Famine – Page 2 – Praying Pint

30.s. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Psalms 42:1-2   As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

John 6:27    Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Amos 8:11-13    “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.

Psalms 107:9    For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Psalms 4:6-7   You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Isaiah 55:1-3   “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

John 4:14     but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Isaiah 65:13    Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame;

This describes a profound thirst and hunger that cannot be satisfied by a sip or snack. This is a longing that endures and is never completely satisfied on this side of eternity. This desire is real, natural, intense, can be painful, and is a driving force. We surely hunger for many things: power, authority, success, comfort, happiness – but do we hunger and thirst for righteousness? Having the right heart, mind, and soul desire(s) will affect what we thirst and hunger for. If it is more, power, ease of life, success, etc then there will be a hunger and thirst that is never satisfying. It may satisfy for a moment in time but loses its ability to satisfy the longing of the soul. The soul hungering and thirsting for righteousness, holiness, godliness, with a heart and soul-deep desire to humbly honor and glorify Jesus Christ, will be satisfied and nourished with living water and the bread of life – Jesus Christ. Though their hunger and thirst continue for knowledge and understanding of the love of God, their soul is satisfied in this pursuit all their days. True happiness and satisfaction for our souls will never come from what can be obtained in or from this world. It is only found in humble surrender, trust, reliance, and obedience in believing and following Jesus Christ. That is our hope, our rest, our refuge, our eternal joy. Hunger and thirst for things of God and you will be satisfied, blessed, and find a satisfying and lasting peace that passes all earthly understanding.

16.b. “To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”

John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Psalms 143:6     I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Psalms 63:1   O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Isaiah 12:3     With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 44:3     For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

Amos 8:11-13    “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.

Revelation 21:6    And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

The celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles emphasized how God provided water to Israel in the wilderness on their way to Canaan. Jesus boldly called people to Himself to drink and satisfy their deepest thirst, their spiritual thirst. The invitation was broad because it said, if anyone. Intelligence, race, class, nationality, or political party don’t limit it. The invitation was narrow because it said, if anyone thirsts. One must see their need. Thirst is not anything in itself; it is a lack of something. It is an emptiness, a crying need. Jesus explained what He meant by the metaphor of drinking. To come to Jesus and to drink was essentially to put one’s faith into Him; to trust in, rely on, and cling to Jesus for both time and eternity. Jesus did not only speak of something coming into a person, but something flowing out of them as well. It was not only a blessing received, but also becoming a source of blessing to others. This outflowing life and abundance comes in and through the presence of the Spirit in the life of the believer. This speaks of an experience that belongs to those believing in Him. The nature of that experience may differ among believers, but there is some aspect of it that is promised to all who will receive it by faith.

13.o.

Zachariah 8:18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”

2 Kings 25:3-4    On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.  Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night

Jeremiah 52:12-15    In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.  And he burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.  And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 41:1-3   In the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. As they ate bread together there at Mizpah,  Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men with him rose up and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor in the land.

Jeremiah 52:4    And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.

The fasts recorded in vs. 19 were instituted by man in the remembrance of their sin and the curse of God that fell upon them. They wanted to remember how they did not honor, glorify, or obey God, and because of this they angered God and were punished. They did not want to repeat this again. Here we read of God promising blessing.

Campbell Morgan said of these man-appointed fasts: “None of these things had been in the purpose of God for His people; they had resulted from their sins. The fasts, therefore, were the result of their sins. In jealousy and fury, the outcome of love, Jehovah would put away their sins, and so restore them to true prosperity. On that day, let them still remember and observe, only let the observance be a feast in celebration of God’s grace, instead of a fast in memory of their sin.” We can get hung up on our past sins and forget the blessings of forgiveness. Peter put it this way; 2Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

13.c. “I am very angry with the nations that feel secure.”

Zachariah 1:14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure.

Isaiah 47:7-9     You said, “I shall be mistress forever,” so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end.  Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children”:  These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.

Amos 6:1    “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,

Revelation 18:7-8    As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’  For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

Living at rest, secure, and in luxury has a way of leading people down paths of neglect and complacency. It has a way of blinding us from things of God, the need for God, and mindful of how to live for Jesus Christ. Jesus is worthy of how we live, think, and act all of the time. It is hard sometimes because we get comfortable with life when things are at ease. We seem to gravitate toward thinking that our security is in the ease and luxury of life. No matter how many times we are reminded in God’s word that life will have no meaning, no satisfaction, to peace, no joy, or no lasting purpose apart from Jesus Christ and humbly serving, honoring, following, praising, worshiping, obeying, and trusting Him. God has demonstrated over and over again He will not sit silent. He will not sit idle. He will call everyone into account. Be mindful of what your life was like prior to February 2020. The economy was strong, unemployment was low, and people were busy buying and selling. There was not much to worry about other than the political mudslinging. However, there were other things in the wind as well. More and more educators, government officials, and media editors were becoming bolder and bolder in their denial and defiance of things of God. Sitting idly by, not speaking up, and living as though this has no effect on a society that was founded on Christian principles is not God-honoring. You have to wonder how far society has to fall away and turn away from God before He will intervene. He is all-powerful and will call into account people and nations who defy and deny Jesus Christ. Look around, do you think all of this fear, hatred, and confusion, just happens on its own? No, it does not. God is in control and is at the root of all of this, calling all of mankind to humbly repent and turn back to Him.

