Nehemiah 8

Nehemiah 8

   The walls are built, now what?  Well, it has been over a hundred years since some of the Jews have been in Jerusalem.  There could even be children or young adults that have never heard the word of the Lord before.  They have been living in foreign lands and foreign cultures for years now, so it only seems appropriate for The Word of the Lord to be read to His people.  I'm sure the Israelites were wide open to hearing what God had to say after they just witnessed and were a part of His miracle of the wall being built in 52 days.  (Even the surrounding nations knew it was a miracle from God: Nehemiah 6:16)

     - The Lord had prepared their hearts by protecting them and bringing them through the 52 day struggle of hard labor and fear of war. "And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law."

   Verses 4-8 stump me.  I try to picture like a church service or ministry environment but cant seem to understand what ALL those people are doing.  We have Ezra reading the Book of the Law.  Then we have 8 other men on stage with him, 4 to his left and 4 to his right.  Then we have 13 Levites who are instructing the people, also reading from the Book of the Law, and giving it meaning so people could understand. 

     -I just feel like there is a lot going on here.  I don't understand how all of them are reading, instructing, etc to the people at the same time.  Even if it is a big group, I could understand them being in small sections or circles and one man reading to or instructing a few, but that is not the picture I am getting from the text.  Especially with 8 men just standing on stage with Ezra.  Maybe they are leaders and are on stage to show their support, maybe they all took turns reading (although there is no text to support this it may be valid since it says the Word was read from daybreak to noon, about 5-6 hours!), maybe they are crowd control- who knows!  All we know is that they are on stage with Ezra.  

   I love how reactive and emotional the people are being to the Word as it is being read.  They lift their hands, they shout AMEN, they bow down, and they cried. ALL of them cried! "For all of the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law."  Sometimes I really long for this in the modern day church.  Don't you even find yourself wanting to stand up and shout HALLELUJAH!  AMEN! JESUS SAVED MY SOUL!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!  Don't you ever just want to clap and dance and sing loudly when you're worshipping without people looking at you like you are a lunatic!  I mean come on people- THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH!! THE JOY!  Now don't get me wrong, there is a time and a place for everything.  And of course there needs to be structure and containment in a church service. But sometimes I just think there needs to be more time and places for praising our God LOUDLY!  Without holding back.  I'm saying this to the church as well as myself.  Too often I hold back.  I think I might make it my personal goal to sing louder than that old lady in church, dance more than the little kids and blare my praise music louder than some hoodrat's rap music. They won't know what hit em! :)

   Celebration is a major theme I got out of this chapter.  It is true and right a good to celebrate, especially on special occasions.  I'm all about the holidays!  But I just love how verses 10 and 12 mention to "send portions to those who have nothing prepared."  The celebration and joy is not just for those who can afford it- it is for everyone!  It is our call to share that joy with others as well.

   The Feast of Booths is very interesting to me. The feast was to remind those in the promised land what it was like for their ancestors to live in the desert.  In captivity, the significance was probably lost because 1. they weren't in the promised land anymore and 2.  they may not have been taught or would have gone astray from the Lord's teachings.  After the people were read The Law and were reminded of the Lord's promises and could rest in peace in their promised land, they celebrated the Feast of Booths "and their joy was very great!" 

     - The ancient rabbis said, "He who has not seen Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths does not know what rejoicing means." (Quest Study Bible notes)

If you have anything to add or any questions about Nehemiah 8 then please feel free to leave a comment.  I'll get back with any questions as soon as I ask someone wiser than me;) Have a wonderful day! Love, Devon

Nehemiah 7

NEHEMIAH 7

   Nehemiah has been in charge of the rebuilding of the wall but now that the wall is built and they are to begin making it an inhabited city, Nehemiah wisely appoints new leadership.  He appoints leadership in worship as well as leadership in government.  

     - It is important to note that he appoints God fearing men of integrity for both position in the church as well as the government.  

     - The Lord appointed Nehemiah to rebuild the wall, but even though it was a task given to him, he did not do it on his own.  The Lord provided helpful leadership from other, he provided the men and women to do the hard labor, he provided the King's assistance, resources and protection.  We, as believers, can apply this in our own lives.  Nehemiah is one name of many many people that carried out the work of the Lord.  Nehemiah did a great job of recording the workers and the work they did, and that is for a good reason.  No matter where you are serving, whether you get worldy recognition, whether you ever see a difference, YOU are a critical part in the success of the Lord's work.  That is such a sweet characteristic of the Lord, that He uses us to fulfill his will in so many ways.  From the stay at home mother that is raising her children up in the faith to the sun-scorched missionary taking care of the ill, every little service matters and is cherished by the Lord.

