“And when King Jehoiakim, with all his warriors and all the officials, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped to Egypt. Then King Jehoiakim sent to Egypt certain men, Elnathan the son of Achbor and others with him,  and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, who struck him down with the sword and dumped his dead body into the burial place of the common people.” Jeremiah 26:21-23

Jehoiakim went to great lengths to ensure the death of Uriah; and then “dumped” his body like it was a dog. Remember this because we are going to come back to it later on. Now, listen to what this foolish king did to the writings of Jeremiah.

“In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.’” Jeremiah 36:1-3

“As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.” Jeremiah 36:23-25

We see here two very specific and dangerous acts that will bring judgment on this king. He hunts down a prophet and kills him, and he destroys the words of the Lord without any reverence or fear. I have included verse 3 of chapter 36 so that you can see why God had Jeremiah write down all the words he had spoken. There is little mystery here, God is very clear. He tells Jeremiah to write everything down so that “every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity”. This is the whole point. So if this is the point, then how do you think God responds to the burning of His word, especially with no fear. Before we get to that, I want you to stop here and think. If you are a “king” in any capacity - leaders in business, the media, education, the arts, and certainly in government - stop and think. How can a leader pursue the righteous, hunt them down and “slay” them. There are many ways to “kill” a righteous man. As a leader, are you “slaying” the righteous? You need to be able to answer that question honestly.

Secondly, are leaders burning the word of God - destroying every part of it with all their might? You may find this a strange thing to say, but again, there are many ways to burn (or spurn) God’s word. If you refuse to apply it in your life, are you not burning the word out of your life? How do leaders cut up and destroy God’s words? Misrepresenting his word for your own purposes is the same as burning it with a torch - and having no fear or reverence in the process angers God. God’s word is not a political tool to be waved around for man’s corrupt purposes. It is time to admit what we are and what we have done and repent. Remember, this is the whole point. To turn and be forgiven – this is God’s purpose. If you do not, do not be deceived, for God is not mocked. There is judgment for our sins. God is gracious, but we must turn from our sins and repent. If you will not turn, then now you can read the rest of the story and see how God deals with this kind of depravity.

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.” Jeremiah 36:30-31

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: ‘They shall not lament for him, saying, ‘Ah, my brother!’ or ‘Ah, sister!’ They shall not lament for him, saying, ‘Ah, lord!’ or ‘Ah, his majesty!’ With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem.’” Jeremiah 22:18-19

John Gill in his commentary says this regarding verse 19, “as the carcass of a beast is dragged about by dogs; or as a malefactor, when executed, is dragged and cast into a ditch: this perhaps was done by the Chaldeans, who, when he was slain, dragged him along, and cast him beyond the gates of Jerusalem. So Josephus says, that when Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem, he slew the most robust and beautiful with Jehoiakim their king, and ordered him to be cast without the walls unburied”.

If you know your history and Bible, you know that Jehoiakim’s line dies out just as God said it would. Jehoiakim’s son reigned three months before the line was completely snuffed out. Do you remember how the king treated Uriah and “dumped” his body. Look at what happens to the king. The details are unclear, but it was a violent death and he was dragged and dumped and was not buried. God will not be mocked!

Let us pay attention to this example, for it has been given so that we may understand how serious God is about sin, repentance, and judgment. God’s purpose is always to draw us to Himself, for if we repent and turn He will forgive and show us grace. God will not be mocked! He is coming one way or another, either in grace or judgment. It is up to us how He comes. Let Jehoiakim’s life and death be a lesson we can apply. God is gracious to the repentant and righteous, but he is swift and just in his judgment to “kings” like Jehoiakim.

I was thinking this week about how we invest in our lives and what happens to that over time. We all know that you reap what you sow, as Galatians tell us, God is not mocked. There are many different ways in which one might invest or sow and how that will affect our lives. According to scripture, how do reap? We must sow! Ok, this is not hard to grasp, but maybe the problem is applying it our lives. Let’s look at three examples of sowing about what the sowing will mean over time.

