Saturday, June 18, 2016

As it was in the day of Nehemiah, so it is today in Israel 513 - 6 - 8

Nehemiah faced personal attacks, internal problems dealing with his own people and attacks from his enemies in completing the rebuilding of the walls and the gates of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 4:7-8, “7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, 8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.” Nehemiah 2:19 details the ridicule Nehemiah had to deal with from his enemies as well as the accusation that Nehemiah was rebelling against the King.
Nehemiah had to deal with the nobles’ who not only would not participated in the work of rebuilding but also took financial advantage of their fellow Jews.
Nehemiah also had to deal with the deception from his enemies who claimed they wanted to help in the rebuilding of the walls. Nehemiah knew that would letting the fox into the hen-house and refused their offer.
Nehemiah's enemies tried to draw him out where he would be at their mercy and also tried to get Nehemiah to meet the temple. Neither of these was acceptable, the first because Nehemiah could have been dispatched had he left the protection of his fellow Jews. As for meeting in the temple proper, this would have gone against God's commandment.
Nehemiah and the men working on rebuilding the wall and the gates pretty much worked with a tool in one hand and a sword in the other. Nehemiah 4:17, “They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.” So some stood guard as others work and the men slept where they worked. Nehemiah worked out a system such that should a work area be under attack a warning would be sounded and those in other work areas would join in their defense.
Remarkably the wall be finished in less than two months. Nehemiah 6:15, “So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.”
So how does this relate to Israel today? Israel is perhaps the most denigrated country in the world today. As an example, on November 25, 2015 – "The U.N. General Assembly’s 2015 session is adopting 20 resolutions singling out Israel for criticism — and only 3 resolutions on the rest of the world combined."
[http://www.unwatch.org/un-to-adopt-20-resolutions-against-israel-3-on-rest-of-the-world/.]
Israel is surrounded by her enemies and still she is a leader in technology, medical innovations and more. Rather like Nehemiah and his fellow Jews working while under constant harassment.
Israel is a tiny country having about 1/10 of 1% of the land of her enemies and still there is a constant cry for Israel to give up land for peace. Recall that Nehemiah's enemies tried to draw him out where he would be subject to attack. This is similar to expecting Israel to give up her high ground thereby undercutting her defenses. Also Jerusalem is to be divided which would be somewhat of an equivalency to Nehemiah entering the temple proper.
Israel has a number of liberals who do not support the current prime minister and his desire to protect his country.
Just as Nehemiah and the Jews of his day completed the wall in a short period of time, Israel came in to being in one day in accordance with prophecy.

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