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Read for This Week’s Study: Ezra 7:10; Neh. 1:1-11; Dan. 9:24-27; Daniel 8:1-27; Rom. 8:28-29; Romans 9:1-33; Exodus 3:1-4:31.

Memory Text: “Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 7:27, NKJV).

Does God call each person to a specific task? Are there criteria that make someone more qualified than others for a certain task? Are those criteria different in human eyes than in God’s? Most of us would probably say yes, especially to the last two questions. There are times when God prepares us, through education or experiences, for a specific task; at other times, He chooses us to serve simply because we are willing and humble. It’s not always easy to know, though, what God’s call is in our lives is it? Nevertheless, the Bible is full of stories of people whom God chose for a particular assignment.

Interestingly, Ezra and Nehemiah were called for a specific task by God: to rebuild what lay in ruins. However, rebuilding in this case involved various tasks. They were to lead the people of Israel back to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple and the city. At the same time, they were to teach the people about God and above all guide them back to a committed relationship with Him. Talk about a calling from God, and an important one, too.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 19.

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Gift of 4,000 Euros

By Viriato Ferreira

A serious dilemma unexpectedly emerged on a Friday morning.

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The architect of our VitaSalus Wellness Center announced that we urgently needed to put up railings around several buildings.

“If someone falls, you’ll be in trouble”, he warned.

We knew that he was right. VitaSalus – an Ellen White-inspired “center of influence” that works in harmony with the ethical, professional and spiritual values upheld by the Seventh-day Adventist Church – is located atop a mountain near the town of Penela, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Portugal’s capital, Lisbon.

The architect put the cost of the railings at 4,000 euroes (U.S.$4,900).

I turned to our chief financial officer.

“Do we have the money?” I asked.

“Absolutely not”, he said. “There is no money”.

Worried thoughts filled my mind. Suddenly, a conviction struck me.

“Whose project is this?” I thought. “It’s not mine. It’s God’s project!”

I shared this conviction with chief financial officer and other people present at the meeting.

“God will supply the means for these railings”, I said. “Are you comfortable in going ahead and ordering the railings?”

They nodded their heads in agreement, and I prayed, “Lord, we are going to order these railings because they are really needed”.

We ordered the railings.

Five days later, on a Wednesday, I received an e-mail from someone whom I had never met.

“Doctor”, he wrote. “I just want to tell you that I have deposited 4,000 euros into the VitaSalus bank account”.

“Praise the Lord!” I exclaimed out loud.

I wrote him an e-mail describing the events of the previous Friday morning.

He replied immediately.

“Doctor, this confirms that the money is for this project”, he wrote.

“On Friday morning, I woke up with a desire to help VitaSalus. I have never been there, but I just had that feeling. Still, I wasn’t sure whether my wife would agree with me, so I prayed a short prayer, ‘Lord, if this is Your will, put the same desire in my wife’s heart’”.

“As soon as I finished praying, my wife came into my office and said, ‘Honey, you know that project in Penela? I think we should help them’”.

“I couldn’t believe my ears, and I asked her, ‘How much do you think we should give?’”

“’I think 4,000 euros would be good’, she said”.

What a lesson for me! Had we stopped our work at VitaSalus because we lacked the funds, we would have lost out on a big blessing brought about by trusting in God. It was not about the railings. It was about God showing us how His work can be fulfilled when we trust in Him.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

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Further Thought: Contemplate “A Man of Opportunity”, pages 628–634, in Prophets and Kings.

Nehemiah was a man of prayer: “Nehemiah had often poured out his soul in behalf of his people. But now as he prayed a holy purpose formed in his mind. He resolved that if he could obtain the consent of the king, and the necessary aid in procuring implements and material, he would himself undertake the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and restoring Israel’s national strength.

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And he asked the Lord to grant him favor in the sight of the king, that this plan might be carried out. ‘Prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day’, he entreated, ‘and grant him mercy in the sight of this man’. Four months Nehemiah waited for a favorable opportunity to present his request to the king” – Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pages 629, 630.

Discussion Questions:

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No question, the Lord had called Nehemiah to this task and would provide all that he would need. Armed with the knowledge of God’s promises and the certainty of the call by God, Nehemiah proceeded. But he moved ahead carefully and prayerfully. In other words, even though he knew God was with him, this knowledge didn’t keep him, basically from thinking through what he would do.

Read Nehemiah 2:11-20. What does Nehemiah do to prepare for the project of rebuilding the wall?

Preparing for the Task

Leadership Lessons:
   Lesson 1: Nehemiah does not tell anyone what the plans are that “God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem” (Neh. 2:12). Not only does he not tell the enemy, but he keeps it from the Jewish leaders as well. He is on a scouting mission to figure out what needs to be done.
   Lesson 2: Before presenting anything, Nehemiah does his homework and plans out all the work that will be required.
   Lesson 3: When he does speak of the task, Nehemiah first outlines what God has done so far to lead this expedition, and then he adds the words of the king. He encourages before he asks for commitment. It is nothing short of a miracle that the Jews respond so favorably and decide to build, despite the resistance that will come. God had prepared not only the king through Nehemiah’s prayers and fasting, but also the Jewish people, so that they respond boldly and courageously.

Read Nehemiah 2:19-20. What do these verses tell us about Nehemiah’s faith? How might texts like Deuteronomy 7:9, Psalms 23:1-6, and Numbers 23:19 have helped Nehemiah?

Our conversations demonstrate who we are and what we truly believe. Nehemiah tends to speak uplifting words. He is not afraid to include God in all that he says and to glorify Him as well, even when people jeer and laugh at him. Even though Nehemiah knows the contempt the enemies feel toward them, he doesn’t mince words or leave God out of the conversation. Like Joseph in Egypt many years earlier, Nehemiah is not afraid to promote His God among people who do not believe in Him.

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The king sent letters with Nehemiah to Sanballat the Horonite and to Tobiah the Ammonite, the high officials of the region beyond the River, in order to pave the way for what Nehemiah was to accomplish. Additionally, the king commanded Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, to provide Nehemiah with all the timber necessary to rebuild the city, walls, and gates of the temple.

Read Nehemiah 2:9-10. What do these verses tell us about the opposition Nehemiah and the Jews in general were going to face?

Nehemiah Sent

Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem sometime in the second part of the year 444. Opposition appears to spring up even before Nehemiah attempts any action, as the request delivered to the governors stirs up problems. Although Tobiah is a Jewish name, which meant “The Lord is good” (his son Jehohanan also carried a Jewish name, “the Lord is gracious”), he served as a governor of Ammon. Thus, Jerusalem was surrounded by enemies: Sanballat, the governor of Samaria to the north, Tobiah the governor of Ammon to the east, and Geshem the Arab (Neh. 2:18-19) to the south, who took hold of Edom and Moab. It is unfortunate that the leadership in that region shunned Nehemiah for being concerned about the “well-being” of the oppressed. Bullies don’t rejoice over the good fortune of those they intimidate.

Nehemiah’s “arrival in Jerusalem, however, with a military escort, showing that he had come on some important mission, excited the jealousy of the heathen tribes living near the city, who had so often indulged their enmity against the Jews by heaping upon them injury and insult. Foremost in this evil work were certain chiefs of these tribes, Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian. From the first these leaders watched with critical eyes the movements of Nehemiah and endeavored by every means in their power to thwart his plans and hinder his work” – Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 635.

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