Thematic Bible: Patriotism


Thematic Bible



In this document, I, Hacaliah's son Nehemiah, recount what occurred during the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. In the month of Chislev, while I was in Shushan at the palace, Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, about those who had survived the Babylonian captivity, and about Jerusalem. They told me, "The survivors of the captivity there in the province are living in great distress and shame. Furthermore, the Jerusalem wall remains broken down and its gates have been burned by fire." read more.
When I heard this, I sat down and cried, mourning for a number of days while I fasted and prayed in the presence of the God of Heaven.



Then I was filled with fear. I replied to the king, "May the king live forever. Why shouldn't I be troubled, since the city where my ancestral sepulchers are located lies waste, with its gates burned by fire?" Verse ConceptsGatesArchaeologyCitizens, Christian DutiesDestruction Of JerusalemCity GatesBurning Jerusalem

"Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be happy for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in gladness, all you who mourn over her, Verse ConceptsLoving God's Things

Be strong, be courageous on behalf of our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what he thinks is best." Verse ConceptsCourage, In Facing EnemiesLove, And The WorldBraveryStrength Of PeopleBe Courageous!Be Strong!God's Will Be DoneCourageMasculinityCourage And Strength

Later on, Hadad learned in Egypt that David had been buried with his ancestors and that Joab the army commander was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, "Please send me out so I can go back to my own land."

Be strong, be courageous on behalf of our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what he thinks is best." Verse ConceptsBraveryStrength Of PeopleCourage And Strength

Then I was filled with fear. I replied to the king, "May the king live forever. Why shouldn't I be troubled, since the city where my ancestral sepulchers are located lies waste, with its gates burned by fire?" Verse ConceptsGatesArchaeologyCitizens, Christian DutiesDestruction Of JerusalemCity GatesBurning Jerusalem

In the month of Chislev, while I was in Shushan at the palace, Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, about those who had survived the Babylonian captivity, and about Jerusalem. Verse ConceptsRemnantAsking Particular Questions

When I heard this, I sat down and cried, mourning for a number of days while I fasted and prayed in the presence of the God of Heaven. I said, "Please, LORD, God of Heaven, the great and fearsome God who keeps the covenant, showing gracious love to those who love you and keep your commands, please turn your attention to observe carefully and listen to the prayer of your servant today that I am presenting to you day and night on behalf of your servants, the Israelis. read more.
"I confess the sins that we Israelis have committed against you. Both I and my father's house have sinned. We have abandoned you by not keeping your commands, your ceremonies, and your judgments that you proscribed to your servant Moses. Please remember what you spoke in commanding your servant Moses. You said, "If you rebel, I will scatter you among the nations but if you return to me, keeping my commands and doing them, even if your exiled people are in the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to establish my Name.' These are your servants as well as your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. "And now, Lord, I ask you to listen to the prayer of your servant and to the prayers of your servants who delight in revering your Name. I ask you, please prosper your servant today by granting him to receive favor from this man." Now I was the king's senior security advisor.

Later on, Hadad learned in Egypt that David had been buried with his ancestors and that Joab the army commander was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, "Please send me out so I can go back to my own land." Pharaoh asked him, "But have you lacked anything from me that would make you want to go back to your own country?" "No," he answered, "but I still really must leave."

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh's daughter, because he preferred being mistreated with God's people to enjoying the pleasures of sin for a short time. He thought that being insulted for the sake of the Messiah was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and ready to give birth. When she heard the report about the capture of the Ark of God and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she crouched down and gave birth, because her labor pains suddenly began. As she was about to die, the women standing around her said, "Don't be afraid! You've given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay attention. She had named the boy Ichabod,saying, "Glory has departed from Israel," because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead. read more.
She said, "Glory has departed from Israel, because the Ark of God has been captured."

The messenger answered, "Israel fled from the Philistines and the people suffered a great defeat as well. Moreover, your two sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead, and the Ark of God was captured." When he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backwards by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, since he was old and heavy. Eli had judged Israel for 40 years.

