The righteous duo of Ezra and Nehemiah gives us a uncompromising picture of righteousness and courage. We see the return of the remnant, the faithful few, to their own land after the Babylonian captivity. Ezra leads this righteous return through the reinstitution of the word of God and the courage to remain uncompromising in a compromised society at that time; establishing an example for Nehemiah to follow. Nehemiah takes this God given opportunity to completely reconstruct the landscape, literally. He is the epitome of the well known graduation anthem, “Pomp and Circumstance,” as Nehemiah takes the beginning of ruins to a finished product of restoration. As is with the reconstruction process, there is discomfort and opposition involved with it, but if you can endure the process of reconstruction and recovery there will be productivity. In Nehemiah’s case the productivity was supernaturally expedited to a period of 52 days. This righteous reinstitution, I believe is what we are called to today. If we can get some spiritual grit and spit, roll up our sleeves and endure the pain of reconstruction in order to reinstitution righteousness, we too can be worthy of the most honorable “Pomp and Circumstance” anthem as we graduate from this world to eternity, as we go from ruins to Restoration!
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