Nehemiah- Restoring a Nation

 Nehemiah- Restoring a Nation

October 14, 2026

The book of Nehemiah is a great lesson in restoration. Israel had suffered a tremendous defeat at the hand of Nebuchnezzar. The city of Jerusalem was in ruins and the people were in exile in Babylon. Yet there was hope. The prophets had spoken. Jeremiah had warned them of the defeat, but promised a return, and Daniel had given them a timeline; 70 years in exile. Nehemiah had studied the prophets and so had hope for a restoration of Jerusalem. But he had more than hope, he put legs to his faith and did something about it…

Chapter 1- Nehemiah mourns for Jerusalem

 Nehemiah 1:1-4

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.

Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.”

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

The first thing that Nehemiah did was fast and pray. Repentance is always the first step in returning to God. second Chronicles speaks about humbling ourselves and praying to heal our land. We need to start with the proper attitude and ask the Lord for wisdom and a plan of action.

Chapter 2a- Nehemiah asks for help

Nehemiah 2:4-5

4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

5 I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

Nehemiah 2:7

7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, …

Nehemiah 2:9-10

9 Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

Nehemiah took a bold step. He not only asked the Lord for help but he asked for help from the king. This step was not without risk. Nehemiah was an official, cupbearer to the king, but was not allowed to just bring up any subject with the king. We see in the story of Esther how displeasing the king could get you killed! But the Lord heard Nehemiah’s prayer, and the King asked Nehemiah what was troubling him, and granted his request for assistance in rebuilding Jerusalem. The king provided not only finances and material, but also an armed guard to ensure that Nehemiah and his party reached Jerusalem safely. 

There are some Christians today that say that the church should not be involved in politics; it is a dirty business. But to accomplish anything of note in the world, you need to apply the resources of heaven and earth. Nehemiah knew this and was wise and skillful in getting the assistance of the king, even though the king was not a Jew and was not righteous according to the Torah. Nevertheless, the secular authorities were used to accomplish the Lord’s plan of restoring Jerusalem. We need to do the same and utilize government and politics where it serves the Lord’s purpose. That certainly includes voting for those that are more in line with the Lord’s plan and purposes.

Chapter 3 - The Builders of the Walls

Nehemiah 3:28

28 Above the Horse Gate the priests carried out repairs, each in front of his house.

The second genius of Nehemiah’s plan was to involve the people. Government alone cannot solve all of societies’s problems. But when each person gets involved and repairs the breach in front of his own house, the entire wall can be rebuilt quickly. In our own case, we cannot just sit back and say “trust the plan” and do nothing. We need to get involved in our communities, get out and vote and work to repair our little part of society. There is always something that each one of us can do to encourage our neighbors and to build the kingdom of God.

Chapter 4 - The Work is Ridiculed

Nehemiah 4:1-3

1 Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”

Rebuilding does not come without cost. The forces of evil that destroyed the nation in the first place will not stand by quietly as we rebuild. They will oppose us and ridicule us. A part of restoring righteousness to a nation is standing up to evil. In Nehemiah’s time, they had to rebuild with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. There also was a war of words. Nehemiah was able to ignore the words of mockery and ridicule and keep the people focuses on the work of rebuilding. We see a lot of this in our day in which in many ways, words are the main tool of the enemy. We have the press, social median, the arts, educational institutions and even parts of our family all mocking us and ridiculing our plan to restore the nation. We cannot listen to them but we must stand for the truth and keep rebuilding. This takes wisdom and courage, so be like Nehemiah, and stand for the truth in the face of opposition.

Chapter 5 - Finances

Nehemiah 5:1

1 Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.

Nehemiah 5:4

4 Also there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards.

Rebuilding comes at a cost. The enemy loves to oppress the people with taxes and interest. We see many people today in debt slavery, owing their lives to credit card and other dept. The oppressive forces in the government also love to use taxes to keep the people poor and subservient. To rebuild in a kingdom way, we need to apply kingdom principles and rely upon the Lord for our prosperity. We can see in Psalm 37 the results of an old man who has trusted the Lord all of his life.

Psalms 37:25

25 I was once young, now I am old.

I have never seen a godly man abandoned,

or his children forced to search for food.

