing so freely how God is working in your lives.