Eliphaz Continues His Speech. Job 5

 

Job 5- Eliphaz Continues His Speech.

 

Man is born unto trouble, no one is exempt. We are trying to achieve peace in the world without the Prince of Peace. Therefore, trouble comes to man, and the righteous do suffer, and the children of God do have trouble today.

Sometimes trouble comes to a child of God because of a stupid blunder. Sometimes it is a judgment of the Father upon his child. Sometimes it is a discipline of the Father.

Saul of Tarsus, the proud young Pharisee came to know Christ, and God said of him, “For I will show you how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Acts 9:16

Trouble comes to us sometimes for the purpose of teaching us to be patient and to trust God. “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” James 1:3

At other times trouble comes to us because God is putting the sandpaper on us to smooth out the rough edges. “But He knows the way that I take: when he had tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

Sometimes God permits trouble to come to us to get our minds and hearts fastened on Him. God is faithful and God is good, and God is just.

Eliphaz said to Job, “You are having trouble because you’ve done wrong, and God is correcting you.”

We cannot always speak to the problem of someone else, and someone else cannot always speak to your problem either. Although the statement of Eliphaz is true, it does not apply to Job.

Then Eliphaz states 7 troubles God will deliver him from. 1. In redemption of death, 2. In war. 3. The scourge of the tongue. 4. Fear of destruction. 5. In famine. 6. From the beasts of the earth. 7. In death.

All of this has not met the needs of Job.

Job reacts with a cry for pity. He cries out for mercy and for help because Eliphaz was of no help to him at all.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

Eliphaz Speaks. Job 4

 

Job 4 -Eliphaz Speaks

 

Satan has stripped Job of everything. He has nothing left to lean on, no place to turn. Even God seems very far removed from him at this time.

Eliphaz says to Job, “Do you mind if I say something?” Then he adds, “regardless of whether or not you mind my saying something, I am going to say it.” “In the old days when you were in prosperity and plenty and in good health, you were a tower of strength to everybody else. You could advise them.” The advice you gave to others, can’t you follow it yourself?” He goes on to say this would not have happened to you if there hadn’t been something wrong in your life that you was keeping a secret.” This insinuation is wrong and is not true of Job. God gave us that scene in heaven so that we might know Job and understand his character. Eliphaz is speaking from a very high pulpit and is looking down at Job. He is saying that Job is reaping what he sowed. The man is wrong. God disciplines his children, but He never destroys them.

Eliphaz said that he had a vision, and it took place at night, in the dark. Then he asks, “Shall a mortal man be more just than God?” Of course not, we know that. “How much more foolish are we who live in houses of clay?” We live in houses of clay. In 2 Cor. 5 Paul called our bodies a tent, a feeble, frail tent which the wind will blow over. We live in houses of clay, and before long our houses fall in on us. Eliphaz is stating truths that are not helpful to Job.  He reminds me of someone who likes to hear his own voice.

Eliphaz further states that no one who had lived in the past was able to help and asks Job which saint is he going to turn to? He goes on to say that he has seen the foolish and the wicked prosper but finally they are brought down.

 

King David was troubled by the prosperity of the wicked. He stated, “I have seen the wicked in power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not. Psalm 37:35-35.

Eliphaz was classifying Job as one of the foolish one who took root and was flourishing before he was brought down.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Job Talks. Job 3

 

Job 3. Job Talks

 

After sitting in silence with his friends for seven days, Job begins to speak. In essence he says, “I wish I hadn’t been born.” One may wish that they could die, but they will not die by wishing. Knowing that, Job goes on to say that he wishes he had been born stillborn. He describes death as a great equalizer. All sleep equally. Job finds no relief from his misery.

 

He claims that life is such a burden. He would welcome death like a miner who is digging for gold and gives a shout of joy when he finds it.

 

Job had been dwelling in peace and prosperity in the land of Uz, and things had been going well with him. Everyone was saying, “Look at Job. He certainly has a wonderful life.” Job says, “At that very moment, I was living in fear. And the thing that I dreaded has come upon me.”

 

That is a fear of a great many people. They fear that something terrible is going to happen to them. Instead of turning to other things. We need to rest upon the Word of God.

 

Job has not lost his faith. He just doesn’t understand why trouble has come upon him and doesn’t understand at all why it should have come.

