Nehemiah 11-13,Psalm 126

When you or I as a child played games such as follow the leader, we were challenged to follow the leader’s instructions “to the letter” or forfeit the goal’s results. The Israelites were in a quandary about whose leadership should they follow. On the one hand, as long as Nehemiah was in their presence, they felt secure and followed what he said.Then Ezra came on the scene and he read from the scriptures and their hearts were challenged to obey God. Then there were the enemies outside of Jerusalem who taunted the people and sought to challenge them from following God and His ways. It is the same today. There are many voices calling us to follow their way and we must be discerning. 

The psalmist seems to have understood this and as he wrote, he said, following God’s ways is as if they were dreaming. They had spent years in Babylon and now they were in Jerusalem with new rules, new regulations all coming from the Word of God. How then to discern? How to know which leader should they follow? But, as Ezra read the Book of the Law and Nehemiah raised a choir to sing God’s praises it became clear: Follow Jehovah or be left behind. It was then that the psalmist recorded these words: “The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us. We were happy.” 

How about you? Which leader are you following? Are you happy or still in line following a leader that may lead you astray? Choose ye this day whom you will serve are the words of Joshua and they are still today challenging and apropos.