Category Archives: Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Nehemiah 8:10)

Morning Thoughts

Nehemiah 8:10, "Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

This morning, sometimes we judge things based on the response. Have you ever seen someone down because they did something but did not receive the feedback they were looking for? Perhaps a writer did not receive the constructive criticism or encouragement that he expected/desired. Perhaps a child did not receive the affirmation from the parents that was desired. The list could go on. Yet, what if we looked further? Some judge things based on the response, but there can be situations when people judge the response to their response. Some of my greatest unintentional offenses came when I did not respond as expected/desired to someone else's response to me. Perhaps I said something other than they wanted, or perhaps I said nothing when they expected something. Considering the field of response to a response, let us examine a particular portion of that field as it relates to preaching.

Our study verse is found in one the most delightful chapters for me to read in the Old Testament. The whole chapter is chock full of good nuggets that help to exemplify a good pattern of worship for us to follow today. As a humorous side note, I sometimes use verse 3 to justify my long-winded preaching making the claim that, "I have never gone from morning to midday, which is approximately 6 hours!" Moving into the realm of our verse, what has happened? Our verse shows Nehemiah speaking to the people at the conclusion of Ezra's "all morning reading" of the law. Yet, Nehemiah's speaking to them is actually a response to their response. His language shows a good example for ministers today.

What transpired immediately before Nehemiah's response? The people wept when they heard Ezra read the law. What is there to weep about? Paul asserts in Hebrews 10 that the law served as a reminder or memorial for sin. Every year (particularly at the atonement sacrifice) the people recalled to mind their sins for that year and cleansed their conscience through the sacrifice of animals. Therefore, this reminder of sin should cause a pained conscience to mourn for coming short of God's glory and requirements. Since Ezra had read the law all morning, it seems the people responded properley – they mourned – to the reading.

When the proper response comes forth, an opportunity for the proper repsonse to the response is seized by Nehemiah. The people rightfully mourned for their shortcomings in the sight of God. What pointed that out? The reading of the law. Correlating that to today, what should be the proper response of coming face to face with our shortcomings through the reading of the Bible, sting of conscience, or some other medium? We should mourn that we have brought a reproach upon God in our thoughts and deeds. Yet, just as surely as that should be our response, we should not remain perpetually in that condition.

Nehemiah stands this day on the cusp of a pivotal moment in these people's lives and even the future of the nation. They have returned from captivity, rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, and now have a fresh reading of the law upon their minds. They are well acquainted both personally and nationally that God had judged them and rightly so. They had stumbled and come short of what His law required. Such thoughts should spark mourning. We today, particularly as ministers of the gospel, stand at a similar cusp and pivotal moment in the lives of many of God's people. They see that they were in bondage, and hearing the Lord's word renews their conscience to mourn for their sins.

Nehemiah sees the people respond properly and frames his response accordingly. Is it a time for Nehemiah to rake them over the coals? They already mourned for their shortcomings, so that response is not only unnecessary but also harshly wrong. Is it a time for Nehemiah to excuse their sins? No, for children of God should never be made to think that consequences do not exist for our actions. Rather, the people are at the place ready and prepared to hear how good God has been to them. Encouragement in the service of God is the necessary and right response at this moment.

What do preachers today desire to see and feel in those that they minister unto? They desire to see people wanting to do better than they have, for they understand all too well that they have stumbled in pursuit of serviing God. Preachers today do not desire to see self-justification or self-promotion any more than Nehemiah would have desired to see those people then excuse their behaviour. But, when a proper response is witnessed, here is the message.

Nehemiah begins talking about eating fat and drinking sweet. What is the message today? Yes, we have stumbled, come short, and deserve the worst for our transgressions, but there is sweetness in the nectar of the gospel waters. What a child of God needs to hear when at the door of mourning is the wonderful story of Christ and His finished work. They need to hear that He loved us enough then to die for us, and He loves us enough still to care for us daily with benefits even though we daily stumble. The fatness of the gospel declares how lean and destitute people have been made rich by the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. What a wonderful message to those that truly feel to need His help!

Further still, the comfort that the gospel message brings should then bring another response. Is it more mourning? No in no wise, for Nehemiah encourages them again not to be sorry. The greatest message of God's riches and grace should bring the ultimate desire to walk better than ever before. Even though we have stated it many times, it bears repeating that the grace of God, when properly understood, does not derive the actions that some seem to believe it does. I have heard it said that grace will either: 1. rock people to sleep, or 2. fatten them up beyond any profitable use and good works. A fellow minister even reported that he heard a sermon (so-called) that equated grace to filling a saucer with milk so that God's people – like pigs – could tank up and become engorged on it. The end result would be a bunch of fat pigs that waited at the saucer "oinking" for more milk. Perish such thoughts of comparison!