I too can testify that this is true, but we need to trust in the Lord and not in the bank or the government for our help. One of the most effective ways to build the kingdom of God in your family is to get out of debt and the first step in doing this is to trust the Lord and give Him the first fruits in tithe and offerings. The Lord will provide!

Chapter 6 - The Enemy Plots but the Wall is Finished

Nehemiah 6:15-16

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

The story of Nehemiah has a happy ending. After much effort and oppositions the wall is finished and the people of Israel can start to rebuild their lives in Jerusalem. We don’t yet see the ending to our story in America, but there is hope that we too can finish rebuilding the walls and restore our nation to the Biblical and constitutional principles on which of country was built. So pray, work and fight for the truth, and God bless America!

Repairing the Breech

 Repairing the Breech

October 13, 2025

Nehemiah 2:5 (NASB95) 

Isaid to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

…

Nehemiah 3:28 (NASB95) 

Above the Horse Gate the priests carried out repairs, each in front of his house.

Nehemiah had a great vision to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. The city had been totally devastated by Nebuchadnezzar so it was a large and difficult job. So how did he tackle it? Just like the proverb about eating an elephant… one bite at a time. Nehemiah’s strategy was to have each family rebuild the wall in front of his their own house. There is a lesson in that for us today. The enemy has devastated the walls of our families and institutions, so how do we rebuild? Just like Nehemiah, each family needs to return to the Lord and rebuild the wall in front of their own house. It’s not an easy task. Nehemiah had his Sanballat to oppose him, and we have a multitude of voices in our society with loud voices telling us that our task is impossible and we are foolish to even try! Indeed, some of the acts of the current administration appear rash and foolish, but you need to look at the cumulative effect of all of these policies. The economy is being rebuilt, National autonomy is being restored. The forces of continual war are being resisted and we are seeing signs of revival among the young people. You cannot listen to the critics; Be like Nehemiah, who refused to come out and meet with Sanballat, but continued to do the work of rebuilding.

Nehemiah 4:1 (NASB95) 

Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.

…

Nehemiah 6:2-3 (NASB95) 

2then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

So don’t be discouraged, but seek the Lord and rebuild the walls of family and nation in the place that you find yourself. When each one rebuilds in his own neighborhood, the whole city will eventually be rebuilt. So as Nehemiah said, “I am doing a great work..” The Lord is doing a great work so let us each do our part. For example, in this season, each Christian needs to get out and vote and encourage others to do the same. We cannot abandon our country to the forces of destruction but need to work and pray for revival and restoration.

Questions

 Questions

October 7, 2026

Luke 20:1-4 (NASB95) 

1 On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him, 2 and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” 3 Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: 4 “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

A good teacher asks questions. In this passage in Luke 20, we see Jesus being confronted by the scribes and Pharisees, but he doesn’t respond to them with arguments or counter-arguments , but He asks them questions. A good question motivates you to seek out the answer yourself; That is, if you are honestly seeking the truth. Of course, the scribes and Pharisees were not seeking the truth, they were just seeking to trap Jesus so they could condemn Him. So the questions not only lead one to the truth, but also expose the heart of the inquirer. Are they seeking the truth, or just trying to start and argument?

I had one physics teacher in college who frustrated me to no end. He would never answer a direct question, but would always turn around and ask me another question. I thought I was looking for a simple answer, but his questions taught me to seek the way to find the answers for myself. It was a valuable lesson in physics, but also applies to life in general. There is something in human nature that resists accepting just what you are told. To really learn something, you need to do the work of investigating and digging out the truth yourself. Jesus understood this which was why he asked questions and told parables. Parables cause you to stop and think, “What does this story mean?” The unserious student will just pass it off as a stupid story, but a serious student will study the deeper meaning to dig out the truth.

We also saw that with Charlie Kirk. He was so effective with college students because he didn’t respond to liberal talking points with counter arguments. He would asks simple questions such as “Why do you think that?”, “What is a woman?”, “When do say that life begins?” Questions that would cause one to think past the talking point, to try to get people to think about the truth of the matter. So questions can be a good thing. So ask questions and seek the truth. As Jesus said, “The truth shall set you free.”

