Earlier this summer I went to a baseball game with a friend who picked up the tickets earlier. I did not get the opportunity to pay him for my ticket the night of the game, so a few days later I took him to dinner. When the waitress brought us the check, I took it … Continue reading –>
Stubborn Wife By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Convinced that Saturday is the biblical Sabbath, business owner Zelindo JoÃo Lay informed his wife that he would leave their Sunday church in Lospalos, East Timor. “What, are you crazy?” exclaimed his wife, Dulce. “First you close our two mini-marts on Saturday, and now you want to leave … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Ellen G. White, “A Rebuke Against Extortion”, pages 646–652, in Prophets and Kings. “As Nehemiah heard of this cruel oppression, his soul was filled with indignation. ‘I was very angry’, he says, ‘when I heard their cry and these words’. He saw that if he succeeded in breaking up the oppressive custom of exaction he must … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 5:14-19. What reasons does Nehemiah give for not demanding “the governor’s provisions [fees]” (Neh. 5:18, NKJV) from the people? Nehemiah most likely wrote the account in these verses after his return to the court of King Artaxerxes, after his 12 years of governorship in Judah. Although governors were entitled to receive revenue from their subjects, … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 5:12-13. Why does Nehemiah pronounce a curse against those who do not uphold their part of the agreement? Even though the leaders agree to restore and give back what they have confiscated, Nehemiah is not satisfied with mere words. He needs solid proof; therefore, he makes them swear an oath before the priests. This … Continue reading –>
Hymn 533, “O for a Faith” relates to the Sabbath afternoon introduction of the poverty and the woes of the people of Israel, requesting a strong faith. This theme continues into Sunday where debt is now the main culprit. We, today, are so thankful that “At the Cross”, Hymn 163 all our sin-debt is rolled … Continue reading –>
Grievance time. Things seemed to be going fairly well on the outside for the Jewish community, but why is there so much worry and despair on the inside? What are some of the troubles the Jewish community is facing at this time when it seems that rebuilding prosperity should be the highest priority? How did a … Continue reading –>
Seemingly, the rebuke to the nobles and rulers — “each of you is exacting usury from his brother” (Neh. 5:7, NKJV) — didn’t bring the desired results. Thus, Nehemiah did not stop there but continued to fight for the oppressed among them. He could have just said that he had tried to teach the nobles and rulers … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 5:6-8 (see also Exod. 21:2-7). Why does Nehemiah react in anger? However difficult for us to grasp today, slavery was a cultural norm in the ancient world. A parent could either become a slave himself/herself or sell a child. Socially and legally, the parents had the right to sell their sons and daughters. However, since God … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 5:1-5. What is happening here? What are the people crying out against? The Jewish community seems to be united under Nehemiah’s leadership against the outside pressures. But all is not well within the nation that is standing up to persecution and defending itself from foreign assaults. Despite the outward appearance of toughness and cohesive … Continue reading –>