1)      Nothing sowed = Nothing reaped

This is no-brainer, but we need to be reminded. We cannot expect God to bless us when we do nothing. If we do no invest anything, then we will not get a return. While this is very easy to understand, we do not always apply this simple idea. We at times expect things to be wonderful just because we are a Christian, and while God promises blessing, He always requires obedience and work.

2)      Good Sowing = Good Reaping

This is the principle in a nutshell. Those who sow goodness will at some point be reaping goodness. We may not reap in the same way that we sowed, but we will reap according to what we have sown. I want to take a moment and quantify this idea; not because you can necessarily quantify how much you will reap or how great God is, but I think it helps us understand the meaning of the principle. Let’s say you are investing 30 of something, it can be 30 dollars, 30 minutes of your time, 30 of something. What could that mean over time? Typically on a good investment, you might get 8% return, so let’s use that example. If you give 30, what do you get in return -  30 x  8% which is 32.4. It does not seem like much, but what if you keep sowing/investing. Just like with a savings or investment account, you compound the interest. What happens as you keep sowing? An investment of 30 can become over 19,000 with continual reinvestment over time . Most of us know this is true with money, but what about life. Shouldn’t we apply the same principle? Keeping sowing and you will reap. What good are you sowing into your life?

3)      Bad Sowing = Bad Reaping

Galatians actually talks about this first – sowing the flesh means reaping corruption.  To go back to our example if you sow (-30), then over time you will reaping (if you continue to sow bad seed)  -19,000. I don’t think anyone would knowingly do this, but this is what happens all the time. We sow bad seed and get a bad return. Take a moment and reflect, are there ways that I am sowing bad seed into my life? It will make a huge impact now and much more later.

This is God’s principle and He will not be mocked. Sow good things into your life. You will see a return.

I quantified this principle to show how something very small can get very big. Here is the idea:

Invest Nothing  =  Nothing Return

Invest 30  =  19,000 Return

Invest -30  =  -19,000 Return

You get to decide which way you will go in each area of your life. You decide – it is no one else’s fault. God will not be mocked!

Thomas Fuller 1608-1661

In similar fashion, Samuel called on the people of Israel to repent and turn back to God - to put down their idols and serve God alone.

“And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ‘If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’ So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.” I Samuel 7:3-4

If we want to see God move, the first thing we must do is repent. Repent as individuals, as churches, and as a nation. We must put down our idols and turn back to God. Notice Samuel did not first say put down your idols – the first word he said was “if”. If you are returning to God with ALL your heart, then you do all the other stuff. So, putting away the idols was first contingent upon their heart. Putting down their idols in a superficial way was not going to work, they must first return to God.

Then, Samuel gave the people a promise, if they will serve God alone, then He will deliver them. So what happens – verse 4 tells us that the people listened, put away the idols, and served the Lord only. As we read on, we see what happens because the people listened and obeyed.

“So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, ‘We have sinned against the Lord,’ And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.” I Samuel 7:6

The first thing that must always happen when people turn back to God is repentance. If you read in Revelation 2-3 where it addresses the churches, you will notice a recurring theme. It is one of repentance. God is calling his churches out and telling them to repent. Henry Blackaby writes in his book on the life of Samuel, “Everything with God rested upon repentance”.

A rather strange aspect of verse 6 is that the people drew water and poured it out before the Lord. What does that mean? While many people may theorize on the meaning, it seems to be the only time that is recorded where people poured out water before the Lord. Whatever the case, it could represent the people’s repentance, a symbol of them pouring out themselves to God. Adam Clarke admits that it is not easy to know what is meant by this pouring out of water, but writes that it could represent “deep penitential sorrow”. And Clarke references Lamentations 2:19, “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!”. The point is the people cried out to God in repentance. And this is what matters most to God. It invites him to act – he responds to repentance in great and mighty ways.

“As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.” I Samuel 7:10-11

So let’s take a brief recap: Samuel calls the people to repentance; they repent and turn back to God, crying out to him wholeheartedly. Then, when the Philistines come to attack, BAM! Does God softly whisper in the ear of the enemy? No, HE THUNDERS! God made such a loud racket that it threw the Philistines into confusion. How did Israel defeat the enemy – by God’s thunder! This should show us how God responds to repentance. But wait, there is more.

