Through the Bible - Nehemiah 1-3, Acts 2:14-41
Good morning,
The other day I read one of my favorite verses from Ezekiel 22:
Ezek 22:30 "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. NIV
For those of you who are following the read through the Bible plan above, it is a fitting verse for that book. In the book of Nehemiah God, through the prophet Nehemiah is shown to be the "rebuilder of broken walls and lives."
A man like Nehemiah is one of the true vine considered in John 15. Abiding and trusting in God in all circumstances, standing in the gap for others, strengthening and encouraging them.
For today's verse we'll go back to the book of Deuteronomy where God describes the qualities and what it would take for those who would abide and stand in the gap through the ages.
Deut 10:12 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. 13 And you must always obey the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. NLT
The following verses describe what standing in the gap looks like.
Deut 10:18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19 So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone. 21 He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. NLT
These qualities come from, spring out of a "circumcised heart" v.16. John MacArthur writes, "Moses called the Israelites to cut away all the sin in their hearts, as the circumcision surgery cut away the skin. This would leave them with a clean relationship to God."
The following verses describe what standing in the gap looks like.
Deut 10:18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19 So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone. 21 He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. NLT
These qualities come from, spring out of a "circumcised heart" v.16. John MacArthur writes, "Moses called the Israelites to cut away all the sin in their hearts, as the circumcision surgery cut away the skin. This would leave them with a clean relationship to God."
Think about it, God is talking about spiritual heart surgery, cutting away the things that block the way of His life to flow through us, our sins. It's very much like the image of the vinedresser pruning the vine.
Are you a bystander or a gapstander? May you, may I pray that God would circumcize our hearts to serve Him with clean hearts that we may stand in the gap.
In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Deut 10:12-11:1
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Deut 10:12-11:1
A Call to Love and Obedience
12 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. 13 And you must always obey the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.
14 "Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. 15 Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. 16 Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.
17 "For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19 So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone. 21 He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. 22 When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky! NLT
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