In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah prayed to Jehovah God, “We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which you commanded your servant Moses. Remember, I beseech you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, If you transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations”, and in chapter one and verse nine of Nehemiah, Nehemiah reminded God that He said, “but if you turn unto me, and keep my commandments”, where we read,
But if you turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from there, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
The verse reads, “But if you turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them;”. Nehemiah began with the words, “but if you turn unto me” or “however, notwithstanding, nevertheless and moreover whether and in case you, people of Israel, repent and return to me, Jehovah God”, “and keep my commandments” which means “and guard, observe and give heed to my, Jehovah God's, laws, ordinances and precepts”, “and do them” or “and accomplish, produce, observe and attend to them, Jehovah God's commandments”. Nehemiah added how Jehovah God said “if” the people of Israel would repent of their ways, observe His ordinances and perform them, the following would occur.
The verse continues, “though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from there, ...” Nehemiah added the words, “though there were of you” or “even if there existed among the people of Israel who were” “cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven” which means “impelled, thrust away and banished to the extremities and borders belonging to the visible skies, atmosphere and sidereal heaven where God dwells and other spiritual beings”, “yet will I gather them from there” or “even still shall I, Jehovah God, collect and assemble them, the people of Israel, separate and apart from the place where the people of Israel were thrust away”. Nehemiah shared how Jehovah God also told the people of Israel that when they repented and turned toward Him and kept His ordinances, even if they were banished to the outermost borders of the sidereal heavens, He would assemble and collect them from that place.
Finally the verse says, “and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.” Nehemiah concluded this verse with the words, “and I will bring them” which means “and I, Jehovah God, shall collect and assemble them, the people of Israel” “unto the place” or “to the location, abiding place, tabernacle and temple for worship” “that I have chosen” which means “that I, Jehovah God, have elected and appointed as acceptable” “to set my name there” or “to fix, settle, abide and establish my, Jehovah God's, fame, reputation and glory within that location”. Nehemiah ended this verse by reminding Jehovah God how He said He would cause the people of Israel to return to the location that He appointed for them and He would establish His fame, reputation and glory within that place.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah how God promised the people of Israel that He would respond to their repentance and observance of His statutes by regathering them from the locations to which they were scattered, and He would carry them to the “place” within which He elected to establish His fame, reputation and glory. God wants to be among and with His people Israel, and He desires to have a personal relationship with us as well. He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for our sins and to be raised from the dead three days later so when we yield our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us a desire to observe His commands and perform them so we will never be scattered away from Him.
Next time Nehemiah tells God, “these are your servants and your people” 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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