Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-02-10

/. 1.-THE words of Nehemiah, the son of
Hachaiah." Nehemiah (comforted of
yehovah) was one of the Jewish captives
felected by Artaxerxes, the Persian mon
arch, to fill the Office of cupbearer. He ar
rived at Jerusalem about thirteen years
after Ezra was governor of Judea remain
ing about twelve years, and then returning
to Artaxerxes, from whom he received Ii
new commission He went again to Jerusa-
lem and ruled there for another twenty
two years, b. c. 445-42S. He was one of the
greatest men of the Hebrew nation, re-
nowned for his zeal, patriotism, courage,
humanity and earnest devotedness to God
and to His service ('Searching the Scrip
lures" by DR.. Anderson). One of the most
interesting things in the book is the edict
to rebuild the city Chapter ii, 5, 81, from
which begins Daniels seventy weeks
2. 81 asked them concerning the Jews
that had escaped, which were left of the
captivity, and concerning Jerusalem" The
church of today seems not to appreciate the
fact that Jerusalem was and is and shall
yet be city very dear to jehovah and
more dear than we can understand to every
/ loyal jew. THE Lord hath chosen Zion.
| He hath desired it for his habitation."
"The Lord shall yet comfort Zion and shall
yet choose Jerusalem" AT that time they
shall call Jerusalem the throne of the
| Lord" Ops. cxxxii 10; Zech. i, II; Jer. iii,
| ~.
g. And they said unto me, The remnant
that are left Of the captivity there in the
province are in great affection and re-
proach." BY comparing verse | and chap
/ ter ii, l, with En- viii g. Z, we find that this
desolation was the condition of things at
! the Holy City thirteen years after the great
reformation wrought through Ezra, and
we feel inclined to ask why it was so. With
the temple finished, the worship restored
and such purifying as Ezra had accom-
| plished, why was there not more zeal for
God? If one question can help to answer
another we would ask, Why, with all the
open doors of this generation to carry the
! Gospel to every creature and the vast
amount of money in the hands of Chris
tians, are there 50 many hundreds of mil
| lions still without the Gospel?
| 4. "And it came to pass, when heard
these words, that | sat down and wept, and
mourned certain days, and tasted and
prayed before the God of heaven" Here
is man away off in Babylon so interested
in the welfare of Jerusalem and in the
honor of the God of Israel that for several
days he gives himself up to mourning and
fasting and praying. Compare Daniel
fasting and praying for three full weeks
that he might know the mind of God DAN
X, 2, 81; see Paul three years at Ephesus,
warning the people night and day with
tears acts XXX 81, and remember that God
is rewarder of them that diligently seek
Him (Heb. Xi, 9.
5. "And said beseech thee, o Lord God
of heaven, the great and terrible God, that
keepeth covenant and mercy for them that
love Him and observe His commandments "
From here to the end of the lesson we have
his prayer, and it is a prayer that was
heard in heaven and answered. Observe
that in chapter ii, 4, he one day prayed
without utterug a word with his lips for
at the same moment he prayed to God and
spake to the king. Compare this verse
with chapter tx, 49, and Elk. xxxiv, 6, Z,
and see in Jer xxi, II, the comfort to be
obtained from the God of heaven.
6. II pray before Thee now day and
night for the children of Israel, Thy serv-
ants, and confess the sins of the children
of Israel" Identifying himself with the
nation, he coniesses their sins. He excuses
nothing, pallates nothing, but includes
himself, saying, Both | and my Fathers
house have sinned." "He that covereth His
sins shall not prosper, but whose confess
eth and forsaketh them shall obtain
mercy" prov xviii, 49,. If we confess our
sins He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all I'm
righteousness q john i, %.
Z. I'VE havedealt very corruptly against
Thee, and have not kept the command
ments." The curses had come just as God
had said in Lieut.. xviii, 10, 40, and they
had brought i, all upon themselves lisa.
liX, 81 Nehemiah does well to make full
confession; but, oh, think of Him who
took all these sins upon Himself, who
allowed all sin to be heaped upon Him.
making it His own that He might give
unto us His righteousness! This He does
now for every Individual believer Oh Cor
V, 81; Acts xiii, 3S, 39, and this He will
yet do for lsrae lisa. TX, 2D.
s. "RemembG, | beseech thee, the word
that thou comnandest thy servant Moses. y
He reminds Goo of the curse which He by
Moses had saiq should come, and which
= had come He did not question the author
t ship of Moses, nbr did he doubt that Moses
spoke the wordsof God He believed God
condemned himself and his people and
! justified God.
s.. But if ye urn unto Me, and keep My
( commandments and do them" He il
quoting now ia us prayer from Deut. XNX
I 10, where Jehohh promised, on condition
/ of true repentance and obedience, to re
/ store them to their land and bless them
and give them a heart to love Him SUI
premely; but tlt condition was, IF thou
turn unto the Lard thy God with all thin,
heart and with al thy soul' (Deut. xxx, lO)
AS He chose jerusalem to put lis name
there and magnify Himself from thence
so He chooses s to bear His name and
magnify Him inthese mortal bodies (Act.
tx, 10, l6; Phil iI2O).
10. "Now these are thy servants and THY
people whom tlDu hast redeemed by thy
} great power andby thy strong hand" S.
Z pleaded Moses, reminding God that not
withstanding a their sin still they were
His people and lis inheritance which lie
4 brought out of Igypt Deut. tx, rs, 29) S,
pleaded Daniel llso as he identified him
Lelf with the sinai nation and asked mercy
in these words, - Lord, forgive for thin,
) own sake, o my God, for thy city and thy
people are called by thy name" Dan. iX
Is, l9). See whatlie will yet do for then
for His names SAKE in Eek. XXXyi, 1922.