Context: Nehemiah was an exiled Jew who was the cup bearer of the King. Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem about 13 years after Ezra.
Today's Devotion Nehemiah 4:13-14
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
It has been almost 90 years since the Jews began the trek back to their homeland. The temple has been completed for some 70 years, but the city remained unprotected. They had tried to rebuild the walls earlier, but the king had ordered them to stop.
Many of the people who were rebuilding the wall had never suffered the captivity in Babylon. They had not known anything other than living in the rubble that was Jerusalem. Amazingly, God had protected them from fierce fighting during this time because they were incredibly vulnerable.
But once the rebuilding started, their enemies started threatening them. Even though it was God's will that the wall be rebuilt, they had to be prepared to fight.
Many times in their history the Israelites had to stand up and fight for the things God desired for them. The act of having to work for these things made them much more valuable.
It's sad, but even today people are more willing to work for something if they have to invest their time, money, or effort in the cause. Those who pay for gym memberships tend to be more faithful with their exercise than those who have easy access to equipment. Those who help with college expenses tend to have higher grades. And people in countries where the Bible is contraband tend to memorize and appreciate what little access they have to God's word more than those who have several Bibles and Internet access to the same information.
Would you be willing to put your life at risk by hiding a Bible in your home? What blessing do we miss because we take these things for granted?
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