Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Nehemiah 7
Nehemiah 7:2
That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
Nehemiah, having finished the task which King Artaxerxes gave him, plans his return to Shushan the palace. But before leaving Jerusalem, Nehemiah appointed Hanani, one of his brethren, and Hananiah to have charge over Jerusalem. Hanani was the one who first brought the report of the plight of Jerusalem to Nehemiah. Hananiah has the distinction as one who feared God above many.
Of the eight times the phrase “fear of God” is used in Scripture, five are in the Old Testament, three in the New. Of the ten usages of the phrase “fear God,” six are in the Old Testament, four in the New. Therefore, it can be concluded that this thing of fearing God is both an Old Testament and a New Testament teaching.
In the Way Of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity the fear of God is defined as: “That fear, reverence, awe, and esteem for God’s holiness and power, which results in obedience and service and carefulness.” In Proverbs 8:13 Wisdom is speaking and defines the fear of the Lord as: The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.
By choosing Hananiah, Nehemiah chose a man that hated evil, pride, arrogancy, and the evil way. What better characteristics could one desire in a person to leave in charge of something important? What better characteristics could be desired than a man who obeys God, serves the Lord, and is careful? All these characteristics combined means that Hananiah was quite a man, and a good choice to co-rule with Nehemiah’s brother.
In I Peter 2:17 New Testament believers are told: Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. We are commanded to have that reverential fear of God even today, meaning we are to live our Christian life acknowledging that there is a God in Heaven, who 0berserves the affairs of this life, rewards those who obey Him, and justly chastens wrongdoers.
The fear of God is a worthy aim in life as it is the shining light of foresight. Hananiah was such a person; you can be too.
Dr. William T. Howe
Comments