Thurs.’s Devo - The Cycle of Sin

Read Nehemiah 12:27-13:31; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 21:17-18 The time came to dedicate the wall with a great ceremony. The musicians came from all around and joined two choirs. They would start at the Fountain Gate where they would climb the steps that ascended to the city and walk on the wall around the city. Ezra led with half of the leaders of Jerusalem and one of the choirs and they walked eastward. The other group was led by Nehemiah and the other half of the leaders. They went westward. They were both singing songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. It was like having surround sound. They met up at the other end of the wall. They were accompanied with musical instruments and trumpets. *** Many sacrifices were made to the Lord and it was a great family day of joy and fun. Men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the offerings and the first fruits. The priests were payed and the Temple was run the way the law instructed it to run. *** The Book of Moses was read to the people and they read where no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be permitted to enter the assembly of God because they had hired Balaam to curse Israel. They had to send all foreigners home. Tobia, their enemy in the work of the Lord had been given a room in the Temple to use as he needed. Nehemiah had been out of town when this was allowed and when he returned and found out, he threw Tobia and all his stuff out of the room and had it purified and brought back in the things of the Temple. *** In our day, this would be like the church allowing their building to be used for the Masons to meet or for Covid shots to be distributed. *** Nehemiah also found out that the priests had not been payed so they had had to return to their former jobs to make enough money to support their families. Nehemiah appointed more honest men to take care of the offerings of the people. *** Nehemiah also saw that they weren’t honoring the Sabbath. They were working and allowing trade to be transacted on that day. Nehemiah stopped all of that. Then he found out that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab and their children didn’t even know how to speak Hebrew. Nehemiah was irate and took matters into his own hands on that one. He reminded them that they were doing the exact things that made the Lord mad and punish their ancestors in the past. One of the sons of the high priest had married a daughter of Sanballat. Satan always tried to infiltrate from inside. *** Nehiamiah always prayed that God would remember his faithfulness to him. *** In Corinthians Paul told them to imitate him as he imitated Jesus. God teaches in everything he created. God created man and the first man, Adam was a type of Christ. From Adam came Eve who represents the Church. Christ is the head of the church just like Adam was made first and Eve came from Adam. The church came from Christ. Women should not try to usurp that power over men just as man should not try to be greater than Christ. *** Jesus stands perfect and holy before God so the man should not wear anything on their head to be a picture to us of that precept. Women stand for the church who is under the blood of Christ. They should wear a covering to show that submission because that is their part in the teaching of God. *** Lord, help us to function in the place you have put us and not rebel like Israel did over and over. Help us to walk faithfully and uprightly.