[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR SUNDAY MAY 15

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR SUNDAY MAY 15

DAILY BIBLE READING

Nehemiah 4-6 New King James Version
The Wall Defended Against Enemies
4 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall,
that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke
before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these
feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices?
Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps
of rubbish-stones that are burned?"

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Whatever they build,
if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall."

4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own
heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 Do not cover their
iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they
have provoked You to anger before the builders.

6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half
its height, for the people had a mind to work.

7 Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the
Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the
[a]gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, 8 and all
of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create
confusion. 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them
we set a watch against them day and night.

10 Then Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is
so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall."

11 And our adversaries said, "They will neither know nor see anything, till
we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease."

12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten
times, "From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us."

13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the
openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their
swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and arose and said to
the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid
of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren,
your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

15 And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that
God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall,
everyone to his work. 16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my
servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the
shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders [b]were behind all the
house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried
burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at
construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders
had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the
trumpet was beside me.

19 Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, "The
work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on
the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there.
Our God will fight for us."

21 So we labored in the work, and half of [c]the men held the spears from
daybreak until the stars appeared. 22 At the same time I also said to the
people, "Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they
may be our guard by night and a working party by day." 23 So neither I, my
brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our
clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.

Nehemiah Deals with Oppression
5 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their
Jewish brethren. 2 For there were those who said, "We, our sons, and our
daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live."

3 There were also some who said, "We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards
and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine."

4 There were also those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax
on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our
brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons
and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought
into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our
lands and vineyards."

6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 After
serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, "Each of
you is [d]exacting usury from his brother." So I [e]called a great assembly
against them. 8 And I said to them, "According to our ability we have
redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will
you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?"

Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. 9 Then I said, "What you
are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of
the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 I also, with my brethren and my
servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this
[f]usury! 11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their
vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the
money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them."

12 So they said, "We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we
will do as you say."

Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do
according to this promise. 13 Then I shook out [g]the fold of my garment and
said, "So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property,
who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and
emptied."

And all the assembly said, "Amen!" and praised the Lord. Then the people did
according to this promise.

The Generosity of Nehemiah
14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the
land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King
Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's
provisions. 15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on
the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of
silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do
so, because of the fear of God. 16 Indeed, I also continued the work on this
wall, and [h]we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there
for the work.

17 And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those
who came to us from the nations around us. 18 Now that which was prepared
daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and
once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this
I did not demand the governor's provisions, because the bondage was heavy on
this people.

19 Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this
people.

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah
6 Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, [i]Geshem the Arab, and the rest
of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no
breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the
gates), 2 that Sanballat and [j]Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us
meet together [k]among the villages in the plain of Ono." But they thought
to do me harm.

3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I
cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to
you?"

4 But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same
manner.

5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an
open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written:

It is reported among the nations, and [l]Geshem says, that you and the Jews
plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the
wall, that you may be their king. 7 And you have also appointed prophets to
proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, "There is a king in Judah!"
Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let
us consult together.

8 Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say are being done, but
you invent them in your own heart."

9 For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, "Their hands will be
weakened in the work, and it will not be done."

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

10 Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of
Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, "Let us meet together in
the house of God, within the [m]temple, and let us close the doors of the
temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to
kill you."

11 And I said, "Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who
would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!" 12 Then I
perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this
prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this
reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so
that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works,
and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made
me afraid.

The Wall Completed
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two
days. 16 And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the
nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in
their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

17 Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and
the letters of Tobiah came to them. 18 For many in Judah were pledged to
him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his
son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19
Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my [n]words to
him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

Footnotes
Nehemiah 4:7 Lit. breaks
Nehemiah 4:16 Supported
Nehemiah 4:21 Lit. them
Nehemiah 5:7 charging interest
Nehemiah 5:7 Lit. held
Nehemiah 5:10 interest
Nehemiah 5:13 Lit. my lap
Nehemiah 5:16 So with MT; LXX, Syr., Vg. I
Nehemiah 6:1 Or Gashmu
Nehemiah 6:2 Or Gashmu
Nehemiah 6:2 Or in Kephirim, exact location unknown
Nehemiah 6:6 Heb. Gashmu
Nehemiah 6:10 Lit. house
Nehemiah 6:19 Or affairs