disrepute. If you have been there you will appreciate it as well as intelligent children who happen to have corrupt parents. They too will appreciate that it is not a game that should be left to such parents alone; nor the parents also knowing that the children ought to be somehow controlled. Unfortunately the society is gradually creeping into the families with its liberal and conservative thoughts to ruin God’s system. This was one of the reasons God separated the chosen people and never wanted any interaction with the outside world hence they corrupt them. This doesn’t or didn’t mean such people will live in isolation but will have God as their very existence authority above all.But the Israelites some even had or served human gods with the sacrifice even their children. Such unholy relationship made the nation of Israel or caused them to disobey God leading to their capture and repatriation. They took wives and husbands among the Babylonians and therefore got corrupted with having the their wrought into them and constituted into their being.
Nehemiah. 9:1-10;39:-The intense studying and reading of the Word of God influenced the Israelites to know God ;which brought their sins bear to them. A situation which I I will likened it to Isaiah comparing man’s righteousness with that of God ; and concluding it was as filthy as a discarded rag. As a result the people who had returned to the refurbished walls area and nearby during such Bible studies and readings saw their sins and repented their sins very profusely. From thence on they regretted their past deeds and promised God to help and forgive them.
You can imagine even today how we feel; when despite our spirituality we are still found sometimes regrettably far away from God. We then cry wolf and promise everything to God how sorry and sincere we are and have been with the promises never to go near such situation. But quiet often we are caught knocked out and down.
If one pays attention, up till this stage I have never tried to make much references to or from the New Testament yet even though much cross referencing could have produced several result. This shows how these people who lived before the New Testament era were sufficiently prepared for their times yet were looking forward to the Messiah who was the real thing. Just as today we are hoping for the physical return of Christ again and all eyes will behold Him.
Congenial atmosphere makes the hand of God works easily amongst His children:
It is not as if God will not or cannot perform without the atmosphere;however the Lord needs us to cooperate with Him. Meaning that there are people in this world who obeys and does the will of God.That such people trusting and believing in God will be sacrifice themselves as did Christ for us.This is the situation which annoys the enemy Satan. Such situation adds up to the glory of our Father and becomes proud of us and add to His love for us. Even though it’s not our efforts or power but our God freely gives it all for us to have such people.Brothers join us to annoy the Satan first before we call him finally down at the appointed time. God is preparing the army now to do that before the message of “worship”
With the return of the said people returning from their wrongly constituted and saturated Babylonian background needed much cleansing and to have them retained in separation whilst they live surrounded by the nations.
This is similar to us Christians living concentrated on God and His instruction; thereby helping us to be infused and constituted by Him in our being. Making it possible therefore able to live in this corrupted world without get entrenched into their worldly ungodliness, worthless and foolish living.
Cleansed and Separated:
The elders of this recovered people, or divinely separated people for God (Neh. 8 : 1-13:31 cf Ezra 6:21 ) consequently, became a particular people, a nation that was sanctified and separated unto God and that expressed God. They became transfused with the considerations of God, and with all that God is, making them God’s own reproduction. Man only played a cooperating role.
As a result, they became a divine nation on earth expressing the Divine character.
They were reconstituted individually and co-operatively into one Body to be God’s testimony. These were a nation who totally depended on God for everything. Having willingly allowed themselves to be crucified and resurrected in Christ; having their sufficiency in God’s grace. Doing nothing except by the ordinances of God’s word and life. Such people are not perturbed by the circumstances surrounding or facing them ;totally at peace in and with the Lord.
In the books of Nehemiah and Ezra, we see a matter of good, proper, adequate and selfless leaders. Leaders who kept Gods’ own vision and worked with God and never rewarding themselves but God does. During the return or the recovery these people never left the word of God as the matter and medium through which they communicated with God. They steered away from the bubble after the Jeremiah affair. Excellent leaders and names like Jeremiah, Zerubabbel, Ezra and Nehemiah were amongst the people who returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
One must also learn that though each of these men including Jeremiah whose correct prophecy God told Israel of the imminent capture into captivity. Such powerful men together could have sparked greater problems today which might have led to leadership contest. Rather out of the fear and love for God’s work lived harmoniously respected each others talents and gift each had. Ezra.7:6-10.
For under men like these God was able to recover the nation and rebuilt the shatters walls of Jerusalem. Working respectfully and willingly under Nehemiah these men helped God to recover and constitute and saturated the people of God for His economy to live and express and God
It also helped God established a nation or people who lived among and surrounded by the world yet were different from the other people, who expressed and showed the authority of God over people is very possible.
Such a testimony of God is the type or what shadowed what today’s Body of Christ (Church) was made for. Such men in Nehemiah times lived for today’s church and we could live likewise for Christ whom they were expected.
One can see that there is much to be learnt but space won’t let me be able to harness these valuable truth and studies. One may read further more about this in my book over this topic and Abraham’s
God’s objective redefined:
One cannot write about this topic (recovery, saturation, cleansing, constitution and separation of a people by God for Himself) without humanizing it so that the history of man is at some point brought into the story.
It gladdens my heart that the Almighty E lo-Him wouldn’t have taken counsel with Himself to have created the world and remade it after Satan’s interruption. In this history even the critics and doubters of Yahweh are given significant and salient pointers to associate with the word of God and His chosen people or the Body of Christ.
The salvation and the church life, Christians’ growth are inter twinned and overseen and done by God with men’s cooperation. Man was at some point made to take possession and dominion over the earth until Satan induced the first human pair to disobey God.
This led to Satan and all his supporting angels, now called demons ;these continue to corrupt men and cause mayhem. That human beings have been corrupted and humanly destroyed; a people who were meant entirely for God. Now destined to die except the Salvation or the Good News with JESUS CHRIST to salvage and redeem us from imminent death.
The whole universe was therefore also destroyed. Therefore the entire universe which had earlier on been created by God John 1:1-2; in which He dwelt with angels were shaken destroyed and laid bare and it became formless. The Spirit of God was the only Person who Hoovered over it. This was as result of Satan and his accompanying fallen angels rebellion against God were sacked from the first heaven.
Subsequently God set out to remake the universe Gen1:1a with the continued pleasure and plan to continue the purpose He had set Himself to create initially. The account in Genesis gives account of God and His romance or relationship with man. It is out from this we know of Satan’s further attempt to corrupt men God had made for Himself . Therefore we became corrupted with Satan’s opposing desires and departed from God billed to death until otherwise redeemed.
We heard the stories from Adam till Abraham; Abraham to Moses, and Joseph to Christ in which is the time I will elaborate on.
From that time God had allowed man to rule themselves very unsuccessfully and needed redemption. He first set Abraham to become the route of His choice for both people who dwelt as His chosen nation out of the world then. Out from this physical nation God through Christ broadened His desire to have all people set apart to be transformed into the image He had intended them to be. So therefore the Satan corrupted person were this time going to be wean out of the destructible fresh (natural fresh) to an indestructible, glorified body to be infused with Himself as the Divine Spirit through the Lord Jesus Christ. A situation far higher than Satan himself and which Satan stands no chance of destroying.
TO BE CONTINUED ON THE NEXT LORD’S DAY (SUNDAY)
I LOVE YOU ALL WITH LOVE OF GOD WHICHEVER STAGE YOU MAY BE AT IN YOUR CHRISTIAN MATURITY; KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE.