And I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house.”    Nehemiah 7:1-3 NKJV

The Israelites had a long history of disobedience. God sent prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah to warn them to repent and turn from their idolatry and their evil ways. These prophets warned them that they would be taken into captivity if they failed to do so. They did not heed the warning of the prophets, however, and were taken captive by the Babylonians. The Babylonians were a pagan bunch, but we see that those Israelites who remained faithful to the Lord did well there.

God brought the Israelites back to Jerusalem in three phases. The last of these three was when Nehemiah returned to build the wall. There is a lot to be learned from the book of Nehemiah. In the first 6 chapters we see that though Nehemiah faced a great deal of opposition, He trusted in the Lord and was able to accomplish what the Lord called Him to do.

In chapter 7, the wall is finished. The gates and doors are hung, and the wall is secure. They have this wall in place to protect them from evil forces or those that oppose them. Nehemiah stations guards around the entrances and watchmen on the wall so that they will know if an enemy is approaching.

As Christians we should do the same. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8 that we must be sober and alert. We must be watchful for the devil roams around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. The enemy is all around us and we must be vigilant.

But first we must come out of Babylon. Our Christian lives are a lot like the lives of these Israelites. We can go through a time of disobedience. We can choose to stay in our own little Babylon and rebel against God. Or we can choose to return to God and be obedient to Him. We can choose to come out of Babylon and live a life of obedience to our heavenly Father.

The Israelites had to do several things when they came out of Babylon. First, they had to separate themselves. This was the purpose of the wall. The wall was designed to keep the enemy out. We may have to separate ourselves from people in our lives that are a bad influence.

Secondly, they had to study God’s word. In Ezra chapter 8, once they were secure, they began to study God’s word in order to have a deeper meaning. When we just read or gloss over Scripture it’s not the same as studying our Bibles to get a deeper meaning and understanding of God’s Holy Word.

When they truly understood God’s Word and His commands to them, they were sorry for their sins, and they repented. They asked God for forgiveness and began to walk with Him in faith.

Then they made a commitment to follow God. They knew that God had been faithful to keep His promises to them even when they were unfaithful. They made an oath in Nehemiah chapter 10 to obey His word and keep his commands.

Where are you today? Are you still being held captive in your own personal Babylon? Have you returned to God but not separated yourself from your sin?

Or perhaps you have found yourself in the security of His shelter but are failing to keep watch. Are you allowing false teaching to creep in?

Do you read God’s word to fulfill some obligation, but fail to study it? And if you understand it, have you committed to obey it?

Wherever you are in this journey, know God’s got you. He will help you every step of the way. All you have to do is ask and trust in Him.

Have a great day!