Monday

8-July

Nehemiah 1-3; Job 26; 2 Corinthians 10

Nehemiah 1: What strikes you as interesting or unusual in verse 4? What was Nehemiah’s first line of action upon hearing the news about Jerusalem?

Nehemiah 2: What was Nehemiah’s process in seeking permission from the king to travel to Jerusalem? What was Nehemiah’s first step after arriving in Jerusalem?  Then what did he do?

Nehemiah 3: Who took responsibility for the rebuilding of the wall?

2 Corinthians 10: What are our weapons of warfare?

Journal Prompt: How do you ‘take every thought captive to Christ’? Write a specific way you can do that today!

Answers:

Nehemiah 1:  It’s interesting that Nehemiah was unaware of the state of affairs in Jerusalem.  This shows how far removed the diaspora was from the remnant. Perhaps Nehemiah had expected to hear a good report knowing that the king had given approval and provided resources to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.  Nehemiah reacted by weeping, mourning, fasting and praying for days.

Nehemiah 2:  After praying and fasting for some time, Nehemiah must have planned for an opportune moment to approach Artaxerxes.  Four months had passed since he found out about the news, yet on this occasion, he allowed himself to look ‘sad’ in the presence of the king.  When the king asked him about the reason for his sadness he responded, “Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then when the king asked him what his request was, he said a very brief prayer to God before responding. 

Nehemiah’s first step was investigating the situation of the state of the walls on his own at night.  Then he presented the situation to the Jews, the priests, the nobles, and the officials.

Nehemiah 3: Individuals and their families, priests and leaders assigned themselves sections to rebuild.

2 Corinthians 10:  Our weapons of warfare is the full armor of God – and they have the divine power to demolish strongholds