“So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.” I Samuel 7:13-14

What was that? The Philistines did not enter again into Israel and God’s hand was against them all the days of Samuel. Ok, Samuel preaches to the people, they obey and repent, then God THUNDERS, and that is it, it is over. The Philistines are done. The do not enter again (would they really want to after that?) and God’s hand is against them. YIKES! Do not mess with God’s repentant people. But look, there is still even more. The Philistines had taken land from Israel in the past, and guess what, it was restored. All the cities that had been taken were restored. So what does this story tell us? It shows us how God will respond to a repentant people.

Once God’s people respond and repent – putting down their idols and serving God alone, this is what happens according to the book of Samuel.

1)      God thunders against your enemies. We should not diminish this point in the least. This is a total supernatural deliverance from our enemies. When God shows up in this way, everyone knows it. And God fully intends that – He is showing himself to his people and their enemies.

2)     Based on the previous point, the enemy does enter your land again (why would they). Once God does something, it is final. When God delivers in such a powerful way, our enemy scatters and is not heard from again.

3)     Restoration – this is so important to know. Not only does God deliver us, he restores what has been taken. How wonderful our God is. Do you ever think that so much has been taken that it can never be restored? Have faith, God’s mighty hand can restore you.

What should we think about as a nation when it comes to repentance? Lincoln proclaimed prayer and fasting. What should we do? If we do not like what our nation has become, we must repent. We must pour out our heart to God and watch what He does. God is not slow. He responds to His people. Always maintain a repentant heart and watch God’s thunderous restoration before your eyes.

Each week I take time to study God’s word. And let me tell you, it makes an extraordinary difference in my life. Reading God’s word and studying it are very different. Reading God’s word is required for us to grow and learn, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us as we read and pray. So if you are not daily in God’s word, then get to it! However, I have found that studying God’s word is very different. This is taking your time around scripture, letting the Holy Spirit breathe His wisdom into your heart. Also, it is picking up other resources and studying them. Studying God’s Holy inerrant word is so life changing. I find sometimes that I feel so unworthy. His word reveals so much to us, and studying it has changed my life again and again. The Bible is a lot like an onion (pardon the crude metaphor), you can peel it in layers. It is up to you as to how deep you go. Do we go deeper and deeper, and higher and higher, or just stay at the surface treading water.  I want to encourage you to study God’s word. If you have difficulty, get resources to help you. Reading is the minimum, studying brings life changing results through the divine power of God’s word. I know not everyone likes to study, but everyone has a life. And if you want to change yours then study His word and see what happens. 

Forgetfulness is very important to God. We find over and over He is aware of our tendency to forget and urges us to remember His mighty deeds. I want to consider two generations around this issue of forgetting and remember God’s works. Remembering what God has already done is essential to going forward in any area, but really helps us when we find ourselves in difficult situations that may challenge our faith. We must remember so we can be full of faith and have supreme confidence in God’s power. Our history does not define us, but it does let us know where we have been. Remembering our history can help us know what has been, thus what will be in our future.

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. . . So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained . . . Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.” Exodus 14: 21-22,27-28,30

Here we have in Exodus God showing His wonders and greatness with the 10 plagues on Egypt. Then in a stunning exit, the people march across on dry land through the Red Sea and watch all the Egyptians die – right before their eyes.Wow! What a spectacular event (actually several events) and totally supernatural. Yet, what happens next? In chapter 15 we see a beautiful song of Moses about God’s deliverance, but before the chapter is over we see some ugliness.

“Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’” Exodus 15:22-24

And then a month after their deliverance, “And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, ‘Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’” Exodus 16:2-3

Ok, we all need to have water and eat, but look at what had just happened - the miracles, the wonders, the deliverance. And three days later, they are complaining? They do not seem to be able to continue to believe that God would provide even though their past experience was full of wondrous signs. And as we know the unbelieving forgetfulness continues, and God does not allow this generation to come into the promise land. Another generation 40 years later will do that.

Now I really want to focus on the second group and how they ensured the remembrance of God’s great and mighty works.

“Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap. . . Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.” Joshua 3:12-13,17

“And Joshua said to them, ‘Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.’” Joshua 4:5-7

“And he said to the people of Israel, ‘When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.’” Joshua 4:21-24

Isn’t it interesting that God had the people “pass over” or through the Jordan, similar to what he did with the Red Sea. If you look through Exodus and then look in Joshua you see a stark contrast to what the people did. But there is another amazing difference that stands out. The stones! God told Joshua to gather stones and set up a memorial. It is very important how he did this, God was very specific, but I want to focus on this idea of setting up stones to remember what God had done.

Again and again the Bible talks about remembering the works God has performed in the past. But a contrast we see here with Joshua opposed to the Red Sea deliverance is that he set up a memorial with stones. A way to tell their children about what God had done. God is very clever, and He knew the people needed to see something to be reminded - a very physical way to remind them of how great He was and is. That way they would not forget and become unbelieving and unfaithful. Remembering the works of God is essential to believing for the future. If there are no works remembered, then what will the future look like. Exodus and Judges are examples of generations not remembering (or knowing) what God has done. Some forgot and some were never told of His works. A memorial would give them a way to explain to future generations. God does not want to be remembered in one generation and forgotten in the next. It is our responsibility to teach our children His ways. The stones help us do that.

Lately I have felt the need to reflect on the great things God has done for me. A startling experience comes to mind. When I moved to the metroplex, God showed up in an amazing way. I was offered job here, but it was 2 hours away, so to get the job we had to move. Oh, the joys of moving (and changing your entire family’s life!). For about a month I stayed here during the week and went home on the weekend. It was very stressful because we were also trying to sell our house. I realized this was not working and not good for my family, so I decided we needed to move. We had to move even though our current house had not sold. So, we did it! We moved on Labor Day weekend to a new house all the while knowing I really did not have the money for two house payments. I acted on faith knowing it was the best thing for my family, but not knowing the outcome. Less than a week after we moved I got a call from the realtor that we had someone interested in our house and at the end of the month we sold it! You might wonder as I have, what would have happened if I had not moved when I did – would the house have still sold? I don’t know - all I know is I had to move and when I did, God showed up. It was no accident, and furthermore I cannot ever forget what He did. I must remember how He came to my rescue as I stepped out in faith. That is not silliness my friend, that is a supernatural God taking care of His child.

I must never forget what He has done for me, never! In dark times, I must remind myself how great my Christ is – how wonderful, I must remember His former deeds and continue to have faith for the future. But what about my children, do they remember what happened? I need to set up a memorial, stones to help me remember and tell future generations about what God has done. We need physical memorials. We must remember personally, corporately as a church, and as a nation. Do our children know our personal history with God? Do they know the history of the church (locally and the church at large)? Do they know why America exists as it does? Why are we here? Did we come out of another land like Israel came out of Egypt? We must remember and teach the next generation.

“Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.” Joshua 24:31

This generation was different than the previous one, they served God even beyond Joshua’s death, and they knew the works of the Lord. They knew what He had done for them in the past. This was absolutely critical to their success. And so it is with us.

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.” Psalm 77:11

I love this movie! All the running scenes are great, but I especially like this scene where he deals with the “inquisition”!

Several times in the book of Judges you see this statement. It describes this time in the history of Israel. At the end of this time God called a prophet – it was a time of transition and God needed a prophet who would walk in His ways. The leaders and the people were doing what was right in their own eyes, but God had a plan that would bring them back. I Samuel chapter 2 tells of a man who comes to Eli and prophesies that God is about to cut off his house, but that he will raise up another.

“And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.” I Samual 2:35

This was Samuel. God raised him up at a very low point in Israel’s history. The people were in a spiritual crisis. God often raises up faithful leaders in a time of crisis to help His people and transition to a new day.

“Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.” I Samuel 3:1

“And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.” I Samuel 3:21-4:1

What we can draw from this is that when God’s people choose to do what is right in their own eyes and not listen to God, there is no word or revelation from Him. Before God called Samuel the word and vision were rare, but after God had established him as a prophet, God appears and His word comes forth.

