I was driving down the road today, I had an epiphany. Whenever telling the story of a SMASHER, one must start with the SMASHING! I realized I had failed to do that with Nehemiah. Therefore, today I am going to correct this oversight in the story of Nehemiah.
Most people would argue about Nehemiah being put into this particular category, and before a few weeks ago, I would have as well. However, a friend asked to do a bible study and this is the book he mentioned, and thus we went through it. We poured over the story most know of the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem, but I was shocked (and elated) when I reached the final chapter (13).
I would really hope you would take a moment and read that chapter for yourself in its entirety. I can in no way give you the full story on here (as you would probably tire of my recounting the whole thing), however, I will hit the highlights for you.
After Nehemiah had finished the task of rebuilding, he returned to his job as cupbearer before the king (as he had promised in Chapter 2). But 12 years after he had first returned, he came back for a visit to Jerusalem only to find things that broke his heart. After all the rebuilding, after all the purifying of the people, returning to the law of God, he returned to find they had turned again to their old ways. Here are just a few things he saw:
1. The High priest had turned the storehouse room in the Temple into a house for a close friend of his. (v4-5)
2. The portion due to the Levites so they could attend to the Temple had been withheld from them and they were forced to return to work in the fields to provide for their family's needs. (v10)
3. They were working again on the Sabbath and the merchants were busy buying and selling on the Sabbath. (v 15-16)
4. The men of the city were once again marrying women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab (see v1-3 as to why this was a problem).
5. The son of the high priest had married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite. (more on this coming)
So what is the big deal you may say? Well, here it is in a nutshell in Nehemiah's own words,
“Why is the house of God neglected?” - We learn from previous encounters with God that it was a sin to "take care of your own house and ignore His house! (v11)
“What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.” - (v17-18)
“You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?” v(25-27)
So now we know why this was a big issue to Nehemiah, and we can understand his transformation from the "rebuilder" to the SMASHER!!! Look at how he responded!
In response to the storehouse in the temple being used for a home: "I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense." Close your eyes and imagine that scene! You are disgusted by what you see so you go in and start grabbing stuff and throwing it out on the street. There is no neat nice pile of things, but rather, a tossed pile of items in a heap and as you are going through your heart is pounding in fury because what has happened. Imagine the same scene from a movie when a woman has discovered her man has been cheating on her and all his items have been tossed out in the street. If you can picture that, then you have what our SMASHER did here.
In response to the Levites not attending to their duties in the Temple: "So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?”Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts." You ever been properly rebuked? Imagine a drill sergeant screaming in the ear of his cadet who has not properly attended to his bunk or rifle. Spit is rolling in your ear as you listen to him grind you down for neglecting your duty. That is the tactic the SMASHER is using! This isn't no simple slap on the back of the hand. This is a hard core situation which meant "shape up or ELSE!"
In response to working on the Sabbath: I rebuked the nobles of Judah (v17) and I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” This rebuke for desecrating the Sabbath (God's Holy Day) was met with the same fierce rebuke, but also with a warning that if he caught them doing it again, they were going to spend some hard time!
In response to marrying foreign women: (this is my personal favorite) "I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair." Oh, I wish I could have been there. My inner child who always wanted to turn green would have wanted to join in! The drill sergeant is no longer stopping at the verbal abuse and rebukes, oh no, he is now on to the all out physical assault! Nehemiah released the "Hulk" and started beating these men for their stupidity and even pulling out their hair! The offense was so great, that a simple word of rebuke would no longer do. They had to know God meant business, so he sent a SMASHER to get his point across.
Finally, in response to the high priest son marrying the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite: "I drove him away from me." If you read this and study the nature of the culture and the times, what this picture would resemble is that of Jesus in the Temple with his whip driving out the merchants. Nehemiah literally drove this boy out of the city with force and prejudice! He was so furious about this situation, that he simply picked this boy up and DROVE him out by force. He SMASHED this boy out of town! (if you do not know why, it is because Sanballat was the #1 enemy Nehemiah had to deal with during the rebuilding process. Go read first few chapters and you will get the picture. The very enemy Nehemiah had built the wall to keep out was now free to come and go because the High Priest allowed his son to marry his daughter. The one who wanted to destroy Jerusalem was now free to enter its walls again and start destroying from the inside out! I think I would have HULKED up too!)
