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Nehemiah 11

 [Nehemiah] TEN: Big decisions_ 

Nehemiah 11 

 

Has anyone ever moved house? 

[Discussion starter] What factors do you consider when deciding where to live? 
(Think about work, salary, school, church, ministry, family...) 

Does it seem weird to you that God is even interested in where you live? 

 

[Read Nehemiah 11] 

 

How did the Jews, in chapter 11, decide who would live in Jerusalem? 

 

 

If it was decided by lot that you should live in Jerusalem, and you were a farmer with a piece of land 15 miles away from Jerusalem, how would you feel about the decision? 

 

 

What other reasons do you think the people might have to not want to live in Jerusalem? 

 

 

In verse 3, what reasons can you think of for these five groups of people to live in Jerusalem? 

 

 

[Activity] List the kins of jobs/positions that would need to be filled in Jerusalem... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in chapter 10, how would all these people be taken care of materially? 

 

 

How is the security and the city’s ability to function related to the Jews living in the towns around Jerusalem? 

 

 

Would you rather be out in the fields producing crops or playing a supporting role in the city? 

 

 

Since the land was directly linked to a particular tribe (and family within that tribe) as an inheritance, what would be the difficulty and struggle of where to live? 

 

 

Since our barter system is based on money, in what ways does our lifestyle today free us up to be more involved in urban development and building the Kingdom of God? 

 

 

Given all that we have read, thought about, and discussed, can you think of your own personal past decisions that have impacted your service for God? 
How might this help to clarify how you should make decisions in the future? 

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