Find Your Place
Jon: Welcome to the Bible Story Podcast. Today we are going to learn about the importance of finding our place!
Aidan: I sleep in a cabin.
Jon: That’s not what I mean.
Cassidy: My place is with candy. I love treats!
Jon: That’s not what I mean either! Stay tuned to learn what it means to find our place!
Discussion Episode
Nehemiah 11-12
About the Story
Jon: Last week, we learned about confession and commitment and how they are better together.
Cassidy: Being Sorry without commitment to change is shallow, and committing to change without being sorry can lead you down the wrong path of change.
Jon: The Israelites had a formal gathering where they not only confessed their sins but also committed themselves to God!
Application
Jon: These parts may feel like a few random pieces, rather than one unified story.
Cassidy: It does; you have people resettling in Jerusalem and the extensively long list of people, followed by the dedication of the walls and then the start of collecting offerings and tithes.
Aidan: Jon, you mentioned that the lesson today for everyone is that Finding Your Place is important. I get how the first part of the story, where it talked about where people were living, is part of that, but I am a bit lost in the last parts of the story!
Jon: Ok, people had a physical place, but they also had a place within their families. You can have a physical place but not feel like you belong! The lists of people would spark stories like a photo album and help people understand their family’s place in the bigger story of their country. It’s one thing to understand, but the dedication of the walls and celebration would have helped people find their place emotionally and how they felt about themselves and their country. Finally, the collection of offerings and tithes would have helped people find their place to give. Farmers would have given a portion of their grain and other things they grew. Merchants would have given money. Everyone contributed in some way. They would have found their place to give.
Cassidy: That’s a lot; let me try and summarize. I am sure I will miss one or two but I think I have got most of it. They found their place – their home. They found a place to belong – relationally. And…
Aidan: They found their place emotionally in celebration.
Cassidy: And, they found their place to give!
Jon: All of these things were super important for Judah to establish itself as a nation again, and it’s important for us to find our place.
Aidan: I think there is an underlying place you missed, Jon, that may be assumed in the story but is essential for us to state. The people found their place with God.
Jon: Oh yeah! The author did not directly write that in the story, but you can see that all of these things are in the context of a relationship with God!
Cassidy: So our lesson for today is this, find your place.