 

When trouble does come upon us, instead of saying why me, Lord. Ask the Lord what it is He wants you to learn from this. Remember God has a plan for You and it is the perfect plan.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Satan Reports Again to God. Job 2

 

Job 2 – Satan Reports again to God

 

There was another day that the sons of God and Satan came before the Lord in heaven. All of us will have to report to God some day at the judgment seat of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:10). God is our Creator, we must answer to Him. Satan is not beyond the jurisdiction of God.

What the Lord allowed Satan to do with Job was done without a cause in Job. People are always saying, “Why did God let this happen to me? Perhaps He is not spanking you or punishing you, but just wants to bring you closer to Him. I would never want to go through what Job had to suffer! The Lord tells Satan that Job is still serving Me and has maintained his integrity.

“There has been no temptation taken you but such is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.” I Cor. 10:13.

Satan said that Job would give anything for his own body and gets permission from God to touch his bone and flesh. Job has lost his finances, his family, and now his physical body is being attacked. It is when we are under trial that we reveal our true metal. Job had sore boils and he scraped it with a potsherd, (broken pottery). His wife suggests to him to curse God and die. That is strange advice coming from a wife.  Still Job maintained his integrity.

Eliphaz, a Temanite. Bildad, a Shuhite, and Zophar a Naamathite came to mourn with Job. They were real good friends to Job until this happened. They were sure of their reasons for this happening. They thought they knew why, but they were entirely wrong. They mourned and wept for seven days and didn’t say a word. They all came to the same conclusion. Job must be an awful sinner for these things to happen to him. God must be punishing him. He had better get his life straightened out. This is the conclusion of each of them. Job disagrees whole heartedly.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah.

 

Drama in Heaven and Earth. Job 1

 

Job 1 – Drama in Heaven and Earth                                                                                                                                     

We are told that Job was perfect in his relation to God in the sense that he had offered the sacrifices. Job feared God. He had a family of ten children. He was very wealthy, and they all lived in luxury and ease. He had camels for transportation and female donkeys for milk. Job felt that he was right with God. But he thought that maybe these sons and daughters weren’t as close to God as they should be, so he offered sacrifices for them. He was the high priest in his family.

In heaven the sons of God come before Him, and Satan also comes. Satan must make a report. He has as much access to this earth as we do. He says, he has been going up and down on this earth.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” I Peter 5:8.

God is overruling all things, but He has given Satan a period of freedom. God speaks of Job to Satan and says he is an outstanding man. Satan replies, “you have put a hedge around him, and I can’t touch him.”

There is a hedge around every believer today, and Satan cannot touch you unless God permits it. If God took down that hedge from us, we would be tempted to curse God. Sometimes God permits Satan to take away from us those things we lean on. God grants permission to Satan to take all of Job’s possessions from him.

Job’s children went to a banquet everyday and one day the Sabeans came in and took away their cattle. Then all his children were killed. This man lost everything in one day.

Job falls, and he worships God, he rent his mantle and shaved his head. He said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Everything down here is His, and we are just using them. When we leave, we won’t be taking anything with us. Job understood this, and he did not lose his faith.

The Feast of Purim. Esther 9 & 10

 

Esther 9 & 10– The Feast of Purim

 

The Jews prepare themselves for the attack. The king’s new decree is protecting them, so they get everything ready to defend themselves. Mordecai is by the side of the King.

 

The throne of God protects us today. Christ is at the right hand of God. He is interceding for us. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb. 4:16.

 

God has sent out a decree to a lost world. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

 

The Israelites faith in the king’s decree brought deliverance. So, they called the days Purim and had a feast. The feast of purim is a celebration of gladness, that celebrates the fact that God has delivered them according to the promise that He made to Abraham. “I will bless those who bless thee, and curse those who curse thee. Genesis 12:3

 

They prayed a threefold prayer which thanked Jehovah that they were counted worthy and to thank Him for preserving their ancestors, and to thank Him that they have lived to enjoy another festival.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

A New Decree Esther 8

 

Esther 8 A New Decree

 

Although Haman is dead, the threat of death still hangs over every Jew. Because the decree is a law of the Medes and Persians it cannot be changed.

Esther lets it be known that Mordecai was her adoptive father. She tells him of Mordecai but also pleads for the Jews. She said, “let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman to destroy the Jews.

Then the king’s scribes were brought in, and letters were written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews. They were written in every language of the kingdom. He wrote it in King Xerxes name and sealed it with the king’s ring.

