Celebrating What God Has Done

Matt Williams | May 23, 2021

Study Guide

In this passage, the Israelites celebrate the completion of the wall and dedicate it to God through a joyous parade of worship culminating at the Temple. This act of celebration involves pausing, remembering, worshiping, singing, and sacrifice—all of which glorifies God as the Sovereign Provider.
Application

  1. Nehemiah and the Israelites intentionally dedicated the wall to God as a symbol of their commitment to him and his purposes. What would it look like for you to dedicate a significant investment, relationship, or goal to God?

  2. The process of remembering and celebrating what God has done is an act of worship. Consider the list below. How can you celebrate what God has done in and through you?

    -Write things down.
    -Tell others about what God has done in your life.
    -Spend time with God pausing, praying, and thinking.
    -Attend a worship service.
    -Memorialize important moments and events.

  3. Celebration and worship go hand-in-hand with sacrifice. Pray and consider what God may be calling you to sacrifice for his Kingdom. How can you deplete yourself for others and for God in such a way that acknowledges your dependence on him?

Key Points

  • As the Israelites gather to celebrate the completion of the wall and dedicate it to God, they acknowledge their dependence on God and commit themselves to his purposes.

  • Many of us celebrate ourselves or fail to pause and celebrate what God has done in our lives. Both of these tendencies reflect our arrogance, for we ruin the opportunity for God to receive glory for the work he has done

  • Failure to joyfully celebrate God indicates that we are either bitter or believe we are sovereign.

  • Part of the Israelites’ celebration includes sacrifice. The act of sacrifice—for them and us—acknowledges that our sin brings death into the world and we cannot resolve it on our own.

  • As the ultimate sacrifice for sins, Jesus must be both fully God and fully human. Only a perfect human is free to pay for the sin of others, and only God is fully perfect.

  • Joy reveals what you believe about God. Only someone who believes that God is fully sovereign and able to provide for all their needs will have deep, abiding joy

Other Scripture References

John 1:29

Romans 3:21

Hebrews 8:1-2

Scripture: Nehemiah 12:27-47

Topics: Remember, Sovereignty, Worship