Have you ever breezed right past the long lists of names that sometimes occur in scripture? It’s certainly tempting. (I’ve been guilty of it myself!) However, all of those names teach us something important about great moves of God: They all start with people obediently getting up off the couch and getting to work.

That is certainly the case with the Jerusalem wall rebuilding project headed by Nehemiah.

For the most part, the wall got built because families repaired the walls that were behind their houses, certainly the walls in their own community. (That’s a lesson that will teach!) Though the work may have started in their own backyards, the effect changed history.

One man, named Shallum, is in a long list of builders found in Nehemiah 3. Verse 15 records that Shallum repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah. Hardly worth noting, right? Until we learn that this very pool, called the Pool of Siloam in the New Testament, is where, hundreds of years later, Jesus gave sight to a man who had been blind since birth. (John 9)

When Shallum was laying brick after brick in that hot desert sun, in life-threatening conditions, I wonder if he ever wanted to quit? I wonder if he looked around at the mess and thought, “This just isn’t worth it!”

He might have, but instead of quitting, Shallum kept going. He couldn’t know that all those years later, the Messiah Himself would stand on the very spot that he was diligently repairing and literally give sight to the blind.

Our faithful obedience matters, friend. Even when we can’t see any progress or any results from our work. God uses whatever we bring to Him and uses it in ways that we can’t even imagine.

We are so glad to have you in Bible study with us! If you miss a devotion, you can find them archived at https://comethirstyministry.com/blog/

Reading Plan- Week Twenty-Six

Day One- Nehemiah 10
Day Two- Nehemiah 11
Day Three- Nehemiah 12
Day Four- Nehemiah 13
Day Five- Esther 1