"Then I said to them, 'You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.'"
(Nehemiah 2:17)

Nehemiah 1, 2:1-18
Jerusalem was the city of God’s shalom or peace, where there could be no fighting, no confusion, no emptiness. When its walls were affected by internal problems such as David’s sin, its defenses were compromised. What a perfect picture this is of our own lives, lives marked by internal problems and shifting foundations which can be made right only by the Lord.


Look at the “stones” David speaks of in Psalm 51. We too need these to be reset by Him for the foundation of our walls. We need the blotting out of sin (v. 1, 9), the radical washing of our souls (v. 2, 7), the healing of our memory (v. 3), the instilling of wisdom and truth (v. 6), the purging and pruning of sin (v. 7), the recovering of joy (v. 8, 12), the cleaning and purifying of our hearts along with the reorienting of our spirits (v. 10), the resuming of fellowship with God (v. 11), and a re-commissioning for God’s work (v. 15).


Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, these stones are all guaranteed to repentant sinners for the repair of our walls.



Scripture Focus

Nehemiah 1, 2:1-18

Insight

We are assured afresh of His forgiveness when we tell the Lord how much we value each stone of rebuilding.

Bible In A Year

  • Ecclesiastes 5-6
  • Psalm 65
  • John 5