The List of the Exiles

     -Its hard, but try to read through every name and think of them as actual people that lived.  So often i read through a list of names and they just don't seem real to me.  They are just names, in history.  But try to put a face to the names and cherish that we have a list of descendants who lived in the days of Nehemiah and Esther and Daniel and try to make it as real as possible.  These were 100% real people with beards and hairy legs and stinky armpits.  They had family problems, they struggled with sin, they had jobs.  Don't just skip through the names, read them and say them out loud if it helps.  But try to do this throughout the whole Bible, not just through genealogies.  The Bible is alive, these names were alive.  Do whatever you can to read the chapters and stories believing that.

     -The list of the exiles in Nehemiah differs slightly from the list of names in Ezra.  There are many reasons floating around for these discrepancies, some of which seem very fair:

     > Perhaps errors occurred in the process of copying subsequent manuscripts.

     > The lists may have been made under slightly different circumstances: Ezra may have listed those who announced their intentions of returning to Judah, while Nehemiah may have listed those that actually arrived.

     > Perhaps Nehemiah spelled some of the names slightly differently than Ezra

     >The number of women may account for the difference in the totals, but that would mean three times as many men returned than women.

     >The difference in numbers could also represent the number of children under 12

     >The difference in numbers could also represent Jews from tribes other than Judah and Benjamin

    -Both Ezra and Nehemiah use the same grand total, 42, 360, so the differences in the other numbers is not something to worry about.  

Verses 63-65: Not allowing these descendants to be a part of the priesthood may seem harsh, but it shows the dedication and fear of the Lord in His people.  "There were strict requirements for the priesthood that symbolized the purity and holiness needed to come into God's presence, and any priest that attempted to minister while unclean risked death.(Leviticus 8-10)" (Quest Study Bible notes)  They could not be sure that these men were truly the descendants of Aaron, and the Lord had appointed only the descendants of Aaron to be priests and eat of the most holy sacred food.  

If you have anything to add or any questions about Nehemiah 7 then please feel free to leave a comment.  I'll get back with any questions as soon as I ask someone wiser than me;) Have a wonderful day! Love, Devon

Neapolitan Cupcakes

Yuuuuuum!!! These are delicious!!

The original recipe is from allrecipes.com but it uses vanilla and brownie instead of strawberry.  I found the strawberry and brownie idea from the blog iheart2stamp.

I followed the original recipe down to a "t."  The only thing I did differently is I used cream cheese icing instead of vanilla.  YUM!!

Be sure and follow the ingredients and directions because its not the same as the box. The cake and brownies need to be a different consistency than normal to go well together.

*Beware though, the recipe says it yields 4 dozen cupcakes, but I got a little less than 2 dozen.  My cupcakes are a little larger than a normal cupcake because I have never gotten down the "fill 2/3s of the way full" concept, but even if they had been the right size I think the recipe might yield a little over 2 dozen.

I have had people rage about these cupcakes every time I have made them.  They really are delicious.  I am not even a strawberry cake fan, but mixed with the chocolate these cupcakes are ridiculous.  I encourage you to try them and in doing so you will become everyone's favorite baker. :)  Happy baking!

Love, Devon

Engagement picture ideas

This post sponsored by: Mrs. Maid Of Honor!  

Be sure to head on over to mrsmaidofhonor.com for some no-nonsense wedding planning inspiration, tips and resources!

  

 It looks like everyone's favorite blog post is on the engagement picture ideas I put together in my last engagement pictures post.  So, I thought I would post some more cute ideas I have seen recently.

{ photo from Benfield Photography }

How cute is that picture!  This is obviously a wedding day picture, but the pose could go for either.  

{ photo from ?}

I really like this pose for some reason.  Maybe because it is the girl admiring the guy, when usually the poses are the other way around.  It's fresh.

{ Photo from Andria Lindquist's blog }

I love that this picture showcases the ring and they are smiling at each other.  Perfect hand placement.

{ Photo from Style Me Pretty by StudioFoto }

Fun engagement pictures are always endearing.  Its neat to see their personalities in the photos.

{ photo from http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcwha3X7Bz1r2qs2ho1_500.jpg }

It's not very often you see engagement pictures utilizing snow.  I love it!

{ photo from Julie Parker Photography }

This would be such a cute save the date!  Plus it would be so easy to make, you just have to get some flowers and shape them into a heart!

{ Photo by Donna Newman Photography }

I love when engagement pictures show cool parts of the city where they live/met/are getting married!  I like that they have sunglasses on too! 

{ photo from  tumblr }

Just plain sweet.  

{ photo from google }

{ photo from tumbr }

I cannot get enough of this picture!! So adorable!  It's a sweet intimate pose without being sexual.

