Week 13, Nehemiah 12- Hook

Transcription

1 Week 13, Nehemiah 12- Hook Main Point: Celebrate God s faithfulness. Current Event: On April 29, 2011, a Guinness World Record was set for the most watched online event in history. More than 72 million people worldwide watched and celebrated with Prince William and Kate Middleton as they joined in marriage. 1 In 2012, the average cost for a wedding in the United States totaled $28,400; 2 the bill for the royal wedding totaled nearly $34 million. 3 The nuptials dominated the media, and it seemed as if the entire world was celebrating two people. Our culture enjoys celebrating people considered to be special. There will be 10 national holidays celebrated in 2014, and all but one of these holidays places the focus on a single individual or a group of individuals. 4 The purpose of these federal holidays is to celebrate people, to give honor. Discussion Questions: Think of the national holidays in America. Considering the traits of the individuals those holidays celebrate, what do you think our culture values? How have our national holidays changed throughout the years? How does this reflect our culture? 1 William and Kate Royal Wedding Sets Guinness World Record, ibtimes.com 2 Average Wedding Bill in 2012, money.cnn.com 3 Most Expensive Weddings of All Time, abcnews.com 4 Federal Holidays, opm.gov

2 Personal Story: Describe a time when you led or participated in an event that celebrated God and His faithfulness. Whether this was Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday, anniversary, or whatever the event, how did you ensure that the Lord was placed at the forefront? Nehemiah 12 - Book Main Point: Celebrate God s faithfulness. Text Summary This section describes the Levites role at the dedication of the completed city wall. Two great choirs precede the leaders in two companies on the wall, north and south. 5 Nehemiah 12:1 26 (Summarize) This section records the priests and Levites from the time of Zerubbabel (c B.C.) to Nehemiah. The aim is to show that the Levitical service was sustained during a very difficult era in Israel s history. 6 Nehemiah 12:27 30 (Read) Sub Point: Take time to celebrate the Lord s victories. The people of Jerusalem celebrate. It is a time of joy and a time of praise for all that God has done. Above all, it is a time of thanksgiving. They are joyfully grateful for how the Lord has moved among His people during those past several months. Much like the psalmist, they are singing because the Lord has done great things for them. Families, neighborhoods and communities gather together with thankful hearts to celebrate God s protection and provision and to dedicate the wall surrounding their city to His name and His fame. And this is no small event; this celebration involves an entire city. The gathering is a testimony for the people of God, and at the same time, it is a sign to those outside the city and within it who are not believers. Their joy and their large display of thanks and praise to God is a tangible witness of whom God is and what He s done for those who have yet to believe in the God of Moses. The celebration reaffirms for the people of God His character and His nature. It is an encouraging reminder for them, one that leads them to remind and encourage one another. They are singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs together and for each other. They are pointing each other back and directing their attention and focus to the One worthy of all celebration and praise and joy. And, so, this event is for believers, but it is also a large opportunity to showcase to the nonbelieving community the greatness and goodness of the one true God. 5 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 844. c. about, approximately 6 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 843.

3 Verse 27 says they celebrated with gladness, thanksgiving, and singing. In your own words, describe what the people of Jerusalem had to be thankful for and glad about at that time. Why was celebrating God s faithfulness important for the people? Why is it important for us, today? What attributes of God does your family, Bible Fellowship and local church celebrate? How do they celebrate? Nehemiah 12:31 43 (Read) Sub Point: Give glory to God in times of success. It wasn t long after the wall was completed that the celebration took place. One thing Nehemiah shows the people is that everything is connected, nothing is isolated. The wall is not removed from the worship of God. Nehemiah shows the people that the wall is about celebrating God s goodness, praising Him and being thankful. Nehemiah does not separate the secular from the sacred. 7 Nehemiah shows the people of Jerusalem that celebration, giving thanks, and praising God should be natural responses when something like the wall is complete. He shows them that thankful and joyful hearts must be the response to success and completion. This is the response we see from them in verse 27. Again, we see Nehemiah respond in humility and with godly leadership. He directs the attention and the focus away from himself and fully to the Lord. Nehemiah realizes whom deserves the praise. He is fully aware of the One responsible for all the blessings that occurred in Jerusalem. And, so, he takes the low seat at the table and points the people of Jerusalem to the One sitting at the head of the table: their God. As a leader, this is his response. He wants the people to worship the Lord for all that He s done because Nehemiah knows that only the Lord will satisfy. Nehemiah points them away from looking to him because faith in man will always fail. Confidence, hope and security in a human leader will never do what it promises. Only in the Sovereign Lord can the people find true confidence and true hope and true security. What is your natural response to success? Do you find it difficult to celebrate God s greatness rather than your own greatness in times of great achievement? How can we learn from Nehemiah s example? Is it more difficult to be mindful of the Lord in times of great gain or great need? Why? 7 Mervin Breneman. The New American Standard Commentary: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. B&H Publishing: Nashville, 1993.

