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Sadness of the Heart

Have you ever stood in front of someone who you felt was really important to you? There is nothing more that you would give than to be acknowledged, to be understood. For Nehemiah, being in the presence of Artaxerxes was an honour. Few managed to be in the respected position of cupbearer or in the inner circle of advisers to the king of Persia.

What Artaxerxes thought about him was vitally important Nehemiah. Vitally would be an understatement, what an Ancient Near Easter king thought of you was a matter of life and death. We would not be remiss to point out that the King’s favor promoted or demoted you. It granted you standing or left you with no place to stand.

Nehemiah 2:2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.

Modern psychologist would call this codependency or an excessive emotional or psychological reliance on a relationship. The king needed to be needed; the servant needed his master’s approval.

The Bible clearly defines this unhealthy attitude in Nehemiah as “the fear of man.” A simple comment such as, “I see you are sad” triggers in Nehemiah such a visceral reaction that he describes himself as “very much afraid.” This approval seeking on Nehemiah had a debilitating effect on him.

Dealing with Fear and Codependency

The only solution to his paralyzing fear of man was a change of perspective. Nehemiah began to realise that the most important thing in his life was not what Artaxerxes thought of him. Neither was it the great exploits of rebuilding Jerusalem–which at this point he may or not do. Both of these options still placed either another person’s approval or his own approval at the centre of his universe.

He needed a paradigm shift. He needed something greater than himself. A powerful leader would not suffice; a noble and greater cause than himself simply would not do. The shift in perspective that Nehemiah has needed was the only subject worthy of reverence and fearful delight, “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name.” (Neh 1:11).

Human affirmation will no longer receive the place of honour and worship that God alone deserves. Placing what God the Father thought of him above anything was simultaneously freeing and strengthening. He could now have the resolve to accomplish his task. “And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.”(v8)

There is another Hero who resolutely fixed his face to the task at hand. Jesus did not consider what others thought of Him as shameful, as long as His Father was pleased. “Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” (Isaiah 50:7; cf. Luke 9:53). This Hero would not just risk the disapproval of the king. He would suffer the very shame that we deserved that we would only experience grace.

Stand in the Gap

Nehemiah 1:10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Today I walked into a large hardware store. A friend of mine asked me to pick up a sink and construction materials up for him. As I waited for one of the clerks to retrieve all the pre-ordered goods, the floor manager asked me sign a document. “Are you happy for me to sign for him?” By signing for the sink, I now became legally responsible for it in the chain of custody. Whenever we do something for someone, we do it in their place. We are granted power of attorney.

Nehemiah is doing exactly this at the end of his prayer in chapter 1. He is pleading on behalf of the Jewish people. Not only does he intercede with God on behalf of Jerusalem, he vicariously places himself as their representative before the King of Persia, Artaxerxes. If his plea is listened to then all Judah will be listened to, if his plea fails then all of Judah fails.

He is empty-handed, but not uninvited. He knows the threats and promises of Scripture well enough to make a strong, not a tentative plea. He draws on several passages of Deuteronomy (cf. Deut. 28:64; Deut. 30:1–4;Deut. 12:5). At that point in Deuteronomy Israel had been threatened with extinction; now, it seems, Nehemiah sees the situation as hardly less perilous. Like Moses, he must stand in the breach with his intercession.

Nehemiah’s intercession wishes to accomplish two things. He hopes that the response will be immediate (v. 9 “today”). He also trusts the response will be specific (v. 9 “this man”). And Nehemiah has kept a surprise in store for us, who so far have had no inkling of his position or the identity of ‘this man’.

The most surprising thing of this unknown hero, is that we do not realize who he is until he has acted on their behalf. Nehemiah, the unknown hero, turns out to be one of the most influential courtiers in the Persian Kingdom. He will stand in the gap for his people. He does not consider his position something to be grasped, but humbles himself even to the point of losing his job as the royal cupbearer.

