Kristi Burchfiel

Day 26 – Remember. Nehemiah relates what he has been doing, but then makes it very clear that he is only intrested in God remembering what he did, not other people. Read Nehemiah 5:16-19. I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Moreover, there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in…

Day 25 – Fear of God. Why did Nehemiah do what was right? He feared God. Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance. But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God. Nehemiah 5:14‭-‬15 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/neh.5.14-15.NASB Sure, others had done things…

Day 24 – Praise. After there was repentance, there was praise. Read Nehemiah 5:12-13. Then they said, “We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. I also shook out the front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord . Then the people did…

Day 23 – Give it all back. Read Nehemiah 5:7-11. I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, “You are exacting usury, each from his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. I said to them, “We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. Again I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God…

Day 22 – Anger is not sin. When Nehemiah found out what was happening, he became angry. Read Nehemiah 5:6-7. Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, “You are exacting usury, each from his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. Nehemiah 5:6‭-‬7 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/neh.5.6-7.NASB Anger itself is not sin. We need to understand that there are things in this world that make God angry. Sin angers God. And because sin angers God, sin should anger us as well. Are we actively seeking to eliminate…

Day 21 – Sin. Not all problems come from outside, sometimes they come from inside. Read Nehemiah 5:1-5. Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, “We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live.” There were others who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine.” Also there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is like the…

Day 20 – Ready. As the people were doing the work they had to be ready. Read Nehemiah 4:21-23. So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared. At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day.” So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water. Nehemiah 4:21‭-‬23 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/neh.4.21-23.NASB The people had…

Day 19 – Fellowship. We need other believers. Read Nehemiah 4:15-20. When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah. Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. As for the builders, each wore his…

Day 18 – Clarity. Even with all the opposition that he was experiencing, Nehemiah maintained a great sense of clarity. He understood the real danger that they were in, but didn’t let it stop him. Read Nehemiah 4:10-14. Thus in Judah it was said, “The strength of the burden bearers is failing, Yet there is much rubbish; And we ourselves are unable To rebuild the wall.” Our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work.” When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “They will come up against us from every…

Day – 17: More praying, more doing. Sounds similar to a Home Depot commercial, but that describes exactly how the people responded when the opposition increased. Read Nehemiah 4:7-9. Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it. But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night. Nehemiah 4:7‭-‬9 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/neh.4.7-9.NASB The opposition intensified and yet,…