What I love the most is how this SMASHER turned to God after everyone of these smashing events and said : "Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services." (v14) and "Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love." (v22) and finally "Remember me with favor, my God." (v30)
The point being this, sometimes, it takes a SMASHER to purify the house of God in order for God to be glorified!
Therefore I dub Nehemiah one of God's Agents of SMASH!!!!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Part 2 - Nehemiah - Agent of SMASH
Read Nehemiah Chapter 2
So Nehemiah, armed with the promises of God, went in before "this man" (the king) to do his duty as cupbearer, but due to having spent several days "mourning and fasting" Nehemiah's face looked "sad." Unfortunately for Nehemiah, looking sad in the presence of the king could potentially carry the death penalty. That is why Nehemiah admitted in verse 3 of "being VERY much afraid" once the king questioned him about looking "ill from sadness of heart."
However, our Agent of Smash boldly told the king why he was sad and it incurred the response of "What do you want," (v4) from the king. What I love here is how Nehemiah boldly asked not only to go fix the wall and the gates in Jerusalem, but also asked the king to supply the letters of passage to the area leaders and also a letter to supply the necessary materials to rebuild the wall, of course after a quick prayer to God for His help. (v4).
All his request were answered "because the gracious hand of God was upon him" (v8) and he was sent with his letters and even an armed escort to go rebuild the walls. Once he arrived, our Agent spent three days in the city before doing anything, and then he went out at night to survey the actual damage. I can promise you, no matter how bad he thought it was from he words he had been given, what he saw was much worse. (isn't that usually the case?) It was so bad in some places that his horse could not even make it through.
Up to this point Nehemiah had said nothing of his reason of returning to anyone, but after seeing the damage first hand, he came to the priest and the leaders and said, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
Now the leader has emerged and his job was confirmed as the leaders replied "Let us start rebuilding!" (v18)
However, the process was not all glory and grace. In fact, the very first outside response from his enemies was mockery and laughing. Nehemiah had three "foes" who were disturbed by this rebuilding, and we will see them through out the story. Each time we see them, we see a different tactic in their warfare, something we will need to pay attention to and point out later. So stay tuned.
Before we leave todays lesson, we need to see Nehemiah's response to this initial attack of his enemies. They were macing and laughing "You think you are going to rebuild this wall? Are you starting up a rebellion against the king? You silly people!" To which our Agent of SMASH responded....
“The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
So our agent began his journey by having to be humble. But his humility was immediately turned into boldness and he told his enemy, "You have NO claim to this land nor historical right!" And as children of God, when our enemy (Satan) attacks, we need to remind him that he has no claim to this soul redeemed by God and he has no historical claim to it as well, for it began as a creation of God and God has now redeemed what once was lost, in shambles, and lay in rubble, unto himself and He is rebuilding us into His mighty wall! (free side sermon!)
So our Agent of SMASH we see is humble, contrite, and BOLD!
So Nehemiah, armed with the promises of God, went in before "this man" (the king) to do his duty as cupbearer, but due to having spent several days "mourning and fasting" Nehemiah's face looked "sad." Unfortunately for Nehemiah, looking sad in the presence of the king could potentially carry the death penalty. That is why Nehemiah admitted in verse 3 of "being VERY much afraid" once the king questioned him about looking "ill from sadness of heart."
However, our Agent of Smash boldly told the king why he was sad and it incurred the response of "What do you want," (v4) from the king. What I love here is how Nehemiah boldly asked not only to go fix the wall and the gates in Jerusalem, but also asked the king to supply the letters of passage to the area leaders and also a letter to supply the necessary materials to rebuild the wall, of course after a quick prayer to God for His help. (v4).
All his request were answered "because the gracious hand of God was upon him" (v8) and he was sent with his letters and even an armed escort to go rebuild the walls. Once he arrived, our Agent spent three days in the city before doing anything, and then he went out at night to survey the actual damage. I can promise you, no matter how bad he thought it was from he words he had been given, what he saw was much worse. (isn't that usually the case?) It was so bad in some places that his horse could not even make it through.