Dinner with Sinners

 Dinner with Sinners

October 6, 2026

Luke 19:5-7 (NASB95) 

5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”

This morning’s scripture started me to thinking about our recent cruise. We had a great time, but the other passengers represented a much different population that our friends that we normally associate with in church. There was lots of eating and drinking and partying, but something else happened that was interesting. Not unexpected I suppose, knowing how the Holy Spirit works, but interesting none the less. Over the course of the week there were several encounters in which we were able to speak words of encouragement to people. In one case, an older lady tripped and fell, and Diane was nearby to render some assistance. The ship was small and didn’t have a resident doctor or nurse, so her nursing training came in handy, and the family of the lady was very grateful to have someone to help and to give words of encouragement. Other people spoke about family difficulties and other issues. There were no dramatic cases of preaching the gospel loudly, but in each of these several cases, a quiet word was given to bring some comfort and encouragement. 

During the trip, there was a history professor that gave several interesting lectures about the history of the river and historical events on the towns along the river. The last lecture was on legends and ghost stories. We didn’t want to attend that one, which led to an interesting discussion with one couple over dinner about healing and deliverance. They had thought nothing of listening to the ghost stories until we started to describe some of our experiences with real live demons. I don’t know if we changed any minds on the subject, but they were exposed to a level of truth that they had not previously considered.

In the story of Zaccheaus, Jesus was criticized for eating with a sinner, but that is the only way to reach the lost. We can’t stay in our isolated little groups and reach the world. It may be uncomfortable for us to dine with unbelievers, but breaking bread is a wonderful way of opening up conversation that can bring a little light and salt into a lost world. So go forth into all the world. Preach the gospel, heal the sick and set the prisoners free!

Rain

 Rain

October 1, 2026

Zechariah 10:1 (NKJV) 

Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.

I heard that there may be rain in Texas this week. That would be a good way to start out the month of October. So Lord, let it rain!

Not by Might nor Power…

 Not by Might nor Power…

Sept 29, 2026

Luke 12:22-31 (NKJV) 

22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 “Life is more than food, and the body [is more] than clothing. 24 “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 “If you then are not able to do [the] least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 “If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more [will He clothe] you, O [you] of little faith? 29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 “For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) 

So he answered and said to me: “This [is] the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.

This morning I’m writing from the middle of the mighty Mississippi River, somewhere between Baton Rouge and Natchez. The river is mighty and wild in this stretch, but I’m reminded that the might of the Lord is far greater. When the Spanish took over this territory from the original French explores, they were so impressed by the river’s might and power that they called this the River of the Holy Spirit. The Mississippi is a lifeline of commerce for all of middle America, which provides a way for the farmers and traders to ply their trade and provide a living for their families. Likewise, Jesus reminds us in the passage in Luke that the Father provides all of our needs. The magnificent birds that we see living on the shores of the river are provided for and are clothed with beautiful plumage, so why do we worry about what we are to eat of drink. The Lord provides through His might and power. Thanks be to God for this day and for His Spirit and His provision for us.

 

No Serpents or Scorpions

 No Serpents or Scorpions 

September 28, 2026

Luke 11:9-13 (NKJV) 

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will hegive him a stone? Or if [he asks] for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 “Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

We seem to be seeing a common theme this week; serpents and scorpions. Today’s scripture is encouraging though, reassuring us of the Father’s love. If we ask for bread He sill not give us a stone. He will not give us a serpent instead of a fish or or scorpion instead of an egg. When we ask anything of the Father, He is assuredly going to give us a good thing. Thank you Jesus!

Now as to our current journey, today we find ourselves in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. Now this state has an abundance of wonderful food as well as slimy swamp creatures. This could be upsetting to a Midwest farm boy like me, but the Cajuns have adapted by turning the various critters into food! When I was a kid, we had crawdads in the ditch, but no one thought to eat them, but in Louisiana, the make crawfish into an excellent gumbo and other interesting dishes. Each to his own, I suppose.

But back to our scripture, we need to be mindful to ask the Father for everything that we need. He gives good gifts to His children and will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. What a blessing to know the blessing and provision of the Lord. We can certainly testify, after our fifty years of marriage, that the Lord is faithful to provide in all seasons. And He is able to protect us in all circumstances, so if you come across what looks like an evil scorpion, thank the Lord, and make shrimp gumbo out of him!