Herodotus speaks of the title “cupbearer.” He reports how the Persians held in high honour the holder this office. In other ancient near eastern literature one was not only the cupbearer, but the chief minister of the Assyrian king.

Nehemiah points to the Great Intercessor who not only hazards the loss of position as the Son of God, but also gives his life vicariously for us. Nehemiah loses status, Jesus loses all that we may be returned from exile. Know that today the Great Intercessor is praying for you.

Want to be Shameless?

Neh 1:3-4 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Ready Nehemiah 1:1-11

At one point or another of our lives we have felt shame. But how do we deal with shame?

Picture a room, Sartre tells us.(see his book “Being and Nothingness”) Now picture someone inside this room. On the outside there is someone else peering in—viewed or unviewed, real or imagined. This, he says, is the essence of shame. To be viewed by an unviewed viewer is dehumanizing Sartre argues. As Christians this is actually the beginning of true freedom.

One of the greatest problems we humans face is the issue of shame. When we do something wrong we feel a sense of shame. Nehemiah tells us the story of an exiled people feeling shame. The walls that covered them and made them feel secure were battered down by foreign powers. They face the national shame of feeling defenseless. Internally, they feel the personal shame that their individual actions have let God down. They have collective and individual shame.

In verses 3 and 4 we see two possible reactions to this same situation. One may feel an unhealthy shame or one can choose, much like Nehemiah, to have Godly guilt. Shame is self-centred and only sees the effects of one’s actions in relation to oneself. Guilt sees the effects one’s actions in respect to others.

This is the difference between remorse and repentance. If we are only remorseful, we only feel sorry for our actions and their effects on us. If we are repentant, we feel sorry for actions and their repercussions towards others.

Nehemiah’s prayer is one of repentance. He issues what many call the 7 A’s of Confession. He:

Addresses everyone involved (All those whom he has affected)
Avoids if, but, and maybe (He does not try to excuse his wrongs)
Admits specifically (He admits both attitudes and actions)
Acknowledges the hurt (He expresses sorrow for hurting God and others)
Accepts the consequences (He will make restitution spiritually, verbally and then even physically)
Alters his behavior (He will change his attitudes and actions.)
Asks for forgiveness

Repentance similar to Nehemiah’s is seen in the Gospel of Matthew. We see guilt and shame masterfully contrasted. Peter and Judas both betray their master. Peter weeps seeing how his actions have harmed his best friend (Matt 26:75); Judas unrepentant, but remorseful wishes to return the silver pieces of betrayal. In Matt 27:3 the “remorse” of Judas does not have “the power to overcome the destructive operation of sin”(Yale Anchor Bible Dictionary).

We need an unviewed viewer who can do away with our shame.

Just as God covered over the shame of Israel by providing for rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, so God, in Christ, has provided the perfect sacrifice to cover our guilt and do away with our shame. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive. (1 John 1:5-10)

This week let us practice Godly repentance and turn our back on self-centred remorse.

Loyal Love and Bookends

Nehemiah 1: 5 And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,”

Bookends. We use bookends to keep our libraries tidy. Authors use bookends to give emphasis and meaning. The book of Nehemiah is one big bookend to the concept of steadfast love. We find it difficult to translate the word hesed(Neh 1:5; 9:32; 13:14,22), some translators such as the KJV have opted for “steadfast love”—a love that is constant in trial and change. Other such as The Message use the term “loyal love”—a love that is tenaciously determined to hold on and love regardless of the cost.

Nehemiah’s very name speaks to this tenacious love. Israel’s cities lie in desolation after decades of raids from Babylonians, Assyrians, and bandits. The book of Nehemiah takes place nearly a century after the destruction of Jerusalem. All the Jewish people want is some respite from their conquerors.

