Acts 23
In today’s text, we find Paul preaching before a tribunal with a riot breaking out all around him. He is nearly torn limb from limb before the guards are able to rescue him from the crowd. They imprison him in the barracks and all the while a group of more than forty men make a pact that they will not eat until they murder Paul.
What kind of loneliness must Paul have felt in that barracks? The whole world was seemingly in opposition to him. What kind of fear was beginning to creep into the Apostle’s heart?
It was in this vulnerable place where Paul received a gracious visit:
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” (Acts 23:11 ESV)
What a remarkable verse!
What does it mean that the Lord stood by him? Did Jesus tangibly appear before Paul again as he did on the road to Damascus? Was this a dream?
Regardless of the nature of the revelation, we find in this brief verse a reminder of the tender mercy of our Lord.
Who stood with Jesus in his suffering? On the night that he was betrayed, he invited his closest friends to pray with him in the garden of Gethsemane and every one of them fell fast asleep. Peter followed at a distance during Jesus’ trial, only to retreat upon being questioned by a servant girl. On the cross, Jesus cried out:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46b ESV)
But the Savior who suffered alone will never leave us alone in our suffering.
The Lord – the One who knew what it felt like to face the wrath of the world – stood with Paul that night. He gave him a glimpse of the plan that was unfolding. He called him to take courage.
That night, Paul and his gospel message would be escorted with 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen to the house of the governor Felix. And yet, the comfort that Paul felt in the presence of 270 armed guards paled in comparison to the comfort that he felt in his cell in the barracks.
Take courage, Christian! The same Lord who stood with Paul stands with you and I today:
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20b ESV)
Assistant Pastor Levi denBok
Nehemiah 13
One might assume that after the completion of the wall and all the celebrations and teaching of God’s Word (chapters 6-12) that all would be well with the people of God.
Given their recent exiled past, and God’s renewed mercy in their day, we would think that they would live as close to God’s Word as possible and put as much distance between them and moral unfaithfulness. The final chapter in this book serves to remind us that life’s temptations and compromises continue on.
Believer, we are to remain sober-minded and self-controlled for the temptation to sin never takes a holiday.
In chapter 10:28-39, the people, in a covenant renewal ceremony committed to walking in God’s ways in regards to moral separation, obedience, marriage, the Sabbath, and giving for the house of God. Some time after they made these declarations, the sins they had sworn to renounce reappeared in their midst. They had fallen back into the same old sinful patterns.
Believer, we are warned to deal aggressively with our own sinfulness, for sin is always crouching at our door to overtake us (see Genesis 4:7).
In zeal for the name and house of the Lord, in righteous indignation and with courageous action, Nehemiah acted, addressing 4 issues of covenant unfaithfulness head on:
Pollution in The House of God (4-9)
Nehemiah threw his enemy Tobiah out of the house of God, like Jesus cleansed the Temple of the moneychangers. Where sanctified worship supplies should have been stored, an unsanctified man dwelt.
Provision for The Levites (11-14)
The people withheld provision from the Levites. They depended on this support to live. As a result, the Levites returned to their fields, neglecting their temple service.
Work on The Sabbath (15-22)
The Jews neglected Sabbath observances, as did foreigners attempting to trade with the Jews on the Sabbath.
Intermarriage with Non-Jews (23-29)
Foreign wives turned Solomon’s heart away to idolatry. Nehemiah beat the offenders and pulled out their hair. Under his watch, Solomon’s sin would not be perpetuated.
As a summary of his work, and a close to this book, Nehemiah listed his work and pleaded with God for favour.
Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good. (Nehemiah 13:30-31 ESV)
What Can We Learn From This Chapter?
1. As leaders we need a clear vision of God’s ways and a tender heart to unrighteousness. We need to see with the aid of the lens of God’s Word. When others are insensitive or indifferent to compromise or sin, we need to be steadfast. We need to fear God and have courage to act.
2. Sin needs to be taken seriously. As we read biblical history we see our story of covenant breaking. God is holy and he commands his people to walk in his ways. He wants us to be cleansed from defiling influences, including our own heart. We are always in need of spiritual reform.
3. The Law of God won’t keep us from sinning. We need a new heart (Jer. 31:31-34). Nehemiah points forward to Jesus Christ who will give us a new heart and the power to live as God's people.
Associate Pastor Jody Cross