the ruminations of aaron eberline

What is happening in Nehemiah 11 and 12? You are faced with many names again which may make you want to tune out the details of the text. What is happening in the story of Israel? “And they offered great sacrifices that and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with a great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.” Nehemiah 12:43 ESV Why are details given about the priests and Levites? Why was there such joy in Jerusalem? Why list the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel? Read more

Is compassion towards other people who are going through difficult life moments easy to extend? When you have built up a reserve of wealth are you willing to give it up to help other people? In Nehemiah 5 and 6 the people who were less fortunate upon returning to Jerusalem were being taken advantage of by those who had greater amounts of money and status. Why do people prey upon the downtrodden, troubled and despairing people so that they can make money? What is to be done? Where will we look to find hope. Read more

Is God someone who we can depend upon and trust to fulfill His promises? How often do you keep your promises? Does trust come naturally to people or do naturally lack the faith in people? How is trust and faith developed? The people of Israel fell into depravity over the years as men followed their own hearts instead of setting it towards God to find courage to act as He would want. God stripped away everything that the people in Israel held dear. The people of Israel may have thought that the story ended there alone and helpless but God was true to his promise. Read more