Nehemiah 1 Verses 1 to 11 Prayer and Fasting November 27, 2022

Nehemiah 1 Verses 1 to 11 Prayer and Fasting November 27, 2022

Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scripture:

· Matthew 5:16-18 (NASB) 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Main Idea: Prayer and fasting are always for a spiritual purpose.

Study Aim: To understand that prayer and fasting are between you and God.

Create Interest:

· In every scriptural account genuine fasting is linked with prayer. You can pray without fasting, but you cannot fast biblically without praying. Fasting is an affirmation of intense prayer, a corollary of deep spiritual struggle before God.

John F. MacArthur

· Look at how passionate Nehemiah is for the kingdom of God! He expresses his sorrow emotionally, weeping and mourning, and then he intercedes with discipline and diligence, fasting and prayer.

· If we love God and the advance of His glory, we will feel deep sorrow when the advance of the gospel is halted, and we will be disciplined and diligent to fast and pray. If we are not feeling sorrow and cultivating diligence and discipline, we should seek to stir ourselves and one another up to love and good deeds. We can do this by considering what Nehemiah shows us about where he got this kind of passionate fervor for God and His kingdom.

· In the content of his prayer in verses 5–11 Nehemiah shows that he understands the Scriptures and wants to see the Scriptures fulfilled. If we would feel the kind of zeal for the church that results in weeping, mourning, fasting, and praying in response to reports about how the enemies of the gospel have attacked God’s kingdom, we should seek to understand the Scriptures and pray that God would cause us to long for their fulfillment.[1]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Some 1,000 years after the time of Moses, some 444 plus years before the birth of Jesus, the nation of Israel and the Jewish people were in a desperate state.

o Their nations had been destroyed—first, the northern Jewish nation of Israel, then the southern Jewish nation of Judah. The city of Jerusalem had been completely conquered by the Babylonians, and the once-glorious temple of Solomon had been destroyed.

o When the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, they deported almost everyone from the city and the region—for some 70 years, Jerusalem was sparsely populated, with the potential to end up like many ancient cities—completely forgotten except to history.

o When the Jews were deported to Babylon, they began to make homes for themselves there. They settled down, and many still followed the God of their Fathers, but they did it from Babylon, with no desire to return to the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

o Some of these faithful Jews were raised up to places of prominence in the governments they were deported to. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego became leaders in Babylon; Esther was made queen in the courts of a Persian king.

o But after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, they were given the opportunity to return to their homeland, the Promised Land. Out of the possibly two or three million Jews deported from the land, only 50,000 decided to return to the Promised Land. That’s only a small percentage. But they did return, and in the days of Ezra, they rebuilt the temple and laid a spiritual foundation for Israel once again.

o But 15 years after the book of Ezra ended; almost 100 years after the first captives came back to the promised land; some 150 years after the city of Jerusalem was destroyed, the walls of the city of Jerusalem were still in rubble.

o Before this, citizens of Jerusalem had tried to rebuild the walls but had failed. In Ezra 4:6–23, they had tried to rebuild the walls, but were stopped by their enemies. No one thought this obstacle could be overcome, so the walls lay in ruin and the people stayed in trouble.[2]

· The colony of returned exiles seems to have made little progress during that long period. Its members settled down, and much of their enthusiasm cooled, as we see from the reforms which Ezra had to inaugurate fourteen years before Nehemiah. Most men, even if touched by spiritual fervor, found it hard to keep on the high levels for long. Breathing is easier lower down. As is often the case, a brighter flame of zeal burned in the bosoms of sympathizers at a distance than in those of the actual workers, whose contact with hard realities and petty details disenchanted them. Thus, the impulse to nobler action came, not from one of the colonies, but from a Jew in the court of the Persian king.

o This passage tells us how God prepared a man for a great work, and how the man prepared himself.[3]

· About thirteen years after Ezra led the second group of Jews back to the promised land, Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the Persian king, heard about the terrible oppression and defeated spirits of the Jews in Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s heart was stricken with deep grief, a burden so distressing that he spent days in prayer. The great book of Nehemiah begins with the desperate situation of the Jews, Nehemiah’s deep distress, and his commission from King Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem. His commission was to encourage his people and to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem for their protection (2:4–8).

