People Matter

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Reading: Nehemiah 7:4-73a

Reflection: This is one of those sections of scripture that many of us, myself included, read and find great difficulty gaining something of significance. After all, it's simply a long list of people that I have never known, will never meet, and with which I will never interact. In addition, it doesn't really tell us anything they did, other than the fact that they returned to Jerusalem after being exiled for years. However, there are some significant lessons for us to learn if we think about it. First, the fact that they returned to Jerusalem means by necessity that God watched over these people during their years of captivity. While hauled off from their homeland, God never forgot them. God protected them and provided for them. Second, it means that God kept His promise to them and brought them safely home after a season of discipline. Finally, it reminds us that the people did not exist for Jerusalem, but that Jerusalem existed for the people. Jerusalem matters because people matter. Jerusalem is a place provided by God to the people so that ordinary creatures might know and live with their creator. In the end, this passage reminds us that God protected, provided for, was faithful to people because they matter to Him. When people begin to think that God is against them, they do well to remember that the opposite is true. God is for us, and because of that has sent His Son to rescue us from darkness. We have been captive in exile as sin has reigned over us. Yet, in our years of captivity, God has provided for us, protected us, and been faithful to us. God is on our side...and we matter to Him.