NEHEMIAH WAS UNDER THE GOOD HAND OF GOD

NEHEMIAH WAS UNDER THE GOOD HAND OF GOD

February 12, 2006

Preached by:  Carolyn Sissom

Chapter 2 begins with Nehemiah going to the King and asking him to send him to Jerusalem to rebuild the gates.  This is the cry of the Overcome to deliver the ravaged creation.  Verse 2:8b reads, “And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.”

Here Nehemiah pictures God’s commitment to free us from BONDAGE and CAPTIVISTY.  The letter of authority from the King says that he has authority in Jerusalem, although Sin-uballit (Sanballat) (Satan) has had control in the Province.  Nehemiah’s trump card to these adversaries was the WORD OF GOD AND THE GOOD HAND OF HIS GOD UPON HIM, not the letters of the King.

There is a difference between Bondage (lost in sin) and Captivity (impact of the sin of the past)

BONDAGE IS A TYPE OF Egypt and those who are slaves to sin.  It is the result of family or the Adam nature.  People are released from bondage through the BLOOD OF JESUS, FAITH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD.

CAPTIVITY is a type of Babylon and those who are exiled in sin.  They are in Captivity as a result of past sinning.  People are released from Captivity through the WORD OF GOD AND OBEDIENCE.

The People of Jerusalem were in affliction and reproach:  Their affliction was psychological barriers.  They were ashamed.  Their gates were burned and they could not withstand their adversaries.  They had no authority against Sinuballit of Samaria who ruled to the North, Tobiah (mask of Religion) who ruled on the east, Geshem (violent rainstorm) of Moab and Edom was on the East and South.  The builders of the wall were surrounded.

Chapter 2:10: “when Sin-uballit the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that a man came to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.  So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.”

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 Nehemiah – February 6, 2005 the Good Hand of God

Nehemiah did not rush into action.  He appraised the situation.  In Verse 12, it reads, “And I arose in the night.  I had some few men with me, neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, except the beast that I rode upon.  And I went by the night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down the gates thereof were consumed with fire.  Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: and there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.  Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.”

His night survey included the VALLEY GATE which prophetically symbolizes the assurance of our salvations.  THE DRAGON WELL represents our dominion over the devil.  We no longer need to heed the accusations of the adversary.  The enemy’s success in condemning is that he points to our failures.  But, all that has changed.  THE DUNG GATE is symbolic of our confession to cleanse.  This was the point at which the refuse came out.  Realization and confession of our sin is not meant to bring condemnation.  God brings sin to light so that Jesus’ BLOOD can flush our lives free.  THE FOUNTAIN GATE is the WORD OF GOD.  This was used to get a daily supply of water from the Brook Kidron.  We must be in the Word.  The flow of the Spirit of the Word was us white as snow.  THE KING’S POOL is metaphorical of the flow of the HOLY SPIRIT.  Psa. 46 celebrates this.  This represents being continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Principle of the twelve Gates of  Nehemiah in which we will cover in depth when we get to chapter 3 is a Progressive unfolding of the Christ Nature from within the believer.  A progressive rebuilding of the human personality;  The home and family, the local church, ministries of the Body of Christ, the universal church, the nation and the whole creation. 

Verse 16, the rulers know not where I went or what I did.  This would be the heathen magistrates and prefects.  

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Nehemiah – February 6, 2005 – The Good Hand of God

The work of Restoration begins by surveying the situation of the City.  We have been saved from our past, and now we have dominion over Satan.  On the foundation of “I am the Lord’s” comes the rebuilding of our whole personality, confession is not mourning over past mistakes; it is agreeing with the Lord that we have sinned.  It is not meant to shame, but to provide cleansing from sin.  Then we must have a fresh daily encounter with the Word interacting with the Holy Spirit.

Nehemiah’s first words to the people reveal God’s perspective of things!  “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste and the gates thereof are burned with fire;  come and let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, that we may be no more a reproach.  The key to life and ministry is our assurance of how the Lord feels about us.  (Most feel that He is not happy with them).  NEHEMIAH STATES WHERE THEY ARE AND WHRE THEY WANT TO BE.  Then Nehemiah told them about the Hand of God upon him and about the Word of the King.  The people responded, “Let us rise and build!”  So they strengthened their hands for this GOOD WORK.  Eph 2:10, “For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto GOOD WORKS, which God has ordained that we should walk in them.”

BUT SIN-UBALLIT, Tobiah and Geshem heard it:   They laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, what is this thing that you do?  Will you rebel against the King?

These three men were adversaries, opposition and enemies to Nehemiah and his vision and task of restoration.  The opposition took six forms (the number of man) in this book:  2:10 Grief; 2:19 Laughter; 4:1-3 Wrath and Indignation; 4:7-8 Fighting; 6:1-2 Subtle; 6:5-7 Compromise.

These three enemies represent, respectively:  SATAN THE ADVRSARY PICTURED IN Sin-uballit.  The carnal Mind pictured in Tobiah.  The world system pictured in Geshem, 

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Nehemiah – February 6, 2005 – The Good Hand of God

Sin-uballit was grieved that Nehemiah came to help the oppressed.  His desire was to keep them subdued so that he could exact further demands on them (more taxes, penalties for absence of their response, many demands).  He was totally disinterested in their well-being.  His authority was overcome by Nehemiah’s letters

Satan is a created being and is finite (not omni-anything).  He is a personality, not an abstract force.  He is a liar; an oppressor; the one who infects with evil (seed) an opposer and a thief.   Satan only has power in the province of an Unbelievers life.  He has limited authority only on earth

Verse 20, THEN NEHEMIAH “ANSWERED THEM AND SAID TO THEM, THE GOD OF HEAVEN, HE WILL PROSPER US, THEREFORE WE HIS SERVANTS WILL ARISE AND BUILD; BUT YOU HAVE NO PORTION, NOR RIGHT, NOR MEMORIAL IN JERUSALEM.

Remember in the Gospel church, walking in the Kingdom of God is the New Jerusalem.  Hebrews 12:18-24:“BUT YOU ARE COME TO MOUNT ZION AND TO THE CITY OF THE LIVING GOD, THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM, AND TO AN INNUMERABLE COMPANY OF ANGELS, TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN, WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN, AND TO GOD THE JUDGE OF ALL, AND TO THE SPIRITS OF JUST MEN MADE PERFECT, AND TO JESUS THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT, AND TO THE BLOOD OF SPRINKLING, THAT SPEAKS BETTER THINGS THAN THAT OF ABEL”

Carolyn Sissom

These notes are paraphrased from Kelly Varner, PPT 1999