· Once Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he inspected what was left of the walls of Jerusalem and formed a plan to rebuild. Summoning the Jews to a meeting, Nehemiah laid out the reality of the task at hand and stirred the people to commit themselves to the project. The Jews were stricken in conscience and strongly motivated in their spirit to take up the task at hand. However, as soon as the work was started on the wall, opposition reared its ugly head (2:19–20). Foreigners had moved into Judah when the Jews were deported to Babylon. These foreigners now became enemies to the Jewish returnees and did all they could to stop the progress on the wall. Yet no matter how much the opposition attacked, the Lord gave Nehemiah wisdom to counter the attack and enabled him to continue in the critical work of rebuilding the wall. But opposition from foreign enemies was not the only problem Nehemiah faced. Internal problems arose as well. Rich Jews were oppressing the poorer countrymen among them (5:1–5). Nehemiah confronted this problem head-on. Those Jews wrongly oppressing the poor repented, and unity was restored. When the wall was finally completed (7:1), Nehemiah made a public record of the genealogies of those living in Jerusalem. At last, the nation was reestablished, and the Jews were able to rest in peace and safety.

· Remember that Nehemiah was writing primarily to those who had faithfully worked alongside him. Together, they had completed the wall. Future generations would reap the benefits of their hard work. Above all else, the Jews had to be faithful to the Lord. Jerusalem had been rebuilt with great sacrifice. Now that the city of God was built, the Jews needed God’s guiding hand upon them more than ever before. Nehemiah knew that constant devotion and continued revival were desperately needed for the people and the nation to remain strong.The Jews must not risk the wrath of God by giving in to compromise and evil associations as their ancestors had done.

· As the reader studies this return of Jews from captivity under Nehemiah’s direction and the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, this fact should be kept in mind: opposition will come into the life of every true believer. But God is faithful; He will guide, protect, and provide whatever is needed in any circumstance for the believer to overcome and complete his assigned tasks.

o “The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore, we his servants will arise and build” (Ne. 2:20).[4]

Bible Study:

Nehemiah 1:1-4 (NASB) 1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire." 4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

· 1:1 “Nehemiah” means “The Lord comforts.” The Lord used Nehemiah to revive the spirit of the discouraged exiles and bring them hope (cf. Isa 57:14–21). The first seven chapters of Nehemiah as well as 12:31–13:31are written in the first person. This, as well as all or part of Neh 11and the rest of Neh 12, constitutes what is called the Nehemiah Memoirs.

o As such it offers an extensive look into the life and heart of an outstanding servant of God that is unique to the Old Testament. Nehemiah was an energetic leader who combined a deep trust in the Lord with precise planning, careful organization, and discreet but energetic action. Christian leaders find inspiration in Nehemiah’s life and character.[5]

· “Now it happened”/“And it came to pass” is a phrase often used by Luke in his Gospel to impress upon the reader that there was nothing that happened by chance in the life of the Lord Jesus; His movements were always precise. It was not by chance therefore that Nehemiah was in Susa (or Shushan), in the month Chisleu (November/December), in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. Susa was the capital city of the Persian Empire and the site of the king’s winter residence. It was for this precise moment that God had been preparing Nehemiah. It was a moment that would not only change his life, but it would also be a defining moment in Israel’s history.

· Clearly, he had not returned to Jerusalem with the first groups of exiles under Zerubbabel and Ezra. He had been born in Persia and therefore he had no first-hand knowledge or experience of Jerusalem; his father was probably one of the first exiles. Some might even have been critical of him for living in the luxury of the palace, which was a far cry from conditions in Jerusalem.

o However, this would be to do him a grave injustice; God had ensured that he was in that very place “for such a time as this” (cp. Esther 4:14). He was to be the instrument in the hand of God to move a powerful heathen king to carry out His purposes.[6]

o We are here told that he was in Shushan the palace, or royal city, of the king of Persia, where the court was ordinarily kept (v. 1), and (v. 11) that he was the king’s cup-bearer. Kings and great men probably looked upon it as a piece of state to be attended by those of other nations.

o By this place at court, he would be the better qualified for the service of his country in that post for which God had designed him, as Moses was the fitter to govern for being bred up in Pharaoh’s court, and David in Saul’s. He would also have the fairer opportunity of serving his country by his interest in the king and those about him. Observe, He is not forward to tell us what great preferment he had at court; it is not till the end of the chapter that he tells us he was the king’s cup-bearer (a place of great trust, as well as of honor and profit), when he could not avoid the mentioning of it because of the following story; but at first he only said, I was in Shushan the palace. We may hence learn to be humble and modest, and slow to speak of our own advancements.[7]

