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Song of Solomon 1:3, Various

Another Silly Love Song!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 20, 2023

In the movie “Michael,” John Travolta plays the Archangel. All the girls are drawn to him in the movie because of his smell. The girls all said he smelled like cookies and they all wanted to be close to him. This reminded me of the third verse of the first chapter of the Song of Solomon. His lover says, “Your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore, virgins love you.” I’ve never had aftershave or cologne that smelled like cookies, but I always tried to smell good around the girls. I don’t worry too much about that anymore, although my wife advises me at times when I should do something about my odor. Man, I hate getting old!

Many of the commentators will allegorize this book and make it the general description of God’s deep and sacrificial love for his bride the church. Yet, when reading this book, it’s really hard not to see it as a human love song. The subject of our music in my life has been dominated by the subject of love. My parent’s generation had the same focus and I’m thinking that it’s always been that way and always will be. The music group, “Wings” led by one of the Beatles sang, “You’d think that people would’ve had enough of silly love songs. I look around me, and I see it isn’t so. Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs.” I would venture to say that from the dawn of man the only adequate expression of human love has been poetry and often poetry that’s set to music.  Isn’t the song of Solomon an ancient love song? Another 70’s group, Three Dog Night sang an “Old Fashioned Love Song, “Just an old-fashioned love song playing on the radio, and wrapped around the music is the sound of someone promising they’ll never go. You swear you’ve heard it before…” Well, of course, we’ve heard it before, in every tongue in every generation. Yes, Hubbard is correct, “Lovers have always known that song was the only adequate expression for feelings so strong, delight so high, commitment so deep. Only poetry with its combination of excess and austerity, of release and discipline can capture the aspirations and frustrations of love.”[1]

After a discussion with my teenage grandson about all the questionable behavior in the Bible, disappointed that I couldn’t fully answer all his questions, I simply told him I don’t have all the answers about why there is evil in the world and why God called for war in the Old Testament, but I’ve been persuaded through the love of God demonstrated through Jesus Christ that He is real, He loves me, and He will care from me even through the confusion of this life. Yes, there is evil in the world, but there is more good than evil. That good is only appreciated in a positive view of God. I don’t have to know much. I just have to know that he loves me. I think that might be the subject of the Song of Solomon. I can’t help but notice how all the physical senses come into play in this song. I believe they are all part of God’s expression of his love for me. God filled the world with color and gave me eyes! God filled the world with sound and music and gave me ears. He filled the world with fragrances and gave me a nose. He filled the world with great things to eat and gave me the ability to enjoy it. He made us male and female and created an attraction that finds fulfillment in the pleasures of marriage. Isn’t that enough to prove that God loves us? No, wait. Even more than all that. When we ignored all those things and turned against God he so loved us that he moved with the greatest act of love possible. God so loved us, that He gave His only begotten Son so that anyone who would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. Believing in Jesus means understanding and accepting God’s wonderful love for each of us. Paul adds more to John’s declaration of God’s love and says, “While we were yet sinners, (ignoring the obvious expressions of God’s love” Christ died for us, thus demonstrating the greatest possible love. There is no greater love!

[1] Hubbard, David A., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1991. Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. Vol. 16. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

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Ecclesiastes 1:3-4, Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:8-9

By Grace Through Faith

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 19, 2023

Some questions in the bible assume an answer. Some assume a positive answer. “You really liked that present, didn’t you?” The answer expected is “yes I did.” You didn’t like that present, did you?” Expects, “No, I didn’t.” There are other questions that do not imply any kind of an answer. I think the question posed to the reader in the third verse of the first chapter of Ecclesiastes, is assuming a negative answer. It asks, “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” It could be answered in either way but the wording in the original language and the following discussion will tell us that the answer is “nothing.” There is nothing to be gained in the long run from all of man’s labor in this life. Verse 4 explains the answer, “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.”

