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When Israel was taken into captivity for seventy years, God still had a dispensational move because of Nehemiah, who was a true overcomer; he is a pattern of someone who has dispensational value to God — Neh. 1:1-11; 2:9-20; 4:4-5, 9; 5:10, 14-19; 8:1-10; 13:14, 29-31:
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The crucial point in the book of Nehemiah is that the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem with its wall was both a continual recovery among His elect for His testimony as the accomplishment of God’s economy and a safeguard and protection for the house of God within the city:
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This signifies that the house of God as His dwelling and home on the earth needs His kingdom to be established as a realm to safeguard His interest on the earth for His administration to carry out His economy — cf. Rom. 14:17.
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The rebuilding of the house of God typifies God’s recovery of the degraded church, and the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem typifies God’s recovery of His kingdom; the building of God’s house and kingdom go together — Matt. 16:18-19.
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When we realize and enjoy Christ as our life, we have the church as the house of God; if we go further and realize His headship, the house will be enlarged to be the city, the kingdom of God — Eph. 1:10, 22-23; 4:15; Rev. 22:1.
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Nehemiah shows the need for us to have the proper aggressiveness in the Lord’s recovery today:
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The leaders of the Moabites and Ammonites were greatly displeased about Nehemiah’s seeking the good of the children of Israel; these descendants of the impure increase of Lot hated and despised the children of Israel — Neh. 2:10, 19; cf. Ezek. 25:3, 8.
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In relation to the mocking, despising, and reproach of these opposers, Nehemiah was very pure and aggressive, not cowardly — Neh. 1:4; 2:3-8, 17-20; 4:3-5, 8-9, 14, 17-23; 5:14; 13:23-31; cf. Acts 4:29-31; 1 Thes. 2:2; 2 Tim. 1:7-8.
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The aggressive ones receive help from God; like Nehemiah, the apostle Paul was allied with God and realized God’s assistance in this alliance — Acts 26:21-22.
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Nehemiah’s aggressiveness, as a virtue in his human conduct, shows that our natural capacity, ability, and virtues must pass through the cross of Christ and be brought into resurrection, into the Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God, to be useful to God in the accomplishing of His economy.
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 16:18-19 …Upon this rock I will build My church…. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens.Rom. 14:17 For the kingdom of God is... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The book of Ezra is a history of the return of Israel’s captivity and the rebuilding of the house of God as the initiation of God’s recovery among His elect for His testimony on the earth according to His economy. The book of Nehemiah is a history of the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem as a continual recovery among His elect for His testimony for the accomplishment of His economy.
The crucial point of the book of Nehemiah is that the city of Jerusalem was a safeguard and protection for the house of God, which was in the city. This signifies that the house of God as His dwelling and home on the earth needs His kingdom to be established as a realm to safeguard His interest on the earth for His administration, to carry out His economy. The rebuilding of the house of God typifies God’s recovery of the degraded church, and the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem typifies God’s recovery of His kingdom. God’s building of His house and His building of His kingdom go together (Matt 16:18-19). (Life-study of Nehemiah, pp. 1-2)
Today’s Reading
The leaders of the Moabites and Ammonites were greatly displeased about Nehemiah’s seeking the good of the children of Israel (Neh. 2:10). Nehemiah 2:17-20 is a word concerning the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. The leaders of the Moabites and Ammonites mocked and despised the children of Israel and asked whether they would rebel against the king by doing this (v. 19). Nehemiah answered them by saying, “The God of heaven Himself will make us prosper; therefore we His servants will rise up and build. But you have no portion nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem” (v. 20). This answer indicates that Nehemiah was very aggressive. He surely was not cowardly. Anyone who is cowardly cannot be a servant of God.The enemies became angry and greatly enraged, and again they mocked the Jews and despised their building (4:1-3). Nehemiah trusted in God by praying that God would return their reproach to themselves. Thus the Jews built the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for they had a heart to work (vv. 4-6). Today, no matter how much we may be mocked and despised, we should have a heart to build and should be aggressive.
On the one hand, the children of Israel were prepared to fight; on the other hand, they trusted in God that He would fight for them. In this matter also they were aggressive. Those who are cowardly might say that, since God will fight for us, there is no need for us to do anything. But in a very real sense, God will help those who help themselves. If you do not help yourself, God will not help you. According to history, God does not help the cowardly. It is the aggressive ones who have received help from God.
In the typology in the Old Testament... many persons were temporarily used by God according to their natural capacity and natural virtues to signify something spiritual. An example of this is Nehemiah and his aggressiveness, which was a virtue in his human conduct…. In the New Testament, all the natural virtues and capacities should be brought to the cross. They need to be put to the cross and crossed out.
According to the real significance of the cross of Christ, the cross does not mean merely that something is put to an end but that the natural things are crossed out in order to be brought into resurrection. (Life-study of Nehemiah, pp. 3-5, 12-13)
Further Reading: Life-study of Nehemiah, msgs. 1-2