Up to this point Nehemiah had said nothing of his reason of returning to anyone, but after seeing the damage first hand, he came to the priest and the leaders and said, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
Now the leader has emerged and his job was confirmed as the leaders replied "Let us start rebuilding!" (v18)
However, the process was not all glory and grace. In fact, the very first outside response from his enemies was mockery and laughing. Nehemiah had three "foes" who were disturbed by this rebuilding, and we will see them through out the story. Each time we see them, we see a different tactic in their warfare, something we will need to pay attention to and point out later. So stay tuned.
Before we leave todays lesson, we need to see Nehemiah's response to this initial attack of his enemies. They were macing and laughing "You think you are going to rebuild this wall? Are you starting up a rebellion against the king? You silly people!" To which our Agent of SMASH responded....
“The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
So our agent began his journey by having to be humble. But his humility was immediately turned into boldness and he told his enemy, "You have NO claim to this land nor historical right!" And as children of God, when our enemy (Satan) attacks, we need to remind him that he has no claim to this soul redeemed by God and he has no historical claim to it as well, for it began as a creation of God and God has now redeemed what once was lost, in shambles, and lay in rubble, unto himself and He is rebuilding us into His mighty wall! (free side sermon!)
So our Agent of SMASH we see is humble, contrite, and BOLD!
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Nehemiah - Agent of SMASH
Now this might come as a surprise to most folks to see Nehemiah as the first person on the Agents of SMASH list. After all, he is the one known for rebuilding the wall, not smashing one. However, I recently was forced to read through this book with a friend as part of a weekly gathering he wanted to have. This book was one he had just gone through on a weekend retreat, so we decided to dive in a little further. In all honesty, I was amazed at everything God has in this precious 13 chapter book, but the last one was the biggest surprise.
As with any Agent of Smash's story, you have to have a proper introduction to who they were/are before you get to the smashing part. So if you have time, lets look into Nehemiah before we get to the glory of the SMASH!
I would highly suggest you read through Nehemiah as I go through this in order to see much of this straight from the word. I personally despise the notion of simply taking someone for their word especially on Scripture as that tends to lead to corruption and idolatry in our hearts. So please take a moment and read the first chapter for this installment of "Nehemiah - Agent of SMASH."
Nehemiah's story is one of much intrigue. He is a man who was evidently most favored as he had earned the right to be the cup bearer for the king. This was an extremely important job as kings were often sought to be killed by poison in their drink. The cupbearer was responsible to see to it that the kings cup was pure and free from poison and if necessary, he must first drink in the sight of the king in order to prove his loyalty and that the wine was not tainted. This was a job not taken lightly by any king or his court. So Nehemiah was a favored man.
We first learn of Nehemiah as he is meeting with a delegation of his fellow Israelites who have come to Susa where Nehemiah served the king. Anxious to hear about his home country, Nehemiah pressed them for information on his precious home, only to learn of how it lay in disgrace. In chapter 1:3 we read “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
His response is as one might imagine we had on 9-11 when the towers fell. Nehemiah wept bitterly. He was so overcome with grief that he "mourned and fasted" for several days. Then it says he prayed! I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU READ his prayer as found in verses 5-11 in chapter one. I want to point out what he said in verse 6-7......
I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
Do you see what Nehemiah did? He followed what we see in 2 Chronicles 7:14 where God said, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land!" Nehemiah did not simply confess that Israel had sinned, he included himself and his family as part of the sin problem. He did not pray, "Lord forgive them..." he said "please forgive US!" He then reminded God of what He had promised to Moses (v8-9) and then humbly asked God to grant him success "before this man" referring to the earthly king whom he served!
Our first look at this Agent of Smash is of a man who is a servant in a foreign land to a foreign king. He did his job with integrity and served as he was trained to as a child, with a heart to glorify God. But upon hearing about his homeland being in rubbles, his heart broke and he sought the ear of his Father to see what it is he might could do. He was a man of action, but his first action was not to "do something" but rather to seek God's face and ask God to forgive, remember, then give success.
Therefore, to be one of God's "Agents of SMASH," you must begin with a humble heart that seeks God's face and realizes your sin and inability, thus relying totally on His ability to do what needs to be done!
Monday, November 9, 2015
Agents of SMASH
There is no hiding the fact that as a child growing up I had a favorite super hero. Like any boy, the dreams of super strength, speed, or the ability to fly captures everyone. For some reason I was drawn to the strongest of them all, The Incredible Hulk!
