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Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 7-8
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
A night view from inside Jerusalem’s Old City walls looking towards David’s Citadel near the Jaffa Gate entrance. Built to strengthen a strategically weak point in the Old City’s defenses, the Citadel that stands today was constructed during the 2nd century BC and subsequently destroyed and rebuilt by, in succession, the Christian, Muslim, Mamluk, and Ottoman conquerors of Jerusalem. It contains important archaeological finds dating back 2,700 years.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: Nehemiah 8:12
And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.
Imagine the scene. A choir of 245 singers and Ezra, the priest, stepping forward to lead the worship, the prayers, and the reading of Scripture. When Ezra blessed the Lord, the people said, “Amen, Amen,” lifted up their hands, and bowed their heads. This was not only reading, it was expository preaching, giving the sense of the passage, and helping the people understand the reading. We would be blessed to have such a meeting in our places of worship! “Amen, Amen.”
Malachi, the Prophet author of the last book in the Hebrew Scriptures, was there. He was probably participating as a Levite. Over and over “the children” are mentioned in the list of families present. Malachi proclaimed that God would “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:6a). These are the final words of the last book in the Bible from which Jesus and the Apostles would have read. This bonding of families was happening as the people in the temple square wept, rejoiced, and “understood the words that were declared unto them.”
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, please grant me the grace to share Your Word with others every day. May I understand the meaning of Scripture so that those to whom I’m hoping to communicate will understand and respond, as the people did in today’s reading. I pray for all who read this blog. May it be a strong Word from You! “Amen, Amen!”
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
Norma-Jean, our children and I have some of our favourite and most cherished memories from a time in the 70’s when we got away from the pressures of daily life in our old 1958 ex-bread truck, which had been converted into a camper named Jonah (sometimes, like the prophet, it didn’t want to go!). We did this in the month of July for several years. No telephones, no appointments, no commitments other than to each other. Our hearts, as in the words of Malachi, were truly turned to each other. I highly recommend such quality time to families everywhere.
Yours to help us all to “understand the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8b),
David
P.S. I believe that our priorities should be God first, family second, ministry and work in general third.
Thank You, Father, for giving us Your Word. You are forever True. Bless all Your people; help each one to share Your Word clearly to others today and every day, in Jesus’s great name, amen
And, may God bless His servants everywhere, even in the U.K.:
https://youtu.be/jgL6tyj1On0
Amen,Rob.
Homosexuality is definitely a sin,along with an endless stream of many other sins,and if we say it is not….then we are calling God a liar.God also says we must love the sinner/sinners but hate the sin.They are separate.We must accept ALL sinners and help them to repent.
(I have often wondered if Satan messed with our DNA in the garden??)
Thank you for posting, the Conservative Party in England call themselves inclusive but only if you agree with them, not if you have Biblical beliefs!
Praying also for His servants in the UK.
When we are trying to ‘reach’ non Christians it is also very important to speak with words they can understand and not in Christianese,unless you ‘translate’ the meaning.(Like speaking in tongues without a translator.) God bless
Our World Forgot
‘Our’ world forgot what is right
For we were supposed to teach them,
By sharing with them the light
But we could not reach them.
Not long ago we ‘were’ them
Until we found the light He gives;
The One the world would condemn,
Then died to show He lives.
They don’t want to know our ways
For they think their ways suit them best,
But we know how it dismays
When one begins the quest.
We must begin to reach out
Or we may loose them all to sin,
So we must defeat the doubt,
To plant the seed within.
Using words at their command
Will allow His word to imbed,
Thus they can then understand
Why He rose from the dead.
GW(Bill) Marshall/26 July, 2015
Amen to all the above comments. What a difficult read today with all the names! It is so amazing when you think of the generations of families, that God knows each and everyone of us – even our thoughts! Blessings all.
My thoughts as well Doreen, I find it so reassuring that God knows and is with us all, through out the generations!
It gives me great hope for our children and grandchildren and their children, until He returns.
As He was with our fore-fathers He is with us, until Jesus returns!
I pray that this blog will continue endlessly. I’ve been over it a few times and each time understand it more and more. I might be a slow learner but so thankful for this blog. Keep up the good work!!
May God bless each and every saint and help us to bring others to Him.
Amen Lynda. I feel the same way.
I agree. I’ve been here since Reverend Mainse started 100 Words. I hope they’ll continue to post year after year. It’s such a daily blessing to read along with it every day.