Nehemiah does not mean God is my comfort, or God will be my comfort. It is the qal verb meaning God has comforted. This is the story of God’s loyal love. God’s covenant love is not predicated upon Nehemiah’s performance or obedience. God’s love is a free and gracious overture to his darling people. Sending His people into exile broke His heart, but He did not leave them without remedy. Before He ever sent them into exile he promised he would send his comforter (Isaiah 40). This comforter would make them feel safe. This comforter will let them know their abandonment of God had been atoned. Their love may have been disloyal; His love is always loyal.

Before the walls of Jerusalem were ever torn down God promised his people a comforter: Isaiah 40:1-2 “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned.”

It is to this scene that the Gospels open our eyes, “A voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD;” Exile has ended. God has returned his people to himself. Jesus has come to them. He Himself is their comfort.

Holy Guacamole!

All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.

-Exodus 35:29

Read Exodus 35:4-29

My 5 year old daughter has a little interjection that is extremely hilarious. In the sweetest little mixture of British and American accent her over-excited voice will sometimes interject, “Holy Guacamole!” She often says this when she is thrilled about doing something new, something exciting or something noteworthy.

It sounds funny to our ears, but perhaps it is one of the most profound statements on the idea of “holiness” or sanctification. Normally, when you hear the word “holy” what pops into your mind? A moral action? Moral behaviour? Moral dress code? Religious worship service?

Exodus 35:29 states that men and women brought “anything for the work of the LORD.” The word anything in Hebrew actually means anything. Yes, astonishing isn’t it—anything.

All our lives have an unhealthy divide between the sacred and the secular. Holiness is not necessarily about morality. In Hebrew it simply means to be separate, distinct or set apart. Often we define holiness negatively. We see it as being set apart from the world.

The theologian and pastor Jack Groblewski puts it this way, “Holiness is being separate from all that is not God and separate unto all that is God.”

There is a positive element to holiness. This is why Exodus and Leviticus go through painstaking detail to talk about holy sandals, holy tables, holy lampstands, etc. These objects are neither moral nor immoral. The difference between a holy sandal and an unholy one is not about its nature or virtue. It is all about what it is expressly dedicated to.

To understand what holiness actually means the best way to understand this is to look at Jesus prayer for us and for himself. “And for their sake I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” (John 17:19). Can Jesus actually make himself more holy? By no means! It actually is impossible for God to sanctify himself, for he is already holy. Most translators are stuck with conundrum what was Jesus actually trying to say. As translators they returned to root meaning of holiness. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus says, “Today I consecrate myself, I dedicate myself to the task of redeeming the world.” Jesus set himself apart, so that you could have the opportunity to set yourself towards all that is God and apart from all that is not.

Today, dedicate yourself to all that is God. “Set your heart above… for your life is hidden in Christ.” Colossians 3:2-3

The Long Nose of the Lord

Exodus 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.

Read Exodus 34:1-35

Have you ever seen someone get so upset that their very nose turned red? Their anger is quickly kindled, their temper quickly flairs. Hebrew is a vivid and descriptive language. There is a passage in Genesis describing one such event. Most translations simply say “Jacob’s anger was kindled.” (Gen 30:2) Interestingly the Hebrew simply says, “his nose became hot.”

This often quoted passage is actually a little bit less familiar when we read it in Hebrew. We literally read about the Lord, the Lord, merciful and gracious, having a long nose. God is not easily incensed. Our idea of wrath is an idea of a cranky man whose nostrils flair.

God indicates that it is actually very difficult to arouse his righteous indignation. He is slow to anger and rich in loyal love. God’s very nature in confirming his covenant with his people is a stunning blend of law and love. Despite their spiritual adultery at the foot of Mount Sinai, he can’t stop loving his bride. Moses comes down from the mountain and in a fit of rage destroys the two tablets containing the 10 commandments.

God, who is rich in love, demonstrates his forbearance. But like any jilted lover he a price has to be paid for the infidelity. This lover can either shame his bride, or suffer the outrageous shame of receiving back his unfaithful bride. God at the expense of everything gives up his very dignity to rescue the one he loves. He executes justice not against his bride, but for her and takes the shame she deserves.