4 Nehemiah 12:44 47 (Summarize) The purpose of this section is to recall that the work of the priests and Levites had been put in place from ancient times, and that since the days of Zerubbabel (a century before Nehemiah), they had been duly provided for. 8 Nehemiah 12:28 30, 43 (Read Again) Sub Point: When celebrating God s goodness, renew your desire for holiness. Singing praises and giving thanks are a large part of Jerusalem s celebration. But these aren t the only things taking place. Verses 30 and 43 tell us that the priests and the people purified themselves and offered great sacrifices on this day. Why now? Why on this day of celebration? It seems that sacrifice and purification don t, at first thought, go with celebrating and giving thanks. They seem out of place. Not at all. While God desires joyful hearts and grateful spirits, He also desires holiness. The people of Jerusalem were doing just that. They were cleansing themselves. They desired to worship and celebrate the Lord with clean hands and pure hearts. They sought to remove idols and pride and ungratefulness and doubt. Before they celebrate rightly, the people must realign and refocus their hearts because God desires pure and genuine worship. Leaders must realize this happens from the top down. This is what we find in verse 30. It began with the priests and the Levites and then it flowed down to the people. Godly leaders must lead in celebrating all that God has done, and at the same time lead others to do this faithfully with genuine and clean hearts. Why should celebration of God s goodness and the pursuit of holiness be connected? How do you prepare yourself for worship? In your areas of influence (whether work, family, friends, etc.), how can you help cultivate a desire for holiness with those you lead? 8 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 845.

5 Nehemiah 12 Took Main Point: Celebrate God s faithfulness. In Today s World: The royal wedding was a celebration that the world took part in wholeheartedly. And although the event lasted only one day, some have had trouble letting go. In November of 2013, a two- year old slice of wedding cake from the Kate Middleton- Prince William wedding sold at auction for $4, Reportedly, the woman who purchased the cake ate it alone. Unlike weddings (and cake), celebration of the Lord s faithfulness should never come to a close. We must look for things to rejoice in, never forgetting that God is the giver of all good gifts. Class Exercise: Divide your class members into small groups and ask them to create a list of things that they are thankful for, placing an emphasis on God s faithfulness. Allow several minutes for the class to discuss and then ask: How can we continually remind ourselves to celebrate God s faithfulness? How has God demonstrated His faithfulness in this class? How can we, as a class, celebrate God s faithfulness together? Challenge: Times of celebration are vital within the community of faith. The people of God must come together and sing praises and give thanks together and unite together in gratitude for all of God s goodness and protection and provision. Leaders must lead in this and set aside time to truly celebrate the works of God s hands. We see a glorious picture of this in chapter 12. We see an entire city come together and offer praises of thanksgiving to the Lord. 9 Juli Weiner, Who Bought Kate Middleton and Prince William s Wedding Cake?, vanityfair.com

6 May we realize all that this does to our hearts; understanding that praising and giving thanks focuses our hearts on the Giver rather than His gifts, removing pride and arrogance and idolatry of oneself. May we celebrate God well and ask Him to make us joyful and thankful people.