Protecting the Name

Introduction to Nehemiah

We are continuing the story of the return of the remnant of Israel back to Jerusalem, and the picks up in the book of Nehemiah. Turn in your Bibles, or tap in your app, to Nehemiah chapter 1. (I’ll be reading from the CSB)

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The Books of History Chapter Forty-Three: Rebuilding the City (Nehemiah 1–6)

The people of God had been restored to their land in 538 B.C. under the leadership of Zerubbabel (Sheshbazzar). The temple had been rebuilt in 515 B.C. The threat of the annihilation of the Jews was defeated by the work of Esther and Mordecai in 474–473 B.C. Ezra had returned in 458 B.C. to restore the law to its rightful place among the people of God. Yet to be restored was Jerusalem, the holy city.

It is that last part, the restoration of the holy city of Jerusalem, that the book of Nehemiah focuses on. Jerusalem was not only the place where King David reigned and established the nation of Israel, it is also the place where God chose to have his name dwell. Until this city is restored, the people are still exiles.

Let’s read together:

Nehemiah 1:1 CSB

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa,

That is a pretty abrupt intro! Twentieth year of what? What fortress? Is Nehemiah Jewish or Persian?

Though you and I have Ezra and Nehemiah as separate books in our Bibles, they used to be considered one book. When you read the abrupt ending of Ezra and then the seemingly vague intro to Nehemiah, you can see that they both make more sense when you connect them together.

About 12 years after Ezra showed up on the scene, the events of the book of Nehemiah take place. Ezra is still around and will make an appearance in this book, and is possibly the author of this book.

The book of Nehemiah is a narrative, however it has so many practical applications! It has been the source of many books on leadership, which is unusual for a narrative book. Though we do not know much about Nehemiah, this book that chronicles his involvement with the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem beings to light his character, leadership, determination, wisdom and total dependence upon God in all of it.

Who is Nehemiah?

Nehemiah was one of the Jews who remained in Susa (a capital city of the Persian empire). He was the son of Hacaliah and we learn at the end of chapter 1 that he had a very important job - he was cupbearer to the king.

A cupbearer had the job of tasting the wine before it was served to the king. If it was poisoned, the cupbearer would die instead of the king. Basically, the mere presence of a person in this position would prevent poisoning, so this was a pretty good job! It also meant that Nehemiah was someone the king was certain he could TRUST.

NOTE: Ester was queen in 473 B.C., and Mordecai second in command. It is possible that they are still in Susa, serving Artaxerxes I in 445. Which would make Nehemiah serving in the kings presence at the same time Mordecai was serving and Esther was queen in the fortress of Susa.

😎 ** SLIDE ** SIDE NOTE: Susa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can still visit the fortress today!

The Bad News

With the history out of the way, let’s continue reading:

Nehemiah 1:1–3 CSB

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile. 3 They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.”

The walls and gates of Jerusalem were originally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar at the beginning of Judah’s exile:

2 Kings 25:8–10 CSB

On the seventh day of the fifth month—which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. He burned the Lord’s temple, the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down all the great houses. The whole Chaldean army with the captain of the guards tore down the walls surrounding Jerusalem.

However, in Ezra 3-4 we read that the people were rebuilding not just the temple, but the walls. Then the opposition mounted and in the first year of Artaxerxes I reign, the enemies of the Jews wrote a letter to the king:

Ezra 4:12–16 CSB

12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you have returned to us at Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and evil city, finishing its walls, and repairing its foundations. 13 Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, duty, or land tax, and the royal revenue will suffer. 14 Since we have taken an oath of loyalty to the king, and it is not right for us to witness his dishonor, we have sent to inform the king 15 that a search should be made in your predecessors’ record books. In these record books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces. There have been revolts in it since ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. 16 We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, you will not have any possession west of the Euphrates.

And the king replied:

Ezra 4:19–21 CSB

I issued a decree and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has had uprisings against kings since ancient times, and there have been rebellions and revolts in it. Powerful kings have also ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates River, and tribute, duty, and land tax were paid to them. Therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until a further decree has been pronounced by me.