· 1:1. The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah] The prophetical books commence generally with a title of this kind (see Jer. 1:1); but no other extant Historical Book begins thus. Nehemiah, while attaching his work to Ezra, perhaps marked in this manner the point at which his own composition commenced.[8]

· 1:1–3. While serving at the Persian winter palace in Susa (cf. Es. 1:2; Dan. 8:1, Nehemiah one day received a report from several men who had come from Judah. One of them was his own brother, Hanani; later Nehemiah appointed him to a high position in Jerusalem (7:2). This report came in the month of Kislev, that is, November–December in the 20th yearof Artaxerxes the king (cf. Neh. 2:1). Artaxerxes, Persia’s sixth king, began reigning in 464 b.c., so this year was 444 B.C.

· The report instantly depressed Nehemiah. It pertained to his people and their land. The Jews in Judah (a province of Persia) were greatly troubled and disgraced, and Jerusalem’s wall was broken down and its gates had been burned. (Six gates were later repaired, 3:1, 3, 6, 13–15.)

o Walls. Cities in the ancient world were walled for protection. The walls were also symbols: Unwalled cities merited contempt. Walled cities were seen as significant. Nehemiah could not stand the thought that the city of God should not have walls and committed himself to rebuild them.[9]

o This left the city defenseless against enemy attacks. The people had been rebuilding the walls (Ezra 4:12) but were stopped by Artaxerxes who was pressured by some Samaritans and Rehum, the commanding officer, who may have been a Persian responsible to Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:17–23).

· Because of Nehemiah’s position in the king’s court, he must have been aware of Rehum’s initial letter and Artaxerxes’ subsequent response. However, he had probably not received word as to the results of the letter, though no doubt he feared for his brothers in Jerusalem.

o It is with this prior knowledge that he received the disappointing report from Jerusalem with a sense of deep regret and despair.[10]

· 1:4: Nehemiah’s open reactions of grief were like those of Ezra in Ezra 9:3–4 and 10:6. He engaged mourned and wept and engaged in fasting and prayer, so shocked was he by the news of the destruction of Jerusalem’s defenses. Shock waves run through the text: the motif of destruction in verse 3bwill be repeated in 2:3, 13, 17, as the problem that Nehemiah eventually solved.

o Note: Prayers belong strictly to the worship of God. Fasting is a subordinate aid, which is pleasing to God no farther than as it aids the earnestness and fervency of prayer. John Calvin

o A need does not always constitute a call to remedy it, but it did for Nehemiah. He tested his conviction that he should regard it as a call by the success or otherwise of pushing open a door of opportunity at his disposal, according to verse 11.[11]

o Since Nehemiah’s natural bent was for swift, decisive action, his behavior here is remarkable. It shows where his priorities lay. It also reveals, by every phrase in this verse, the unhurried and far from superficial background to the famous ‘arrow prayer’ of 2:4 and to the achievements which were to follow it.

§ Nehemiah 2:4 (NASB) (Arrow Prayer) 4 Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So, I prayed to the God of heaven.

Thoughts to soak on

· Why would Nehemiah inquire about a struggling remnant of people who lived hundreds of miles away? After all, he was the king’s cupbearer and he was successfully secure in his own life. Certainly, it wasn’t his fault that his ancestors had sinned against the Lord and brought judgment to the city of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah. A century and a half before, the Prophet Jeremiah had given this word from the Lord: “For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Or who will bemoan you? Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?” (Jer. 15:5, NKJV) Nehemiah was the man God had chosen to do those very things!

· Some people prefer not to know what’s going on, because information might bring obligation.“What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” says the old adage; but is it true? In a letter to a Mrs. Foote, Mark Twain wrote, “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.” But what we don’t know could hurt us a great deal! There are people in the cemetery who chose not to know the truth. The slogan for the 1987 AIDS publicity campaign was “Don’t die of ignorance”; and that slogan can be applied to many areas of life besides health.

· Nehemiah asked about Jerusalem and the Jews living there because he had a caring heart. When we truly care about people, we want the facts, no matter how painful they may be. “Practical politics consists in ignoring facts,” American historian Henry Adams said; but Aldous Huxley said, “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” Closing our eyes and ears to the truth could be the first step toward tragedy for ourselves as well as for others.[12]

· Nehemiah was not complacent about the condition of things; he mourned and wept over the ruin in Jerusalem. There would have been no point in his going to Jerusalem if the condition of the city had not first touched his heart. Servants of the Lord need to feel the burden of the work before they engage in it. Although it would be wrong to believe that tears must accompany all prayer and fasting for it to be effective, there is a danger that the prayers of believers can become so cold, formal and stereotyped that they are stripped of all emotion.

