Nehemiah 1 - 2:8

Tonight, we start an 8-week excursus into Nehemiah. There is a lot to cover in 8 weeks, especially considering there are 13 chapters. One thing I want to be continually on our minds as we look at this is the heart of Nehemiah through this all. I love how he closes the book:

Nehemiah 13:31 ESV

31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

This is a common refrain of Nehemiah. In that, I want us to think about how our kingdom legacy can be built. Nehemiah’s desire was to please God. Let that be our desire as well.

Let’s start with some background as we prepare to look at the first chunk of Nehemiah tonight.

The main thrust of Nehemiah is the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was destroyed in 586BC by the Babylonians, and the Jews were taken into captivity. About 50 years later, in 539BC, the Persians (under Cyrus) defeat the Babylonians, absorbing Israel and Judah into their own growing kingdom, referred to as “Beyond The River.” The following year, Cyrus allows people from Judah to return and rebuild the temple. This is where the modern terminology of calling the children of Israel “Jews” comes from; this is when that term is coined.

Over the next almost 100 years, several waves of Jews return home. In 445BC, Nehemiah receives word in Susa of the decrepit state of Jerusalem. Nehemiah is the cupbearer to the king (Artexerxes I), and the king allows him to go and rebuild the walls.

The book of Nehemiah covers 10-12 years, with Nehemiah returning to Susa briefly before returning to Jerusalem in roughly 432.

Now, I want to kind of put Nehemiah in perspective, from a biblical chronology standpoint. We’ve studied both Daniel and Esther in here on Wednesdays, and I want you guys to really try and put the pieces together.

Daniel tells the story of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the captivity and exile of the Jews. It takes us from the conquest of Jerusalem all the way into the beginning of the Persian empire. This takes place basically over the course of about 70 years between the 580s BC into the early 510s BC.

Not long after the rise of the Persians, we have Cyrus the Great decreeing that the Jews may return home. We see this in the book of Ezra. The first group returns somewhere around 538BC under Joshua and Zerubbabel (Ezra 1-6), when the rebuild the temple.

Then, about 80 years later, the second group returns to Jerusalem (roughly 458BC), under Ezra. This group restores the law to the land (Ezra 7-10).

This means the book of Ezra covers a span of roughly 100 years, because some of the events of Ezra seem to overlap with some from Nehemiah.

Also, we have to consider Esther. Esther happens some time between 486-464 BC, taking place over the course of 6-10 years.

Finally, we pick up with Nehemiah, which as we said, starts with the return under Nehemiah to rebuild the walls. This was another almost 15 years later, around 444BC.

If we look at it all, we see Daniel, with overlap into the first bit of Ezra at the end; Ezra with internal overlap of Esther occurring between the first two waves of returning exiles, and then the end of Ezra overlapping with the events of Nehemiah.

I realize that a) this might be better with a chart to show and b) some of you probably don’t actually care, but I think it is helpful for us to put these pieces in place and see how the biblical roadmap lays out.

One commentary notes it this way (Explore the Bible, Nehemiah):

“The Old Testament books of Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah chronicle the events surrounding the Lord’s restoration of Jewish exiles to the promised land. The books bear the names of three Jewish heroes of the faith - ordinary believers who accomplished extraordinary things as a result of God’s mighty, providential hand and their bold, obedient faith.”

One note, because Ezra and Nehemiah are companion pieces: many scholars speculate that, while there are certain sections of both books that seem to be memoirs or personal writings, the books overall seem to have an external author. That author is typically held to be Ezra himself, as he is described as a scribe in Nehemiah 8:1 & 9. Most likely, Ezra compiled the two books around 430 BC.

So, now we have some of the basic context down, let’s look at the text itself.

Nehemiah 1 ESV

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that 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 your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.

In chapter one, we see Nehemiah hear of the state of Jerusalem: it is bad.