On the cross we see this love in action. The God who by no means will clear the guilty, suffers the indignity of receiving back his unfaithful lover. The stunning beauty of law and love is that the God who by no means will clear the guilty will also show love for a thousand generations.

As you go about your business today, may the Long Nose of the Lord put a smile on your face as you realize how deeply loved you are.

Deepest Dreams

Ex 32:2 I will send an angel before you, … 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you,

Read Exodus 32:30-33:23

Years ago I read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, this week I have had the privilege of re-reading this story with my 5 year old daughter. There is a telling moment when the crew of the Dawn Treader cast anchor on “the island where dreams come true.”

In this beloved tale by CS Lewis King Caspain and his crew discover an enchanted island. It appears to be truly magical; their dreams come true. At first glance this sounds like an amazing place. As their adventure on the island progresses the Narnians discover that actually getting their hearts desire may not be the best, most magical, or most desired outcome. Their deepest dreams become their worst nightmares.

This passage in Exodus seems to describe a very similar event. The people of Israel have longed for freedom. They have longed for the absence of rules and restrictions. They have longed for a God they could control. They ask for the Promised Land, but not the God of the Promised Land. Often in the Old Testament God’s arrival and presence is described as “the angel of the Lord.” In this instance God promises to send an angel (heb. malak) but not the angel of the Lord (heb. malak yhwh).

The people of Israel have asked for their hearts desire: life without the God of Israel. If you read verses 2 and 3 of this story, God does promise to give the people of Israel success. He will in fact even send an angel to go before them, but God himself refuses to go with them. God does not want to be used as a means to an end. The people of Israel longed for freedom more than they longed for God.

Just as Caspian discovered that getting his wildest dream was not what his heart actually needed, Moses and the people of Israel have recognize their need for a Redeemer. Receiving the Promised Land but not having God’s Presence becomes anything but the Promised Land. A land flowing with milk and honey without God’s presence is nothing more than a sticky and sour mess. It is God who makes the desert into a fair paradise. It is the presence of God that transforms any situation. The darkest night becomes the brightest day with dawning of the rays of his glory.

On the cross, Jesus experiences what none of us should have to experience. He hears those words that Israel heard, “I will not go up with you.” In this story of Exodus, Moses offers to potentially be cut off if it will redeem Israel. On Calvary Jesus, does not just potentially offer to be cut off but literally asks to be cut off that we should be redeemed.

Today reflect on your deepest longing. What is it? Or better said Who is it?

Dirt Under Your Nails

Exodus 31: 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.

Dirt Under Your Nails

Read Exodus 31:12-18

If you have ever had to do a posting, slabbing, or mowing job in your garden after a proper days worth of work you end up with dirt underneath your nails. For some this dirt under the nails is part of the price of beautiful garden. Plato once remarked that manual labour was not worthy of humans. In fact to manual labour was seen as dehumanizing. In the Greek world work was so demeaning that slaves were often considered nothing but living tools. The respectable thing was to do mental labour.

But this is not the story of the Bible, which begins in a garden and ends in a garden. Work in no way dehumanizes us. It is precisely what makes us human, as we are made in the image of God—A workman God. Work is not a way of proving our worth.

Tim Keller once commented that the God of the Bible at the moment of creation can be found to have dirt underneath His fingernails.

What happened to us to make us fall out of love with work? Work was no longer something to be enjoyed. It would now become the main source of getting significance in the world.

Regardless of whether it is manual or mental labour, at the end of a day do we have the deep sense of contentment that God had upon finishing his labour in creation? God tells Moses in this passage, that it is possible to work and have contentment.

Work is no longer a means to an end; an incessant striving for significance. Work is delight and refreshment. It is deep cosmic rest. It is the much-needed REM sleep that rejuvenates not only our bodies, but our souls. We no longer have to prove ourselves.

The Sabbath is declaration that Jesus’ words on the cross ring true, “It is finished!”