· Nehemiah “fasted, and prayed” (v. 4). He appreciated that he did not have the answer to the problem that confronted him, and therefore he turned to prayer. It was not the last resort for Nehemiah, but the first. Clearly, it was habitual for him to pray. Throughout the book he slipped comfortably into prayer whenever the occasion demanded it. Although this particular prayer can be read in a matter of moments, he prayed persistently over a lengthy period in the same spirit. He speaks of “the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night” (v. 6). Indeed, it was not until the month Nisan (March/April) that he spoke to Artaxerxes about his deep exercise concerning the Jews and Jerusalem (2:1), four months after Hanani and the men of Judah had brought the news to him.

o There were times when Nehemiah’s prayers were answered immediately, but he understood that there were occasions when there was a need for him to be persistent and to wait patiently for God’s answer. Some commentators believe that the words, “prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day” (v. 11), may well indicate that this prayer was the culmination of four months of conversing with God over the matter. He had prayed “day and night” (v. 6), for “certain days” (v. 4), and now he had arrived at a crucial point on “this day” (v. 11).[13]

Thoughts about burdens on our hearts we should soak on here

· They cause us to Search for God’s Direction and Guidance.

· Burdens leave us asking, “Lord, what do I do? Where do I go? How do I solve this?”

o Jeremiah 31:9—They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

· The burden motivated Nehemiah to action and to take steps to fill the need in Jerusalem. He was a man who had great leadership qualities. I dare say that his abilities and wisdom were a great asset to the king. Good leaders usually do two very important things.

o They establish their priorities.

o They manage their time effectively and efficiently.

· What should be the priorities of a leader? Some leaders put relationships with people first. Others stress personal thought-time and time for planning.

o What did Nehemiah do? His first priority was prayer. He unloaded his heart to the Lord. The mark of a serious leader is he goes to the Lord first with his problem.

o Our first response is usually, “How can I work this out? What did so and so do to make this happen?” The problem will not be 100% solved, however, until you take it to the Lord in prayer. This was the first thing that Nehemiah did. In fact, 11% of the verses in this book are filled with prayers. If you have difficulty loving or relating to a person, take him or her to the Lord.

· Prayer made Abe Lincoln. Lincoln said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of those about me seemed insufficient for the day.” Nehemiah was a man of courage, action, and prayer. He learned to pray!

o Are you mad at someone? Pray!

o Are you burdened about a need? Pray!

o Do you have health problems? Pray!

o Do you need a job? Pray!

o Do you have a loved-one that needs to be saved? Pray!

· C.J. Barber said,

o “The self-sufficient do not pray; they talk to themselves.

o The self-satisfied will not pray; they have no knowledge of their need.

o The self-righteous cannot pray; they have no basis on which to approach God.”

· Beloved, a wise leader is not self-sufficient, self-satisfied, or self-righteous.[14]

Nehemiah 1:5 (NASB) 5 I said, "I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

Covenant. The covenant referred to in this unit is the Mosaic Law. The Law was viewed as a formal contract that defined the relationship between God and His people.

· 1:5. There is more than rhetoric in this elaborate opening.

o It deliberately postpones the cry for help, which could otherwise be faithless and self-pitying.

o It mounts immediately to heaven(as the Lord’s prayer does), where the perspective will be right,

o It reflects on the character of God—not only for its encouraging aspect of staunchness and love, but first of all for the majesty which puts man, whether friend or foe, in his place.[15]

· His appeal was based on God’s covenant with Israel as given in:

o Deuteronomy 7:6-9 (NASB) 6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORDbrought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;[16]

· Also in Deuteronomy, the Lord threatened the unfaithful but also promised to assist the repentant (see Deut. 9:29; 28:14; 30:1–4). As the king’s cupbearer, Nehemiah ended his petition by anticipating an audience with Artaxerxes (“this man,” 1:11).

o Nehemiah’s burden for Jerusalem required his personal involvement. The “cupbearer” was a personal butler who functioned as the king’s wine taster.[17]

Nehemiah 1:6-7 (NASB) 6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father's house have sinned. 7 "We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.