The Hebrew word for “teacher” that shows up in Ecclesiastes is “Qoheleth.” The Greek translation of the Hebrew word is “Ecclesiastes” which is where we take the English name for the book. The ecclesia is the gathering or “collecting” of people. It’s the assembly. So, the teacher in Ecclesiastes is the guy who collects the people to teach them. The Hebrew Qoheleth is sometimes defined as “collector.” This is interesting because Solomon was a great collector. He collected great wealth of course. He collected a large number of horses. He collected wives and concubines (The pleasure of men). He collected servants and gardens and crops and he also collected wise sayings as we see in the book of Proverbs. Yes indeed. Solomon was a collector. He gathered the people together because he had something very important to teach them. In Ecclesiastes, he describes all his “collecting” as being exercises in futility. As Ryken says, “Qoheleth takes the whole sum of human existence and declares that it is utterly meaningless. Then he takes the next twelve chapters to prove his point in painful detail, after which he returns to the very same statement: “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 12:8). So the book begins and ends with the same idea: everything that man does is futile, it’s all just smoke and mirrors!

Surely there is profit in hard work! Yes, Solomon affirms that truth in Proverbs. He is not speaking of the things that will profit us in this life. He’s speaking in an eternal sense. The old Pulpit Commentary of 1909 observes, “If all things are vain and vanity, wherefore were they made? If they are God’s works, how are they vain? But it is not the works of God that he calls vain. God forbid! The heaven is not vain; the earth is not vain: God forbid! Nor the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor our own body. No; all these are very good.” After each day of creation in Genesis God pronounced the created order as being good. Solomon, the collector-teacher, is talking about the brevity of life and facing the vast beyond. Nothing we can do in this life will expand our life. As the songwriter crooned, “all your money won’t another minute buy.” Money, power, pleasure, possessions, or wisdom will win for you something beyond the pale. There is no fountain of youth in Florida. No medicine can keep us alive forever, there is nothing man can do for himself when the angel of death comes calling. Everything we do is useless. This is why Isaiah 64:6 tells us that all of Man’s righteous works are as filthy rags to God. Man can never earn or deserve God’s favor, but he can receive it by God’s grace through faith alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says it clearly, “it is by grace you are saved, it’s not of works, lest anymore should boast.”  This goes against our human nature. One of man’s basic desires is to be in control of his own destiny, and that includes his eternal destiny. Salvation by works appeals to man’s pride and his desire to be in control. Being saved by works appeals to that desire far more than the idea of being saved by faith alone.  “Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature, it forms the basis of almost every religion except for biblical Christianity. Proverbs 14:12 tells us that: ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.’ Salvation by works seems right to men, which is why it is the predominantly held viewpoint. That is exactly why biblical Christianity is so different from all other religions—it is the only religion that teaches salvation is a gift of God and not of works.”[1]

[1] Got Questions Ministries. 2002–2013. Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

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Proverbs 1:3-6, James 1:19

A Teachable Spirit

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 18, 2023

The book of Proverbs is a wealth of wisdom imparted from a father to his son. It’s not just any father, but it’s from the wisest man in the world, Solomon. It is sometimes suggested that it was written specifically to his son Rehoboam who would take the throne after him. Ralph Drollinger, who leads a bible ministry to our congressional leadership in Washington, D.C., says, “When one analyzes the Old Testament wisdom literature of the Book of Proverbs, which is mainly about a father preparing his son to serve in public office, you will discover that the book contains a total of 915 passages pertaining mostly to pithy sayings that are intended to prepare Rehoboam, the author’s son, to effectively serve as the future King.”[1] I find it interesting that a book 3000 years old is speaking to us about how to live today. The world’s economy used to be based on agriculture. During the industrial revolution, the economy shifted to an economy of production. The age of the machine took over as the basis of the economy. Now we’re in what is called the “information age.” Since the advent of the computer, knowledge has increased exponentially and there is now at your fingertips more information about absolutely everything in the world than has ever been available before. Although there is more information and more knowledge available at any time in history there seems to be an increasing lack of wisdom. “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?” asked the late British poet, T.S. Eliot.