The original decree is not altered in any way. But the new decree feels their hearts with joy and gladness. They can now fight and save their lives. If they receive the message in time, and believe it, they can be saved.

 

“If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31.

This may be the last time you will have the opportunity to accept Christ as Savior. Now is the accepted time to believe.

 

Haman’s decree produced sorrow, and the king’s decree produced joy.

 

Jesus is the Light of the world. He also is gladness, and joy, and honor of the world. Come to Christ and He will give you something to be glad about.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

Haman's Demise. Esther 7

 

Esther 7 – Haman’s Demise

 

Haman went to the banquet with mixed feelings. He is thrilled that the queen has invited him to dinner, but he is still mortified that Mordecai was honored and not him.

When the banquet begins, the king offers her up to half the kingdom a second time. Her request was that her life and the lives of her people be spared.

Haman had gotten an edict from the king that all the Jews in the kingdom were to be destroyed. He did not know that the queen was a Jewess.

The Queen said that they were to be destroyed on a certain date.

The king was shocked and did not expect to hear this. “Who would presume to do such a thing!” he asked. Esther replied “It is this wicked Haman.

 

God is watching over His own. No weapon formed against Israel will prosper. God is going to bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse the Jews.

The king is so startled that he leaves the banquet table to think this matter over. When he returns, he finds Haman groveling at the feet of the queen. Haman realizes that evil is determined against him. The king says, “Will he force the queen also before me in the house?” When the king spoke, the palace guard stepped up and took Haman under house arrest.

Haman died the same night on the gallows that he built for Mordecai.

 

Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

Mordecai Rewarded. Esther 6

 

Esther 6 – Mordecai Rewarded

 

This night that the king could not sleep was the most eventful night. He commanded his servant to bring the records of the kingdom to him. Then the servant read to him about Mordecai saving the kings life. Here God is moving, He is overruling. The king said, “The man who saved my life must be rewarded.”

Haman was heard coming in the outer court, and the king said, “Who is in the court?” It was Haman and when he entered, the king brought him into the conversation without giving him any background. Haman had come to ask for the life of Mordecai at the same moment the king is prepared to reward him. The king asked Haman, “What is to be done to the man whom the king delights in?” Haman thought the king was talking about him. But the king was thinking of Mordecai. Haman told the king to have him wear the king’s apparel, put a crown on his head, and let him ride the king’s horse and let him be heralded in the streets.

To reward Mordecai this honor was mortification beyond words to Haman. He hated Mordecai. One can imagine the feeling that Haman had as he led this horse, with the man who would not bow to him seated on it, through the street. He had built a gallows at home, seventy-five feet high, on which to hang him!

Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning, and having his head covered. Zeresh, his wife, said, “I told you so, you’re beginning to fall.

Then the king’s servant shows up to take Haman to the banquet. God is seeing to it that Haman’s plot fails.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Esther Throws a Banquet. Esther 5

 

Esther 5- Esther Throws a Banquet

 

The king was sitting on his royal throne when Queen Esther stepped out from an alcove and stood there in her royal apparel.  Then the king held out his golden scepter to her. She advanced and put her hand on the scepter, which was the custom of the day.

In holding out the scepter to Queen Esther, he was giving her life. God holds out the scepter to mankind today. When God saved you, it was because someone else paid the penalty for your sins. God holds out to the earth the scepter of grace, and He says to us, “Come to Me. You can receive salvation from Me.”

The king sees that she is distressed and wants to make her feel comfortable. He says, “It shall be given thee to the half of the kingdom.” He hands her a blank check and invites her to fill in the amount. Going into the presence of the king could have meant death to her.

Esther does not make her request known right away. She simply invites Xerxes and Haman to lunch. Xerxes and Haman came to her banquet.

Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The Lord is moving the king in a definite way.

Esther still does not have the courage to make her request, so she invites them back to a banquet the next day and promises to make her request known then.

Haman came out from the first banquet bragging that he was the only guest invited to the presence of the king and queen. Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

As Haman left the palace, everyone bowed except Mordecai. This agitates Haman but has in mind that he will get even in a few days.

Haman revealed himself to be a little man. Zeresh, his wife, and his friends suggested that he build a gallows for Mordecai. Haman agreed and went to bed happy.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

 

 

For Such a Time as This. Esther 4

 

Esther 4 -For Such a Time as This

 

When Mordecai heard about the decree to annihilate the Jews, he put on sackcloth and ashes. There was no mention of a call to prayer, but they go through the ritual of fasting, putting on sackcloth and ashes, and great mourning.