· 1:6. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. Ewald (HEINRICH GEORG AUGUST Ewald),1803–1875, Protestant theologian; scholar of the Bible, Israelite history, and Semitic languages, well observes, “In the prayer of Nehemiah the keynote is struck in the words, ‘I and my father’s house have sinned’ ” (‘History of Israel,’ vol. v. p. 149, note 1). The desolation which be mourns is the result of the people’s sins, and in those sins are included his own, and those of his ancestors. His own may not have been very grievous, but those of his fathers’ weigh upon him as if his own and oppress his spirit.

· 1:7. We have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments. The ordinances of the Law are frequently summed up under these three heads (Deut. 5:31; 6:1; 11:1, &c.); but it would be a mistake to regard them as constituting a logical division of the various precepts contained in the Pentateuch, or to suppose that every precept is to be referred absolutely to one or other of the three.[18]

o the commands, regulations, and judgments Nehemiah uses three different Hebrew terms synonymously to refer to God’s law. The variation and repetition is similar to that of psalms praising the Law like Psalm 19:7-9 or Psalm 119.

o your servant Moses Nehemiah is referring to the entirety of the law of Moses.[19]

Nehemiah 1:8-11 (NASB) 8 "Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.' 10 "They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11 "O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man." Now I was the cupbearer to the king.

· 1:9-8 Nehemiah recognized God’s justice. He remembered the word which was spoken through His servant, Moses, saying, “If you transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations.”

o As we see Israel at this moment scattered among the nations of the earth, as corn is scattered in a sieve, we cannot but keep before us God’s Word through Moses.

o They are scattered because they sinned, because they dealt corruptly.

· 1:10-11 Nehemiah claimed God’s promises. He laid before the Lord His promise to Moses: “If you turn unto Me, and keep My commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the Heaven, yet will I gather them * * unto the place that I have chosen to set My Name there.”

o If Nehemiah used this promise of God as he prayed in his day, how much more may we use the same promise as we pray. God said through the Prophet, Amos, “And I will bring again the captivity of My people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.”

o This promise, given by the Holy Spirit through Amos, is sure and steadfast. It has never been fulfilled in any partialrestoration because this is a complete restoration; and also, because all restorations in the days past, were only to be driven forth again. When the Lord comes, and Israel is brought back to God, then they shall be planted in their own land never to be pulled up. Read also Ezekiel 36:24 . Thank God for the day of Israel’s restoration![20]

§ Ezekiel 36:24 (NASB) 24 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.

Thoughts in Closing

· Nehemiah’s prayer is a model of theological correctness.

o He first acknowledged God’s sovereignty and covenant grace and faithfulness (Neh. 1:5).

o He then petitioned the Lord to hear his confession of national and personal sins (v. 6), covenant violations (v. 7) which had resulted in the dispersion of the chosen people to the ends of the earth (v. 8; cf. Lev. 26:27–33; Deut. 28:25, 36, 47–57).

o Such confession, accompanied by sincere repentance, would prompt the Lord to forgive his people and restore them to the land once again (Neh. 1:9; cf. Deut. 30:1–10).

· Returning to the present situation, Nehemiah reminded the Lord that the suffering Jews of Jerusalem were those very ones to whom the redemptive promises pertained (Neh. 1:10). He now interceded for them, but also for himself.

o May God respond to the needs of his obedient and desperate people, he pled (v. 11), and may He also listen to his servant Nehemiah and give him favor before his human lord, King Artaxerxes, the one who would have to grant him leave of absence (cf. 2:5).

· The brief notation that Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king is not without significance.

o It speaks of his privileged role in the royal court but, at the same time, of his indispensability.

o The cupbearer, among other things, sampled the food and drink of the king to determine whether or not it was safe for his consumption.

§ Such a man must enjoy the king’s trust.

o Nehemiah’s very uniqueness of responsibility made it unlikely that the king could do without him, even for a brief time.

§ `Hence, Nehemiah’s prayer for divine intervention.[21]

Often my research I have come across sermons pointedly applicable to our lesson and would like to include…but I don’t due to the length that would scare a reader from spending the time to read….I have included excerpts from a sermon by Dr. Adrian Rogers entitled, Calling America Back to God, October 27, 1996. Dr. Rogers was awaking his congregation just before the presidential election. I felt this lesson is timely for us in light of the downward spiral away from God our nation is in.

Nehemiah Agonized in Prayer

He began to pray, because when he visualized the problem, then he agonized in prayer. Look, if you will now, in verse 4: “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). It’s not enough to see the ruins; we need to weep over them. Nehemiah did.

Now, what was his prayer like? Let me give you the four elements of this prayer.

