THE LORD SPOKE (July 13)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Nehemiah 1-3

"What is it you want?" (Neh. 2:4). Who hasn't dreamed of such an opportunity. We've all imagined what we'd say to the genie when he materialized out of the lamp and gave us our three wishes. This royal carte blanche was met by a well-prepared response from Nehemiah. After all, he'd had four months to think about an answer (from Kislev in 1:1 to Nisan in 2:1), during which time he followed a five-step plan to ready himself: he sat down, wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed (1:4). The time was well spent to quiet his heart and clear his vision as he identified the problem and involved himself in the solution. The result was a clear plan:

Who? "send me" (Neh. 2:5)
When? now, but with a time limit (Neh. 2:6)
Where? "the city where my fathers are buried [which] lies in ruins" (Neh. 2:3) - it's still a bit sensitive to mention Jerusalem by name
Why? to rebuild the city (Neh. 2:5) - the very thing this king had forbidden in Ezra 4:17-22
What? letters of safe-conduct (Neh. 2:7) and supply requisitions (Neh. 2:8)

Interestingly, upon arrival in Jerusalem Nehemiah kept the people there waiting also. Though expectations were high, he delayed three days before divulging his plan while the people waited in suspense (Neh. 2:11). When they did hear it they bought in and said "let us start rebuilding" (Neh. 2:18). When you announce your intention, you invite attention. Or, as Alan Redpath wrote, "Whenever God's people say, 'Let us arise and build', the devil says, 'Let me arise and oppose'." By the way, Nehemiah's response (Neh. 2:20) to the Arabs who opposed the Jewish rebuilding would not be considered very "p.c." in our day but it was true nonetheless.

What gave Nehemiah such confidence? His prayer in chapter one is a model of ACTS praying: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. As he concluded, he asked for success (Neh. 1:11), then acted accordingly (Neh. 2:8b), and spoke confidently of his expectations in this area (Neh. 2:20a). The results were astounding: the discouraged inhabitants of Jerusalem, beaten down for seventy years, lifted their eyes and fixed their sights on what God was doing and in 52 days accomplished the humanly impossible. Don't you desire that kind of success too? Now you know the secret.


New Testament: I Timothy 4

No one would think of entering a marathon without training for it first. No one is going to run 26+ miles without first having run 10 miles, several times over. And no one will run 10 miles without running many shorter distances first. It’s called “training” and every athlete understands it.

But they’re not the only one. No author ever just sat down and wrote a book without writing several essays first and submitting them for evaluation. No teacher ever jumped in and taught a full semester without beginning first with a few classes, working out lesson plans and gathering materials for the longer course. The first time through was tough. Only after several times through did he make it look easy.

It’s not strange then that Paul should tell Timothy, “train yourself to be godly” (I Tim. 4:7). Godliness is a long-term pursuit that requires skill and stamina. It’s not something that just happens. It requires preparation, lots of practice, and persistence over the long haul.

Paul is giving Timothy just such advice in this letter. Notice his repeated emphasis on attention to the details:

3:14 - “I’m writing you these instructions”
4:6 - “point these things out to the brothers”
4:11 - “command and teach these things”
4:15 - “be diligent in these matters”

“These things” are all related to godliness in five specific areas: speech, life, love, faith, and purity (I Tim. 4:12). It’s assumed that Timothy has learned and is putting “these things” into practice already. After all, he’s not a novice. He’d already been traveling and working alongside Paul for some time and Paul has enough confidence in him to send him to work at Ephesus - not an easy assignment! Paul outlines for him a three-part instruction on how to bring others along in training to be godly. “Devote yourself...

1) “to the public reading of Scripture” = read the text
2) “to preaching” = explain the text
3) “to teaching” = apply the text

Good advice!