Monday, September 21, 2009
Nehemiah 1:1-4
1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (ESV)
by Jean Jorgensen
We mourn over loss, not gain. The report about the plight of the Jews in Jerusalem must have led Nehemiah to believe God had forsaken his promises to restore Jerusalem. He not only mourned that the Jews were in disgrace, but don’t you suppose he was angry that God was apparently ignoring His promise to restore them? Victims of disaster often become angry at God and mourn the loss of God’s promises of love and protection. Are God’s promises changeable?
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
