The Word & Our Walk

Psalm 139:13–24 Summary Psalm 139:13–24 moves from intimate wonder to searching surrender. David begins by confessing that God’s care reaches back before birth itself: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth (vv. 13-15). Go

What I Believe and Sense God is Doing in Our Midst (Why Riverside Community Church, a House of Prayer for All Nations, is special to me.) One thing has become increasingly clear to me in these past eight months since returning to Riverside: the church Jesus is building is unmistakably missions-minded. The Great Commission is not an optional assignment for the select few. It is the heartbeat of Christ for His people. Our risen Lord has commanded us, “Go therefore and make disc

Psalm 139:1–12 Summary Psalm 139 opens with David’s confession that the Lord’s knowledge is complete and intimate: O LORD, you have searched me and known me (v.1). God knows David's situation and discerns his thoughts. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways (vv. 3-4). God is acquainted with all David’s ways and even knows the words that have not yet reached hi

Psalm 138 Summary Psalm 138 is a psalm of David in which he gives wholehearted thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love and faithful care. The psalm moves from thanksgiving (vv.1–3), to prophetic hope for worldwide recognition of God (vv.4–6), to personal trust in God’s unfailing commitment (vv.7–8). It is deeply personal yet globally expansive, rooted in God’s covenant character and His active involvement in His servant’s life. I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart

Psalm 137 Summary “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.” Psalm 137 opens with the raw grief of exiles carried to Babylon after Jerusalem’s fall. They hang their harps on the willows because songs of Zion cannot be sung in a foreign land (vv. 1–2). Their captors taunt them: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (v. 3). But the psalmist refuses to treat holy worship as entertainment. Instead, he makes a vow: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

Nehemiah 13:15–31 “Rebuilt Walls, But Not Rebuilt Hearts” Introduction On the surface, Ezra–Nehemiah is a triumphant story. Some even read it to learn about "leadership." I suppose I can see that. The Temple was rebuilt under Zerubbabel. The Torah was restored and taught under Ezra. The Wall was repaired and secured under Nehemiah. Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah all faced opposition from both within and without. Three leaders, three major reforms, three crucial structures res

Nehemiah 13:1-14 (No Audio Today) Summary Nehemiah 13:1–14 records the renewed clarity as the people hear the public reading of Scripture. 1 On that day, they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. The text ci

Nehemiah 12:27-47 Summary Nehemiah 12:27–47 records the joyful dedication of Jerusalem’s wall, a moment overflowing with worship and gratitude. The Levites are summoned “from all their places to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres” (v. 27). Before the celebration begins, Scripture tells us that “the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and th

True Faith, True Repentance (Based on Nehemiah 9) “Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.”— Nehemiah 9:1–2 Nehemiah 9 is one of the most profound portraits of repentance in all of Scripture. Just two days after the joy-filled Feast of Booths, th

Nehemiah 12:1–26 Summary Nehemiah 12:1–26 records the names of priests and Levites who returned from exile with Zerubbabel (vv. 1–9), those who served in the days of Joiakim (vv. 10–21), the Levitical heads of households (vv. 22–23), and the temple servants who cared for worship in the rebuilt Jerusalem (vv. 24–26). At first glance, these genealogical lists appear to be administrative details, but they are much more than that. First, this chapter stands as a testimony that Go

Nehemiah 11:1-36 Summary Nehemiah 11 lists many names. However, it is a lot more than just a list of names. It is a picture of God rebuilding His people not only with stones and walls, but also with actual living people, their families, and their callings. Jerusalem’s wall was complete, but the city itself remained sparsely populated (7:4). For the temple to function, for worship to flourish, and for Israel’s identity to be restored, people needed to live inside the holy city

Nehemiah 10:1-39 Summary Nehemiah 10 records the people’s response to the reading of Scripture (Nehemiah 8) and their sweeping confession of sin (Nehemiah 9). These chapters show a deeply biblical order. The Word convicts, the heart repents, and the will responds in obedience. Now the people express repentance not merely with emotion but with a written covenant, sealed by representatives of the whole community. It is the longest covenant-signature list in the Old Testament. T

Nehemiah 9:23-38 Summary Nehemiah 9:23–38 records the final movement of Israel’s great corporate confession. After recounting God's mighty acts from creation to Sinai and through their wilderness rebellion, the Levites now trace God’s faithfulness into the period of the conquest, the judges, the monarchy, and the exile. The story continues in the same pattern of grace and human failure. God gives, but the people refuse; God sends deliverers, but the people return to sin; God

Awakened and Rebuilt by the Word Nehemiah 8:1-18 Introduction John Knox (1514-1572) is known as the principal architect of the Church of Scotland. He lived in Geneva, Switzerland, where he ministered among the English-speaking refugee congregation and worked closely with John Calvin. He considered Geneva “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was on earth since the days of the Apostles.” In 1559, John Knox returned to Scotland. When John Knox returned, the nation was sp

Nehemiah 9:1–22 Summary Nehemiah 9:1–22 records one of the most remarkable scenes of corporate confession in Scripture. Two days after celebrating the Feast of Booths, the people gather again. This time, they were clothed in sackcloth, with dust on their heads. They had separated from foreigners, fasting, and standing for hours as the Book of the Law is read aloud. It's important to note that their worship is not based on emotion but on understanding the Word. Their worship w

Nehemiah 8:1-18 (No Audio Today) Summary Nehemiah 8 marks the moment when the rebuilt city also becomes the renewed community of God. The wall is now complete, but the heart of the people still needs restoring. God stirred up His Covenant Community through the reading of the Word. Remarkable! And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. (v.

Nehemiah 7:5-73 Summary Nehemiah 7:5–73 marks a decisive shift in the restoration story. The wall is built, the gates are secured, and now God turns Nehemiah’s attention from restoring the city’s structure to restoring the people’s identity. Nehemiah writes, “Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy” (7:5). This is not mere administration; it is covenant renewal. God is gathering His people again. Nehem

When Pressure Increases, God Strengthens Our Hands (Based on Nehemiah 6, Tuesday’s reading and meditation) “And they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’ But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”—Nehemiah 6:9 (ESV) C.S. Lewis once observed that the devil rarely tempts us with dramatic, obvious evils. Instead, he leads us down “a gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings.” Spiritual danger often arrives di

Nehemiah 6:15-7:4 Summary The wall surrounding Jerusalem was completed in just fifty-two days! This was an astonishing achievement given the constant threats and opposition. The surrounding nations were forced to admit that “this work had been accomplished with the help of God” (6:15–16). Yet even with the wall finished, the internal threat persisted. Many nobles in Judah remained bound to a man named Tobiah by oaths and alliances. The physical wall may have been completed, b

Nehemiah 6:1-14 Summary Nehemiah 6:1–14 records one of the most intense moments of spiritual and political resistance during the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. The wall is almost finished. "I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it" (v. 1) And that is precisely when opposition becomes most deceptive and cunning. Instead of open threats, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem begin a psychological campaign to lure Nehemiah away, intimidate him, and undermine his in