Banished Exiles

Nehemiah weeps when he hears the state of Jerusalem. Israel has been unfaithful – and rightly scattered, exiled from their homes. Nehemiah laments that the glory of the kingdom has been lost – because he delights in revering the name of the Lord. The primary motivation for grieving in exile is the glory of God obscured.

This mirrors our story – exile from the Garden, creation in a state of ill-repair, plagued by sin-induced grief. The glory of Eden has been lost – and we rightly lament and long for its return. But the primary reason for grief here in exile with the land in ruin is the glory of God obscured.