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Ezra 4:23 CSB

23 As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes’s letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they immediately went to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.

Some scholars believe it is very likely that “forcibly stopping” them included tearing down any parts of the wall that had been rebuilt, and possibly burning the gates so they could not be set back up. However, ANY enemy of the Jews could have added to the damage to the city to keep it from build rebuilt.

This situation brought “great trouble (ra-a) and disgrace ”. Trouble or evil because there was no protection for the people living in the city. The walls were to protect. The condition of the city was a mockery of both the Jews living there as well as God, who chose to have his name dwell there.

Remember, to most of the world religions, deities were connected to a location or region.

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Ezra 6:12 CSB

May the God who caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who dares to harm or interfere with this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out diligently.

Even Darius, a pagan king, understood that Jerusalem was the city where the God of the Heavens chose to make his name dwell and to have his house. Yahweh was known as the God of Israel who dwelled in the temple of Solomon in the City of David (Jerusalem).

Though the city was in ruin, it was really the reputation of God that was at stake:

his people disobeyed him

his city has been destroyed

his house was destroyed

There was no dwelling place for Yahweh and no collected people or nation to worship him. This story in Nehemiah is not just about the protection of the remnant, it is about protecting the Name of Yahweh. To lift the disgrace on the Jews and their God, the dwelling place of that God (both the temple and the city) would need to be restored.

Keep this in mind as we read Nehemiah’s response:

Nehemiah 1:4–11 CSB

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. 5 I said, Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands, 6 let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned. 7 We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses. 8 Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.” 10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand. 11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man. At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.

Nehemiah’s response

Sat, wept, mourned, fasted, prayed. These are all great responses to bad news. I think much of the modern church has wrongfully taught that if we are walking in the spirit and if we have real faith, we will not be upset, sad, despondent or discouraged. I do not find that in the Bible. Being discouraged or sad or even upset is not necessarily and indicator of a lack of faith - it is always, however, a great place to have our faith enlarged. We do that by turning to God and seeking him more.

It is often the times of greatest challenge in our lives that we are most open to learning from God.

This is actually the first of 12 references to prayers of Nehemiah found in this book.

What is your response when you get bad news or are discouraged? Do you start posting on social media or petitioning the God of heaven? If you do turn to God, do you come with complaints or humility?

I am going to assume that each of us here, as a general rule, turns to God and talks to God when they are discouraged, sad, upset or hurting. When you do pray to God, WHO do you think you are praying to? Let’s see how Nehemiah viewed God:

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Nehemiah’s view of God

THE God (elohim) of heavens [v5]

Great & awe-inspiring God (el) [v5]

A Promise-keeping God [v5, 8-9]

God is on his throne and above any situation we are in. He is mighty and should be feared (obeyed) and when we do fear him, we can trust that we will experience his presence and his promises.

Who do YOU pray to? Do you realize that the same God we can talk to personally, that we can call our “father”, is the God who controls the entire universe? When you look out at night and see all of the stars in the sky do you realize that the God you pray to spoke those into existence and keeps them in place?

Isaiah 41:10 CSB

10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

I think that it is easy to pray, but sometimes we can forget who we are praying to. As the children of God, we have the privilege of sharing our joys AND BURDENS with the God who made us, who gives us breath each minute of each day, who sustains the world and who has been passionately pursuing us since mankind first failed to trust him. He knows you, he cares deeply about you and he wants to hear from you!

Nehemiah’s Prayer

Now that we have considered what Nehemiah thought about God, let’s look a little bit more at what his prayer consists of:

It acknowledged God’s person, power and position.

It was persistent: day and night

It continued with confession - just like Ezra, Nehemiah assumes the sins of his nation as his own, not blaming others but taking the blame on himself.

It quoted the Torah [vs 8-9 are from Deuteronomy]

Deuteronomy 4:25–27 CSB

25 “When you have children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act corruptly, make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, angering him, 26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that you will quickly perish from the land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not live long there, but you will certainly be destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be reduced to a few survivors among the nations where the Lord your God will drive you.

