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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS
It is a time to mourn; to be deeply sorrowful. Our land, which owes its being and its prosperity to the Bible, is being robbed of its power; it is-being shorn of its strength, by reason of the false teaching about the Bible. It is no longer honored as God’s Word in the schools. Even little children are taught that it does not mean what it says. If the foundations are destroyed, what will happen to the structure? If there could be a great widespread call to the Bible-believing, Bible-loving people of our country to a season of fasting and prayer, it would be worth more to our land than all else. No story of crime should move us as does the story of the rejection of God’s Book in the high places and in the low places, which cannot fail to leave the land without God and without hope. (2) NEHEMIAH’S CONFESSION, vs. 5-7. “ Both I, and my father’s house, have sinned.” ' This lesson can be made very helpful to both teacher and scholar if the teach er will learn the lesson before seeking to give it to the scholar. Nehemiah made his confession. Hear it: “ And confess the sins of the children of Israel; both I and my father’s house have sinned.” It is easy enough to confess the sins of other people, but not so easy to con fess our own sins, especially those sins in which we have been associated with others. David did this (Psa. 32:5) “I acknowledged my sin unto the£, and mine iniquity have' I not hid. f i said, I will eonfess my transgressions unto the Lord.» and we think more of him because he diet it. Isaiah did it, (Isa. 64:6, 7) “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags—- And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee.” and we honor him for telling the truth. Paul did it, (Eph. 2:3) “Among whom also we all had our con versation in times past* in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”
and his honest confession has helped millions of people. We were all chil dren of wrath and only became children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. When the teachers make such a con fession before their scholars, they en force the great truth which needs to be emphasized over and over again until they learn it by heart. Why not make such a confession in your prayer with the class, and quote Eph. 2:3 to them in your prayer? An honest confession is good for the soul. (3) NEHEMIAH’S INTERCESSION, vs. 8-11. “ Remember, I beseech thee.” Now, Nehemiah acknowledges God’s Word as given by Moses. God had told them plainly of their coming transgres sion (Deut. 28:64) “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.” and had promised that He would gather them again (Jer. 3:14) “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you; and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” but this promise was conditioned on their turning unto Him, as Nehemiah was now doing, and as Daniel had done (Ban. 9:5)
.. “We have sinned, and have com mitted iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments.” God had repeatedly made plain the fact that they were being punished for their sin, and had promised their re turn after much tribulation and sor row- (Lev. 26:39-42;; Deut. 4:29-31; Ezek. 36:24). This prayer is exemplary -pmade to God in recognition of His power and worth, followed by confes sion of sin and unworthiness, recogniz ing God’s promises to His people, with accredited claims as one of His people, redeemed through blood, specific in de sire that he might find favor with the king so that he might go to the help of Is YOUR Money Helping to Undermine the
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