Even so, as Samuel was the first prophet to Israel, they still did not listen and obey. When Samuel is old the leaders ask for a king so they can be like other nations. Even after Samuel painstakingly tells them what will happen. The leaders refuse and must have their king. They had rejected God as their king (I Sam. 8:7-8). It makes you wonder why they have not learned their lesson, even after 400 years of judges.

Let’s fast forward to the time of Jeremiah. Jeremiah prophesied about and lived through the Babylonian capture and exile of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was dealing with a people who would not listen as well, but also something that is very prevalent in our own day.

“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?” Jeremiah 7:8-10

“But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.” Jeremiah 7:23-24

Time and time again God came to His people, but they refused to listen. The continued to sin and even worse, they came before Him in His house proclaiming “we are delivered”.  Can you image going out and offering sacrifices to other gods and then going to church and pretending everything is fine. Will God not judge you and I for such behavior. He judged Israel – he punished them, destroyed their land, and scattered them. Are we to think that today is any different. Will God continue to put up with a generation of people claiming everything is great - just be happy, God loves you. Are we that thick-headed? Are some of the behaviors in Christian culture today that different than what the Jews did? Will we learn from them?

Yes, I know what you are thinking, “I do not worship foreign gods. I have not murdered my brother.” Well, the focus might better be on what do you love more than God. Who have you spoken to harshly. Do you show love more than anger? We really need to get very personal with God and dig down deep and allow Him to purge our soul.

It has become very popular in our culture to just come as you are with no requirements to live a holy life (which God clearly requires). When I was growing up, it was not uncommon to hear what you would call a “fire and brimstone” sermon. You would never hear that today. I am not saying everyone should be condemned. But I do think there has been a big cultural shift – everyone doing what is right in their own eyes.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 This is an extraordinary verse – we are not condemned if we are in Christ. But have we as a culture shifted into the idea that we are delivered no matter what we do. Does the Bible teach that? No, it absolutely teaches the opposite. Are we truly in Christ if all we ever do is make excuses and say “you cannot judge me”. When will we learn. In Christ there is no condemnation, but there surely is repentance. It all starts with repentance. Does God discipline those who are repentant? No, he disciplines those who refuse to listen and obey.

We need to peel back the veil of our heart and honestly show God all of what we are. He already knows, but we have to come to Him in honesty and say this is who I am, please change me. My heart is yours. Look at the very depths of your soul - the darkest part of who you are and examine yourself before God. Yes, it is scary. But frankly, God’s judgment is far more deadly.

I pray Lord Jesus that I would give you my heart, every part of it. The deepest, darkest and most hidden part of me that no one sees, take it and purge me. Clean out my heart and soul. Remove from me any blemishes; remove anything that is not of you. I only want you in my soul. Only you, Lord Jesus, only you. Give me a soft obedient heart, full of your faithfulness and righteousness. Breathe on me and remove my hard heart. For I will not be satisfied until I obey your voice and walk in your ways.

Today, I was doing my work out at the gym and I thought to myself, why is it that I can never go past a certain weight. So, being the mature person that I am, I decided to do what I have never done before. I remember thinking I do not think I can lift this much, but here goes . . . Well, guess what. I did it! And I was quite surprised at myself. And how was I able to do it, very simply by deciding to. Now, this is a small example, but shows my point very well. Sometimes it serves us well to get sick and tired of the same results. It may take a decision; it make take you just getting really ticked off. Either way, you are tired of the same results and need a change.

Martin Luther is prime example of this. He got really tired of what was going on in the church. He saw how people were being taken advantage of with the selling of indulgences and how so much was denied the common people. He wrote his famous 95 theses and later translated the New Testament into German (so everyone could read it). Luther got really ticked off at what was happening and he did what no other had done! When does that day come for you and me? When do we rise up and say enough! We can easily transfer indulgences and Biblical illiteracy to modern issues. What are you tired of? What are you sick of? What are you angry about (holy and righteous anger)? And what are you going to do about it. Luther did not just get angry, he went and changed things – he did something about the problems. What will you do?

