Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-08-31

DESSON TEXT-Neh. a:l-7:4.
GOLDEN TExT-our God will fight for
us--Neh. 4:20.
REFERENCE dATERIAL,-Neh. 1890;
Cor. S:9-17.
PRIMARY ToPIC-How God helped Ne-
hemiah Build q 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
tanned first-hand 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 it's 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 stu
alton and Is thus able to remove OBJ
jections and show how the work can
be done.
n.-Preparation for the Building
(ch. -.
The division of labor in this project
shows Nehemiah's administrative abil-
ity. A wise distribution of labor makes
difficult tasks easy.
Note some outstanding features of
this great work.
/. Stress Laid Upon Indifference
(3:5) In. administrative tasks 1t Is
just that unfaithfulness should be
pointed out. Such action viii be
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 fine thing for
women to be able to take hold even
in building wall when there are no
men to do it. Gods word carefully
notes such extraordinary acts.
3. Stress Laid Upon Earnestness of
Some g :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 q 10, %, 49, Mans
chief concern Is for his family. No in
centive to exertion is quite so strong
as that which concerns his own fam
lily.
5. Certain Guilds of Men Undertook
Certain Work (ch. 8 IS, 81, 32). Wise
administration sometimes calls for
such alignment of efforts. Men of the
same class and craft will usually work
better together.
u. Hindrances Encountered (4:1-6:
~.
1. Scofiing of Sanballot and Tobiah
(4:1-6; ct. 2:19-20). The opposers Of
Gods servants usually begin by hurl-
ing at them shafts of ridicule. They
called the Jews but feeble folk and
asserted that the tread Of proving
fox would break down their stone wall.
2. Conspiracy Of Sudden Attack
(4:7-9). When the enemy saw that
the work was actually succeeding they
changed from ridicule to an attempt
to throw the workmen into a panic
and thus hinder the work. When the
enemy cannot succeed by scoffing then
he resorts to intimidation.
3. Conspiracy With the Jews a.:
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 any
time they were subject to sudden
and secret attack.
A. Greed and Oppression of the
Rulers Glib. The Jews of that
day, like the profiteers Iii the recent
World war, took advantage Of the
poor and oppressed them so that they
mortgaged their land and sold their
daughters into slavery Nehemiah
boldly rebuked them for their crimes
and ordered restoration to he made
exacting an oath of them that they
would fulfil their promises.
8. Scheme to Take Nehemiah's Life
(6:1-14). When Sanballat and Tobiah
failed in every other way they sought
by craft to get Nehemiah away that
they might kill him.
III. The Wall Completed (6:15-7 AZ.
SO energetically did they pursue
their tasks that in ffty-two days the
wall was completed. When the en-
emies heard that in spite of all their
schemes the work was actually com
pleted, they were cast down, for they
perceived that the WORK was of God.