What Can I Do With Fear?
Nehemiah 7
7 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani,along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. 3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:
6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 7 in company with Zerubbabel,Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):
The list of the men of Israel:
8 the descendants of Parosh 2,172
9 of Shephatiah 372
10 of Arah 652
11 of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,818
12 of Elam 1,254
13 of Zattu 845
14 of Zakka i760
15 of Binnui 648
16 of Bebai 628
17 of Azgad 2,322
18 of Adonikam 667
19 of Bigvai 2,067
20 of Adin 655
21 of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98
22 of Hashum 328
23 of Bezai 324
24 of Hariph1 12
25 of Gibeon 95
26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188
27 of Anathoth 128
28 of Beth Azmaveth 42
29 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743
30 of Ramah and Geba 621
31 of Mikmash122
32 of Bethel and Ai1 23
33 of the other Nebo 52
34 of the other Elam 1,254
35 of Harim 320
36 of Jericho 345
37 of Lod, Hadid and Ono 721
38 of Senaah 3,930
39 The priests:
the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua )973
40 of Immer 1,052
41 of Pashhur 1,247
42 of Harim 1,017
43 The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 74
44 The musicians:
the descendants of Asaph 148
45 The gatekeepers:
the descendants ofShallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138
46 The temple servants:
the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
47 Keros, Sia, Padon,
48 Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
49 Hanan, Giddel, Gahar
50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda
51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
52 Besai, Meunim, Nephusim,
53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
56 Neziah and Hatipha
57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants ofSotai, Sophereth, Perida,
58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,
59 Shephatiah, Hattil,Pokereth Hazzebaim and Amon
60 The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392
61 The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:
62 the descendants ofDelaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642
63 And from among the priests:
the descendants ofHobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).
64 These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.
66 The whole company numbered 42,360, 67 besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers. 68 There were 736 horses, 245 mules,69 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.
73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.
This Sunday service can be viewed on our Facebook page @ Sunday, February 5, 2023
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Psalm 34:11 (NIV)
What if I told you that “fear” is one of the main themes of my life? Seriously, almost every day I have to battle with some fear that comes sweeping in trying to knock me off my feet! Let’s all be honest and admit that we have some very real things that we are afraid of. Take a look at this list below. Which of these describe some of fears you have?
Our Common Fears:
… Fear of failure
… Fear of rejection
… Fear of failing health
... Fear of losing a loved one or abandonment
… Fear of making the wrong decision
… Fear of other people’s opinions
… Fear of responsibility and success
… Fear of saying the wrong thing
… Fear of missing out (FOMO)
… Fear of the future
… Fear of knowing yourself
… Fear of other people knowing the real you
The experts of human development say that most people do not want to face their fears so they do everything possible to mask them, hide from them, or simply try to put them out of their mind. But they never can just go away. They have to be replaced with something else. Franklin D. Roosevelt observed that, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
One of the wisest men who ever lived understood that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Without the fear of the Lord, we make final decisions based on our faulty human understanding. We find Nehemiah in chapter 7 looking for those who “fear God more than most”. What is it about this kind of fear that overwhelms all the other ones and gives us greater clarity, purpose, and courage for this life? That is what we will be studying together this Sunday!
Grateful to journey together with you,
Pastor John