"Here we are today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness. Here we are — slaves in it!
Its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have set over us, because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress." Nehemiah 9:36-37 (CSB)
As I read in Nehemiah chapter 9 this morning, God reminded me in this passage that we are living in a broken world just as Nehemiah was living in a broken land. This exclamation of Nehemiah comes after the law of God had been read to the exiled children of Israel. They had just been reminded that the state of the land, and that of their nation, was intended to be vastly different than it currently was; and that the reason things were as they currently were was due to their sin. Nehemiah was born into this current state as well, it was all he had known. But he had been told of God's promises. He had read what God promised to do for Abraham and his descendants. He believed the God of all creation (ch 9:6) was the covenant-keeping God (ch. 9:33) and as such was trustworthy. Nehemiah could believe God would grant Israel all that He had promised, even though Nehemiah had never experienced these promises or could even fully imagine what their realization would be like.
Just as Noah, having never seen rain, couldn't comprehend what it would be like, but built the ark in faith of God's word to him (Hebrews 11:7); so Nehemiah, in faith, led the people of Israel in a renewed vow of faithfulness to God. Even so we are born into a fallen world. A world that is so much less than it was originally created to be. Here we are - Slaves in it! Paul tells us in Romans 8:20 that because of man's sin, creation was subjected to futility. One translation reads, "Everything God made was allowed to become like something that cannot fulfill its purpose".(ERV) Ever since Adam sinned, all after him were born into a world that in its current state can no longer fulfill it's purpose. We are taught that this is just how life is. That this is reality. We assume that what is is what was and will be. But we have God's promise that "that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children." (Romans 8:21 CSB)
Like Nehemiah, the world we were born into, is not the world of our future. God promises a world restored, a world beyond what we can imagine; and we have every reason to believe our Covenant keeping God for every promise of God is a resounding "YES!" in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20) and we know that God Who gave us His own Son will graciously give us all things (Romans 8:32). The believer therefore is no longer a slave, but a son and as a son an heir. (Galatians 4:7)
"For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits — we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience." Romans 8:22-25 (CSB)
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