At the beginning of the book of Nehemiah a report comes to him that the walls and gates of Jerusalem are broken down and destroyed. Nehemiah weeps for his nation. He prays and cries out to God for mercy.

“O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.” Nehemiah 1:5-7

Notice Nehemiah confess the sin of his nation, then he confesses the sin of his own house. He is confessing the great sin of a nation, but also points out that God has a covenant with His people. He starts off with this thought and continues it in verse 8.

“Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’” vs. 8-9

While Nehemiah asks for God’s mercy as he morns for his nation, he also reminds God of His words to Moses, to gather his scattered people once they return and keep His commands.

Now we can’t be sure when Nehemiah got it in his heart to rebuild the walls, but we do know that there were four months between chapters 1 and 2. So, in chapter one he hears the report and weeps and prays. In chapter two, four months later, he is before the King (he was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes), and we can see from the conversation that there has been some planning on the part of Nehemiah. When the King questions him about being sad, asking if he is sick, Nehemiah is afraid but responds:

“Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Nehemiah 2:3 

And then he asks the king if he can return to Judah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. After he receives a very favorable response from the Artaxerxes, he continues by asking for letters.

“And I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.’” vs. 7-8

I point this out because it seems obvious that Nehemiah had been thinking about such things. Maybe he already knew what to ask for and just was waiting for the right moment. But clearly, when he received the king’s initial response to go, he proceeded by asking for things from the king he knew he would need. This was not a last minute idea. He planned for it. And when the time came he was able to stand before the king and ask for what he needed.

Something else I notice here is verse 4, “Then the king said to me, ‘What are you requesting?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven.” Right in the middle of his conversation with Artaxerxes, the Bible points out that he prayed, which means he was praying during the conversation. This is important. Nehemiah started with prayer and fasting; then, when the opportunity came, he proceeded but in pray. He prayed through his opportunity with the king. I think this is exceptionally important for us to hear and know. When our opportunity comes, we must continue in prayer – all the way through. This protects us and helps us stay on course. There is no greater time when we may steer off course than when we are in the midst of our greatest opportunity and before great men. We need God’s guidance then more than ever. However, I still contend that Nehemiah had planned out what he needed to do once the time came. Prayer and preparation working together.

There is one more example I want to point out about how prayer and preparation work together. In Nehemiah 4 it shows another example of how this works. As they built the wall, there arose resistance.

“But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” Nehemiah 4:7-9

There will always be resistance, always people who do not want us to succeed. Verse 9 is so beautiful and exemplifies how prayer and preparation work together. Opposition comes, they pray to God and then go and set a guard. They prayed for God’s protection and then armed themselves (prepared for confrontation).  Verse 13 says that in the open places of the wall, they stationed people with swords, spears, and bows. This was not a half-hearted attempt at rebuilding the wall. They were ready to defend the city with their lives, so the wall could be rebuilt.

If you read the rest of Nehemiah, you know that the wall is rebuilt is 52 days – an amazing feat. What comes of prayer and preparation – success. God granted success with the king and in rebuilding the walls. It was only 9-10 months from the time the report was given to Nehemiah in chapter 1 until the completion of the wall. That means that because God put it in Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem that the city went from ruins and rubble to a fortified city. Everything changed.

“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” Nehemiah 6:15-16

Nehemiah is an example to us in many ways. He started with a broken heart and prayer and finished with success and a lot of work and preparation along the way. I think we must look at our own culture and ask, are the walls broken down and the gates destroyed. And if so, what has God put in our heart to do about it. I am not talking about physical walls, though they have their place. I am talking about the spiritual nature of America. Do we live in a time of broken walls and open gates. I think we do. The destruction of spiritual walls and gates would mean that any and everything can come in and continue the destruction. We need to rebuild our walls, set our gates back in place, and then as any military would do, set a guard. Where do we start – I think we start where Nehemiah did. We cry out to God in brokenness, confess our sins, and look for an opportunity to rebuild. Nothing goes forward without prayer. Pray for our nation, pray for strong spiritual leaders to rise up, and pray for healing and wholeness. Our land is broken, and it is up to us to rebuild it.