Note that we get a datestamp at the beginning. One of the things that leads some scholars to lump Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther together the way they do is because of the consistency in the way the text dates itself internally.

Note that the events here are happening in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, something like 13 years after Ezra headed to Jerusalem:

Ezra 7:8 ESV

8 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

One commentary helpfully breaks it down:

Ezra & Nehemiah: Walking in God’s Words Chapter 9: Meet Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1–2:9)

We have met Ezra, the priest, who led some of the people of God back to Jerusalem in 458 BC, the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, King of Persia (Ezra 7:8). We now meet Nehemiah, who came to Jerusalem in 445 BC, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes’ reign. Although he arrived 13 years after Ezra, they worked together to care for God’s people, with Nehemiah as the governor, and Ezra as the priest and teacher. It is likely that Nehemiah wrote his memoirs, as a lot of this book includes his own accounts of what happened, how it happened, what he thought, and what he prayed. What do we learn about Nehemiah from this chapter?

So, we see the time, and we see the problem.

The returned remnant has not rebuilt the walls, and therefore the city is unprotected. This is very troubling for Nehemiah. The people are in danger, and work on the temple had been stopped (Ezra 4:7-24).

We see immediately that Nehemiah was a man who cared deeply for his heritage, but more importantly, for his God.

He cared for his people. Notice that he asks about the people before he asks about the city. He seems more distressed at the people’s vulnerability than at the relative insecurity of the city. His desire to rebuild the walls seems to stem more from a desire to protect God’s people than it does to protect God’s city.

What does he do as soon as he hears about Jerusalem?

He mourns, fasts, and prays.

His prayer is full of understanding . He understands God’s words and promises.

He recognizes that his people, the Jews, had rejected God, and that God’s promise to send them to exile had been carried out. He recognizes the sin of the people and God’s righteous judgment.

Then, he asks God to remember the other side of the promise. That if the people turned back to God, they would be gathered together again. Nehemiah has already seen, to some extent, the remnant returning to Jerusalem, and he prays to God that God would remember this promise.

Why?

Because - and we see this towards the end of his prayer - Nehemiah is planning to lead a remnant back to Jerusalem. Nehemiah asks for strength with what to say, with even how to present his case, because Nehemiah feels strongly the call to repentance and the call to go back to Jerusalem.

Ezra & Nehemiah: Walking in God’s Words Weeping, Mourning, Fasting and Praying

Nehemiah was not a priest or, at that time, a leader. He was an ordinary believer, but a person of prayer! His prayerful and humble grief was intensive (he sat down to weep), and extensive (for some days), and expressive (he mourned and fasted). He grieved over the bad situation of God’s people, and their sin. He knew that it was because of their sin that God had sent his people into exile, and they were still bearing the consequences of that sin. Grief for sin is the sign of a great leader, as is sorrow for the situation of the people of God. Jesus showed the same grief for God’s people and their sin when he wept over Jerusalem, just before his death on the cross: ‘As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it’ (Luke 19:41).

Right at the end of the first chapter, we get a nugget of info: Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king.

This may seem insignificant, but it is very important. The cupbearer was responsible for the king’s health as it regarded food and drink.

Ezra & Nehemiah: Walking in God’s Words Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes

In the Persian court the cupbearer was a senior official, responsible for tasting the king’s wine (lest he be poisoned!), and for guarding the royal apartments.

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 1

The position of cupbearer to the king was a high office and involved regular access to the king.

1 Chronicles thru Job Nehemiah’s Prayer (1:5–11)

The position of cupbearer was one of great responsibility and influence. Kings wanted a cupbearer they could trust. When Nehemiah makes his cupbearer remark, he is recognizing that Yahweh’s providence has been at work long before this moment. He was high up in the civil service with access to the king, and therefore, in a favorable position to seek good for the people of Judah.

“The cupbearer had a dual role: first, to taste whatever the king desired to drink, ensuring it was poison free; second, to provide security for the king’s living quarters. Nehemiah’s job was’t menial; it was a role of influence and honor.”

