Passage
Nehemiah 11:1-36 (ESV)
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Acts 8:26-40
Key Verse: 8:35
Commendable Residents of Jerusalem
Date: Nov. 16, 2014
Daily Bread
Key Verse: 11:2
First, leaders and commendable volunteers (1-2). Jerusalem was historically the holy city of David-the place to worship God at the temple. But it was difficult and dangerous to live there in Nehemiah's time due to political instability and enemy threats. So they had to choose 1 out of 10 by lottery to come and live there. The Israelite leaders and volunteers who decided to live there were commended since they had to sacrifice safety and comfort or even ancestral land. Those who sacrifice for God and his people are commendable.
Second, people and places identified (3-36). The leaders who lived in Jerusalem are noted by name, along with the number of descendants from Judah and Benjamin and from the priests, the Levites and the gatekeepers. The rest of the Israelites lived in the towns of Judah and Benjamin.
Prayer: Lord, give me courage and faith to make sacrifices for you and for your people.
One Word: A commendable sacrifice before God and people