The average believer says “Yes, I trust Christ.” But he has no real conviction of sin in his life.

Mordecai went into the center of the city and cried with a loud and bitter cry. Jews all over the kingdom mourned.

Queen Esther feeling safe and secure as queen was embarrassed by Mordecai’s actions. She sent him a set of clothes, but Mordecai would not receive them. When the clothes came back to her, she knew that something serious was going on. She sent him a messenger and Mordecai sent a message back. “You and I have come under an awful decree of death. Then he gave the messenger a copy of the decree so that Esther could read it for herself.

After reading the message, she sent him another message excusing herself of the matter.

Anyone who dared go into the presence of the king without being summoned would be put to death – unless the king extended his scepter to him. So, Esther said “If I go in, it may mean death to me.”

The decree is that all the Jews are to be slain, and she is Jewish. Mordecai returns with a message “Just because you happen to be Queen does not exempt you from the execution because it will reach every Jew in the kingdom, and it will also reach the queen.

God was their only hope at this time, and I think Mordecai had that in mind when he said, “Who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” Mordecai believes that Esther is on the throne for a purpose.

When we put our hand in His hand, He has the power to hold us. He will care for us. All we must do is trust Him.

She tells Mordecai to gather all the Jews in the city together to fast. She and her maidens will do the same. She will go to the king for help, and she was willing to perish if need be.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

Haman. Esther 3

 

 

Esther 3. Haman

 

Haman is promoted by the king to the position that would correspond to Prime Minister. He was of the Amalekites. We are going to see why God has moved Esther to the throne. If she had not been there, this Haman would have exterminated the Jews. That was his intention.

 

The king sent out word that he had promoted Haman and that everyone was to bow to him. Mordecai is a judge at the gate. He must bow to Haman, but he does not. Mordecai is out of the will of God, but he is still recognizing God. The Jews were not to bow to anything but God Himself. Mordecai and Esther were not faithful enough to return to Jerusalem, but they were willing to jeopardize their lives to save their people. When asked why he did not bow to Haman, he revealed that he is a Jew. He took a stand. The Jews was known as a worshiper of the one and true God.

Haman should have ignored Mordecai and begins to stand out as a man of Satan. Haman knew nothing about God’s promise to Abraham to bless those who blessed the Jews and curse those who cursed the Jews. The fact that they have not been exterminated even today is miraculous.

Everyday Haman’s irritation grows. Every time he goes through the gate everyone bows except Mordecai. He decided that a nationwide massacre of the Jews would solve his problem. Haman told the king of a people that followed the Mosaic Law and not the kings. He told the king they should be exterminated. The king agreed with the plan. Haman doesn’t know the Queen is a Jew and Xerxes does not know that she is Jewish and is signing her life away. Xerxes pressed his signet ring in wax as the signature of the king. This decree to destroy the Jews goes out as a law of the Medes and Persians and cannot be repealed.

The City of Shushan was perplexed. They had committed no crime. Somebody is going to have to intervene.  God was preparing for this very thing.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Esther Made Queen. Esther 2

 

Esther 2 – Esther Made Queen

 

King Xerxes was thinking of Vashti, but the law he had made concerning the queen cannot be changed. The servants recognize his state of mind and suggested there be a search for women who were beautiful. They were to be brought in from near and far. The king was to select the next queen.

God had permitted His people to return to their land, as He had prophesied through Isaiah. Many of them, out of the will of God, chose to remain, and Mordecai happened to be one of them. Mordecai was taken captive, probably at a young age, in the second deportation of captives that left Jerusalem.

Esther’s Hebrew name was Hadassah, which means “star.” Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter. Her one asset was beauty. When the announcement was made that there was to be a new queen selected, Mordecai decided that none of them were as beautiful as his adopted daughter. Esther was taken to the palace. God had told His people not to intermarry with the heathen, so they were breaking the Mosaic law. If Esther were not chosen, she would be forced to become a concubine. The keeper of the women, Hegai, was pleased with Esther and gave her everything she needed to make her even more beautiful. Mordecai had warned her not to reveal her nationality. That moment of decision was a denial of their religion.

Providence is the way God leads the man who will not be led. It is no accident that Esther was given a prominent place among the women. There are no accidents with God.

