In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah began his book by declaring, “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachallah, and it came to pass in the month of Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem”, and in chapter one and verse three of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how Hanani told him, “the wall is broken down”, where we read,
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
The verse reads, “And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach”. Nehemiah began with the words, “and they said unto me” or “and they, Hanani and the men with him, uttered, declared and proclaimed to me, Nehemiah”, “the remnant that are left” which means “the people of Israel who remain and are left behind” “of the captivity” or “pertaining to the exiled, captured and imprisoned ones who remain and are left behind”, “there in the province” which means “within the district, region and jurisdiction” “are in great affliction” or “exist within large, intense and abundant bad, disagreeableness, unpleasantness, evil and wickedness” “and reproach” which means “and scorn, taunting, shame and disgrace”. Nehemiah shared how “Hanani and the men with him” told him that the remaining people of Israel who were held in captivity within the region were experiencing abundant unpleasantness and evil in addition to shame and disgrace.
The verse goes on to say, “the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “the wall of Jerusalem” or “the joined barrier wall used for protection” “also is broken down” which means “even so and indeed exists as breached, burst in pieces and dispersed”, “and the gates thereof” or “and the entry gates, doors or openings belonging to the barrier wall” “are burned with fire” which means “exist as kindled and set of fiery fire”. Nehemiah shared how Hanani and the men with him told him the protective barrier wall of Jerusalem was burst into pieces and the entry doors were kindled with “fire”.
When we consider Nehemiah's words in this verse, we learn how “Hanani and the men” who came to see him reported that the people who remained exiled in the region were suffering abundant wickedness, shame and disgrace. We can imagine the heart of Nehemiah when he heard these words while he was working in a foreign and pagan environment and the compassion he had upon the people of Israel. Jerusalem's people were suffering, the walls of the city were destroyed and the ports of entry were burned with fire. Some people's lives are like this. Everything they have seems to have been destroyed, and they are “afflicted” on every side. God knew this would happen to them because sin leaves a path of destruction, and for this reason God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross and to be raised from the dead three days later so all who put their faith and trust in Him may be rescued and saved from destruction. God loves us, and when we surrender to Him, regardless of the damage in our lives, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and teach us the value of the abundant life that He offers to all who believe and trust in Him. (See John 10:10)
Next time Nehemiah shares what happened, “when I heard these words” 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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