No time in the history of man is the need for wisdom more acute than it is today. I especially appreciate Dollinger’s ministry with our leadership in Washington. If there was ever a place for the need for wisdom instead of just knowledge, it’s there. As Solomon attempted to prepare his son for such duties, he gave advice that should serve not only those in public office but everyone who needs to work with others. Of course, that’s all of us! Warren Wiersbe said it well, “What’s needed today is wisdom. The Book of Proverbs is about godly wisdom, how to get it and how to use it. It’s about priorities and principles, not get-rich-quick schemes, or success formulas. It tells you, not how to make a living, but how to be skillful in the lost art of making a life.”

With the increase of knowledge everywhere, we all think we know it all! This has crippled good relationships with others. Solomon wants his son who is to become King after him to always maintain a teachable spirit. He explains why he’s putting all this in writing for his son and says in Provers 1:3-6, “to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.” James writes, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” (1:19). The Greek word for hearing includes not simple sound recognition but also responding to what is heard by understanding and heeding, or obeying. The Hebrew word for it which is used here means the same thing: comprehend, give earnest heed, and obey.  What does it mean to be teachable? Merriam-Webster says, “teach is a general term for causing one to acquire knowledge or skill, usually with the imparting of necessary incidental information and the giving of incidental help and encouragement.” William Barclay comments on the above-quoted verse from James’ Epistle and says, “No one can ever find one English word to translate what is a one-word summary of the truly teachable spirit. The teachable spirit is docile and tractable, and therefore humble enough to learn. The teachable spirit is without resentment and without anger and is, therefore, able to face the truth, even when it hurts and condemns. The teachable spirit is not blinded by its own overmastering prejudices but is clear-eyed to the truth. The teachable spirit is not seduced by laziness but is so self-controlled that it can willingly and faithfully accept the discipline of learning.”[2]

[1] https://capmin.org/four-benefits-of-being-teachable/

[2] Barclay, William, ed. 1976. The Letters of James and Peter. The Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox Press.

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Psalm 5:3, Various

A Regular, Persistent Prayer Life

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 17, 2023

I’ve had serious disagreements with people regarding early morning devotions or late at-night devotions. Many have argued that they are not morning people so it’s not good for them to do their devotions or prayer time in the morning. I’ve always been a morning person. I expect that the Navy taught me that over my many years with them. I wasn’t always a morning person. The Navy made me adjust my life to become one. I didn’t like it, but I changed, and it has served me well for the rest of my life. As I write this now, it’s 6 am and I’ve been awake for about an hour enjoying my coffee and some quiet time. Even on shore duty in the Navy and while at Seminary I would be the first one to class or in the office most days and would have productive days. During my 30+ years in the pastorate, I always made sure I was the first one to church on Sundays. I would have early prayer meetings with the staff to start the worship day off by looking to the Lord. A nice side effect of getting up early in the morning is that I would be tired and ready for bed when it was time. I think I always slept better. In Psalm 5, verse 3, David shares his daily routine with us. He says, “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” He makes a similar claim later in Psalm 119:147 when he says, “I rise before dawn and cry for help.” It appears that this was Jesus’ habit as well. Mark 1:35 says, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

It’s always good to study the Bible and pray, no matter what time of day or night. Having regular personal devotional time is very important to maintaining a strong and growing connection with God. While it is certainly not “wrong” to have your devotions at night before going to bed, it has been a blessing to me to start with God in the morning. I need my coffee. But not as much as I need God. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread (food) alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” A web blogger asks some very interesting questions, “Why do you think Job said he treasured God’s Word more than his necessary food? Why do you think Jeremiah said he ate God’s Word when he found it? Why do you think David said God’s Word was more valuable to him than thousands of pieces of gold and silver?”[1]

Regardless of whether you seek God in the morning or the evening, one thing that is implied by this verse is that the Psalmist was persistent in his prayer life. Boice explains this well, he says persistence is “seen in the repeated phrase ‘in the morning; (v. 3). It carries the ideas of ‘as soon as it is morning’ and ‘every morning.’ It reminds us of the Lord’s teaching about the unjust judge who did not want to help a poor widow but who eventually gave her justice just to escape her constant petitions. Jesus concluded, ‘And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?’ (Luke 18:7). His point was that we are to persist in prayer even if, for reasons unknown to us, the answer of God is delayed. God will not refuse to act forever.”[2]