10.c. “Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.”

Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.

1 Samuel 3:1    Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

Ezekiel 7:26    Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders.

Romans 11:7-10    What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,  as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”

Isaiah 30:20-21    And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.  And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

2 Timothy 3:7     always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

“Behold, the days are coming”. Amos proclaimed a day when there would be a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. A day when the people were hardened. A day when the Teacher does not hide and ears will hear Him speak to their heart, mind, and soul. They will hear “this is the way, walk in it”. Don’t you wonder if people will listen and walk in it? Or will they harden against it? “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and water of affliction” they will either listen or not.

I am sooooo tired of hearing people blaming China, the President, governors, mayors, and anyone else for the current pandemic. As if they could do anything to stop the spread of this. If we do not see God sovereign over this bread of adversity and water of affliction then I guess you end up looking for someone to blame. Could God be speaking to the world one last time before the end of days. Could He be graciously reaching out through this to call the hearts, minds, and soul of man to Himself. How long will He wait? I wonder how many during this time will reject His calling out. I wonder for how many this will be their last chance to hear His calling. We never know when our last day is. We never know the moment we will enter into eternity. Life never gives us a heads up. Hear today and all is good and then bam, eternity. Know this there is no second chance apart from while we are alive on this side of eternity. Sin must be recognized and owned or there will never be seen the need of Jesus Christ, redemption, forgiveness, salvation, and repentance. As the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ perishes from a society, nation, and culture there will be no hope, peace, or rest for the people. Come to Him, confess your sin, repent and turn away from it, and believe in the work Jesus Christ did on the cross to redeem you. Follow, trust, and obey Him. Eternity is nearer than you think.

8.f. “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins,”

Revelation 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed. As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’ For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

Jeremiah 51:6    “Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life! Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her.

Jeremiah 51:45     “Go out of the midst of her, my people! Let every one save his life from the fierce anger of the LORD!

2 Corinthians 6:17   Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,

How applicable is this indictment of Babylon on today’s society, which embraces “spiritualism” at the expense of true worship? As the apostle Paul warns, “But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to

a form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

When we boast that we are spiritual but not religious; when we lament the addition of a fish to the endangered species list but celebrate the right to end the life of an unborn child for any reason; when we abrogate the responsibility of individuals and families to work hard and care for their own by increasing our dependence on government entitlements; when we insist that ethics are situational and reject absolute truth as a vestige of less-enlightened times; when we say all forms of religious expression are fine as long as the name of Jesus is excluded; when a 50th wedding anniversary between a man and a woman is rare but gay marriage is normative; and when a theory of origins based on time and chance is called an indisputable fact but a theory that points to intelligent design is considered rank scientific heresy–we have become the people who

drink the wine of Babylon the Great’s sexual –that is, spiritual–immorality. And we have invited the wrath of God.

Throughout human history, God has called His people to separate themselves from those devoted to the worldly system that opposes God. The Lord instructs Abram to leave his country (Gen. 12:1). He rescues the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and instructs them never to return. And the church today is commanded to steer clear of the ungodly (Rom. 16:17-18; 2 Cor. 6:14 –7:1). No doubt the first readers of Revelation would connect the voice of God in Rev. 18:4 with Jeremiah 50-51 and understand the link between ancient Babylon and the contemporary paganism of Rome and/or the worldliness of first-century Israel.

Matthew Henry notes, “When the sins of a people reach up to heaven, the wrath of God will reach down to the earth” (Henry, Rev. 18:1-8) But what crimes has Babylon

committed? Pride, living proudly in luxury and ignoring the needs of others (pride of life, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes.)

We do well to take to heart God’s Word regarding the draw of this world to our sinful nature and the consequences of it. “Come out of her” lest you take part in her sins”

6.v. And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him.

Revelation 6:7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

Jeremiah 15:2-3 And when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “‘Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’ I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

Ezekiel 5:15-17 You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious rebukes—I am the LORD; I have spoken— when I send against you the deadly arrows of famine, arrows for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, and when I bring more and more famine upon you and break your supply of bread. I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will rob you of your children. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I am the LORD; I have spoken.”

A pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death: This last rider shows that there will be a tremendous death toll from the dictatorship, war, famine and other calamities described by the previous three horsemen. Our modern age has seen hundreds of millions killed by dictators, war, and famine. Yet all that will pale in comparison to the death toll coming in the wake of this ultimate dictator. No wonder Jesus said of this time For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)

Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill: Power was given to the horseman and given by God. Though all hell breaks loose on the earth, God is very much in control. He still holds the scroll and opens the seals.