Grace does provide sweet and fatness (as Nehemiah) here references the message, but the end result is neither fat unprofitability or sleepy service. Rightly understood grace brings a spirit of service like nothing else can. How can I show forth what I feel for One that has done so very much for me? As the refrain from the old hymn states, "The Lord has been so good to me, I will on Him depend. And every day where'er I be, I would His truth defend." A true teaching of grace stirs the spirit to serve Him, depend on Him, and show forth His truth in good defense and earnest contention for the faith. What is one of the key marks to look for in this?

Nehemiah's next thought is that after eating the fat, drinking the sweet, we should not be sorry but rather give portions to those that have none. In other words, he encouraged those eating these dainty things to assist and give to those that are less fortunate. If God gave us things – being less fortunate ourselves – a perfect way to show our appreciation for what He has done is to help those that are doing poorly. No, we cannot give them what He gave us, but we can show forth the spirit of grace by bestowing kindness upon those that cannot repay and require nothing from them by way of restitution.

One could point out that these Israelites were not too well off themselves. The are freshly released bondmen and women, seeing their home country for either the first time or for any elderly ones the first time in a long time. They have had to take pains and efforts to restore the city, and certainly they did not have much in the way of natural possessions. Yet, Nehemiah encourages them to help those with no portions – poorer than themselves. Many of God's faithful are poor and afflicted (Zephaniah 3:12), yet there are still many poorer than we are. True observance and appreciation of grace seeks to bestow kindness on those less fortunate than we are. (Romans 12:16)

Nehemiah concludes by telling them that their strength is the joy of the Lord. Today, our strength is the joy of the Lord. We should joy in His service. The only way to joy in it is to properly respond when we see the error of our ways. To do that, we sorrow with Godly sorrow unto repentance, and rejoice in hearing one more time how much He loves us and seek to do better. The next time we meet in service and worship, let us recall to mind that it is a holy day (as this day was to them). Let us remember that we have come short and do not deserve His blessings. But, as those sweet rivers of the gospel come rushing forth from the Rock our Saviour, may we drink the sweet, eat the fat, and leave striving to show forth that grace in our lives to others. Ministers desire to see the response of hunger and thirst after righteousness with sincere sorrow for sin, and we likewise desire to respond with the heavenly message and bread from on high. But, finally, all of us should desire the last response to be better service to our Master who has been so very good to us.

In Hope,

Bro Philip 

Morning Thoughts (Ezra 9:8)

Morning Thoughts

Ezra 9:8, "And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place that our God may lighten our place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage."

This morning, much in this old world gets us down. Satan uses the same cards when playing his game against God's children, and those same cards yield effective results in his warfare against us on a daily basis. Even though our foe is a defeated enemy at the hands of our Captain Jesus Christ, he valiantly attempts daily campaigns against us,oftentimes with much success. Discouragement continues to be an effective card in the devil's hand that raises its ugly head on a daily and consistent basis. Bad things are going to happen in this world. With the presence of sin still very much manifested in the works of the flesh, corruption, misery, and associated sorrow from these things will remain until the Lord Jesus mercifully says that time shall be no more. Yet, while we do not "get happy" when unpleasantness transpires in our life, we should still not allow Satan to steal our rejoicing in the Lord by falling down when he plays the card of discouragement in our lives.

Our study verse above comes during an interesting time in Israel's history. Ezra, Nehemiah, and others were part of a small remnant of Israelite descendants that are going to emerge as the captivity of their nation comes to an end. By God's judgment, Judah (and even a trace of old Israel) were carried into Babylonian captivity for seventy years (see II Chronicles 36). When Babylon was eventually overrun by the Medes and Persians in the book of Daniel, the time of captivity was nearing its end. Finally, a king named Cyrus proclaims that these Jews could return to Canaan's Land, and the work to restore the wall of Jerusalem and their lost city began. Ezra and Nehemiah were two of the leaders during this campaign.

Yet, even though God had blessed these few to return again to their homeland, wickedness still reared its ugly head. God had forbade the children of Israel from marrying certain nations of people. The reason for this prohibition was that those idolatrous nations would turn the heart of Israel unto other gods. If anyone might doubt this inevitable result, just view the latter-end of Solomon's life to see how idolatrous women stole his heart from following after the Lord. Today, our hearts can equally be stolen away by people who follow after idols. They may not bow down to idols of gold and silver, but they worship in grand arenas with much entertainment. Their idol is whatever hinders their service to God, and should our path "run with theirs," our hearts will be stolen away to follow after their idols. As an aside, have you ever heard someone justify their associations by saying, "Well, I want to be a good influence on them?" If a good apple stays in a bad barrel long enough, I have never seen a good apple make other apples good, but I have repeatedly seen bad apples make good apples go bad.

