Heart of a prophet: Book of Nehemiah

Introduction to the book

Setting: City of Susa, winter palace of the Persian King Artaxerxes Longimanus (464-423).

Susa is a city in Elam, about 200-miles east of Babylon.

Nehemiah was a man born in captivity but had a heart for Israel, for Jerusalem.

You can find Susa in book of Esther, for that is where God used Esther to impact the peoples, just as he was going to use Nehemiah too.

God places people where He wants them to use them for His purpose and glory. You are here because God placed you here!

This takes place about 1000 years after the time of Moses, and about 400 years before the coming of Jesus. The state of the people was desperate, they had been in captivity for 70 years in Babylon, and some stayed faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob while living in the midst of a pagan culture.

Some of the Jews rose in the Babylonian, the Persian government to high places like Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abed-Nego.

Ezra had already led willing captives to go back to Israel and to start rebuilding. Our story picks up about 12-15 years after the close of Ezra.

God used both of these men to fulfill His purposes. They had different backgrounds and talents, just like people today do, are people are usable by God.

Our look at Nehemiah, starts with his name.

Nehemiah: the name means “the Lord has comforted or Comfort of Jehovah. He is the son of Hacaljah. He is cup-bearer (a man of great trust and use to the king). His position was always next to the king, he was more than a taste tester to make sure food was not poisoned, but an advisor to the king too. The cup-bearer would be educated, cultured, knowledgeable to the law, and able to converse with the king if was asked.

Wiersbe said: “Because he had access to the king, the cupbearer was a man of great influence, which he could use for good or for evil.”

A fun fact: Nehemiah in Hebrew as also the name Esdras, and in some texts that is the way it was recorded, but not to be confused with the Esdras used in the apocrypha (1 &2 Esdras) for they are not the same

Interesting fact: about 2-million Jews were taken into captivity, but at the end of 70-years when all were set free to return, only about 50,000 returned, the rest had gotten comfortable in Babylon. Yes, some were still faithful to Jehovah God, many were not.

Ezra (the priest) led the first exodus and the temple started to be rebuilt, for the city of Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. The city was still unprotected the work during Ezra was very challenging both by the outside and the inside and the work was very slow in rebuilding the temple but the walls of the city were still in shambles and the city had no protection.

Timing: We are told that this takes place in the month of Chislev (this is about mid-November to December). And it was the 20th year of Artaxerxes, so the year was about 444.

Some similarities between Ezra and Nehemiah for in the original text it was one book.

Both Nehemiah and Ezra prayed for the people

Both rested for 3-days when they got to Jerusalem.

Both describe the persecution, opposition they faced by the Samaritans.

Both realize the importance of protecting the identity of Israel against inner marriage with foreigners.

Both books have two halves to them, with a time lapse between

Both of these men God used for His purpose, with Nehemiah the majority of his writings is from Jerusalem, whereas Ezra it was part in Babylon/Persia and part in Jerusalem.

Purpose:

This book focuses on the effort to revitalize the population of Israel.

To renew the Nation’s spiritual life through public reading of the Law.

An oath of loyalty of all the citizens

The dedication of the wall and the condemnation of those who had been tempted into disobedience to the law by contracting marriages to unbelieving foreigners.

How I hope to break this down as we go through the book:

The wall is rebuilt, reforms instituted at Nehemiah’s first visit (Chapters 1-7)

The Law is read in public, and its ceremonies are resumed (Chapters 8-10)

Persons bound by vows are listed, reforms on Nehemiah’s second visit are described (Chapters 11-13)

Our passage

Nehemiah 1:1–2 NASB95

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.

Nehemiah 1:3–4 NASB95

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.

What do you notice in this passage?

What facts do you learn in (v.1)?

IT is written by Nehemiah, in Susa, in month of Chislev, 20th year.

Who came from Judah to Susa (v.2)?

Hanani (Nehemiah’s brother) and some men who escaped and survived the captivity when yet in Jerusalem

What did Nehemiah learn from Hanani in (v.3)?

