The Cloud of Witnesses

Former title Lessons From the People of the Bible

Set 1

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PDF These lessons are also available as PDFs (with the number of lessons in brackets).

Abraham (5) — David (5) — Esther (4) — Gideon (5) — Isaac (6) — Jacob (7) — Job (6) — John the Baptist (6) — Jonah (4) — Jonathan (6) — Joseph (10) — Joseph of Nazareth (6) — Mary (4) — Mary Magdalene (4) — Mary of Bethany (3) — Moses (5) — Nehemiah (8) — Nicodemus (4) — Noah (6) — Paul the Apostle (5) — Peter (5) — Philip (4) — Ruth (7) — King Saul (6) — Stephen (6) — Thomas (4)

Download the complete set 1 as PDFs (2.46 MB).

The lessons of set 1 are also available as individual online lessons below.

Set 2

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PDF These lessons are available as PDFs (with the number of lessons in brackets). These PDFs have not yet been updated to the new name.

Andrew (7) — Caleb (7) — Daniel (7) — Elijah (6) — Elisha (5) — Isaiah (21) — John (22) — Joshua (16) — Leah (2) — Luke (22) — Mary Magdalene (3) — Matthew (9) — Miriam (4) — Nahum (2) — Rachel (6) — Rebekah (5) — Samson (5)

Download the complete set 2 as PDFs (1.85 MB).

Nehemiah

Lesson 5: Nehemiah – The Battle Is Over Your Family

Reading

Nehemiah 4.

The Battle Is Over Your Family

Nehemiah fought in the natural what most of us have to fight in the spiritual. He had returned to Jerusalem to restore it as a place of peace and prosperity for the people who felt defeated and desperate. He gave them a vision, direction and a hope. He gave them a practical task to help re-establish their self-esteem and sense of purpose.

The enemy preferred them to be as they had been before – dejected, downcast and helpless. Once he saw the people revitalised and working, he tried to discourage them by words and insults. When that failed, he threatened physical warfare.

What did Nehemiah do? Believe their lies and shake with fear? No. He prayed to God for protection and made plans for survival. He was not going to give up on the job because the very life and health of the people depended on them finishing the task. So he employed his defence strategy. Yes, it would take hard work and inconvenience but the prize was worth infinitely more than personal physical discomfort. They were fighting for their very existence.

Hello! Society today is suffering because we have abdicated our responsibility as parents. We neglect our families. We prioritise work, financial security and toys above the priceless value of children who should be secure, balanced and enjoying a life with God as their Father and Guide.

And we are the ones to blame. We can’t blame the Government, we can’t blame the schools, and we can’t blame society. We can’t say the church failed them – we have. We have the responsibility for our family and we have abdicated that to our and our children’s peril. We brought them into the world and gave them life. God expects us to nurture, train and lead them. It’s the parents’ role.

Now is the time to take back our God-given privilege and regain a society that prefers relationships to finances, and communication to self-centredness. It’s worth fighting for.

Don’t blame the ‘world’ for the state of your family if you have not fought to save it and maintain it. Yes, you may be criticised for ‘discipline’, for ‘censorship’, for restrictions and narrow-mindedness but if the result is a stable, fun-loving, peaceful and balanced family that is not a drain on society but rather a contributor to it, you have ‘won’ the battle for them, for God and humanity.

Nehemiah would say to us today...

Don’t be afraid of those who are out to destroy your family. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes. Our God will fight for us.

Prayer

Father, Thank You for inviting us to become a part of Your family. I want to thank you that You established families and that You care about each member of them. Please help me prioritise my family so that they don’t just get the scraps of my time and my day but get the best. Help me to fight for the family You have entrusted to me. In Jesus’ name and for His sake I ask. Amen.

Additional readings

Deuteronomy 11:13-25; Psalm 127; Ephesians 5:22-6:4.

Questions

Why is the family under threat?

From where do the most frequent attacks come?

In what ways can we ‘protect’ our families?