The tribe of Zebulun did not worry about their lives at the price of death; neither did the tribe of Naphtali also on high places of the field. "Kings came to fight, then battled the kings of Canaan at Taanach near the waters of Megiddo. They took no silver as the spoils of war. The stars fought from heaven; they fought against Sisera from their orbits.

The officials of Issachar were with Deborah, as was the tribe of Issachar and Barak. They rushed out into the valley at his heels along with divisions from Reuben's army. Great was their resolve of heart! Why did you sit down among the sheepfolds? To hear the bleating of the flocks? Among the divisions of the army of Reuben there was great searching of heart. The tribe of Gilead remained on the other side of the Jordan River. As for the tribe of Dan, why did they stay on board their ships? The tribe of Asher sat by the seashore and remained near its harbors.

Uriah replied, "The ark, along with Israel and Judah, are encamped in tents, while my commanding officer Joab and my master's staff members are camping out in the open fields. Should I go home, eat, drink, and have sex with my wife? Not on your life! I won't do something like this, will I?" Verse ConceptsEncampmentsOne FleshTribes Of IsraelAbsence Of SexThe Ark Moved Around

Be strong, be courageous on behalf of our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what he thinks is best." Verse ConceptsCourage, In Facing EnemiesLove, And The WorldBraveryStrength Of PeopleBe Courageous!Be Strong!God's Will Be DoneCourageMasculinityCourage And Strength

Meanwhile, Gideon and the 300 soldiers with him came to the Jordan, exhausted but continuing their pursuit. He told the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the soldiers who are following behind me. They're tired, and I'm pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." But the officials of Succoth replied, "Do you have Zebah and Zalmunna in custody already, so that we should give food to your army?" read more.
So Gideon responded, "Okay then, but when the LORD has turned over Zebah and Zalmunna into my control, I'm going to whip you with thorns and briers from the desert!" Then he left there to go to Penuel and asked the same thing from them, but the men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth did. So he responded the same way to the men of Penuel, "When I come back safely, I'm going to tear down this tower." Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, along with their armies, about 15,000 men who survived from the entire army of the group from the east, since 120,000 swordsmen had already fallen. Gideon went up by a caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked their encampment when they were off guard. When Zebah and Zalmunna escaped, he pursued them, captured those two kings of Midian, and threw the entire army into a panic. Then Joash's son Gideon returned from the battle along the Heres Ascent. He caught a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. He wrote out for Gideon a list of the 77 officials of Succoth, including its elders. Then Gideon approached the men of Succoth and announced, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You criticized me about them when you said, "Do you have Zebah and Zalmunna in custody already, so that we should give food to your weary army?'" So he took the elders of the city and disciplined the men of Succoth with thorns and briers from the desert. He also demolished the tower in Penuel and killed the men of the city.

But then they told each other, "We're not doing the right thing. This is a day of good news, but if we keep quiet until morning, we're sure to be punished! So let's leave and go tell the king's household!" Verse Conceptsevangelists, identity ofevangelism, nature ofGood TidingsDaybreakGood NewsUntil DaybreakThose Who Did Not TellWe Have SinnedDoing The Right Thing

""Meroz is cursed!' declared the angel of the LORD. "Utterly and totally cursed are its inhabitants, because they never came to the aid of the LORD, to the aid of the LORD against the valiant warriors!'" Verse ConceptsOpposition, To Sin And EvilAngels, Ministry To UnbelieversCursing The UngodlyNo Helpcurses

Then Esther spoke to the king again and fell at his feet. She wept and pleaded with him for mercy to overturn the evil plan devised by Haman the Agagite and his plot against the Jewish people. The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, and she got up and stood before the king. She said, "If it pleases the king, and if I've found favor with him, and if the matter is proper in the king's opinion, and if I'm pleasing to the king, let an order be issued revoking the letters devised by Hammedatha the Agagite's son Haman, which ordered the destruction of the Jewish people throughout the king's provinces. read more.
Indeed, how can I bear to see this disaster happen to my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my kinsmen?"

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.