August 1929
395
T h e
K i n g ’ s
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no attention to their attitude, proceeding on to Jerusalem. Three days after his arrival he and a few men arose during the night and in spected the walls and the environs of the city, but Nehemiah told no man “what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem." Having learned the real situation, Ne hemiah disclosed to the leaders of the Jews what God laid upon his heart, and his intentions to improve the conditions. Reports of the proposed work soon fil tered through to the surrounding na tions, the leaders o f .which ridiculed and laughed the Jews to scorn. To all of their sarcasm and taunts Nehemiah replied, “The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem 3. Organized Concerted Efficiency. 3: 1-32. Nehemiah as a wise executive appor tioned the work of reconstructing the wall to leaders in a very systematic and prac tical manner, assigning that portion of the wall to those whose property lay in the immediate vicinity of said allotment. 4. Opposition of Enemies. 4:1-15. In chapter 4 is recorded the wrath of the people of Samaria under the influ ence of Sanballat. Ridicule was a very efficient weapon in the hands of a crafty leader like Sanballat; but all of his scorn and aspersions influenced Nehemiah not in the least. On the contrary it led him to prayer which brought the assistance of the Almighty God to him. Thus the work continued and, great progress was made because “the people had a mind to work" (v. 6). Seeing the fruitlessness of their at tempts to stop the work by ridicule, San ballat and Tobiah decided to lead an army against the Jews; but Nehemiah again be took himself to prayer. When the work of God is advancing, Satan is always busy. If he cannot ac complish his purpose in one way he will in another. Thus he caused dissatisfac tion among the bearers of the burdens. In the midst of this mutiny,' efforts were being made to discourage the Jews in or der to cause the work to cease while the army was advancing from the north. Nehemiah, being apprised of the threat ened danger, armed all of the workers and put them in readiness for an attack. 5. Wise Precautions. 4:16-23. Though the attack did not materialize, Nehemiah very prudently had half of his men engaged in the building while half stood armed ready for the combat. Watchmen were placed upon the walls and instructions were given for action in the event of a surprise attack. II. Nehemiah the Reformer. 5 :1-19. 1. Abolition of Usury Accomplished. 5:1-13. Unfortunately certain moneyed men among the Jews took advantage of the straitened circumstances a n d l e n t money to their needy brethren at an ex orbitant rate of interest. Soon abject poverty was in evidence on every hand. The report of this situation came to the ears of the governor, Nehemiah, who in a most masterly way showed the impro priety of such a course of action on the part of the rich. By his generalship and magnanimity he was able to institute re
forms which corrected these evils and al leviated the suffering. 2. Unselfishness of Nehemiah. 5:14-19. Nehemiah had been appointed governor of Judah for twelve years by Artaxerxes. Occupying this official position, it was proper for him to demand the salary of a governor. Instead of using his rights and prerogatives he waived them and made special contributions, during his en tire term of office, to the community, in order that the work might go on un hindered. III. Organized Opposition of the Ene mies. 6:l-7:4. 1. Invitation to a Parley. Vs. 1-9. Having been unsuccessful in hindering the work thus far, Sanballat and Tobiah, together with Gashmu, conspired to in vite Nehemiah into the plain of Ono for a conference. Their plot was to get him into their hands and to do bodily violence to him. He, however, was too wise, and refused to accept, their invitation, stat ing that he was engaged in an important piece of work that could not be neglected. Being unsuccessful in this deceitful strat agem, they concocted lies against Nehe miah, hoping to involve him in difficulties with his master, the king. Nehemiah an swered them in a straightforward man ner and committed the case to God in prayer. 2. Shemaiah’s Deceitful Plot. Vs. 10- 14. Having been unsuccessful in the last attempt to thwart the work, Sanballat and Tobiah hired Shemaiah to pose as a friend of Nehemiah and to suggest to him that they two, since there was a plot against Nehemiah’s life, go into the tem ple for safety. This suggestion was re pulsive to such a courageous man as Nehemiah, who in utter disgust spurned the suggestion. He immediately dis cerned the fact that Shemaiah was a spy and a traitor. Again, as usual, Nehemiah committed this case to the Lord. 3. Tobiah’s Plots. Vs. 15-19. Within fifty-two days the wall was completed. The enemies were enraged. Tobiah had his sympathizers within the Jewish community who kept him in formed as to the developments of the work and caused endless trouble for Nehemiah, but he dauntlessly went for ward. Thus the Lord always thwarted every attempt of Tobiah and his asso ciates to hinder the work. 4. Nehemiah’s Precautions. 7 :l-4. The work being completed, Nehemiah committed authority of the castle into the hands of Hanani, “for he was a faith ful man, and feared God above many." Nehemiah gave orders that the gates of the city should be closed early in the day, arid locked, and should not be unlocked until the sun was hot on the following day. This precaution was a very wise one, in view of the fact that there were so very few people, comparatively speak ing, in the city. Septerriber 15, 1929 Teaching th e Law of God Neh. 8:1-18 Golden T ext: “The opening of thy words giveth light; It giveth understand ing unto the simple" (Psa. 119:130).
L e sso n in O u t l in e . Introduction: Historical Setting.
I. The Worshiping Assembly. Vs. 1-8. 1. The Reading of the Law. Vs. 1-4. 2. A Season of Worship. Vs. 5, 6. 3. Exposition of the Word. Vs. 7, 8. II. The Effects of the Preaching. Vs. 9-12. 1. Brief Exhortations. Vs. 9-11. 2. Dismissal of the Audience. V. 12. III. Obedience to the Law. Vs. 13-18. 1. Message of Law Concerning Feast of Tabernacles. Vs. 13-15. 2. The People Keep the Feast. Vs. 16, 17. 3. Worship and Study During the Feast. V. 18.
— o — Introduction: Historical Setting.
TN the last clause of Neh. 7 :73 the state- ment is made that in the seventh month the children of Israel were in their cities. This seventh month was of the 20th year
of Artaxerxes, Da rius Hystaspes. The wall was completed on the 25th day of Elul, t h e s i x t h month. Hence the date of today’s les son is on the first day of the seventh
month. The twentieth year of Artaxerxes was, according to the accepted account, 502 B. C. I. The Worshiping Assembly. Vs. 1-8. 1. The Reading of the Law. Vs. 1-4. “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate." It is a great thing for the people of God to be united in heart and soul as one man. Only with such unity can work in God’s cause advance as it should. The early church in Jerusalem was of one soul and heart (Acts 4:32-35). Paul exhorted the Ephesian brethren to give diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). The place of meet ing was in the broad place before “the water gate," which was in the southeast ern wall of the city, below the temple. This gate was thus named because of the fact that through it many of the inhab itants went to and from the Virgin’s Fountain which is in the Valley Kidron. The streets of Jerusalem were very nar row—the widest being approximately eight feet. At the gates—entrances to the city—there were broad places, or courts, in which gatherings met for various pur poses. It was in . this broad place that Ezra held his assembly. “And they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel." Throughout the entire Old Testament ap pears the consistent testimony that Moses . delivered a law to Israel from God. This testimony is ,of an unimpeachable char acter. Hence, all of the evidence points positively to the conclusion that the po sition h e l d by conservative scholars throughout the centuries is correct: i.e., that Moses wrote the five books of the Law, and that the critical position which denies to Moses the authorship of the Pentateuch as it now exists, is untrue. On the first day of the seventh month a great assembly, consisting of both men
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