When the apostle Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, he reminded them that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ as a body was made up of many parts and although all did not have the same function or the same prominence, they were all vital in the proper functioning of the body (1 Cor. 12:1-31). That is

Once both priests and people had been purified, Nehemiah organised a procession around the walls. This procession was to be led by two choirs who would go around the city walls in opposite directions until they met at the temple of the Lord. This great act of dedication and thanksgiving was to be public; even those who had opposed the

After all the hard work of building and defending the wall from the attacks of the enemies, the time had come at last for the people to dedicate the rebuilt wall of the city. There was an obvious understanding that they had been building not just to secure their own prosperity, safety, and future, but that they were building for

It may seem from an initial reading of chapter 12 that the real importance in the chapter is not to be found until we come to verse 27 with the description of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. There is no doubt that this was a very significant event in the history of Nehemiah and of the returned exiles,

As well as those chosen by lot to move into Jerusalem there were some who voluntarily decided to move into the city. It certainly appears that verse 2 is referring not to those chosen by lot, but to these other individuals who saw the need and decided to act. These volunteers were commended or blessed by the rest of the

Although most of the activity mentioned so far in the book of Nehemiah has taken place within the city of Jerusalem, there were many of the people who were living in the towns and villages surrounding the city. Nehemiah now instituted a plan to ensure that the Holy city was adequately populated. The temple had been

What the people were committing themselves to was the implementation of what the law of God had laid down for the covenant people of God. This is fundamental, not just for the people in the time of Nehemiah, but for the people of God in every age and in every place. We cannot please God unless we are

There is one area of the life of the Christian where he often feels that nobody else has the authority to enquire into or make demand on, and that is the area of his finances! It is extremely significant that the covenant made by Nehemiah dealt very robustly with this often difficult and sensitive issue. The Bible is

The second area in which the people covenanted with God was in the area of business, especially as it related to keeping the Sabbath Day. It had become common practice for people to bring their produce into the city to sell and to buy from the inhabitants – there were some important principles outlined here: 1.

When people enter into an agreement, there are always terms associated with that agreement. That is no less true when that covenant is made with God. There is no need for the responsibilities on the divine side to be stated for they have constantly been outlined in the revelation that God has given to men, and as He