SATURDAY February 18, 2017
A Sincere Inquiry
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushanthe citadel, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. - Nehemiah 1:1-2
In order to understand the book of Nehemiah, you must read the books of––Ezra, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. These books go hand in hand with Nehemiah’s book. They help us see the whole picture of what happened in God’s master plan. As we return back to the first chapter of the book of Nehemiah, we see that Nehemiah was in Shushan, the citadel–– the capital city of Persia.
The book starts in the month of Chislev––which corresponds with November and December, in the twentieth year, during 445 B.C. which is a very important date. Why? The date aligns itself with April 6, 32 A.D. in the book of Daniel. This period begins the four hundred and ninety years that God spoke about. Chronologically, everything has to do with the seventy week of Daniel; along with the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. Understand that Nehemiah is not just another book; it ties up everything in the Old Testament and the New Testament prophetically.
Hanani, enters the city, with other men of Judah. Itis believed that he was Nehemiah’s actual brother. Notice Nehemiah’s sincere inquiry, he wanted to hear about the city of Jerusalem and how his brethren were doing. He wanted to be informed about their welfare. Why? He cared about their lives.
As Christians we should not be so concerned about our own comforts but look to other people’s welfare. When was the last time you made a sincere inquiry about another person to see how they were doing?
Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
~1 Corinthians 10:24~
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