Bishop JC Ryle once remarked of resting in this assurance of Jesus’ completed work. “Assurance goes far to set a child of God free. It enables him to feel that the great business of life is a settled business. The great debt, a paid debt, the great disease, the healed disease, and the great works the finished work and all other business, disease, debts, and works are then by comparison small.”

Every Good Gift

Ex. 31:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.

Read Exodus 31:1-11

Growing up in the inner city of Madrid, whenever my father would have visitors we would get the unexpected treat of going to Toledo. It was a one hour drive outside of one of the most densely populated urban centres in the world to a medieval getaway. Escaping from the modern capital of Spain, I used to love walking down the very narrow streets of the ancient capital of Spain. It was a mesmerizing place which housed cathedrals, synagogues and minarets. Artisans on every corner practiced the ancient skill of “damascening.” The artist would take blackened steel, gold thread, gold sheet, razors, tweezers and hammer and begin an arduous and beautiful process of creating. Toledo was called the Jerusalem of the West. Skilled Jewish, Christian and Muslim artisans designed all sort of gold filigree; so it was with Bezalel, the gifted and creative hands behind the crafting of the Ark of the Covenant.

Whether you think of the artist, athlete, or artisan. Every single human being has a gift. When we use the word “gifted” it is often used to denote some talent or ability that makes an individual unique. The Ark of the Covenant is the deposit of God’s precious gift of truth, the 10 commandments. What is often missed out is the fact that God makes another deposit, not in a box but in a living being: Bezalel.

God deposits in Bezalel gifts of creativity. The book of James tells us that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”(James 1:17)

God has given each one of us good gifts to use to bless others. We often see gifted people as “others” or may even think that our gifts are inconsequential, but the Bible is very clear that we are all members of one another and need each other. It is when we do not acknowledge our need of others and their gifts and likewise the “God-givenness” of our gifts that we engage in cosmic plagiarism. Cosmic Plagiarism is simply not giving gratitude to the One who gave us our gifts to begin with. It is taking credit for someone else’s craftsmanship.

Today, let’s acknowledge the Giver of Every Good and Perfect Gift.

Scars tell stories

Ex. 28:15 “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment … 29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD.

Read Exodus 28:1-30:38

I remember when I was a teenager taking my dog for walks in the park. On one of those days a large German shepherd came and attacked my dog. Instinctively, I rushed to Fuzzy’s defence. Fuzzy was trying to defend himself and bit the first thing he could fix his teeth on, unfortunately, that was me. With a sharp kick I separated the German shepherd, who was twice the size of Fuzzy, from my dog. My dog was now safe, but I had 4 holes in my forearm from his canine teeth. From that day onward I would carry four holes in my left forearm. I would always remember that story and loving rescue. Scars tell stories. Scars bring to mind.

After receiving instruction on how to construct the tabernacle, God gives Moses three chapters’ worth of painstaking instruction on how to create the priestly garments for Aaron. The details are meticulous. We could easily miss the meanings of every single thread of the garments if we skipped past every verse. Let’s just take a small look at the “ephod” or breastplate that the priest was to wear. The priest is asked to wear 12 unique and precious stones. Each stone is to have one of the names for the twelve tribes of Israel. This breastplate is to symbolise the concept of bearing the tribes before YHWH already expressed in verse 12, whether the idea is bearing their guilt, or simply interceding for them in prayer.

Whenever the high priest went into the Holy of Holies, the very heart of the tabernacle and the center of God’s presence in the wilderness wanderings, he did not go in alone. He went in as the representative of his people. He would speak on their behalf to God and God would speak to Aaron on Israel’s behalf.

The writer of Hebrews shows us the deeper meaning of this text. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, … he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”(Heb 9:11-12)

No longer are our names written on pieces of stone which may weather and fade. Our names are written on the very palms of God’s hand.

Have you ever wondered why God being all powerful, chose to retain the scars of His crucifixion? The answer is he wanted to remember you. Scars tell stories.

Is. 49:15
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;