[1] https://kingdomnomics.com/2017/03/26/gods-word-food-for-the-soul/

[2] Boice, James Montgomery. 2005. Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

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Job 1:4

The Perfect Family

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 16, 2023

The writer of Job further describes Job’s family. He was surely blessed with many sons and daughters and there seem to be good relationships in the family. Job 1:4 says, “His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.” The commentators are at odds with understanding the significance of this verse. Some want to argue that the phrase refers to a feast every day at rotating homes. Rayburn says, “The meaning of this statement, according to Rowley, is that feasts were held seven days a week throughout the year, and each brother took his turn being the host. Such excessive feasting is pictured as part of the lavish display of Job’s wealth.”[1] If this is the case it serves to expand on the blessings of Job’s wealth that extended to his family. This would make the major loss of all his goods more severe to his readers. Others will argue it refers to the blessing of the happiness and friendliness of all his children and that they would enjoy each other’s company. Many of the translations say that the celebrations, or feasts, were celebrated on their birthdays. Today’s English Version says this as does the New English Bible. Each son took his turn on his birthday to host the feast for the whole family.

Job had been blessed with 7 sons and 3 daughters. This is an interesting ratio because it seemed to address the idea that this was fullness and complete satisfaction. When Hannah was lamenting her barrenness to her husband Elkanah before the birth of Samuel, he said to her in 1 Samuel 1:8, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?” It’s curious also that Job owned 7000 sheep and 3000 camels. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. I can’t help but think that this is about God’s blessing on Job. It’s not about the children themselves. Job had the perfect household. Once the preparations were made for their feasts, they would invite their sisters to join them. This has caused some to argue that something unsavory is being suggested. But as Rayburn observes, “The author intends to give the impression of family harmony amid lavish consumption and is not suggesting an incestuous orgy.” It has also been suggested that the excessive partying was some kind of gluttonous affair not unfamiliar to royalty in that culture. But Ash dispenses this idea, “This is not a picture of incessant partying, but regular natural family get-togethers.  Their three sisters are presumably unmarried, for there is no mention of their husbands. So, we are to think of Job as a man in the prime of life, perhaps in contemporary terms a man in his early forties, with three unmarried daughters perhaps between eighteen and their early twenties. We do not know if the seven sons are married or not. Whatever the details, it is a picture of family harmony and innocent festivity.”[2]

The mention of his children is not to focus on them so much as to demonstrate how truly blessed Job was by God. There was plenty in the homes of his children. They were prosperous and blessed with cordial relationships. They had no fear of the future and enjoyed their lives together. As any parent knows, this is a great blessing. His children were independent and lived in harmony with each other. Job had not had any family trials or hardships to mention. But that was about to end. This is all to set the stage for the tragic death of his children that will come later. Children are not supposed to die before their parents. As one blogger wrote, they are “supposed to enjoy long life on Earth. These young ones are supposed to live long and grow old to appreciate life. But why does God allow these innocent ones to die? When an innocent child dies, the people who love him or her, especially his or her parents, siblings, and grandparents, feel and experience the most painful thing in life. Even the people who are not close to the child will feel incredible sadness when they know about the death of such a child. This is because an innocent child does nothing wrong in this world that can hurt anyone. But he or she only brings pure love, joy, and laughter to anyone close to him or her.”[3] As Job is about to learn, faith in a holy, loving God can be tested at any moment of our lives.

[1] Reyburn, William David. 1992. A Handbook on the Book of Job. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

[2] Ash, Christopher. 2014. Job: The Wisdom of the Cross. Edited by R. Kent Hughes. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

[3] https://inspiringtips.com/why-does-god-allow-innocent-children-to-die/

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Judges 1:5-7

The Lord of Lightning!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 16, 2023

After Joshua’s death, Judah was called to lead the battle against the enemies that still occupied the land that God had given to Abraham and his descendants. Judah heeded the call. The Lord gave Judah victory over the Canaanites and the Perizzites. They joined forces with their brother Simeon, and God gave them victory. Judges 1:4-7 tells us, “Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek. They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him, and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. And Adoni-bezek said, ‘Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.’ And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.”

