Middletown transcript., 1922-09-02
LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER 3
NEHEMIAH REBUiLDS THE
WALLS OF JERUSALEM


LESSON TEXT-Neh. 3:1-7:4
GOLDEN TEXT-Our God will fight for
us.-Neh 4:20.
REFERENCE MATERIAL-Neh 2:9-2O:
l Cor. 3:9-17.
PRIMARY TOPLC-How God helped Ne
hemiah Build Wall.
JUNIOR TOPIC-How City Wall Was
Rebuilt
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
Praying. Watching. Working.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
Success Through Leadership and CO.
operation.
Having secured leave of absence
from the Persian court, and creden. |
tials from the king, Nehemiah jour
neyed to Jerusalem. After resting |
three days without disclosing his pur-
pose to any one, he made survey |
of the walls by night. Having thus OBJ
tained tirst-hnnd information he called
the representatives of the Jews to-
gether and said, Let us build the
! walls of Jerusalem" He then made
| known the hand of providence In
| bringing him to Jerusalem with the
authority to rebuild its walls. He thus
showed great wisdom in finding out
| for himself the real conditions and
what work would be required to re-
store the walls. The one who is quail
flied to lead In a great undertaking
is the one who has mastered the sltu-
alton and is thus able TO remove OBJ
jections and show how the work can
be done.
l.-Preparation for the Building
(ch. 81.
The division Of labor In this project
shows Nehemiah's administrative abil-
ity. A wise distribution of labor makes
difficult tasks easy. There was not only
evident wisdom in the division of labor,
but the record Of the family heads
entrusted with this important work
would mean much to their descendants
in future years. Men would do their
utmost If they knew that tiiclr
descendants could know In future
years that they had a part In the re
building of the temple, just as men
today do exploits In order that the
record may be left to their descendants.
Note some outstanding features of
this great work.
l. Stress Laid Upon Indifference
$50 In. administrative tasks 1t is
just that unfaithfulness should be
pointed out. Such action will be a
warning to some and an encourage.
ment to others by showing the In.
tegrity OF the director.
=. Help Rendered by the Women
(3:12). Perhaps Shallum had no sons
to aid him. 1t is n fine thing for
women to be able to take hold even
in building wall when there are 40
men to do 1t. Gods word carefully
notes such extraordinary acts.
8. Stress Laid Upon Earnestness of
Some (3 20). If one knows that his
faithfulness will be recognized he will
earnestly pursue his tasks.
4. Every one Built over Against
His Own House t3:1o, %, 2S). Mans
chief concern is for his family. No in.
centive TO exertion is quite so strong
as that which concerns his own fam
fly.
s. Certain Guilds of Men Undertook
Certain Work (ch. 3:S, 81, 32). Wise
administration sometimes calls for
such alignment of efforts. Men of the
, same class and craft will usually work
, better together
II. Hndrances Encountered a 4:16:
14).
l. Soothing of Sanballot and Tobiah
(4:1-6; cf. 2:19-20). The opposers Of
Gods servants usually begin by hurl.
ing at them shafts of ridicule. They
1 hut oil Il
asserted that the tread of II prowling
fox would break down their stone vail
=. Conspiracy Of a Sudden Attack
y (4:I-0) When the enemy saw that
the work was actually succeeding they
: changed from ridicule to an attempt
u to throw the workmen into a panic
: and thus hinder the work. When the
= enemy cannot succeed by soothing then
he resorts to intimidation.
y 3. Conspiracy With the Jews G.
1929. They sought by means of the
:, Jews from the outside to discourage
their brethren by showing that the
task was hopeless and that at an!
. time they We're subject to Il suddei
y and secret attack.
I, . 1. Greed and Oppression of tn,
i, Rulers (5:1-13). The Jews of tina
y day. like the proiitcers in the recen
- World war, took advantage of tn,
:. poor and oppressed them so that the.
- mortgaged their land and sold thei
daughters into slavery. Nehemial
= boldly rebuked them for their crime
:, and ordered n restoration to be made
exacting an oath of them that the
20 would fulfil their promises.
= 5. Scheme to Take Nehemtah's Lif
(8:1-14. When Sanballat and TobiaI
g, failed in every other way they sough
y, by craft to get Nehemiah away tina
they might kill him.
- III. The Wall Completed C 6:15-7 ~
% So energetically did they pursu
their tasks that In tifty-two days tn
. wall was completed. When the el
= enies heard that in spite of all thei
>. schemes the work was actually con
:, pleted, they We're cast down, for the
- perceived that the work was of Coo