Participants: Kelly Mowrer
Series Code: HWAL
Program Code: HWAL000582
00:16 Hello, and welcome to His Words are Life.
00:18 I'm Kelly Mowrer and thank you for joining with me today to 00:21 read the word of God. Before we start, let's pray together. 00:24 Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your word that is to us 00:30 both light for our path and life for our hearts and an increase 00:36 to our faith in you. Help us to know you better 00:39 through the words we hear today. We love you so much, and thank 00:43 you for loving us. Amen. When we were last together, 00:46 we were reading in the book of Nehemiah. 00:48 Nehemiah was the cup bearer to king Artaxerxes, and as he went 00:53 before the king one day, the king perceived that something 00:56 was heavy on his heart. And Nehemiah had asked of the king 01:00 permission to return to help with the rebuilding of Jerusalem 01:04 and he is making a request to the king for the different 01:07 things that he would like from the king for his journey. 01:10 We'll pick up the story in Nehemiah chapter 2, 01:13 verse 8, and this is the King James Version. 01:16 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, 01:22 that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of 01:25 the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall 01:29 of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. 01:31 And the king granted me, according to the good hand of 01:36 my God upon me. Then I came to the governors beyond the river, 01:40 and gave them the king's letters Now the king had sent captains 01:44 of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite, 01:50 and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, 01:52 it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek 01:56 the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem, 02:01 and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and 02:05 some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had 02:10 put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there 02:13 any beast with me save the beast that I rode upon. 02:16 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before 02:21 the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of 02:25 Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof 02:29 were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the 02:33 fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place 02:36 for the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the 02:40 night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, 02:43 and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. 02:46 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; 02:50 neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, 02:55 nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did 02:59 the work. Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are 03:04 in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are 03:08 burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall 03:13 of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them 03:19 of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's 03:24 words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise 03:28 up and build. So they strengthened their hands 03:32 for this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and 03:37 Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite and Geshem the Arabian, heard it 03:41 they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, 03:45 What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? 03:50 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, 03:56 he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise 04:02 and build: but ye have no portion nor right, nor memorial, 04:07 in Jerusalem. We're continuing on with 04:12 Nehemiah, chapter 3, and this is the King James Version. 04:15 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the 04:22 priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, 04:27 and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah 04:30 they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. 04:33 And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to 04:36 them builded Zaccur the son of Imri. 04:38 But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also 04:43 laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, 04:45 the locks therof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them 04:49 repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. 04:53 And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, 04:57 the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son 05:02 of Baana. And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; 05:07 but their nobles put not their necks to the work of the Lord. 05:11 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, 05:16 and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams 05:21 thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, 05:24 and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Melatiah 05:30 the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, 05:34 and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side 05:37 the river. Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son 05:42 of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired 05:47 Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified 05:51 Jerusalem unto the broad wall. And next unto them repaired 05:56 Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of 06:00 Jerusalem. And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of 06:03 Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him 06:09 repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah. Malchiajah the son 06:14 of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired the other 06:17 piece, and the tower of the furnaces. And next unto him 06:21 repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh the ruler of the half 06:25 part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters. The valley gate 06:30 repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; 06:32 they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof 06:36 and the bars thereof,and a thousand cubits on the wall 06:39 unto the dung gate. But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son 06:45 of Rechab, the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; 06:49 he built it and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, 06:53 and the bars thereof. But the gate of the fountain repaired 06:56 Shallum the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; 07:00 he built it and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, 07:03 the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the 07:07 pool of Siloah by the king's garden, and unto the stairs 07:11 that go down from the city of David. After him repaired 07:15 Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of 07:18 Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, 07:21 and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty 07:25 After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. 07:30 Next unto him repaired Hashabiah the ruler of the half part 07:35 of Keilah in his part. After him repaired their brethren, 07:39 Bavai the son of Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah 07:45 and next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of 07:49 Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the 07:52 armory at the turning of the wall. After him Baruch the son 07:57 of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of 08:01 the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the highpriest 08:05 After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz 08:10 another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to 08:14 the end of the house of Eliashib. After him repaired 08:18 the priests, the men of the plain. After him repaired 08:22 Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired 08:25 Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by his house. 08:30 After him repaired Binui the son of Henadad another piece, 08:35 from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, 08:38 even unto the corner. Palal the son of Uzai, over against 08:43 the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the 08:46 king's high house, that was by the court of the prison. 08:48 After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh. Moreover the Nethinims 08:54 dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate 08:57 toward the east, and the tower that lieth out. After them the 09:01 Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower 09:04 that lieth out, even to the wall of Ophel. From above the horse 09:08 gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house. 09:12 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his 09:16 house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, 09:20 the keeper of the east gate. After him repaired Hananiah 09:24 the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, 09:28 another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of 09:32 Berechiah over against his chamber. After him repaired 09:37 Malchiah the goldsmith's son unto the place of the Nethinims, 09:41 and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, 09:44 unto the going up of the corner. And between the going up of the 09:48 unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants. 09:53 Continuing with Nehemiah's account in chapter 4, 09:56 This is the King James Version. But it came to pass, that when 10:01 Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, 10:05 and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake 10:10 before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, 10:13 What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? 10:16 will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? 10:20 will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish 10:24 which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and 10:29 he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall 10:33 even break down their stone wall. Hear, O our God; 10:38 for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own 10:42 head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: 10:46 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted 10:50 out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger 10:53 before the builders. So we built the wall; and all the wall 10:58 was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people 11:02 had a mind to work. But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, 11:07 and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, 11:11 and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made 11:14 up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were 11:19 very wroth, and conspired all of them together to come and to 11:23 fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made 11:28 our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them 11:33 day and night, because of them. And Judah said, The strength of 11:37 the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much 11:41 rubbish so that we are not able to build the wall. 11:43 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, 11:48 till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause 11:52 the work to cease. And it came to pass, that when the Jews 11:56 which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, 12:00 >From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be 12:03 upon you. Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, 12:09 and on the higher places, I even set the people after their 12:11 families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 12:14 And I looked and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the 12:18 rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them 12:22 remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight 12:27 for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, 12:30 and your houses. And it came to pass when our enemies heard that 12:35 it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel 12:38 to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, 12:42 every one unto his work. And it came to pass from that time 12:48 forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, 12:52 and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, 12:56 and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were 12:59 behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, 13:04 and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, 13:06 every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, 13:09 and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, 13:14 every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. 13:18 And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 13:21 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest 13:25 of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated 13:29 upon the wall, one far from another. In what place therefore 13:33 ye hear the sound of the trumpet resort ye thither unto us: 13:38 our God shall fight for us. So we laboured in the work: 13:44 and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning 13:47 till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time 13:50 said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant 13:53 lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard 13:56 to us, and labour on the day. So neither I, nor my brethren, 14:02 nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, 14:05 none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them 14:10 off for washing. Continuing with chapter 5, 14:15 and this is the King James Version. 14:16 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives 14:20 against their brethren the Jews. For there were that said, 14:24 We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up 14:27 corn for them, that we may eat, and live. Some also there were 14:32 that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses 14:34 that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. 14:37 Please join me again next time. Goodbye. |
Revised 2014-12-17