The first six months the women were beautified with oils, the second six months they went to perfumers. This is a typical pagan culture. In Esther’s case God permitted all of this by His providence. When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, it was decided that she was a natural beauty. When the king saw her, he decided he found the one to take Vashti’s place and made Esther queen. God moved her into that place.

Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate when he overheard a plot against the king. He immediately sent a message to Esther, and she informed the king. The king ordered them to be put to death, and they were executed by hanging.

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah.

The Wife's Refusal. Esther 1

 

Esther 1 – The Wife’s Refusal                                                                                                                          

Ahasuerus is King Xerxes Title. It means “high father” or “venerable king”. There were 127 provinces in his kingdom, and he decided to throw a banquet. This banquet revealed the wealth, luxury, and regal character of the court.

He had called in all his princes and rulers from every corner of his kingdom. He wanted their full support for a military campaign to capture Greece and to make himself the supreme ruler of the world of that day.

It looks as if God was left out, but God wants you to know that He was overruling the circumstances, and he was going to accomplish His purpose. Xerxes wanted everyone to know he could afford a war. At these banquets no one was forced to drink, although they were given to it.

Vashti made a feast for the women in her quarters. The women were always kept in separate quarters. The banquet for the men was to be serious business.

The king got drunk and commanded his chamberlains to bring Vashti to the banquet. He would have never done this had he not been drunk. He wanted everyone to see his beautiful wife.

Vashti turned down his request. In that day it was no incidental matter. The king asked, “What should be done with her?” There was no law which could force her to obey the king’s command.

Memucan, one of the princes reminded the king that they are to be the example for the kingdom. A pagan law was enacted which has nothing to do with the Mosaic law, neither is it Christian by any means. It is a new law, but it is the law of the Medes and Persians. The queen was set aside, and a decree went out stating a wife should honor her husband and he was to rule. It was a law and could not be altered.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

Reformation. Nehemiah 11-13

 

Nehemiah 11-13 Reformation

 

The people cast lots. One out of every ten persons would stay in Jerusalem. The other nine would move to other cities. Those who were willing to stay in Jerusalem praised God.

They brought together all the musicians and had a great music festival. They met together to dedicate the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah brought people from all over the land to this dedication because Jerusalem was the city where the temple was. The priests were all there.

Nehemiah had returned to his post with the king and later returned to Jerusalem. He discovered the people were not keeping the separation that they should have. The high priest himself had disobeyed God in this important matter of separation. God had strictly forbidden intermarriage with the heathen.

The believer and the non-believer should not be yoked together.

The priest had turned over the temple storage room to Tobiah. They no longer brought the offerings to the people to the storage place. All this had happened when Nehemiah was away. When he returned he went to the temple, got Tobiah’s belongings, and threw it out of the temple. Then he had the temple cleansed.

The Levites who served in the temple had not been supported, so they had to work in the fields. God’s service had been neglected. Nehemiah tells them “You are going to bring in the tithe that belongs here and see that these men are taken care of who are in the service of God.

He also discovered they were breaking the Sabbath day. Merchants brought in fish and the nobles permitted it. Just before the Sabbath, at sunset, Nehemiah commanded that the gates be shut and told the merchants to go away and no longer return.

Nehemiah pronounced a curse upon those who intermarried and made them swear that they would not intermarry again. All foreigners were removed from positions of honor and responsibility, and the priests and Levites were given back their occupations. The offerings for the temple were resumed.

God remembered Nehemiah for the good he did.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

Nehemiah 9 & 10. Revival and Signing of the Contract

 

Nehemiah 9 - Revival

 

Revival means to “recover life and vigor”. It refers to believers in a poor spiritual state who were brought back to vitality and power.

Ezra the scribe read from the pulpit by the water gate. The people recognized how far short they had fallen from the standard God had set for them. They confessed their sins, their own and the sins of their fathers.

You cannot bring God down to your level. Neither can you reach that state of perfection that will raise you to God’s level. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:8-9.

When you walk in the light of the Word of God, you will see that you fall short of His glory.

The children of Israel spent one-fourth of the day reading the Bible and spent another fourth of the day confessing their sins. Revival begins as an individual affair. After hearing the Word of God, they made their confession; then they praised and exalted God. They praised Him because of the way He led their fathers in the past

Nehemiah’s people were glad they were Israelites. They recognized that not only was God their Creator, He was also their Redeemer.