In his commentary, Guzik says, “Seeking the Lord, obeying His guidance, and working together as a body always produces great results. Their success was plain to see: the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek: This place where the conquered was called Bezek, and the leader of this city was Adoni-Bezek, which means ‘Lord of Lightning.’” Schley mentions this meaning also. He says, “It is possible that there was a deity, Bezek, whose name was related to the Hebrew word bāzāq, found once with the meaning of ‘lightning’ (Ezek 1:14).”[1] Guzik concludes, “This was an enemy with a fearful name, but Judah and Simeon defeated him none the less.”[2] The “Ruined Dragon” in Super Mario Odyssey, the video game, is also referred to as the “Lord of Lightning.” King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard sang a song entitled “The Lord of Lightning.” The first verse says, “Lord of Lightning shifts his gaze Points his strong finger our way, Electricity escapes, Leaves destruction in his wake.” Many pagan religions have various “storm” gods.[3] They control the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning and are often seen as the god of gods. Everything and everyone is subject to them. They do leave destruction in their wake. Adoni-Bezek considered himself the god of gods because he subjected all the surrounding kings, or lesser gods, to himself and would cut their thumbs off and let them live as his servants. Their way of living was made by eating the scraps from the King’s table. But notice his last recorded words, “As I have done, so God has repaid me.”

Psalm 135:5-7 tells us about the true “Lord of Lightning.” It says, “For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightning for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.” It is interesting that regardless of the God Adoni-Bezek was referring to, he recognized that all mankind, regardless of their position in the world, would one day be held accountable to a greater and omnipotent God. We live in a world where “what goes around comes around.” The defeat and humiliation Adoni-Bezek delivered to others were delivered to him. Indeed, the law of Lex-Talionis, whatever you give, you will get, proves to be real in this life. But thankfully, the very “Lord of Lightning,” who controls the wind and the waves, came to earth in the person of Jesus and paid the penalty for all who would receive him. He fulfilled the law for us!

[1] Schley, D. G. 1992. “Adoni-Bezek (Person).” In The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, edited by David Noel Freedman, 1:74. New York: Doubleday.

[2] Guzik, David. 2013. Judges. David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible. Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik.

[3] Weather god – Wikipedia

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Esther 1:5-9

The Perils of Alcohol

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 15, 2023

The writer appears to be an eyewitness to the massive party that the king threw for seven straight days after his first party. Some suggest that it could have been Mordecai who wrote this book, but there is discussion around that. Whoever wrote this, however, was well aware of all the details. Esther 1:5-9 tells us of the feasts that the king through and the queen threw her own feast that would most likely be similar in its extravagance. It says, “And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. And the drinking was according to this edict: ‘There is no compulsion.’ For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.”

It surely reminds me of the current lifestyle of the rich and famous of our days. The ornate decorations, the luxurious seating, and the elaborate drinking utensils are all described in some detail. I find it odd that the dishes that were served were not described as well. I guess Roop is right, “The account seems to focus less on food at these affairs and more on drink. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, protocol may have dictated that everyone drinks along with the king (Antiquities, 11.188). Here, however, the king puts no restraint on the consumption of alcohol.”[1] I suppose the freedom to drink as much (or as little) as one desire might be compared to an “Open Bar” today. You can have whatever you want and it’s all on the house! The focus on open drinking at this feast brings devastating results to both the queen and the king.

Not surprisingly this liberality of alcohol always does that. In College one of my favorite poets was A. E. Houseman. He wrote a poem about drinking that has never left me. In 19th Century England, malt was the most prevalent form of alcohol and he addresses it accordingly. He explains how it makes one think he knows all the answers but these answers are all wrong. He writes, “And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God’s ways to man. Ale, man, ale’s the stuff to drink For fellows whom it hurts to think: Look into the pewter pot To see the world as the world’s not.” Then he shares his personal experience with it, “Oh I have been to Ludlow fair And left my necktie God knows where, And carried halfway home, or near, Pints and quarts of Ludlow beer: Then the world seemed none so bad, And I myself a sterling lad; And down in lovely muck I’ve lain, Happy till I woke again. Then I saw the morning sky: Heigho, the tale was all a lie; The world, it was the old world yet, I was I, my things were wet, and nothing now remained to do. But begin the game anew.” The king is about to do something that he will regret for the rest of his life inspired by the alcohol in his system. I wonder if anyone in that culture gave him the same advice that Burrows gives in his commentary. “A certain king asked a philosopher how he was to behave himself, and the philosopher replied, ‘Remember always that you are a king.’ This the inebriate cannot do, for alcohol, though it may quicken the imagination, enfeebles both the will, the memory, and the judgment. The drunkard is a slave, and not a king, though he sits on a Persian throne. No drunkard can inherit the kingdom of heaven. The rich wines of earth spoil the taste so that the spirit cannot appreciate the richer wines of heaven.”[2]

