THE WONDER OF GOD

‘Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. He was governor of Persian Judea under Artaxerxes I of Persia (465–424 BC).’ (Wikipedia)

Nehemiah has long been a leader I like because of his skills, wisdom and desire to please God. He was a builder. He wrote in Nehemiah 9:

“May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise! “You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.” (9:5-6)

This kind of language is normal for Biblical writers. The Psalms, Proverbs and wisdom literature all often give this grand and specific definition of the Lord. The glorious Lord, the maker of all things. But the wonder of God ‘out there’ is only reconciled with wonder of God ‘in here.’ To only see God in an exterior wonder and not have that wonder within our hearts and minds is a greatly reduced experience. Then again, sometimes it is the exterior wonder that produces the interior. Nature to God… God to nature.

But what I find encouraging in this chapter is three verses up from the one quoted. “They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God” (9:3). They dealt with the interior before proceeding to the exterior devotion to the Lord. (You thought your church service was long…)

“God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Jesus