Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah 2:11-20. This devotion is over 1500 words about twice the size of a normal devotion, and it also contains the very important subject of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, so God willing, my plan and hope is to not post another devotion tomorrow in the hope that the reader use two days to meditate on this devotion rather than rush into the next devotion. God willing, my next devotion will be Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
“So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. … The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.
Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.” I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” So I answered them and said to them, “The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 2:11-13 and 16-20.
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Today’s Scripture reminds us of Ezra 4:1-3. “Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.” Ezra 4:1-3.
Both Nehemiah and Ezra refused to allow unbelievers to participate. Unbelievers may be willing to support building a kingdom of their vision of lovingkindness, but they may not want this kingdom to be one of justice and righteousness nor a kingdom according to Scripture’s blueprint of lovingkindness.
We are commanded to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” Matthew 6:33. And, we know that His kingdom, the kingdom of God, has elements of lovingkindness, justice and righteousness.
“Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24.
The danger is that whether unbelievers claim to support us or oppose us in building up the kingdom, they can try to influence and control what type of kingdom that we will build. As a practical matter, we see too many churches which are primarily kingdoms of social missions and which neglect spiritual matters of holy conduct, godliness, and salvation.
Do we rejoice in the justice and righteousness of the LORD? Or, do we only preach and teach some kind of santa claus god who only cares about what he can give to everyone?
“11 God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.
12 If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.
13 He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.
15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has fallen into the hole which he made.
16 His mischief will return upon his own head,
And his violence will descend upon his own pate.
17 I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” Psalm 7:11-17.
Let us look at examples of what some of the Hall of Faith members did.
“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Hebrews 11:7.
“By faith he (Abraham) lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:9-10.
“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.” Hebrews 11:24-27.
Did these Hall of Faith members join forces with unbelievers to build a kingdom of God? No.
I am certainly not maintaining that believers should not work with unbelievers. And, I am certainly not maintaining that there can be no cooperation between believers and unbelievers. And, I am certainly not maintaining that unbelievers have no duty to love unbelievers.
We remember the command to love our neighbor as ourself. We remember the command to do good to others. We remember the parable of The Good Samaritan. But, we also remember the command: “Do not be bound together with unbelievers”.
The kingdom of God has only one king, namely Jesus Christ, Who cannot be removed, nor reduced in powers over all in His kingdom, nor minimized, nor hidden.
“7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son (Jesus Christ),
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”
10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the LORD with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son (Jesus Christ), that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 2:7-12.
And, the kingdom of God that we should seek must be based on Scripture.
The mantra of unbelievers is sometimes inclusion of everyone. But, the mantra of believers is sometimes exclusion. There is the specific discipline in Scripture of removing wicked people who are within the church.
“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.
More generally, we read the sovereign judgment and action of the LORD as stated in the following Scriptures.
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
“But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10.
But, there is hope!
“Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11.
“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:11-13.
“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,” 1 Corinthians 1:30.
In conclusion, “… pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:11-16.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 