Psyched
Some Musings on Nehemiah 12

To be frank, life is good. College is keeping me pretty busy, and therefore I have been somewhat negligent in my blogging duties. However, God is good, and over the last week he has blessed The Master's College with some awesome weather, and I have also had the privilege of hearing some great chapel messages, doing lots of homework, evacuating the dorm at all hours of the night, and going to a soccer game (pictured above.)

Yesterday, I read Nehemiah 12, and after reading it I experienced one of those times when I just get psyched out of my mind about. This chapter tells the story of Nehemiah dedicating the newly rebuilt wall in Jerusalem--a marvelous testimony of God's faithfulness. It showed God's faithfulness in two primary ways: 1) God was faithful to bring the Israelites back to the Promised Land after the exile, 2) God led the builders through much adversity during construction.

God's faithfulness is a truly amazing thing, and we do not have to look very far to see it. We observe it in the Bible, particularly in God's dealings with the nation of Israel. We see it in nature and how the sun rises each day and the seasons run their course each year. We feel it most keenly in our own lives as we experience God's faithfulness to us in a myriad of personal ways.

In reading this passage, I also noted two distinct responses of the Israelites to God's faithfulness. The first was purity. Verse 30 talks about the priests purifying themselves, the people, the gates, and the walls. Although this was a ritual, it symbolized the inner act of purification that was occuring. God's faithfulness should have a similar impact on us, especially in regard to the return of Jesus. We know that God is faithful, and we know that he has yet to fulfill many promises. Therefore we should be waiting expectantly for him and looking for Christ's return. "And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." (1 John 3:3)

God's faithfulness also inspired a great response of praise. This chapter describes an awesome celebration involving multiple, loud praise choirs and much rejoicing all around. Verse 43 says, "And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away."

God is faithful, and we enjoy the fruits of his faithfulness every day. May we respond like the Israelites did here. May we pursue purity and look expectantly toward the future. And may our lives be a festival of praise to God that can even be heard "far away."