Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Nehemiah 13 and Psalm 25

Back in Nehemiah 9 we read that when the people of Jerusalem heard the Word of the Lord they were so deeply moved by the Holy Spirit that they first broke down in a massive public act of confession and repentance, and then renewed their Covenant with God (Nehemiah 10). In this renewal they were very specific about the ancestral sins that they were determined never again to fall into:

· Ungodly sexual relationships (Nehemiah 10:30).

· Buying and selling on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 10:31).

· Failing to support the work of God with money as He had commanded (Nehemiah 10:32-39).

Tragically, when Nehemiah was called back to Persia by the Emperor and was thus absent from Jerusalem for about 12 years (Nehemiah 13:6), the people of God once again fell into exactly these same sins (Nehemiah 13:6-18). The power of sexual temptation and financial greed had overwhelmed their ability to remain faithful to the Covenant they had made of their own free will.

What we really see from Nehemiah 13 is that the power of the human will, the influence of our faith-community, and even zealous human leadership, are ultimately insufficient to transform a human life. Despite Nehemiah’s leadership gifting and passionate commitment to holiness, he was unable to create heart-transformation in the people he led. It is another Old Testament example of our human need for salvation to come from God.

Only the power of God’s grace in Jesus Christ can save a human being from the power of past sins. Romans 8:3 declares that what the Law was powerless to do, “God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.”

And only the saving power of the Holy Spirit who is poured into us when we receive Christ can give salvation from the present-day power of sin. This comes only to those “who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4).

Heavenly Father, thank You for my Saviour Jesus whose death cleared the way for the cleansing of my past sins, and whose resurrection empowers my present and future victory over sin. Amen