I used to watch in awe as Bruce Banner transformed into an unstoppable being whose strength was unmeasured. I dreamed of one day how maybe I could be just like him and smash all my enemies to bits. My greatest nemesis as a child was my older brother. Most of my dreams back then were to be able to suddenly bulk up and actually win one of our many fights (didn't happen till I was 15, but I failed to turn green!). As I grew older and realized being a green, unstoppable force was a fantasy, I like every other boy forgot about my hope!
Now as a dad of two young boys, I again have been introduced to world and wonders of dreaming. They, like any other young man have watched in wonder as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and yes, the HULK, have gathered together and fought against evil. Recently they began watching a little cartoon series about the Hulk and his Agents of SMASH. Like a good dad, I watched with them and I was again reminded of my boyhood dreams.
Whenever the HULK got mad, he had one simple mission, to smash his opponent into submission. His anger drove his strength, however there was even a deeper key to his power. It was his RAGE! If an enemy ever poked hard enough, they could drive the HULK to a place of pure rage where his strength was at its height, but his ability to think disappeared with his rage. Hulk had to not only fight his enemies, he also had to fight an internal battle to control his rage. If he wanted to be of use and actually help, he had to not only use his mighty strength, he also needed his mind to be clear. That was the only way he could be effective in his war against evil.
Now, you might ask, why do I write all this. Well, it is because there is still a desire in me sometimes to be like the Hulk. I still see things that enrage me and I would be lying if I did not say that I really wanted to start smashing! However, I have always held off because I was told letting your anger control you or drive your decisions is a sin. And for the most part, I would agree. However, in recent studies of the Holy Scriptures, I found something of interest. I found Gods very own "Agents of Smash!" People God used to set His people back on a right path or free from their enemies by using their physical strength and to SMASH the things around them. The key was their smashing was with a purpose, to turn the eyes of the people back to God.
So maybe a guy about to turn 40 can still dream of being a super hero and joining Gods "Agents of SMASH!"
In coming days I want to share some of the stories that I mentioned above as I was literally amazed how God used them to rid His kingdom of His enemies and to remind His people of the necessity to obey Him!
I used to watch in awe as Bruce Banner transformed into an unstoppable being whose strength was unmeasured. I dreamed of one day how maybe I could be just like him and smash all my enemies to bits. My greatest nemesis as a child was my older brother. Most of my dreams back then were to be able to suddenly bulk up and actually win one of our many fights (didn't happen till I was 15, but I failed to turn green!). As I grew older and realized being a green, unstoppable force was a fantasy, I like every other boy forgot about my hope!
Now as a dad of two young boys, I again have been introduced to world and wonders of dreaming. They, like any other young man have watched in wonder as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and yes, the HULK, have gathered together and fought against evil. Recently they began watching a little cartoon series about the Hulk and his Agents of SMASH. Like a good dad, I watched with them and I was again reminded of my boyhood dreams.
Whenever the HULK got mad, he had one simple mission, to smash his opponent into submission. His anger drove his strength, however there was even a deeper key to his power. It was his RAGE! If an enemy ever poked hard enough, they could drive the HULK to a place of pure rage where his strength was at its height, but his ability to think disappeared with his rage. Hulk had to not only fight his enemies, he also had to fight an internal battle to control his rage. If he wanted to be of use and actually help, he had to not only use his mighty strength, he also needed his mind to be clear. That was the only way he could be effective in his war against evil.
Now, you might ask, why do I write all this. Well, it is because there is still a desire in me sometimes to be like the Hulk. I still see things that enrage me and I would be lying if I did not say that I really wanted to start smashing! However, I have always held off because I was told letting your anger control you or drive your decisions is a sin. And for the most part, I would agree. However, in recent studies of the Holy Scriptures, I found something of interest. I found Gods very own "Agents of Smash!" People God used to set His people back on a right path or free from their enemies by using their physical strength and to SMASH the things around them. The key was their smashing was with a purpose, to turn the eyes of the people back to God.
So maybe a guy about to turn 40 can still dream of being a super hero and joining Gods "Agents of SMASH!"
In coming days I want to share some of the stories that I mentioned above as I was literally amazed how God used them to rid His kingdom of His enemies and to remind His people of the necessity to obey Him!
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