 

Chapter 10 – Signing the Covenant

 

Each leader of the nation was asked to put his personal seal on the covenant. The people had resolved to obey God’s Word.

If we mean business with Him, He means business with us.

Nehemiah, the governor, and twenty-two priests are listed first. They sign the covenant. Individual Levites sign the names of their families on the covenant. Also, forty-four chiefs of the people are listed. Their covenant is to keep the Law, stating there will be no intermarriage with the heathen. No trade on the Sabbath Day or any holy day. The Seventh year is to be faithfully served. They must give of their first fruits and provision for sacrifices.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better. If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

Reading of the Word. Nehemiah 8

 

Nehemiah 8 Reading of the Word

 

Ezra is called to bring forth the Book of the Law of Moses. Only those who could “hear with understanding” gathered.

They had been in captivity for seventy years and had never heard the Word of God. It was a new experience for them.

There were thirteen men who stood with Ezra. When Ezra opened God’s Word, everyone stood up, and they remained standing from morn to midday. Then the people went down on all fours and touched the ground with their foreheads. That is the way they worshiped in that day. “And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.”

The thirteen men were stationed throughout the crowd. Ezra read a portion of the law, and then he stopped. The men would then explain that portion before Ezra would begin again. God wants understanding to come from the reading of His Word. The clear reading of the Law caused a great emotional outburst and the tears of repentance to flow.

They were encouraged to do something for the poor and to rejoice because the joy of the Lord was to be their strength. The Word of God should make us joyful.

The initial studying of God’s Law caused many of the leaders to come to Ezra the following day for more instruction.

There was a celebration of the Feast of the Tabernacles. The dwelling in booths was to be a reminder to them of the fatherly care and protection of God while Israel was journeying from Egypt to Canaan.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Registering the People. Nehemiah 7

 

Nehemiah 7 – Registering the People

 

Many of the homes have already been built, but it was necessary to protect the city because the enemy had tried to hinder the building of the walls and now they want to destroy it.

Nehemiah set the doors at the different gates and appointed men to protect the city. They were on guard duty all around the wall. If an enemy approached, they would sound an alarm. It was a 24-hour job. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Nehemiah appointed singers. “He said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” The word psalms mean praise. Holy, Holy Holy, is the Lord of hosts. This is what we are to sing about. How wonderful He is! This will bring joy into your life.

Levites were also appointed. They were the ministers. Hanani was one of the leaders in Jerusalem, it was Hanani that informed Nehemiah of the condition of Jerusalem. Nehemiah made Hanani ruler of the palace and charge over Jerusalem because he “was a faithful man, and feared God above many.”

Each man was to guard his own household. God holds us responsible for our own household.

The Word of God says, “the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. Psalm 112:6. He has listed their names in one place. These are just names to us, but God remembers each person and records his name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

If you have put your faith in Christ, you have life on the authority or God’s Word. And God has written it down. You need not only to be saved, but you also need to know it.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

The Wall is Finished Nehemiah 6

 

Nehemiah 6 – The Wall is Finished

 

Nehemiah did not fail. The Wall is about finished. When the enemy, Sanballat, Tobiah, Gesham, and others heard that the wall was completed, Nehemiah admits the report is exaggerated because the gates were not set up.

 

They were plotting against him, probably planning to kill him. The enemy wanted to compromise but Nehemiah said “no.” Nehemiah was doing a good work, and he did not have time to come down and waste his time with the enemy. But they were persistent and wrote Nehemiah a letter. It accused him of claiming kingship and of hiring prophets to support what he said. The letter indicated that they wanted to find out if these things were true because they were going to report it to the king.

 

Nehemiah’s reaction to the enemy was, “You actually did not hear the things you are accusing me of; you made them up yourself.”

 

Shemaiah, a false prophet, pretends to have a great interest in Nehemiah’s safety. He says he wants to reveal a plot against the governor’s life. What he did not count on was Nehemiah’s spiritual insight.

 

The wall was finished in fifty-two days. Only God could have done this through them. He defended them in all the plots against Nehemiah.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Opposition from Within. Nehemiah 5

 

Nehemiah 5- Opposition from Within

The Devil had already caused discouragement among the Jews, and now he goes a step farther and causes conflict within. Some of them ad to mortgage their property to pay their taxes. They were borrowing money from their brethren. God said the Jews were not to charge their brethren interest.

