Sermon - 2013-08-11 - Rebuilding the Walls

Ezra 7:6-10, 16-26

6this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him. 7Some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants also went up to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8They came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9On the first day of the first month the journey up from Babylon was begun, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him. 10For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.

16with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, given willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem. 17With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, and their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18Whatever seems good to you and your colleagues to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. 19The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 20And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which you are responsible for providing, you may provide out of the king’s treasury. 21“I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, 22up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred cors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and unlimited salt. 23Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, or wrath will come upon the realm of the king and his heirs. 24We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on any of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God. 25“And you, Ezra, according to the God-given wisdom you possess, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River who know the laws of your God; and you shall teach those who do not know them. 26All who will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on them, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of their goods or for imprisonment.”

Psalm 33:12-22

12Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

13The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind.

14From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth—

15he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.

16A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

17The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.

18Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

19to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

20Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield.

21Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

22Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

Nehemiah 2:11-20

11So I came to Jerusalem and was there for three days. 12Then I got up during the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took was the animal I rode. 13I went out by night by the Valley Gate past the Dragon’s Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool; but there was no place for the animal I was riding to continue. 15So I went up by way of the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest that were to do the work. 17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” 18I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven is the one who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah 6:1-9;15

Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. 3So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” 4They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. 5In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6In it was written, “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem also says it—that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this report you wish to become their king. 7You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So come, therefore, and let us confer together.” 8Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing them out of your own mind” 9—for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

15So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

Ezra and Nehemiah are two great prophets that help refocus the people of God and guide them back into understanding the very purpose and gift that it is to be the People of God within the world.  The people of God are suppose to be beacons of light into the world to show the rich blessings that God has given to them, sharing the wealth, time, knowledge and love that God has first shared with them.  Ezra calls the people back into the relationship that God has given to them, back to the Law, back to the love that it is rooted in so that it is shared with others.  Nehemiah gathers the people for a building project of rebuilding the walls to help the people of God.  

Ezra is one of my favorite prophets in the Old Testament, but he hardly gets any attention from most people.  We often glance over the name as we are rushing to the Gospels to hear about Jesus and what Jesus has done for the world.  Within the book of Ezra, God uses Ezra to share the Book of Moses, the Commandments and God’s Law with the people.  As the Law and Word of God is revealed to the people, they begin to weap and greive as they open the Word of God that has been spoken to them.  To think that these words of love and guidance were given to them by their Creator.  

Yet Ezra calls them back from their grief to remind that these Commandments were given to them in love.  These are suppose to be done joyously celebrating that God has given them to them to do and to share with all the people around them.  Not only that, but that the gift of the Law is something for us to enjoy to have a good relationship with God. Giving them hope and encouraging them to move as God is calling them to be that people.  To answer the call and to be that beacon of light into the world.  

Nehemiah, before coming to Jerusalem, is a cup bearer for the King of Persia, Artaxerexes, the king who is financially supportive and who encouraged the people of Israel to rebuild the Temple that was destroyed.  Nehemiah is a person with much to care for.  He has the responsibility of providing good wine for the king. The king basically trusts Nehemiah with his life with every cup he has.  It is this Israelite, still in foreign lands, who longs to hear of the good news that is happening back home.  However, each person who he talks to, it is not good news.  The people have rebuilt the Temple.  They have returned to their homes.  They work the land, but the people are struggling.  

The wall that surrounded the city lay in ruins.  Nehemiah approached the King that he may go and help the people rebuild the city walls.  The King granted this and allows Nehemiah to be Govenor over the people. Nehemiah witnessed that the people were not caring for the community.  They did not understand the rich blessing and the gift that they had been given.  Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem a little after Ezra.  They begin working together to show the people that faith and relationship with God is not something that you simply experience.  It is not something where you can go to a top of a mountain experience and that’s it.  It is not something that you go to the Temple to hear once and you are done. No, faith and your relationship with God is something that you are given every single day and it is all around you.  Not only that, but it is something for you to cherish.  

Nehemiah and Ezra have each family learn the old traditions and meanings. The people are overwhelmed by the depth, the understanding, and the experience of the Holy Spirit of God dwelling with them.  Not only that, but the faith is brought into their everyday life.  Each person is called to share these things within their family, to read and study the Word of God among their own family.  Along with that, each family is given a section of the wall to complete.  Normally the building of the wall would be a huge undertaking that would take government months or even years to accomplish.  By having each family work on the wall, taking ownership, gave them pride and related it to their faith.  Ezra and Nehemiah help the people bring their faith alive, make it meaningful in their life and enrich every single person and thus the whole community.  

It is this similar model that Ezra and Nehemiah used that I have introduced to you.  The Faith 5,

Sharing your day

Reading a Bible story

Talk about the story and your day

Pray about your concerns, your joys

Bless one another

Along with walking through the entire journey that is the Story of the Bible.  I allowed you to understand how the whole Biblical story can relate to your own story.  A story that you can share with your children, your grandchildren, with others who you are in community with.  So that every single person may be enriched, every family could be nourished by the very Word of God and this whole community could benefit and grow in their faith. That we all could build one another up in our faith, in our relationship with God and be the church.  In many of you, I have witnessed this work and it has worked well.  I give thanks for the ways that God has moved in this congregation, built you up in faith, and blessed this whole community with God’s love.

Amen.