Nehemiah's Wall

Nehemiah was a great leader of Israel. Like many of the Old Testament leaders, he was not, to my knowledge, a priest or ordained minister. He was a guy who cared about his country, his countrymen, his religion, and his God. And he asked the king's permission to go home and help rebuild it. Which he did. As I recall, the brave Jews held a sword in one hand and a trowel in another (or something like that).

The Jewish faith had a geographic centre -- Jerusalem. I was reading Daniel last night, and noted how he would face Jerusalem each day and pray to God. How he must have longed for home; how he must have sensed the alienation of living in an alien land!

Christians have no geographical centre. We don't look to Jerusalem, or Rome, or Tulsa, or Toronto. We look to Jesus. And the home we long for is heaven, because we are its citizens and Jesus is its King, and our King, whom we long for.

The wall of the Anglican Church in Canada has broken down. Wolves dressed in sheep's clothing have entered the flock and taken over its governance. And the people have been largely complacent and compliant. The battering ram started in the 50's, and accelerated in the 60's, and it was aimed at Scripture. As soon as a church loses its grasp on the supernatural origins of Scripture, and the unique power it possesses, it is on its way out.

The question is, does God have Nehemiahs in the wings, waiting for the call to Rebuild the Walls. Let us pray to God that the answer is "yes!".

Meanwhile, over in Israel, archeologists believe they have uncovered Nehemiah's wall, yet another indicator of the essential trustworthiness of the historical accounts contained within the pages of Scripture.

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Israeli Says Elusive Biblical Wall Found

Nov 30 12:11 AM US/Eastern
By REGAN E. DOHERTY
Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM (AP) - A wall mentioned in the Bible's Book of Nehemiah and long sought by archaeologists apparently has been found, an Israeli archaeologist says.

A team of archaeologists discovered the wall in Jerusalem's ancient City of David during a rescue attempt on a tower that was in danger of collapse....

The findings suggest that the structure was actually part of the same city wall the Bible says Nehemiah rebuilt....

"We were amazed," she [Mazar] said, noting that the discovery was made at a time when many scholars argued that the wall did not exist.

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Indeed. I wouldn't bet against the Bible.