Intro to Nehemiah

A couple of weeks ago I asked you all what you would like to study in the coming weeks on Sunday nights. Debbie answered by saying the “little guys” aka the minor prophets. This got me thinking about some of the key figures in the Old Testament that get skipped over sometimes, especially by preachers. You can google sermons on the gospels or Paul’s letters and get millions of results. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of the Old Testament Historical Books or the Major/Minor prophets. So, what I am hoping to do for the next couple months is to go through the book of Nehemiah as we start looking at key Old Testament figures and how they point us to Jesus Christ and how their stories matter to us today and call us to action.

This book takes place

The book of Nehemiah acts as a sequel to Ezra and is a post-exillic book in the sense that it takes place after the exile to Persia. We know that after the rule of Solomon, the nation of Israel split into 2 kingdoms (Israel in the North and Judah in the South). Israel would be captured in 722 BC by the Assyrians while the nation of Judah would be captured in 597 BC by Babylon. In 536 BC, Persia would conquer Babylon to become the most powerful nation in the world. Ezra returned to Jerusalem around 458 BC with some fellow exiles from Babylon and they rebuilt the temple and established the Mosaic law. Ezra does a great job of setting the stage for Nehemiah as it shows that the exile did not mean that God was finished with the people of Israel, in fact He had much more in store for them! As we get into Nehemiah, we believe that he returned to Jerusalem around 445 BC. The city was a shell of its former self and was defenseless and surrounded by its enemies on all sides. What we see time and time again throughout Nehemiah is that God protects His people and God’s people must be faithful in keeping His commands. This, after all is the purpose of the law, keep the law and experience covenantal blessings or disobey the law and experience covenantal cursing. A couple of key themes in the book include:

The Lord hearing our prayer (1:4-6)

The Lord working through rulers to bring about His greater purpose (2:8)

The Lord protecting His people (4:14)

The Lord being merciful and faithful to His promises - even though His people continue in sin (9:32-55)

Worship being the center of life for God’s people - including the giving of their resources (10:32-39)

God’s people needing to be on their guard against their own personal weaknesses (13)

With this background information in mind, and having a rough outline in front of us, let’s dive into the first chapter of Nehemiah!

Nehemiah 1:1-2:

Nehemiah 1:1–2:20 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. 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. 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, 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. 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 And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to 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 which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me. 9 Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel. 11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. 13 So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. 14 Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass. 15 So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work. 17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.” 18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 So I answered them and said to them, “The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah 1 NASB95

This first chapter of Nehemiah is packed with Biblical truth and applicable points for us today. What we see in this chapter is Nehemiah’s concern and prayer while chapter 2 shows us the response (or action) to this prayer.

News from Jerusalem (1-3)

How fitting is it that the name Nehemiah actually means “The Lord comforts”? This is a very fitting name for this 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 the life and character of Nehemiah today. If you are stuck in a tough situation with enemies surrounding you, Nehemiah is your guy to look to in how to handle that situation. I’ll go ahead and spoil the story, though, and tell you that the answer is to trust in God.

In the first 3 verses of show us the news that Nehemiah received from Jerusalem. Nehemiah states the time that he received this news - “Chislev” corresponds to what we would call November or December. Additionally, the king of Persia at this time (Artaxerxes) began to reign in 465 BC, meaning that the 20th year would be 445 BC. As mentioned before, Ezra arrived in the 7th year of this king’s reign, which is why we believe that he arrived in Jerusalem with the first wave of exiles in 458 BC. Additionally, Susa would have served as the winter residence for the king of Persia (and one of the mightiest cities in the world at this day and age)!

We are not entirely sure who Hanani was. He could have been a real brother of Nehemiah or he could have been a friend or simply a fellow Jew - we know that sometimes we call someone a brother whenever they are actually a dear friend or simply a brother in Christ. This individual is probably an actual brother of Nehemiah’s, however this is not something that we know for 100% sure. What we do know is that Jerusalem was in a difficult situation! In , we see that the walls of the city were broken down and the gates were burned. The enemies of Judah sent a letter to the King of Persia (Artaxerxes) and Artaxerxes forced the Israelites to stop rebuilding the wall. Nehemiah gets this report and we get valuable insight into the character of Nehemiah. This is not a man who is interested in his immediate family or his own fame, his vision included God’s people even though they were hundreds of miles away! Christians must seek to have a global concern for God’s work today as well! We must not get so wrapped up in our own situations that we lose sight of what God is doing in the lives of other Believers around the world - and as Nehemiah will show us, we must pray for them as well!