There was great distress and reproach.

The gates were broken down and burned.

How did Nehemiah react to what he learned (v.4)?

He sat down and wept

He mourned for days, along with fasting and praying

He cared enough to ask

The heart of the prophet cared enough to ask about Jerusalem’s condition.

Here an important man cupbearer who is inquiring about Jerusalem, his brethren. Even though he had not been there. He was born in captivity.

Do we have a heart for people, do we inquire about how people are doing, even those we have not met? That was the heart of Nehemiah.

Love what i read from some College Press commentary, that Nehemiah had the heart of Ps137:5-6

Psalm 137:5–6 NASB95

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill. 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Nehemiah was fulfilling the prophesy of Jer15:5

Jeremiah 15:5 NASB95

5 “Indeed, who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, Or who will mourn for you, Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?

While some may not want to inquire for with knowledge comes responsibility. Maybe you know the old adage “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.”

The word he received was not one of hope. it was of survivors (returning exiles in great distress and reproach).

The bad shape of the city was directly correlated to the bad shape of the city walls.

A city without walls was vulnerable, unable to safely protect the people, the houses, the treasures within the city.

Triest in his commentary said:

“Those living in an unwalled city lived in constant stress and tension; they never knew when they maybe attacked and brutalized. Every man lived in constant fear for his wife and children. The temple could be rebuilt, but never made beautiful, because anything valuable would be taken easily.”

Nehemiah called them survivors, but they were to be more than survivors, more than conquerors (Rom8:37).

Romans 8:37 NASB95

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Just another day

You never know what a day is going to bring. To Nehemiah it was just another day when Hanani showed up.

Just another day, Hanani showed up.(Neh1:1-2)

Just another day when Moses heard the call from God (Exo3)

Just another day when David was tending his sheep when the call came (1Sam16).

Just another day when Jesus called to some fishermen to become fishers of men (Lk5:1-11)

Today is just another day, an ordinary day, a day the Lord can use you.

It be be an unforeseen conversation with family member or friend, or words of encouragement to a perfect stranger.

Have open heart and mind to the leading of the Lord through His word and by His Spirit to be an instrument like Nehemiah, like Ezra and all the other prophets.

(Transition): Nehemiah had a heart, who cared enough to ask, to inquire; now He also cared enough to weep

He cared enough to weep

Nehemiah 1:4 NKJV

4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah was struck by the news whereas all he could do is sit down and weep.

There are people who laugh at others misfortunes, but not Nehemiah, he cared. His weeping was not a sign of weakness, but of strength, consider Jer9:1

Jeremiah 9:1 NASB95

1 Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!

or as we can read

Acts 20:19 NASB95

19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;

or even from Jesus

Luke 19:41 NASB95

41 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it,

Nehemiah had a heart that cared, that wept to felt the burden of others on him (consider Ps69:9; Rom15:3)

Psalm 69:9 NASB95

9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

If the Lord places a burden on your heart, do not try to escape it, but embrace it for if you escape it you may miss a blessing that Lord has planned for you.

Nehemiah starts with a weeping, mourning, but ends with a joy.

Weeping maybe for a time, but look at this

Psalm 30:5 NASB95

5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Wiersbe said:

“Our tears water the ‘seeds of providence’ that God has planted on our path; and without our tears, those seeds could never grown and produce fruit.”

While not required to fast and pray except on day of Atonement, Nehemiah had a heart that cared and felt he must do something.

May we have a heart that does something!

Nehemiah is a book, an exampled book about leadership, something that this world needs and our churches need and not talking about just teachers, preachers, elders/pastors, but all of us. Leadership impacts everyone.

Redpath: “Leaders must prepare themselves for difficult work because it won’t be easy. ‘There is no winning without warfare; there is not opportunity with opposition; There is no victory without vigilance. For whenever the people of God say, ‘Let us arise and build,’ Satan says, ‘Let me arise and oppose.’”

(Conclusion) - - - we are to be people who have a heart like Nehemiah, who have enough care to ask, another care to weep, enough care to do something.