SOAP Journal – 02 January 2019 (Nehemiah 13)

Thus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task, and [I arranged] for the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

Nehemiah 13:30-31

The last chapter of Nehemiah is actually a good place to begin a year. The work on the walls was done. Nehemiah had gone back to the king. Nehemiah, though, wanted to make sure that things were as they should be in Jerusalem.

So Nehemiah asks the king for permission, gets permission, and goes back to Jerusalem. And he finds things wrong One of the priests had turned one of the temple storerooms into a private guest room for someone who was not supposed to be allowed into the temple at all. The Levites were not receiving their allotted provision, and so had gone to work on their fields and houses. There was buying and selling on the Sabbath. There was intermarriage of the priestly line with non-Jewish folks. In short, things needed attention.

Each time he addressed something wrong, he referred back to a time when this thing was recorded as having displeased God or been prohibited. The chapter opens with public reading of scripture (vv 1-2) that supported kicking Tobiah out of the converted temple storeroom — never mind that the priests and Levites were not receiving their allotment and so working elsewhere, which Nehemiah addressed as well (vv 10-13). Nehemiah reprimands the people for buying, selling, and working generally on the Sabbath (vv 17-18), reminding them that it was because of that same inattention to resting (and giving the land its rest) and trusting God to provide that had gotten the nation where it was. He rebuked the intermarriage of the priesthood. Unlike Ezra, there was no push to divorce their non-Israelite wives only a vow to stop the intermarriage (vv 23-25). He points out that Solomon’s non-Israelite wives causes Solomon to sin (v 26). Each and every wrong is addressed by looking at the precedent set by God in His Word or in times gone before.

And that is how Jesus dealt with sin. He always resorted back to the scriptures. When Jesus was tempted, He quoted scripture. When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, He often quoted scripture. When people asked Him for wisdom, He quoted scripture. Small wonder, then, that Paul wrote that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) or that the author of Hebrews wrote that the Word of God is living and active and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

As I enter into this new year, let me resolve that The Bible will be my arbiter of what is good and what is not.

Lord God, thank You for Your Word and for those like Christ and Nehemiah who set an example of using Your Word to address sin and temptation. Please make firm in my heart the resolve to use Your Word in that way today and each day following. Please make Your Word not only a lamp to my feet and light to my path, but also let it restore my soul and make me wise. Please prevent me from becoming one who is always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth. I would know You and be found faithful to You by You.

Seed (Luke 8:11)

Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.

Luke 8:11

There is much said about the word of God, both within the word itself and by others. There are those who doubt the veracity of the word of God and say that it is not historically accurate or that it is a book of fables. There are those who think it a mixture of things, some factual and others not. There are those who, like myself, believe the word of God to be precisely that: the word of God; what God wants to say to humanity.

The thing about seeds is that they must be given a mixture of things to grow and bear fruit. Likewise, the word must receive the things that are needful in order for it to be fruitful in my life.

A seed needs soil. The word needs to be planted within my heart and mind. It is not enough that I read it and go on about my day, I must allow it to take root and to rearrange things as the roots of trees often do with the things that are in the soil.

A seed needs water. God Himself is called the Living Water and it is this Living Water that is needed for the word to germinate from seed to plant and to bear fruit as a mature plant. If I starve a seed or a plant of water, it will not grow or die. Likewise, the word of God detached from God Himself is dead.

A seed needs sunlight. As the seed sprouts and pushes leaves through the soil into the air above, it needs light to shine on it for it to be healthy. Again, God Himself is called the Light and the Father of Lights, so God must illuminate what is heard and read for it to grow and bear fruit. But more, Jesus said that He is the Truth (John 14:6) and Truth illuminates; shines light on things. The word of God must bask in the light of Truth in order to bear fruit. God is Truth, but His word is also truth. In order for the seed of the word to become fruitful, there must be still more of the word shone on it that the word might illumine the word and that truth might vindicate truth.

Depending on the seed, there are other necessities, but those are the basics. Like any garden, the place where the word is planted must be cultivated; weeds must be removed and vectors — inspects and other vermin that would threaten the seedling — dealt with. I must address distractions and things that seek to destroy or distort or even imitate the word implanted.

This is more of a reminder for me, this morning, than anything else. A reminder to provide this word and every bit of the word that I receive with the water and light of God and still more of the word and to tend the garden wherein the word has been planted.

Cling to the Sword (2 Samuel 23:10)

He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip [the slain].

2 Samuel 23:10

2 Samuel 23 is a recounting of David’s mighty men and some of their great deeds. This particular occurrence is credited to Eleazar the son of Dodo. I’m not super concerned with the greatness of his military exploit, despite the fact that him being the guy who ran into battle while everyone else was running away from it is pretty impressive. There are two things that always come to mind when I think about this guy: (1) What Eleazar did and (2) What God did with Eleazer’s actions.

What Eleazar did was to wade into the fray when everyone else was wading out. That was the beginning. He chose to fight, not to give in. Many people in The Bible do as much, so that, by itself, is not singular. But he held on to his sword so long and so hard that his hand clung to the sword. I love that imagery. I love the impression of a warrior standing amidst his slain enemies with a hand that will not unclench from around the hilt of his sword. It’s as if the muscles of his hand are frozen in that place. In the NT, Paul speaks of the sword of the Spirit; the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Whenever I think of Eleazar and his great exploit, I am reminded that I need to cling to the sword. I need to hold fast to the word of God. Times grow darker and people who profess to teach the truth steep themselves in lies and the only way I will know truth from lies is to be constantly in the truth; God’s word is truth (John 17:17).

What God did is take Eleazar wading into battle and Eleazar’s hand desperately clutching his sword and turn that into victory. The actual word, my footnotes tell me, is salvation. God’s word in the hands of those willing to enter the fray can, by God’s grace, bring salvation.

I’m sure that the foregoing is nothing new. But I’m equally sure that I need to be reminded that I must cling to the word of God if I am to see God bring about salvation. Both my own and the salvation of others.