Verse 3 wraps up this report by talking about a Jewish remnant. Nehemiah is referring to the Jews who had returned from exile. We see throughout the Old Testament that God will always have a remnant - a people who will worship Him and call Him Father. Sometimes we see that this number shrinks drastically, however God promises to always maintain a remnant. This is true in the New Testament and in our lives today, as well! We know that not every human being on the planet is a Christian, however we do know that there is a universal church that represents the bride of Jesus Christ. We know that we worship the one true King and that we have a job to do, just as was the case for the remnant that Nehemiah is talking about.

What Nehemiah does next should be the way that we respond to difficult situations and adversity. He sat down, wept, confessed his sin and prayed for God’s help!

Confession of Sin (4-7)

Sometimes we confuse emotional response with being something that is unauthentic, however Nehemiah’s response to these first 3 verses is certainly authentic and passionate. He expresses sorrow by weeping and mourning and then he asks God to intercede and he does this with discipline and diligence. If we say that we love God and we genuinely want His glory to be revealed to the world around us, we should feel deep sorrow whenever the advancement of the Gospel is halted. We will be disciplined and diligent to pray for the situation as well! If we do not feel sorrow in these situations, we must check ourselves and stir ourselves and one another to wake up. Nehemiah was a man of faith and we find 2 sources of his trust in God. At the beginning of his prayer he understands who God is and throughout the prayer he shows that he truly knows the Word of God.

In verse 5 (the opening of his prayer), Nehemiah addresses God and makes 3 statements about God. First, Nehemiah addresses Yahweh as the great and fearsome God, he adds that Yahweh is the God who keeps covenants and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments. This is a crucial prayer on the part of Nehemiah as He will ask God to do what He has promised to do! Not only is God the covenant keeping God, but He also loves His children and maintains devoted, faithful love to those whom He has a covenant with. If you are a child of God today, you can pray this same prayer and ask God to keep His covenant with you. God’s Word tells us that He will never leave, nor forsake us. You can go before God today with boldness and know that He is surely there and He is listening. is a similar teaching to what Nehemiah prayed in , as verses 40-42 state that there is a punishment for covenantal disobedience (exile) but there will be restoration from exile. Nehemiah knew this prophecy/teaching, and He simply asked God to keep His promise. God always keeps His promises and He cannot do anything contrary to His Word. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!

Think for a moment about Nehemiah, though. He experienced the exile and he prayed to God that he might experience what God promised would come after the exile. He prayed that God would restore the weak pile of rubble that was Jerusalem. Whenever we pray, we have confidence that we pray to the God of Gods and the Lord of heaven. The next portion of Nehemiah’s prayer is interesting, to me, as he begins to confess his sin in verses 6-7. Nehemiah shows in these verses that the nation of Israel, as well as his own family and himself, have fallen woefully short of keeping the commandments. Because of this, Nehemiah acknowledges, the nation of Israel finds itself in the situation that they are in. He approaches the throne with humility and confesses his sin before God and prays that he might experience God remembering His covenant of bringing the exile to an end. Whenever we pray, we must remember what God has done in the past. How He has proven Himself to be true and faithful time and time again! How He has far exceeded our wildest imaginations.

Praying for God to Remember (8-11)

Nehemiah’s prayer in verses 5-7 was based on the Word of God. Even though Nehemiah came before God empty-handed, with nothing deserving the Lord’s favor or attention, he nevertheless did not come uninvited. What we see in verses 8-9 is a prayer that is based on Deuteronomy. Nehemiah realized that God justly punished Israel, but he reminded God that this very situation had been anticipated in and of His promise of mercy, faithfulness and forgiveness. Think of the guts this prayer took. Nehemiah called on God to remember His word and promises. Why do you think Nehemiah was so emotionally affected in verse 4? Because he knows his Bible as we see in verses 5-9! Do you want to love God, His kingdom, and the advancement of the Gospel? Do you want the strength of a character to look a desperate situation full in the face and have the wherewithal to do something about it? Fill your mind with the Bible! Hide God’s Word in your heart! Nehemiah challenges us to pray based on an understanding of God’s purpose and will as found in His Word. He also reminds us that we can always begin again in our relationship with God if we return to Him in humility.

