Build smart

NEHEMIAH FOR YOU
By Eric Mason
The Good Book Company. 170 pages. £11.99
ISBN 978 1 784 986 780

Post-pandemic church life has often felt like living in the middle of a building site. It has been a challenge to get the project back on track, gather the essential materials and motivate the workers.

In a world where distant spectators appear to outnumber active participants, Nehemiah is a brilliant resource. Eric Mason has produced an accessible guide to this ancient book. There are three things that I especially appreciate about Mason’s book:

1. The author captures the mood of the story so well. The reader is invited to enter into the story in a way that allows us to appreciate where it fits into the overarching story of the whole Bible.

2. The author reads Nehemiah with an eye to its Christological significance. This is not done with a ‘Where’s Wally?’ approach, but in a nuanced way that moves smoothly between Nehemiah’s story and the unfolding story of the gospel.

3. The book is full of insightful, contemporary application. The author drills deep to unearth searching reflections on how the reader can respond to the Biblical message with heart, soul, mind and strength.

The author, an African American, helpfully addresses issues of race, class and culture against the backdrop of what it means to be sure of our identity as the people of God.

All Bible readers will enjoy this book, but it will be a particular delight for preachers; as the author writes of Ezra: ‘When you have your heart set on the word of God, it becomes a part of the matrix of your daily life. It changes your value system, your affections, your desires, your direction, your life. Some people like to talk and preach, but they are not willing to have the grittiness of the glory of God working in their hearts by the word of God.’

Eric Mason has also produced a helpful companion Bible Study booklet: Nehemiah: God’s Building Project, ISBN 978 1 784 986 773, also published by The Good Book Company.