Can you imagine 1/4th of the population killed? That would be close to two billion people all entering eternity and most with the same view; no regard for Jesus Christ or the need for salvation. They are receiving, in part, God’s judgment for this rejection. During this time of seals being opened the church, those who came to Christ for forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit will have been removed from the earth. There will be no influence of grace, mercy, and love of God, only judgment. This is what awaits all those who flat out deny Jesus Christ, and those who think they will always have time to commit to Him, and those who think they are good enough by the works they do. In all, they have not surrendered their lives to Him and will suffer the consequences of this rejection. Scripture says now is the time for salvation. Now is the time to come to Jesus Christ. Now is the time of mercy and grace. All these prophesies and warnings have been given for people to know and choose rather to believe or now, to live humbly serving or not, to live following and to obey or not. Choose well, do not wait or think there is time to delay. The judgments of God are on His time. His anger and fury are released against those who refused to accept His way of salvation through Jesus Christ.

4.w. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

Job 5:17 “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal. He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes. At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth. For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.

Psalms 94:12     Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,

Proverbs 3:11-12   My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,  for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Jeremiah 31:18   I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.

Hebrews 12:5-11   And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Revelation 3:19    Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

There is something I have often thought about. When we are going through a rough spell is it a trial to grow us in our reliance on Jesus Christ, discipline to make us aware of our wayward path and bring us to repentance and back to Jesus Christ, or because of our own doing and God allowing us to reap what we have sown. Two of these are holy things of God toward us and one is apart and lonely. Blessed is the one who is disciplined and taught out of His word. Blessed is the man who is reproved by God. Blessed is the man who is restored to a point of humble service, reliance, and obedience to God.

We do well to sure our heart and mind in light of His word to know if we are in a God give a trial, God-given discipline, or reaping what we have sown. Staying in His word each day with a desire to honor and glorify Him will keep our heart and mind open to know and understand which of these we are experiencing.

4.j. For the LORD will not forsake his people

Esther 4:12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Deuteronomy 32:36   For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free.

Genesis 45:4-8   So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.  And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.  For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.  And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.  So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

1 Samuel 12:22    For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.

Isaiah 54:17   no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 30:11     For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

Esther was not sure about what she should do. What Mordecai had asked of her could mean certain death to her. No man or woman is allowed to go to the King’s inner court without being requested by the King. If the king did not hold up his golden scepter the law states they must be taken away and put to death but if the held up his golden scepter they would be granted to live and speak to the King. Esther had doubts. She knew this law and the consequences. She had this communicated to Mordecai.

Mordecai’s response “if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your fathers house will perish” – He also said “who knows whether or not you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this” As I read this there are some points for us to remember.

It is good to have friends and relatives who are close to Jesus Christ and live to honor, follow, glorify, trust and obey Him.

It is good to have people in our life that God will use to spur us on in difficult times.

We never know when there will be a time we are called to do something greater than what we can imagine.

We never know how God will use us in His plans and purposes.

We must always be attentive to God’s leading.

We must be willing to be used by God for His plans and purposes.

God can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine and there nothing, absolutely nothing that is impossible for the power, might, strength, wisdom, and knowledge of God.

All things are possible with God.

Faith, trust, and obedience in Jesus Christ will always lead us to places where we see our weakness and His awesome strength, mercy, and love.

3.z. “The thing that you are doing is not good”

Nehemiah 5:1Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah called out the nobles and officials who were, in essence, keeping their brothers in slavery. They were making a profit off of their Jewish brothers and sisters hardship. He called out their sin in a public setting and told them to stop this oppression. What they were doing was right and ok to do in other cultures but in the eyes of God, this was a sinful way to treat their fellow Israelites. When times were hard those who had plenty used it to acquire more from those who had little. I am sure in the minds of those nobles and officials they were following what was culturally acceptable in the business world. After Nehemiah called them out on their sin they agreed and promised, in front of this great gathering of people, to give back the interest, fields, and vineyards they had been taking and to stop this practice. Nehemiah did not stop there. He then called out the priests and made them swear covenant promised before God and everyone. He even called on God to curse them if they did not hold true to their commitment.

We are challenged every day. As followers of Jesus Christ must make decisions that choose between the culturally acceptable practices of this world and what is commanded and expected in God’s word. When we are complacent and neglectful in our devotion and study of His word the clarity between these culturally accepted practices and commands/expectations in God’s word becomes blurred. They become blurred because the word of God is not in us. The desire of His word is not in us. The want to grow, mature, and live to honor God more is not in us. We have been given free will to choose to how we live in honor of the great price Jesus Christ paid for our sin. Does your life honor Him? Are you seeking to know Him more and more? Are you desiring to be changed deep within your heart, mind, and soul in such a way that brings you closer, builds your faith and trust deeper, and honors Jesus Christ more fully each day?

Now is the time to begin living anew for Jesus Christ.