"Learning...Standing..."

October 21, 2010

“Learning...Standing…”

Blessings Saints!

We have been examining the prayer of Daniel found in Daniel 9.

We are seeing how we are to pray, especially for a people and nation that have sinned, been wicked, committed iniquity and turned their back on the commandments of God.

Just as we have.

There is another prayer/praise/proclamation that reveals much, Nehemiah 9.

First, some context is needed.

The people had been led by Nehemiah and Ezra (the scribe) to rebuild Jerusalem.

In Nehemiah 8 Ezra read the law to the people.

The people realized that they needed to give heed to the Word.

Nehemiah 8

13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers' households of all the people, the priests and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law.
 14 They found written in the law how the LORD had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month.

The Feast of Booths.

They celebrated for the first time in many years.

Nehemiah 8 

17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day and there was great rejoicing.
 18 He read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.

A few days after the Feast of Booths….

Daniel 9

 1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them.
 2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
 3 While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.
 4 Now on the Levites' platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to the LORD their God.

Give attention to what the people did.
May we do likewise, especially now.

They assembled together.
They humbly gathered - sackcloth and ashes - not in pride nor arrogance.
They separated themselves from the world.
They stood and confessed their sins.
They confessed the iniquities of their fathers.
They stood and read from the Book of the Law for 1/4 of a day (3 hours? 6 hours?)
They stood and confessed and worshipped the Lord for 1/4 of a day.
The Levitical leadership cried with a loud voice to the Lord God.

What might the Lord do if we were to humbly do the same?
What might the Lord do if His leadership were to humbly cry out to Him?
His people?

Let’s do so as we approach election day.

Blessings!

I’ve completed posting videos of lesson 1 of our most recent Bible study, “Passing the Mantle”.
The can be viewed here - http://alabamaprecept.blip.tv
or here - http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists?p=58DA590A113CBDB1

Adding a video a day on average...check ‘em out.