{ photo from weheartit.com }

The background and filter on this photo is fantastic!

{ photo from tumblr }

You can never go wrong with some in the moment pictures.  Smiles and having fun always make good photos!

Be sure and comment with links or photos of your favorite engagement picture ideas!  Enjoy!

Nehemiah 6

Nehemiah 6

   Wow.  Is this chapter relatable or what?!  The constant plotting and lies of the enemies are one thing that all believers can definitely relate to.  It's no new thing that the devil opposes the Lord's work and uses his own evil followers to carry out his plans.

     1 Corinthians 16:13:  "Be on guard; stand firm in your faith; be men of courage; be strong."

     Acts 20:28-31  "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spriit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.  I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on guard!"

     1 Peter 5:8  "Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

     1 John 3:8  "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."
                      >the Son of God came to destroy the work of the devil and He most certainly is doing just that!

     Ephesians 6:11-12  "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm."

   Nehemiah knew it was not wise to go to a meeting with his enemy, and besides, he was working on a hard project that the Lord had called him too.  Nehemiah may have been thinking, a days walk there and a days walk back from the land of his enemies would be dangerous and more than likely not accomplish peace.  He definitely made the right decision and followed the direction of the Lord because he soon found out they were devising plans to hurt him.  They were scheming to weaken the leadership of the Jews and slow down or stop the finishing of the wall.  Well, the Lord had other plans and he put a stop to their evil schemes and gave Nehemiah the faith and courage to stand his ground.

   Verse 5- Letters in those days were written on papyrus or leather parchment and then tied and sealed with clay before they were sent with the messenger.  The description of the "unsealed letter" lets us know that it was meant for public access.  This unsealed letter would no doubt start rumors and turn other against the Jews.

   Verse 6-  Boy, can't we relate here!  Have you ever had someone say something about you that was so absurdly false you couldn't believe it.  That is just like this circumstance.  Nehemiah didn't even try to explain the rumors because they were so far beyond the truth.  I love how modern day this statement seems: "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head."  Can't you just hear someone saying that: "What are you talking about, you are just making stuff up."

   Verse 9-  Oh the power of prayer.  Nehemiah recognized what they were doing, and prayed against it.  Prayed against the evil schemes and the devil's work.  "Now strengthen my hands!"  I can picture him standing there with his elbows bent, palms facing up shaking his hand while shouting this aloud.  Amen, Nehemiah!  Amen!

   Verses 10-13-  There they go scheming again.  This time it was a pretty good plan.  Had Nehemiah not been on top of his game, had he not know exactly what the law states, had the Lord not given him wisdom he might have fallen for it.  With all good intentions he might have thought that message was truly from the Lord and that the Lord would protect him using the temple.
     >It's unknown why Nehemiah went to Shemaiah's house.  The text says Shemaiah was shut up or confined to his home, so he could have been pretending to be sick and in need of Nehemiah's prayers or he very well could have been acting scared and was hiding in his house from danger.  Either way Nehemiah saw right through the acting.  God's law stated it was a sin to enter the temple if you were not a priest.  He would have sinned if he had listened to Shemaiah, and in turn would have lost respect and discouraged the Jews.
     >Shemaiah may have been priest, which would add to the lure for Nehemiah.  If iI had been in that situation and Shemaiah was a priest and said those things to me- I would be quick to believe him.  Just like if a pastor in present time were to tell me something now, I would be quick to believe them.  That is why I have got to stay in the word.  I have got to know what my Lord says to me and commands of me.  I have got to be on guard for false teachers and distorted truths!

     2 Peter 2:1-3  "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them- bringing swift destruction on themselves.  Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.  Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."

     Proverbs 11:3 "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them."

  Verse 14- I am definitely someone that would want to take action and do something about what was going on with Nehemiah and all of the false things they had been saying.  I'm sure Nehemiah had desires to do the same thing, but he gave it to the Lord and continued his work.  He prayed the Lord would remember their evil deeds and would take action.  Nehemiah knew the work of Tobaih, Sanballat and the rest of the false prophets was not only against Nehemiah but against the Lord.  He knew the Lord would fight for him.

  Verses 15-16 - WOW.  The wall was completed in fifty-two days!  Thats incredible!  If I had been their enemy I would be afraid as well because it is evident the work was of the Lord!  I love when the Lord works miracles like that for His glory so that no one can deny!

  Verses 17-19- HA, there they go again trying to thwart the Lord's work.  Too bad our God is Lord of all and His will WILL BE DONE!  AMEN!

If you have anything to add or any questions about Nehemiah 6 then please feel free to leave a comment.  I'll get back with any questions as soon as I ask someone wiser than me;) Have a wonderful day! Love, Devon