In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said of his and the people of Judah's enemies, “they all made us afraid, saying, their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it not be done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands”, and in chapter six and verse ten of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “I came unto the house of Shemaiah”, where we read,
Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel,
who was shut up; and he said, let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple,
and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay you;
yes, in the night will they come to slay you.
The verse reads, “Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up;” Nehemiah began with the words, “afterward I came unto the house” or “following prayer I, Nehemiah, went forth and entered into the habitation, abode and dwelling place” “of Shemaiah” which means “belonging to Shemaiah whose name means heard by Jehovah” “the son of Delaiah” or “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Delaiah whose name means Jehovah has drawn” “the son of Mehetabeel” which means “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Mehetabeel whose name means favored of God”, “who was shut up” or “who, Shemaiah, was confined to his home”. Nehemiah shared how he entered the dwelling place belonging to “Shemaiah” who was confined to his home.
The verse continues, “and he said, let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple:” Nehemiah added the words, “and he said” or “and he, Shemaiah, uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “let us meet together” which means “allow and permit us, Nehemiah and Shemaiah, assemble and gather by appointment with one another” “in the house of God” or “within the habitation, abode and dwelling place belonging to the Supreme Deity”, “within the temple” which means “inside of the nave, sanctuary and sacred public building”, “and let us shut the doors” or “and allow and permit us, Nehemiah and Shemaiah, to close the leafs of the gates or portals” “of the temple” which means “belonging to the sacred nave, sanctuary and worship place”. Nehemiah shared how “Shemaiah” invited him to assemble inside the sacred dwelling place that belongs to Jehovah God and to close the portal doors thereof.
Finally the verse says, “for they will come to slay you; yes, in the night they come to slay you.” Nehemiah concluded this verse with the words, “for they will come” or “because, since and on account that they, the foes and enemies of Nehemiah and the people of Judah will enter and go in” “to slay you” which means “to destroy, ruin, kill and murder you, Nehemiah”; “yes, in the night” or “even so and indeed, within the gloomy shadow and nighttime” “they come to slay you” which means “they, the foes and enemies of Nehemiah and the people of Judah, enter and go in to destroy, ruin, kill and murder you, Nehemiah”. Nehemiah ended the verse by sharing how “Shemaiah” told him his enemies would arrive within the city of Jerusalem to kill him.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah how he went to the home of “Shemaiah”who was confined in his house, and “Shemaiah” desired that they “meet” with one another within the sacred worship place because his enemies would enter the city to murder him. Can we imagine the pressure Nehemiah experienced? Nehemiah had a personal relationship with Jehovah God, and God would watch over him while he accomplished his mission. God wants to have a personal relationship with us as well, and He sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross and be raised from the dead three days later to give us access to Him. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide and protect us while we accomplish His will for our lives till such time as we go to be with Him in Heaven forever.
Next time Nehemiah says, “should such a man as I flee?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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