King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Chapters: NEHEMIAH 8-10
Study: Sealed
Hello My Friend,
Due to the hurricane I may be without power for a few days so please pray that damage will be minimal and that power will be restored quickly.
I am sitting at my desk, listening to the winds pick up and this awning knock against the wall outside my window as the hurricane is headed straight for us. No one had time to prepare for this storm as it came so quickly and now people are scrambling to find last minute items as everything is shutting down. The only thing I did was put gas in my car last night and wash my clothes as I have everything else that I need. Many call this storm climate change, many call it pollution, many call it mother nature, I call it God. There is nothing that man can predict, there is nothing that a computer can generate, and there is nothing that worldly science can prove that will change the fact that God is in control of the weather just like everything else. Storms, serve a purpose for God, it simple, you either ship up or you ship out.
[Matthew 8:24-27 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!]
Now, we can guess, we can speculate, we can even form our own conclusion about God, but there is only one way to know God and everything about Him and that is through His Word. Now, Israel did not have the entire Word of God that we do, but they did not need it, in fact, everything that they were taught is everything that we are taught as well. For seventy years Israel did not have His Word, in fact, it was hidden from them, that was until king Cyrus had given it back to them after they were allowed to go back to Jerusalem. As we continue in the reading of Nehemiah, the temple has been built, the walls that separated them from the evils of the world was built, and for the first time in their lifetime, all those who wanted to hear God’s Word gathered together.
[Nehemiah 8:1-2,5-6,8 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. 2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.]
[and when he opened it, all the people stood up:] This is why we stand at the reading of God’s Word in church, we do this out of respect for not only His Word, but God. As Ezra began to read the Law, he along with Nehemiah, Zechariah and others began teaching them and those that understood had an understanding for the first time of the Law. Another interesting fact is saying, “Amen!” whenever you hear the preacher speaking from the Word of God. Well, it was not enough for just the congregation to learn and follow it, the priests and ministers need to as well. So, the next day Ezra taught it to them.
[Nehemiah 8:9-10,13 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. 13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.]
[even to understand the words of the law.] We are to never think that we know everything there is to know about God’s Word. God, did not design His Word to be read once, it is to be read and learned daily until the day we leave this earth, [2 Timothy 2:15-16 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.]
Doing and teaching what we think we know is right, especially when it comes to God’s Word, and it is not really doing it would only lead to more ungodliness. Look at our “churches” today, they are a filled with people who want God on their lives, but think that they can manipulate His Word to live as they please. Well, God’s ways are definitely not our own, and once we realize that, we under the pure conviction of the Holy Spirit, will seek repentance. And that is exactly what many of the Jews did.
[Nehemiah 9:1-3 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. 2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.]
[And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers,] A stranger is anyone who is not a saved, born again Christian, and it can even be someone of different denominations. A true soul that has been saved by Christ wants to get in His Word and actually follow it, and that includes separating ourselves even from worldly Christians. Jesus places us in the world so that we might be His light to lead others to Him, not for us to be of them. We can associate with people and still be separated from them, and I will tell you this, God will even separate us from other Christians who are not faithful to Him faster than we can blink our eyes, [John 17:9-11,15 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.]
The ultimate purpose God had for His people returning to Jerusalem was more than just the restoration of the temple and to rebuild the walls, it was to restore their relationship with Him so they too can see the joy in knowing Him as their LORD. These were man-made structures, powerless to protect them from their enemies unless they knew God and His Word. Ezra, goes on to give them a little bit of a history lesson as to what happen when they decided to do what was right in their own eyes and yet God was always there for them.
[Nehemiah 9:16-20 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. 18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; 19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. 20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.]
[Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them,] That good Spirit is none other that the Holy Spirit Himself, and He is in every saved, born again Christian. It is the Holy Spirit inside of us that convicts us and keeps us separated from the world and protects us from any danger. Therefore, any true saved, born again Christian, who wants to please God and not the world, or anyone who chooses it over Him, will be faithful when He tells them that we need to do this His way. Well, that is exactly what these believing Jews did, in fact, they made a sure covenant and sealed it.
[Nehemiah 9:33-38 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: 34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. 35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: 37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. 38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.]
[And because of all this we make a sure covenant,] What is our sure covenant with God? Our salvation. We admitted we are sinners, headed straight for hell, believed that Christ died a sinless death to save us from hell, and confessed that we need Him to save us. By receiving Christ as our Saviour, solely by grace through our faith in Him, we make sure covenant with Christ in that we keep our faith in Him, trusting solely in Him and Him alone, to save our soul, and He in turn keeps His promise to give us eternal life.
[Hebrews 8:9-12 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.]
For forty years Israel walked the earth headed for the promised land, during that time they fussed, complained, doubted, disobeyed, and even made their own god when He would not answer them right away. Yet God always had food and water provided for them, and their clothes and shoes never worn out the entire time. There does come a time in our lives when the things of this world are meaningless and we discover that there is no joy in them. That is when we actually discover that Jesus is the only one to brings true joy. Now, many of the people stood up that day, gladly choosing to follow the Law, even entering into a curses, vowing to walk in the Law or suffer the consequences if they did not. In order to make it official their names were added and sealed in a book. The list of names was provided as well as the oath that they took.
[Nehemiah 10:1,28-29,32 Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah, 28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding; 29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes; 32 Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;]
[Now those that sealed were,] [Seal; To mark as ones property, and secure from danger. To confirm; to ratify; to establish.] Those whom have accepted the Lord, Jesus Christ as their Saviour are sealed, they are separated from the world and religion, and have entered in an oath to trust that Jesus Christ alone is saving their soul from hell. They are not only sealed with the precious blood of Christ, but also of the Holy Spirit who lives in them and is their witness of the things of God, [John 3:33-36 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. 34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. 35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for the sacrifice You made by giving Your life for me. You shed Your blood so that I did not have to spend eternity in hell. I believe in all that You are and that You alone are the only one who can save me. I entered into the sure covenant, and am sealed by Your blood forever. Lord, I am forever grateful for what You have done for me. Lead me and guide me, fill me with Your mercies and grace. Forgive me for the times I lost sight of what You have done for me and let me keep the Feast of Tabernacles every day as a reminder that this is not my home. Help me to stay in Your Word and to follow it so that I become a reflection of You and shine Your Light through me. You are my strength and the only one who can carry me through this life and into the next, for You are my Redeemer, my Saviour, and my joy. I love You and pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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