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CHAPTER 13 (ESV)

23 In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. 25 And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 27 Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

28 And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him from me. 29 Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

30 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits.

Remember me, O my God, for good.

REFLECTION:

Nehemiah re-emphasized the importance of a holy life. Therefore, he reaffirmed the Law of Moses and cleansed the sins and filth—especially those in the temple. The record by Nehemiah on the capture and return of the Israelites has great implication to our life today: we are also continuously captured by the world and need to return to God. However, knowledge in our head will only stop at a change to our mind. James Chapter 2 says, faith without works is dead. Reflect how you should lead a holy life and live out your faith in the sinful world today.

PRAYER:

Ask the Heavenly Father to teach you, consecrate you, and help you to be humble before Him. Guard your heart and your mind so that it will not to be captured by this world. Ask the Heavenly Father to increase your faith daily so that you will lead a holy life and live out your faith glorifying God.

HYMN:

Build My Life – www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZW4_8_zCBE