Don't hesitate, initiate and motivate

Nehemiah 2

Follow the Lord in your heart.

Daniel 9:25 ““Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.”

the command went out in Ezra 6:14

Ezra 6:14 NKJV

So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

until Jesus comes onto the earth.That completed the 69 weeks prophesied in Daniel.all we need now is the 7 years.

Ezra 7:8–10 “And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

Ezra 4:4–5“Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

Ezra 4:11–16 “(This is a copy of the letter that they sent him) To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and so forth: Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations. Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished. Now because we receive support from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king’s dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king, that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. And you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have incited sedition within the city in former times, for which cause this city was destroyed. We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the results will be that you have no dominion beyond the river.

Ezra 4:18–19 “The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read before me. And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.”

Nehemiah was a man in the position because of God.

We are going to see a man that followed the Lord in his heart.

God is always speaking to us. Are we listening? Are we following the Lord in our heart?

We get busy

Be still and Know that I am Lord.

1. He has a heavy heart. (goes into prayer and fasting.)

2. Ask for permission

3. He gets there. see disorganization, defenseless city (no king) lacking of leadership.

4. mobilize the people and begins with the basic

Chapter 1 to Chapter 2

4 months have past.

When I read this chapter 2

I see a strong leader

A strong leader is someone that possesses the ability to inspire and motivate others.,make difficult decisions, communicate effectively,and demonstrate resilience and integrity in the face of challenge.

He was a true leader lead by the Holy Spirit. I can do all things thru Christ that strengthens me.

Nehemiah 2:1–2 “And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid,”

First month of the Jewish calendar year

Artaxerxes son of the king Ahasuerus husband to Esther.

Sad-

could be executed.

turn back why he is sad

Nehemiah 1:3 “And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

Nehemiah wasn't ashamed to admit be was afraid. He refused to allow his fear from doing what God had laid on his heart.My fathers tomb- he is using his case in something the king could relate.

we as believers followers of Christ must never allow fear such as

I’m not a good speaker

Don’t know how

to old

new believer

not qualified

to stop us from doing his will. we must follow the Lord in our heart.

1 Corinthians 1:27 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;” “

Then....

My fathers tomb- he is using his case in something the king could relate. Burial sites were very respected though out the North east. as they used to be here.

TURN BACK

Nehemiah 2:3 “and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?””

Not he didnt mention the town.. He knew that the king had stopped the building of the city 13 years ago.

My fathers tomb- he is using his case in something the king could relate. Burial sites were very respected though out the North east. as they used to be here.

Nehemiah 2:4–6 “Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? ( his opportunity)

So I prayed to the God of heaven

( First thing we should do.) 8x in this book are quick prayers mentioned.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Psalm 5:1–3 “Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.”

Jeremiah 29:12–13 “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

If we want to reach God with our emergency quick prayers.

We need to spend time with him and build a strong intimate relationship with him during our time with him.

Repeat.

. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him), For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.”

How we live always is important

how we show we love God should always be visible in our lives.

Nehemiah by saying if I have found favor in your sight .

he was a good respectable servant of the king.

in () says the queen sitting by him.

Love how God wants us to know details.

some scholars say this queen is Esther,

This was king 20 year reigning. I feel like he had a wife by this time.

historian Ctesias according to him this queen was Damaspia.

but the name isn’t mentioned. that is not what is important.

But by stating this we know that it was a private dinner. as Queens weren't permitted at formal events. I believe this is the main point.

how long?? not mentioned how long. He did set a time but it isn't mentioned. we do know he was in Jerusalem 12 years.

Nehemiah 2:7–8 “Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.”

Nehemiah quick prayer gave him the boldness to ask for everything he needed.

He wanted a letter with proof that he had permission.

note he gave God all the glory.

Ezra didn’t...

Ezra 8:21–23 “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.”

Asking for permission and help is ok

verse 8 to 9 was enough time that it allowed Nehemiah enough time to get his supplies.

Nehemiah 2:9–10 “Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.”

The King not only gave Nehemiah what he wanted but more. gave him an escort of military men.

Another God blessing

Sanballat- governor of Samaria -

Tobiah probably governor of Ammon. the Descendants of the Ben -Ammi who was a nephew of Lot Abraham descendants.

another opposition just like Ezra.

Nehemiah 2:19 “But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?””

Nehemiah 4:1–3 “But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.””

Nehemiah governorship took away their authority.

the authority that they had over this region for years.

They felt that the strengthening of the Jews would possibly be a military threat. with the position that Nehemiah had with the king. if any would that could do this job. it could be him.

Sanballat and Tobiah-

We all have people like this in are life.

either trying to discouraged us or intimidating us. opposing us.

So easy to let them get to us.

Psalm 138:7 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.”

1 Peter 3:9 “not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

Nehemiah 2:11–16 “So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.”

Nehemiah was there 3 days resting from long journey & evaluating the situation. He had been praying over this.

imagine what he felt. The disarray .

I remember going to the twin towers

the saddness.

This is where true leadership begins.

Isaiah 30:18 “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

Psalm 130:5–6 “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.”

He evaluated the situation. He didn't just come in jumping to full force right away. He got first hand what he needed to do and made a realistic plan.

He did this at night in secret as not to alert anyone of his intentions.

Nehemiah 2:17–18 “Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.”

Nehemiah had a vision. he shared it with the leaders. His enthusiasm encouraged the others. Let us rise and build.

He mobilizes the people.

Sometimes when we have something laying on our hearts a dream or work of God we hesitate to share with others because of what they might think.

We underestimate God and others. We assume its too big. However: God is working with others on this dream as well. If God has planted a dream in your heart share it and trust the Holy spirit. God uses one person to express a vision and others to turn to reality.

Nehemiah 2:19–20 “But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”

All they needed was God’s approval.

Nehemiah didn't hesitate,

he initiated

and he motivated the servants arrived and built.