This is good news, is it not? We have gone astray many a time in our lives and walks with Christ. The great news that we see in the restoration story of the people of Israel is that all you have to do is repent of your sin, confess Jesus as Lord and worship Him. In the life of Israel, this was a cycle that they endured time and time again. They would have a period where they would sin and experience covenantal cursing (in many cases they would experience servitude under a foreign power), then they would cry out to God to forgive them and they would experience supplication and salvation. Then, in a number of years, they would go back into sin and drift away to do what was right in their own eyes. This went on for hundreds of years! Israel went astray, yet God never forgot them, He was there and He was still faithful to His covenant. He is still faithful to His covenant today!

Nehemiah is in exile in Persia, but he does not mourn like an individual that is in exile and hopeless. He mourns because the enemies of God’s kingdom have prevailed against Israel, and he mourns because he loves God’s kingdom more than life itself. He doesn’t stop with prayer, though, he goes into action in verses 10-11. In these verses Nehemiah reveals his position in the Persian government and asked that God have compassion on him in the presence of this man (the king). This is extremely significant! Nehemiah is an authoritative figure in the most powerful kingdom in the world at this time. As the cupbearer to the king, he likely would have tasted everything that went to the king before the king drank it - in order to make sure that it wasn’t poisoned or anything. This meant that the king genuinely trusted Nehemiah, and Nehemiah proved to be trustworthy and faithful. In the midst of his responsibilities and duties, even with all the influence that Nehemiah had, his supreme concern was the Kingdom of God. Nehemiah was not the person that said that they were “too busy” to do their daily quiet time or had too much on his plate to pray for those who were on his “prayer chain”. He wanted to study the Bible and pray, so he didn’t grumble about doing these things in addition to his list of responsibilities with the king.

One of the things that sticks out in this prayer is that he asks for God would give him success before the king. It can be easy for people to say, “I did this”, however humanly speaking, Nehemiah had no reason to expect divine favor before the king. In , King Artaxerxes had issued a decree to stop working on the city of Jerusalem. Yet, Nehemiah is about to request that he reverse this decision so that the walls and gates of Jerusalem may be rebuilt! This is a very dangerous situation to be in. Nehemiah knew the seriousness of this task and he put it into God’s hands. Like many times since, Nehemiah’s greatness came from asking great things of a great God and attempting great things in reliance on him.

In the words of William Carey, “expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

Conclusion

This message has a great deal of application to us today, even though we might not see it on the surface. We are all in a position of influence, whether we realize it or not. We have the opportunity to point people towards Jesus Christ and to advance the Kingdom. What we see in the story of Nehemiah, in chapter 1, is that it is not enough to simply think about what needs to be done, but we must act upon it. Nehemiah begins to pray and he prays based on the character of God and he reminds God of His promises to His people. The only way that he could pray this prayer was to know the Scriptures deeply and to be “sold out” for God.

He was in a position of power, in a far away land and years and years removed from the destruction of Jerusalem itself, yet he genuinely cared for the kingdom of God. He cared so much that he fell on his knees and wept in verse 4. He could have simply prayed for God to raise someone up to fix the problem, but instead he was active and used his position to ask the king of Persia, the mightiest nation in the world at this time, to go back on an earlier decree and to allow him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah stuck his neck out and could have been killed, but instead, as we will look at next week, he did exactly what was necessary to begin the restoration process of the city of Jerusalem.

I shared this on facebook yesterday from studying about this lesson and I’ll close with this tonight: Which would grieve you more: seeing your favorite team lose the national championship, or hearing that Christians are being persecuted in a faraway place? In other terms, what would grieve you more: hearing that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, or hearing that Christians in China and Saudi Arabia are being tortured and executed for the Gospel? I pray that the second part is far superior to the first.

Which would grieve you more: seeing your favorite team lose the national championship, or hearing that Christians are being persecuted in a faraway place?

Let’s pray

Hamilton, J. M., Jr., Platt, D., Akin, D. L., Merida, T., & Akin, D. (2014). Exalting jesus in ezra-nehemiah. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference.

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