Week 29: Overcoming Our Common Enemy | Day 1

Tasks for this week:

  1. Watch all three parts of Overcoming Our Common Enemy
  2. Complete daily Bible reading
  3. Memorize Nehemiah 6:9 and Nehemiah 9:6

Week 29: Day 1

This week’s sermon, Overcoming Our Common Enemy, with Adam Dooley, focuses on Nehemiah 6:1-19.  We have divided this sermon into three parts for you to watch throughout this week (Days 1, 3, and 5). Please watch the first part today.

Today’s F260 Bible reading: Nehemiah 7-8

7:1 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had positioned the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2I then put in charge over Jerusalem my brother Hanani and Hananiah the chief of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many do. 3I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened in the early morning, until those who are standing guard close the doors and lock them. Position residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their guard stations and some near their homes.” 4Now the city was spread out and large, and there were not a lot of people in it. At that time houses had not been rebuilt. 5My God placed it on my heart to gather the leaders, the officials, and the ordinary people so they could be enrolled on the basis of genealogy. I found the genealogical records of those who had formerly returned. Here is what I found written in that record: 6These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city. 7They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.The number of Israelite men was as follows: 8the descendants of Parosh: 2,172; 9the descendants of Shephatiah: 372; 10the descendants of Arah: 652; 11the descendants of Pahath Moab (from the line of Jeshua and Joab): 2,818; 12the descendants of Elam: 1,254; 13the descendants of Zattu: 845; 14the descendants of Zaccai: 760; 15the descendants of Binnui: 648; 16the descendants of Bebai: 628; 17the descendants of Azgad: 2,322; 18the descendants of Adonikam: 667; 19the descendants of Bigvai: 2,067; 20the descendants of Adin: 655; 21the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah): 98; 22the descendants of Hashum: 328; 23the descendants of Bezai: 324; 24the descendants of Harif: 112; 25the descendants of Gibeon: 95; 26The men of Bethlehem and Netophah: 188; 27the men of Anathoth: 128; 28the men of the family of Azmaveth: 42; 29the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth: 743; 30the men of Ramah and Geba: 621; 31the men of Micmash: 122; 32the men of Bethel and Ai: 123; 33the men of the other Nebo: 52; 34the descendants of the other Elam: 1,254; 35the descendants of Harim: 320; 36the descendants of Jericho: 345; 37the descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 721; 38the descendants of Senaah: 3,930; 39The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua): 973; 40the descendants of Immer: 1,052; 41the descendants of Pashhur: 1,247; 42the descendants of Harim: 1,017. 43The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodaviah): 74. 44The singers: the descendants of Asaph: 148. 45The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai: 138. 46The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth, 47the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon, 48the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Shalmai, 49the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar, 50the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, 51the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzzah, the descendants of Paseah, 52the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephussim, 53the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur, 54the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha, 55the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah, 56the descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha. 57The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida, 58the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel, 59the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pokereth Hazzebaim, and the descendants of Amon. 60All the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon, 392. 61These are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer (although they were unable to certify their family connection or their ancestry, as to whether they were really from Israel): 62the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 642. 63And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a woman from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name). 64They searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but none were found. They were therefore excluded from the priesthood. 65The governor instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim. 66The entire group numbered 42,360— 67not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 male and female singers. 68They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 69(7:68) 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. 70Some of the family leaders contributed to the work. The governor contributed to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. 71Some of the family leaders gave to the project treasury 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. 72What the rest of the people gave amounted to 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. 73The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all the rest of Israel lived in their cities.When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites were settled in their towns, 8:1 all the people gathered together in the plaza which was in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly which included men and women and all those able to understand what they heard. (This happened on the first day of the seventh month.) 3So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon before the men and women and those children who could understand. All the people were eager to hear the book of the law. 4Ezra the scribe stood on a towering wooden platform constructed for this purpose. Standing near him on his right were Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Masseiah. On his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5Ezra opened the book in plain view of all the people, for he was elevated above all the people. When he opened the book, all the people stood up. 6Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people replied “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—all of whom were Levites—were teaching the people the law, as the people remained standing. 8They read from the book of God’s law, explaining it and imparting insight. Thus the people gained understanding from what was read. 9Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priestly scribe, and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law. 10He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11Then the Levites quieted all the people saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not grieve.” 12So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food with others and to enjoy tremendous joy, for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them. 13On the second day of the month the family leaders met with Ezra the scribe, together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the words of the law. 14They discovered written in the law that the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month, 15and that they should make a proclamation and disseminate this message in all their cities and in Jerusalem: “Go to the hill country and bring back olive branches and branches of wild olive trees, myrtle trees, date palms, and other leafy trees to construct temporary shelters, as it is written.” 16So the people went out and brought these things back and constructed temporary shelters for themselves, each on his roof and in his courtyard and in the courtyards of the temple of God and in the plaza of the Water Gate and the plaza of the Ephraim Gate. 17So all the assembly which had returned from the exile constructed temporary shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. Everyone experienced very great joy. 18Ezra read in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last. They observed the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly as was required. (NET Bible)

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),
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Used by permission. www.Lockman.org