WORK ON THE WALLS

“Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord" (Neh. 3:5 NKJV).

This verse is a reference to the building of the walls around Jerusalem during the time of Nehemiah. It tells of some of the workers. Thus we want to note the excellence in their work, the exception in their work, and the endurance in their work.

Excellence – “Repaired.” The word translated “repaired” means to bind fast, to make firm, strong. Thus it describes the quality of the work and shows that the work was with excellence. The workers did not do a half-way job. They did not cut corners or use cheap material. They did the best possible job. This is the only way to do God’s work. Yet, this seldom occurs. God often gets the lowest quality. We must do a quality job if we want to do God’s work right.

Exception – “Their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.” The common folk from Tekoah did all the hard work on the walls, while the big shots and wealthy were lazy and did not want to work. They would not humble themselves to do the work. There are many folk like that in our churches today. Serving at church seems to be below them. They like high church office and the prestige that goes with it. But they do not like to work at church.

Endurance – Although the nobles did no work, the common folks did not get upset and quit working. This was commendable. In fact they did additional work (Neh. 3:27). Sometimes folks complain that because others are not serving, they are not willing to serve either. This is the wrong attitude. Our service should not be based on whether others serve or not. Our service should be based on the fact that it is the Lord’s work. Furthermore, we will be rewarded based on what we have done and not what others have or have not done.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God measures our service, not by our ability, but by our willingness!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Dominion

In 1 Peter 5:11 we read, “To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (NKJV).

Dominion is the Greek word Krátos (κράτος = krat'-os). It means strength or might, especially manifested power, the power to rule or control, supreme authority, sovereignty. Krátos denotes the presence and significance of force or strength rather than its exercise. It is the ability to exhibit or express resident strength.

In Classical Greek krátos refers to strength or power. In the sense of strength it can be used in describing the physical strength of a man, or a substance such as iron. In the sense of power it is often used for the authority granted to certain men by the gods, thus political power, rule, sovereignty.

In the Septuagint krátos is most frequently used of the authority and power of God. In the New Testament krátos always refers to authority above that of humans. God exercises krátos, the might and power in action, marking Him as the sovereign Ruler over all. Most of the uses of krátos in the New Testament are in references to God, and make the point that ultimate dominion belongs to God alone.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be hated without a cause (Psalm 35:19; 69:4)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 27:23; John 15:24-25

Bible Facts

Pleasure explained (Psalm 36:8). Evolution cannot explain pleasure - even the most complex chemicals do not necessarily contribute to bliss. However, the Bible states that God “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). Pleasure is a gift from God.

Bible Quiz

Why did the Israelites spend 40 years in the wilderness?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: In 2 Timothy, what does Paul ask Timothy to bring to him? His cloak and books, especially the parchments (2 Tim. 4:13).

That’s in the Bible

"Gird up your loins”

“Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead” (2 kings 9:1 NASB).

“Gird up your loins” - The expression “gird up your loins” means get ready for strenuous work or action. In our verse it meant to tie up the loose flowing robes of one’s clothing so one could move quickly and unhindered. This gives priority to one’s service. Being entangled with the matters of life can keep one from serving faithfully and well.

Did You Know - Christian History

Henry Hampton Halley was born April 10, 1874 in Kentucky. He was an American Christian Church minister and religious writer. He was best known as author of Halley’s Bible Handbook 1922

Halley graduated from Transylvania University and Bible College in 1895. He was ordained as a pastor in 1898, but had to leave the pulpit for a time because of ill health. During this time off, he memorized large portions of Scripture. Over a period of 10 years he spent at least 10,000 hours memorizing scripture. Eventually, he memorized the gist of every book of the Bible. He could recite a total of 25 hours of nothing but scripture, including narratives of every book from the longest to the shortest.

One day he was invited to preach at another pastor’s church. Forgetting to bring his notes, he decided to recite some of the Scriptures he had memorized, linking together related passages. The audience loved it. They invited him back to recite more passages. Other churches also invited him.

Halley began his Bible Handbook in 1924, at which point it was only a 16-page pamphlet of introductory material, called Suggestions for Bible Study. As he added more materials, the handouts grew and by his 90th birthday, they amounted to almost a thousand pages!

The Haley’s Bible Handbook is popular not only to its usefulness, featuring maps, Book outlines, archaeological discoveries and much more, but to the honor it accorded to God. Halley emphasized that the Bible is God’s word, and that Jesus Christ is at the heart of that word. As a consequence, Halley insisted that “every Christian should be a constant and devoted reader of the Bible...”

After being presented with the Chicago Bible Society’s Gutenberg Award in 1961, Halley died in 1965 and was buried in Lexington, Kentucky.

A Little Humor

During a children’s sermon, Reverend Larry asked the boys and girls what the word “amen” means. Little Chucky’s hand shot up, “I know,” he chirped. It means, ‘Tha-tha-tha-that’s all folks!’”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Eternal life is the only life insurance you can collect after death!”