Imperial Valley press., 1911-12-08

WenoTy verse, 'I-SoiocU ie$t, o.
xxvii, 1-Commentary Prepared by
Rev. .. N. Stearns. ..s... '"'..
Chapter tells Of great wrong
among the Jews themselves, for some
were holding mortgages on the lands
and houses of their poorer brethren
and lending money at high rate,
while for twelve years Nehemiah as
governor had refused to be charge
able to the people or to take any
thing from them. On the contrary, he
fed at his own table $50 Jews and
rulers besides those who came from
the nations about them, and all this at
his own expense. $50"
Chapter vi is a record of his enemies
from without who earnestly sought to
do him personal harm. First they
thought to do him mischief by enticing
him to meet them in one of the vii
lagos in the plain of Ono. 1t is ever
true that the wicked plotteth against
the lust, watcheth the righteous and
seeketh to slay him Qs. XXxvii, II. 80
But the Lord shall laugh at him. for
He seeth that his day is coming. 'Ev.
cry child of God must expect to. be
hated by the world and to suffer
tribuation and persecution Uohn XIV.
1920: xvi 33: II Tim. iii, 12), and it
should be accepted as gift from God
and special privilege Phil. i. 20: l
Pet iv. 70. 13).
Nehemiah's reply to the first temp
tatiOn. in verse 3. is worthy of imita-
ton by all earnest Christian workers
VINO are asked to turn aside from that
to which God has called them: Il am
doing Il great work, so that l cannot
come down. Why should the work
cease while | leave it and come down
to you?" 1t is always wrong kind
of coming down to leave any work
directly for God. which He has in
trusted to us, 10 confer with wOrldlings
or even to attend some kinds of COM
mittee meetings or so called ministers
meetings which do not profit. All
coming down from any form Of pride
or self is always right and profitable,
for our highest place is lying low at
our Redeemer's feet. and the Lord
alone must be exalted. and with Him
alone must we be occupied.
Four times they tried in similar
way TO entice Him. but he was enabled
to resist them every time tverse A.
An old lady who eRaeavored to find
something good in every one and ev-
I.erythinG was once asked If she ever
saw anything good in the devil. She
thoughtfully replied. well. he is very
persistent" These enemies Of Nehe-
miah were evidently in his employ. AS
to Nehemiah. he was steadfast. unmoV-
able, abounding in the work of the
Lord. knowing that his labor was not
in vain in the Lord II Cor. XIV. 5S).
The fifth temptation was in the form
of an open letter by Sanballats serv-
ant, in which was written report that
Nehemiah and the Jews thought to
rebel and make Nehemiah king. and
therefore they had built the wall and
appointed prophets to preach that he
was king in Jerusalem. Because these
things would be reported to the king
at Babylon he was invited to meet
these friends % and take counsel to-
gether about the matter. for Of course
it would grieve them to see such a
good man as Nehemiah n any trou-
BILE The lie factory. under the super
| intendence Of the father Of lies. has
been at work ever since the business
| started in Eden so long ago. and every
child of God must expect to have some
turned out for his special benefit.
Their object at this time was to
make Nehemiah and the people afraid
Of being reported to the king and thus
to weaken their hands. But Nehemiah
| had no guilt on his conscience in this
matter and nothing to fear. He re-
! turned answer, "1here are no such
| things done as thou sayest, but thou
feignest them out of thine own heart
(verses 8, 81. So he trusted God to
strengthen his hands. Adam was
afraid and tried to hide from God
(Gen. Iii. 1O. but he was guilty. God
does not give His people a spirit of
! fear Oh Tim. /. 2, and our Golden Text
should be the bold utterance of every
believer. Even worse than these enc
mics of Nehemiah we're the false
prophets in the days Of jeremiah.
who in the name of the Lord We're
PROPHETS OF the deceit Of their own
heart, speaking vision Of their own
heart, causing the people to err by
their lies and by their lightness DER
xiii. 1G, 2G, 32). What shall be said
of the false teachers Of today who
with all the increased light Of the New
Testament speak lies out Of their own
heart in the name Of the Lord? What
ever is not according to Scripture is a
lie.
The next step of the enemy was to
entice Nehemiah to meet them in the
house of God and shut the doors of the
temple lest he should be slain tverse
1O). But Nehemiah perceived that
this messenger was hired by Tobiah
and Sanballat to make him afraid, SO
that they might have matter for an
evil report against him. Nehemiah's
reply is again brave and full Of con-
ddence In God: "Should such man az
Ano9 And yhn Ia there that hoine