I was raised to dream big. It is part of our culture to want the next generation to have more than we had. So, when I heard the challenge offered by Josh Wilson in his song “Dream Small,” I was inspired by the lyrics and this counter cultural idea.
Join me in a chapter you may just be tempted to skim over in Nehemiah where we see the significance of individual obedience…no matter how small.
On this week’s episode I discuss:
- Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week’s Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
- Read in context
- Consider the historical context
- Remember the people in the Bible were REAL
- Use outside resources
- The historical context leading up to Nehemiah 3 using an outside resource – The Bible Timeline
- How I discussed the timelines of the rebuilding of the Jerusalem walls in Episode 203
- Daniel as a counselor to King Cyrus who decrees the resettlement of Jerusalem fulfilling a very specific prophecy about him by Isaiah 150 years prior – Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah 45:1
- The first wave of captives allowed to return to Jerusalem – Ezra 1:1-4
- Ezra and Nehemiah and a little bit about their backgrounds – Ezra 7:8-10, Nehemiah 1
- What I discovered about the significance of the gates that were rebuilt in Nehemiah 3
- The free outside resource that I discovered by Dr. J. Vernon McGee – Online Article – “The Gospel in the Gates of Jerusalem”
- The audio discussion of Dr. J. Vernon McGee regarding the Gospel in the gates of Jerusalem
- Session 1 – beginning at minute 14:48 – Online Audio Podcast Thru the Bible
- Session 2 – beginning at minute 4:27 – Online Audio Podcast Thru the Bible
- Session 3 – beginning at minute 3:30 – Online Audio Podcast Thru the Bible
- The rebuilding of the gates beginning at the Sheep Gate – the gate through which the animals were brought in for sacrifice – a foreshadowing of Christ
- Not all will be so willing to do their part – Nehemiah 3:5
- Not all are asked to do what they are comfortable doing – Nehemiah 3:8
- Sometimes tending to your home and neighborhood is enough – Nehemiah 3:23, Nehemiah 3:28-30
- Meshullam who rebuilt the part of the wall across from his bedroom – Nehemiah 3:30
- The opposition that reared its ugly head – Nehemiah 4
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If you have never heard this song before, you can watch the acoustic version on YouTube below.
Additional Resources
- Lyrics
- Chords
- Stories Behind the Song “Dream Small” by Josh Wilson – YouTube Video-Inspired by Jay
- Stories Behind the Song “Dream Small” by Josh Wilson – YouTube Video-Inspired by Suzanne
- Stories Behind the Song “Dream Small” by Josh Wilson – YouTube Video-Inspired by Becca
This Week’s Challenge
Read Nehemiah in context. Stop over in chapter three where you might have normally been tempted to skim over. Pause at each gate and use the article on the “The Gospel in the Gates of Jerusalem” by Dr. McGee to inspire you to see them in new ways. Consider that the people listed in chapter three were REAL. Some accomplished more than others, but through the faithfulness of each one, the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt in 52 days. God will take the small things and multiply them into miraculous, BIG things.