Nehemiah was angry and he thought the matter through. He then openly rebuked the nobles and rulers for their actions. Evil should always be brought out into the open. We ought to be stirred up to a righteous anger when we see something wrong in the church. We need courage today, we need conviction.

The people could not answer Nehemiah so they kept quiet, but they will cause all the troubles they can. Nevertheless, he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, and he served God in his day and generation.

Nehemiah appealed to the wealthy Jews to restore what they had collected and not to collect any more payments. He made them take an oath and put it in writing.

He shook out his long robe in front of the crowd and said, “This is the way God will shake you out, and I will shake you out, if you don’t make your promise good”

Nehemiah had a right to draw a salary, as a Governor, but he did not. He regularly entertained one hundred fifty table guests. He also entertained Jews from surrounding nations who had come to live in the city but had not found a place to live. He did all of this at his own expense. He did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because he had a heart for his hard-working brethren.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

 

Opposition from Without. Nehemiah 4

 

Nehemiah 4 -Opposition from Without

 

The wall was going up all the way around the city at the same time.

Laughing at them hadn’t stopped the enemy so they resort to ridicule. They mock that which was precious to God but despised by Sanballat.

This was discouraging for the people who had been working so hard.

The men that were trying to hinder the building were God’s enemies as well as the Jews enemies. Under the law, the people could pray that justice be brought to pass upon their enemies.

Nehemiah ignored the sarcasm of the enemy, prayed to God, and continued to build. He knew that the enemy was plotting to come against him, so he set a watch. This is what God expected him to do.

One of Satan’s greatest weapons against God’s people is discouragement.. The enemy took advantage of the Jews’ discouragement, and they planned a surprise attack. “We are going to take them when they are not looking for us.”

Nehemiah put every man in the position where he could defend his own family. He armed them well. “Remember the Lord!” was to be their motto, their rallying cry. That is the rallying cry of believers today.

The Jews went back to work and the enemy retreated. They found they could not surprise the Jews.

Each builder had a trowel in one hand in which to build and a sword in the other hand to defend. The trowel represents the fact that believers should build themselves up in their faith. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God with which we defend ourselves.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

Rebuilding The Walls and Gates. Nehemiah 3

 

Nehemiah 3. Rebuilding the Walls and Gates

 

The sheep gate is where it all began. This is the gate where Jesus entered Jerusalem. It is through this gate the animals were brought for sacrifice. The Sheep Gate speaks of the Cross of Christ. His Son died for you. It is the sheep gate which sets that concept before us.

The Fish Gate was brought in from the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Jesus said to the men who followed Him, “…I will make you fishers of men.” Matt. 4:19.

The Old Gate was one that had been there from the beginning. “Thus, saith the Lord. Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls…” Jeremiah 6:16.

The Valley Gate is the one that led out o the city of Jerusalem down into the valley. It could have been on any side of the city because you must go down into the valley to get out of Jerusalem. It is the gate of humility, the gate of humbleness. Humility is a fruit of the Spirit.

Today the Dung Gate leads to the wailing wall in Jerusalem, but in Nehemiah’s day it was located at the southwest angle of Mount Zion. The Dung gate was where the filth was carried out. Honest confession is how we get out the garbage.

The Gate of the Fountain. When a believer is filled with the Spirit, he is not just a well, but a fountain of living water which will gush out to be a blessing to other people.

The Water Gate was the gate used to bring water into the city. It pictures the Word of God. We are washed by the water of the Word. The water gate was not repaired because when the other gates and walls were torn down, the water gate remained intact. The Word of God does not need any repairs.

The Horse Gate speaks of the “soldier” service of the believer today. The horse was a symbol of war. We are not fighting against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces in this battle. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. That is the only weapon we need to use.

The East Gate was the first one opened in the morning because it was facing in the direction of the rising sun. There is a little glimmer of light, and we have hope.

Gate Miphkad means “review” or “registry” When a stranger came to Jerusalem, they had to stop at the gate and register. It was here where David reviewed his soldiers returning from battle.

His Request to the King. Nehemiah 2

 

Nehemiah 2 – His Request to the King

 

Nehemiah, the cupbearer was to taste everything brought to the king. His job demanded that he be in the king’s presence most of the time.