A. A Prayer of Contrition

Jeremiah wept salty tears for the people of his day. Nehemiah wept over the people of his day. Jesus, as He saw Jerusalem under impending judgment, convulsed in sobs. When’s the last time you shed a tear over some soul that was mortgaged to the devil? When’s the last time that you broke down and literally wept before God? The things that break the heart of Almighty God ought to break our heart. If you’re not moved to tears, I suggest you get alone with God and say, “God, break my cold heart and have mercy upon me.”

B. A Prayer of Confession

But, not only was it a prayer of contrition; it was a prayer of confession. Look in verses 5 through 7: And, let me tell you that the moral situation in America can be laid right at the footsteps of the Church of the Lord God, because:

We have failed to preach as we ought to preach, speak as we ought to speak, live as we ought to live, give as we ought to give, and go as we ought to go, and it is a monument to our failure.

We have lost the moral consensus in America today, and why? Because the people of God have failed. And, in this coming election, it’s going to be a referendum on character, but let me tell you whose character: the character of the American people.

We’re going to find outthat we have lost our moral character and our consensus, and we need to confess our sins before God. And, when Nehemiah prayed, it was a prayer of contrition; it was a prayer of confession.

C. A Prayer of Confidence

Look in verse 8, if you will—I love this: “Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandest thy servant Moses”—here’s a prayer that is based on the promise of God. All true prayer is. What’s he saying? He is saying, “Our Lord God, there’s nothing too hard for Thee.” “Though they be in the uttermost parts, I will bring them back. I will restore them, if they will repent and turn to Me” (Nehemiah 1:9). Don’t you dare say that we cannot bring America back to God, because what you’re saying is God can’t do it. It’s an insult to God to say we can’t have revival. As long as there’s God, there’s hope. Nehemiah’s day was a desperate day. Think about it. The walls are crumbled. The streets filled with weeds and trash; the gates burned. The people are in despair, disillusioned. But, Nehemiah got the city on his heart, and he visualized and then agonized.

D. A Prayer of Commitment

A prayer of contrition, a prayer of confession, a prayer of confidence—and it was a prayer of commitment….This is very important; I want you to see this. Look, if you will, in verse 11 of this same chapter. He was about to go to the king and ask the king for a favor to return and rebuild the walls. And, he said, “I prayed to God because I was the king’s cupbearer, and I said, ‘O God, give me now favor in the eyes of this man’ ” (Nehemiah 1:11). He wasn’t content just to see the ruins and weep, but there was commitment.[22]

Please feel free to share this with anyone….History has an uncomfortable way of repeating itself due mankind’s desire not to learn from it or worse to change it to make him/her like their made up version better….Pray for America!

Grace and peace,

P.S. Dr. Rogers follow up sermon on this was on fasting which we have learned from this lesson is a preparation for quality prayer.

[1]James M. Hamilton Jr. et al., Exalting Jesus in Ezra-Nehemiah (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), Ne 1:1–11. [2]David Guzik, Nehemiah, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2000), Ne 1:1–4. [3]Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture: 2 Kings 8–Nehemiah (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 326–327. [4]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 99. [5]Mervin Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, electronic ed., vol. 10, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 167–168. [6] C. T. Lacey, “Nehemiah,” in Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, What the Bible Teaches (J. Ritchie, 2009), 213. [7]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 627. [8]Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: I Samuel to Esther, ed. F. C. Cook, J. M. Fuller (London: John Murray, 1879), 459. [9]Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 306. [10]Gene A. Getz, “Nehemiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 674. [11]Leslie C. Allen, “Nehemiah,” in Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard, and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 88. [12]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 15–16. [13] C. T. Lacey, “Nehemiah,” in Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, What the Bible Teaches (J. Ritchie, 2009), 217–218. [14] Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Nehemiah, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2008), 6–7. [15]Derek Kidner, Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 12, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 85. [16] New American Standard Bible, electronic edition. (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1986), Dt 7:6–9. [17]Kenneth A. Mathews, “The Historical Books,” in Holman Concise Bible Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 184. [18] H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Nehemiah, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 2–3. [19]John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Ne 1:7. [20] R. E. Neighbour, Wells of Living Water: Old Testament, vol. 4, Wells of Living Water (Union Gospel Press, 1939–1940), 182–183. [21]Gregory A. Lint, ed., Ezra–Job, The Complete Biblical Library: Study Bible (World Library Press, 2000), Ne 1:4–11. [22]Adrian Rogers, “Calling America Back to God,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), Ne 1:1–2:8.