Therefore, amid this great time of restoration and rebuilding, the people of God stumbled again into error. Even though God's merciful hand had blessed them in this effort – even in the face of many adversaries – they forgot the Lord and did what "they wanted to do." So, Ezra makes this statement in our verse above about their situation. His attitude shows a great lesson and good example for us today. Sure, Ezra could have gotten discouraged, laid down, or thrown up his hands, but he chose a different path.

Ezra acknowledges the fact that the reason a remnant is left is by the grace of Almighty God. When we continue to see a remnant today following after the Lord in spirit and in truth being given a nail in a sure place, we should acknowledge the wonderful grace of God to us. One of the most hitting statements to my soul during a worship service came at the tail-end of a glorious three day meeting. The final sermon was being delivered, and it was like the cherry atop a beautifully made and deliciously tasting sundae. The statement came, "We have had a wonderful meeting, but you don't deserve it and neither do I." Truly, the Lord was pleased with all of the efforts we made that weekend to worship Him, but when you count how good He is to us during times like that, there is no way to make an equal comparison or ratio. He puts in exceeding abundantly above any effort of ours.

Why are these people back in their home country? God mercifully granted them release from bondage and escape back home. Why does the church still continue in this old earth today? God mercifully and providentially keeps her (despite our failings) to bless a remnant with His most special of blessings. Yet, knowing all of those things, Ezra still understood something else that must constantly be sought after. His last clause is one that carries over into the next verse (Verse 9). He mentions reviving from the hand of our God.

People today like to talk about revivals. They are special times that people have for different reasons. Oftentimes, people think that revival means "giving of life." Certainly in some cases – even Biblical cases – that definition is valid. (I Kings 17:22) Yet, most of the time, the word does not mean to give life, but oftentimes – as in our verse above – it means the "preservation, sustenance, or the good part of life." One lexicon/study aid that I have (Gesenius) actually uses an interesting illustration to make the point. To illustrate the good part of life that "reviving" gives, it says, "the most fresh and raw place for a leprous spot or cancerous tumour." In other words, it is at the most prosperous place for that sickness. How does that transform into our verse? Ezra attributes God's continuing and abiding presence as the best part of their life and circumstance. Having that sense and feeling is the true and real spirit of reviving or revival.

The lesson for us today – as it was for Ezra then – is not to get cast down and discouraged when so many bad things happen. People today (myself included) lament the fact that scores of people seem disinterested in spiritual things. As congregation sizes dwindle, spirituality seems dried up in some, the first love is lost in others, and people only see the bad instead of the multiplied good in church settings, it is enough fodder to make us discouraged and want to lay down.

For those examples above and many others that we could list, we should pray that reviving be found in their hearts, but also for ours as well. May we continually see that God's presence with us – particularly in the setting that Ezra describes as the remnant that is standing in liberty and not bound in bondage – is the "sweet spot" in our lives. How do we feel about the church today? What sense do we get from going up to worship in the house of God? How do we approach those times of Bible reading and study or private prayer to God? These moments are our feast times with the Lord, and our hearts should look up and forward to these times like the standing corn perks up in reviving during rain. Ezra certainly bemoaned the state of these horrible and wicked marriages, particularly at such a time in the face of God's rich mercy. Yet, he still looked up to the hills from whence his help came. (Psalm 121:1)

Briefly noting the language of verse 9, Ezra attributes reviving most of all to having this homeland to go to (even though it was desolate at the time). We will never have to re-build the house of God or the wall of Jerusalem as they did then. (Isaiah 33:20) Yet, even though they were in a more difficult situation then than we have today in having to rebuild it, they still saw their circumstance as a reviiving from their previous condition. How do we view the church today? Do we remember what she looked like when we first came out of Babylon (the world)? Do we remember how she first felt to us? When we can recall to mind that "first love" or "earliest love" feeling, we experience the reviving (sweet spot) that our spiritual walk so desperately needs. In closing, I relate a phrase I learned as a boy that now often comes from my lips, for every day I feel the sense of it more and more. "I need the church way more than she needs me. I am but one man inside her walls, but she is the strong city and defense for my soul in a cold dark world."

In Hope,

Bro Philip