Nehemiah is preparing to make a request, but he is quite nervous. The king noticed that Nehemiah wasn’t quite himself, so he asked him, “Why are you sad?” Nehemiah, feeling fearful answered the king, “They city of my fathers and the sepulchers where they are buried lie in waste and the gates are consumed with fire.” “So, I prayed to the God of heaven.”

The king asked him, “what is your request?” Nehemiah asked the king to grant him a leave of absence to go to Jerusalem to help rebuild it.

“So, it pleased the king to send him, and Nehemiah set him a time.”

He asked the king for letters of introduction and explanation to the governors along his route so they would give him protection as he travelled through their lands. Nehemiah went on his journey well protected.

 

After arriving in Jerusalem Nehemiah did not want to stir up undue alarm, so he went out at night under the cover of darkness to make his inspection. There was so much debris that Nehemiah could not ride horseback through it.

The next day Nehemiah called a meeting of the leaders in the surrounding area of Jerusalem. He said, “Let’s do this job, God is with us.” The people responded, “Let us rise up and build.”

Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, enemies of the Jews came against Nehemiah and the leaders.

The enemies will use different methods to discourage us from doing right. One way is to ridicule us.

 Nehemiah said, “Get out of the way, we are going to work, God is with us in this.”

God is always with us, all the time.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah.

 

The Layman. Nehemiah 1

 

Nehemiah 1- The Layman                                                                                                                                            

The king, the priest, and the prophet failed to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and cleanse the temple, so God raised up Nehemiah, whom we designate a layman.

 God can and will raise up a layman to do a great work and put His work on a firm foundation.

 Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king. He was a good, moral, honest man. He was deeply concerned about God’s cause. He received a message that said, “the remnant is in great affliction and reproach and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” Nehemiah became deeply concerned about this report. He “mourned for certain days, and fasted, and prayed.”

Nehemiah believed God’s Word. He rested in it. And he knew God’s Word. He was concerned because God’s commandments were ignored. He believed that the Jews would return to the land. He counted on it and that is why he prayed.

Nehemiah is going to ask the king if he may return to the land. Nehemiah does not want to run ahead of God, and so he goes to Him first in prayer.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Repent. Ezra 10

 

Ezra 10 Repent

 

An intense conviction of sin came over God’s people.

Shechaniah, son of Jehiel, said, “we have trespassed against our God.” We have taken strange wives of the people of the land.” He casts himself upon the mercy of God and says, “Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this.” The people let the Word of God have its way in their hearts. They confessed their sins.

We see that we are coming short of the glory of God. When we go to Him in confession, and there is real repentance, God’s children will be revived.

 God was talking to the believers, not to unsaved people.

 

God is saying to the lost, “Come to me and be saved through Jesus Christ.” He is saying to His church, “Repent, and come back to Me.”

They were to come together for a time of spiritual refreshing, but repentance must precede it. Those who would not come were to be cast out of the congregation. We must not be hearers of the Word alone but be doer’s of the Word also.

 

What Ezra asked these people to do was a bitter pill to swallow. He wanted things to be done in an orderly way, and this is what they did. They agreed to put away their foreign wives. They entered into a solemn agreement and pledged to do it. Ezra helped preserve the testimony of the Jews for the fulfillment of God’s plan.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Ezra's Prayer. Ezra 9

 

Ezra 9 – Ezra’s Prayer

 

The Jews let down their guard and intermarried with the surrounding heathen and enemies of God and Israel. That led to a practice of abomination of the heathen. The lack of separation plunged them into immorality and idolatry. Even the leadership were involved in this.

Ezra was overwhelmed and chagrined that God’s people would drop to such a low level. He tore his clothes and tore out his hair. He sat astonished “until the evening sacrifice” because of the transgression of those who had been carried away. He went to God with his hands outspread. He held nothing back from God. He says, “For our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

 

Today’s church is in a bad state. It is not their sin; it is our sin.

 

Ezra says, “We have had just a little space grace.” The seventy years of captivity was over. God had permitted His people to return to the land, and once again they follow the heathen, doing the very same thing that had sent them into captivity in the first place.

How wonderful God was to these people. They confessed their sin, and God would bless them. They did not get all that was coming to them. They deserved more punishment for their sins than they received. Only the mercy of God, the confession of sin, the sacrifice of Christ, and the grace of God could make it possible for Him to save these people, restore and revive them. God did all these things because of the prayer of Ezra.

 

When we take that position, God is ready to hear us.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.