[1] Roop, Eugene F. 2002. Ruth, Jonah, Esther. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.

[2] Burrows, W. 1892. Esther. The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic Commentary. New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

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Nehemiah 1:5-6, Various

WE have sinned!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 14, 2023

When Nehemiah learned of the situation in Jerusalem. He wept and then he prayed. He tells us, “And I said, ‘O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.” No great “name it and claim” it prayer for Nehemiah!  This begins Nehemiah’s prayer which goes on for 6 verses. It seems to be in three parts. The first part is the invocation, followed by the confession of sin, then pleads with God to remember His people Israel, and concludes with Nehemiah’s prayer for success in his endeavor to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. These two verses include the invocation and the confession of sin.

David’s prayers to God in the book of Psalms seem to be filled with invocations. David asks God to be present with him, especially during times of trial and when facing persecution. When David was in danger, he would invoke God’s presence in his prayers. In Psalm 54:2, he says, “Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.” In Psalm 55:1 he said, “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea.” When Jesus taught his disciples to pray in what we know as the Lord’s prayer, we see the same elements of invocation. Jesus teaches us to identify God as the omnipotent one capable of responding to all our needs. We pray, “Our Father in heaven.” We then ascribed glory to His name, “Hallowed be thy name.” One web commentator concludes his discussion on the invocation aspect of prayer by saying, “As Christians, we have access to the throne of God through faith in Christ (Ephesians 3:12). All our prayers of invocation should contain the elements of humility, praise, and reverence as we approach, in Jesus’ name, the One whose blessing we seek.”[1]

The next portion of Nehemiah’s prayer includes the confession of sin. As the Handbook for translators explains, “To confess sins is to openly acknowledge evil deeds that one has committed. Nehemiah admits the wrongs that the Israelites have committed against thee, that is, against God.” But confession has another element that shouldn’t be overlooked. It involves the acknowledgment of man’s sinfulness as a whole. Not only do we sin, but we are sinners. The Handbook goes on to say, “The Hebrew words used here do not refer to any single or specific kind of wrongdoing but rather to deeds that are in disobedience against God’s commandments.” The invocation identifies God as omnipotent and righteous. Then proceeds to contrast our moral standing with His. In his prayer, Nehemiah is careful not to cast the blame on anyone else, or the nation as a whole. He accepts responsibility himself. “Nehemiah shifts abruptly from speaking about the people of Israel in the third person to speaking in the first person plural. He includes himself as one of them by saying we have sinned. It includes the speaker and those with whom he identifies, but it excludes God to whom he is speaking in his prayer.” Nehemiah acknowledges that “I and my father’s house have sinned.”[2] It seems that in our political realm today, no one accepts the blame for any bad situation but blames the system, some foreign powers, the environment, or the preceding administration. This was not Nehemiah’s approach. He did not blame his fathers for the problems he faced. He identified with them and acknowledged his identity with the problem and humbly began his prayer for deliverance despite their national failure. “Leaders must not consider themselves superior to others; admission of fault will not ruin effectiveness.”[3]

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/invocation-prayer.html

[2] Noss, Philip A., and Kenneth J. Thomas. 2005. A Handbook on Ezra and Nehemiah. Edited by Paul Clarke, Schuyler Brown, Louis Dorn, and Donald Slager. United Bible Societies’ Handbooks. New York: United Bible Societies.

[3] Breneman, Mervin. 1993. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Electronic ed. Vol. 10. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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