Healthy Politics--Lesson 9--The Work is Never Done--Nehemiah 13

Discussion Questions:

1. Why are “happily ever after” endings so appealing? How realistic is it that the book of

Nehemiah does not conclude with a “happily ever after” ending? How has a constant

battle been your experience in maintaining a healthy spiritual walk with the LORD?

2. What are the top two things in your daily routine that present the most compromise with

the things of this world? How do you keep these things under control?

3. What do you think of Nehemiah’s seemingly harsh responses to the broken promises and

unholy actions of the Israelites? How does Nehemiah’s use of the word “hesed”

(committed covenant love) in Nehemiah 13:14 offer a beautiful context for his seemingly

harsh responses?

4. Nehemiah refers to earlier history when he reprimands the Israelites for not keeping the

Sabbath and for not keeping themselves separated from what would make them unholy.

How does knowing the stories of the bible help you know the path to walk in a culture

that tolerates just about everything except intolerance?

5. What danger do we face in losing a generation because they do not know how to speak

the language of faith in God as well as they know the ways of the culture around them?

6. How has our study of healthy politics helped you see beyond the ugliness of our physical

political battles to the security of the Kingdom we truly serve? What qualities of healthy

leadership have stood out to you?