Similar to Daniel, Nehemiah had risen to prominence in the kingdom. He had a daily audience with the king.

However, he has this burden weighing on his heart: the city of Jerusalem lays unprotected. Her people are in danger. The walls are torn down. He desires to save his people, but knows he needs help to do it.

And, by the way, the king Nehemiah serves is also the same guy who sent a remnant back, but then stopped the work (Ezra 4:7-23).

Nehemiah 2:1–8 ESV

1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

So, four months pass between Nehemiah hearing about the state of Jerusalem and the start of chapter 2. He has been praying daily, but also working hard to hide his personal emotion from the king.

Now, in our day and time, we don’t see a big deal with letting your emotions play out on your face at work. Some people encourage it.

But in the court of the Persian king, this was not the way things were done. You came into the presence of the king with a smile.

And so, when we look at these verses, we can understand that Nehemiah was right to be fearful here.

Interestingly, Nehemiah spills it all to the king. “This is why I’m sad!”

And it seems that the king and Nehemiah have a good relationship, because the king cuts to the chase: “what do you need?” But it isn’t like, “uuuugggghhh…what is it this time???” It’s more like, “hey, it’s cool. What do you need, and how can I help?”

Now, notice in verse 4 when the king asks this, Nehemiah doesn’t just go, “OK, cool, so here’s what I’m thinking...” He doesn’t workshop this with the king.

What does he do?

Nehemiah 2:4 ESV

4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah prays to God.

This is a man who fully relied on God for wisdom, strength, and success.

Before giving his own plans or agenda, he sought God’s wisdom and leading. Having received that from God, he tells the king what he needs.

Really, the king only has two more questions: “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?”

And I want to point out something we sometimes miss here: Neh 2:6

Nehemiah 2:6 ESV

6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time.

Notice that all of the sudden we see the queen is sitting beside the king. There are a couple of thoughts about this here. Some scholars posit that this indicates that the king pulled Nehemiah into a separate, more intimate place to have the conversation about the details, perhaps on a different day, in a place where the queen also was.

The other, and I think more interesting thought, is that this is a bit of an Easter Egg for the Jews who would be reading this.

Remember earlier, we mentioned that the books of Daniel, Ezra, Esther, and Nehemiah all sort of fit together chronologically?

Do we know of a queen of Persia who would be really interested in the affairs of Jews going back to Jerusalem?

Esther.

Esther would have happened anywhere from 20 to 30 years prior to this. It is possible (some scholars would argue probable) that, given her status as Queen Mother, she would have been in allowed into the court of the king, as (most likely) the grandmother of the king. This wouldn’t have been out of the realm of possibility, as the Persian court would sometimes include important women from the royal harem. Perhaps her influence led the king to grant Nehemiah’s request.

In any case, we see that Nehemiah is thinking forward, and asking for supplies and letters of authority that will grant him the permission he needs to do the job. Nehemiah is trusting God but using the gifts God has given him to plan properly. We see this in verse 8: “the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.”

Ezra & Nehemiah: Walking in God’s Words Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes

Artaxerxes the great king of Persia was not on earth to serve his servant Nehemiah, but he still gave him what he asked for. And Artaxerxes was not a servant of the one true and living God, the LORD, but he did his will. God rules all that he has made, and works everything for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Interestingly, Nehemiah and Ezra had separate thoughts on how to utilize the king’s resources, but both are clearly from God’s leading:

Ezra & Nehemiah: Walking in God’s Words Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes

Whereas Ezra had refused the protection of the king’s troops for his journey, because he trusted in God’s gracious hand (Ezra 8:22–23), Nehemiah accepted the king’s provision: ‘And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests’ (2:8). Both experienced God’s gracious protection—Ezra directly, and Nehemiah through the troops provided by the king.

We’ll pick up here next week as we see how Nehemiah sets to work.