It petitioned God on behalf of OTHERS

I really like the way the prayer of Nehemiah not only references the words of Moses, but the words that Nehemiah uses even echo those of Moses:

Nehemiah 1:10 CSB

10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand.

This echoes Moses and the Exodus as well as the return from exile. When God told Moses that he was going to destroy the Israelites because of their rebelliousness, what did Moses say to God?

Deuteronomy 9:26–29 CSB

26 I prayed to the Lord: Lord God, do not annihilate your people, your inheritance, whom you redeemed through your greatness and brought out of Egypt with a strong hand. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Disregard this people’s stubbornness, and their wickedness and sin. 28 Otherwise, those in the land you brought us from will say, ‘Because the Lord wasn’t able to bring them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’ 29 But they are your people, your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great power and outstretched arm.

Nehemiah mentioned the Jews being redeemed by the power of God. Though this is a hyperlink back to Moses, it also carries the story of the more recent events that THEY lived through of being kept from annihilation from their enemies at the command of Haman.

It petitioned God on Nehemiah’s own behalf

Did you know it is OK to pray for yourself? I know some people struggle with this, but we shouldn’t. When you think about it, to pray for others and not for your own needs is really arrogant, like saying you don’t need God’s help like other people do. It also goes directly against the way Jesus told us to pray in Matthew 6.

But there is something even more significant about this: Nehemiah didn’t pray, “Lord, use Ezra to rebuild the wall.” or “Yahweh, raise up a leader to rebuild the walls”, or “God, show the leadership that they have work they need to do!”. Part of Nehemiah’s prayer was that God would use him as part of the solution.

FACT CHECK: Many times, the reason God shows you a problem or situation it is because he wants to do one of two things:

Teach you something about Him and your relationship with him

Use you as part of the solution [WHAT IF, when we get bad news, we started by asking God to show us how we could be a part of the solution?]

Praising God, confession, scripture, petitions for others, prayers for our own needs, asking God to use you as part of the solution - these are ALL great things to include in our prayer times!

I think we should also note that Nehemiah does not DEMAND that God do anything; he pleads with God. We should approach the awe-inspiring God of the heavens with humility, not acting like a spoiled brat child demanding our ways.

That being said, I do not want us to take this prayer of Nehemiah and turn it into a model prayer with steps to follow and patterns to imitate. As we mentioned earlier, there are 12 prayers of Nehemiah in this book, and the rest of them are a lot different from this one!

The importance is on PRAYING to God in our distress and during our difficulties. The pattern we will see in this book is a long obedience to God and an unshakable dependence upon God - that is worth modeling!

Protecting the Name

Twice in this prayer, Nehemiah mentions the “name” of God:

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Nehemiah 1:9 CSB

9 But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.”

Nehemiah 1:11 CSB

11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man. At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.

Nehemiah’s heart is to fear or revere God’s name. The word “name” also means reputation. What Nehemiah is burdened to do is to bring honor to God by restoring the people to safety and the city where God’s name dwells to splendor. The goal was to lift up the reputation or name of Yahweh.

Ezra had the same goal when he chose NOT to have a military escort on his journey to Jerusalem:

Ezra 8:21–23 CSB

21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. 22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.” 23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.

Again, notice the humility in prayer? They did not want to have an army with them because they wanted God to be their protection. THIS is what God wanted for Israel all along! HE was to be their King!

By living this kind of humble life of faith, depending on God and accepting what He provides, we protect/honor/revere the name of God.

Friends, the way that we live either protects the name of God or it profanes the name of God. While we spend a lot of time thinking about our reputation (our name) we need to think about the way we are representing God. Are we protecting his reputation (his name) or do we bring it disgrace?

The rest of the book will be about protecting the Name of God - living in a way that makes God look like the awe-inspiring, righteous God that He is.

And some of the lessons that we will learn together will help us better live in such a was as to put God on display and bring honor to his name.