Nehemiah Intro

Intro:

God uses unexpected people and unlikely circumstances to bring about his purposes in order to bring about his glory and not man’s glory. In the history of God’s work in this world, God has used the lowly and the meek of this world to bring about his glorious purposes. He uses shepherds and turns them into kings. He takes fishermen to become elders and evangelists. When God does this, he glorifies himself above man.

Today, we continue our study of exiles returning to Jerusalem with the book of Nehemiah. The person of Nehemiah is an unexpected heroic leader of this book. He was a Jew living under Persian rule and by God’s amazing grace rose in great prominence and trust under the king. We will look at this in detail more closely in a minute.

This book has also somewhat of an unexpected ending to Israel’s history in the Old Testament. Nehemiah is the final book in the historical narrative only to be finalized by the words of the prophet Malachi. It’s concludes as the final record of history for the Jews with no glorious crescendo to the story. The Jews fall back into sin as their leader Nehemiah calls them back to repentance and faith in God.

Of course, we have one final word from the prophet Malachi, who was the last writing prophet of Israel and who ministered during the time of Nehemiah. His words of promise of hope for the future of Israel rest in the promise of the coming Messiah, of the hope in God’s promised david King.

But for Ezra, Nehemiah, one walks away seeing faithful men of God, seeing moments of revival and return to the obedience of God’s commands but also seeing the grave nature of sin and how it has corrupted every aspect of history. All of this sets the stage during 400 years of silence from God for the need of a rescuer to come, a rescuer that is greater than any who had come before.

Today we will look at the introduction of Nehemiah. I want to share with you both some historical and theological markers that we can take forward into this final look in the lives of the Jews before Jesus comes.

Key Dates:

The first wave of Jewish exiles return under Zerrubabbel 539 BC

Temple foundation is laid 537 BC

Temple work resumes after stoppage 520 BC

Temple work completed 516 BC

Second wave of exiles return under Ezra 458 BC

Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to rebuild walls 445 BC

Nehemiah returns again to reform the people 433 BC

The Scripture reading today was a prayer by Ezra proclaiming the faithfulness of God to his people. This continues to be the theme of our study of Ezra Nehemiah as we see God’s unrelenting grace and love for his people and their failures against him.

The Author

Nehemiah is not the author of the book as much as the main character. This book should be considered alongside Ezra as the final installment of the story of the returned exiles. Early church history, as the collections of the books of the OT were put together, this book was called Ezra 2. Even as Nehemiah is noted in the first person throughout this book, it is best understood that Ezra uses memoirs from Nehemiah to write this third section of the 2nd Exodus of the Jews by the hand of the the faithful God.

Chapter 1-8 are written in the first person while chapter 9-13 are written from a third person perspective. While we did not see Nehemiah in the book of Ezra, starting in chapter 8 of Nehemiah, we will see Ezra as a contemporary of Nehemiah, still serving up the Law of God to the people.

Ezra is considered the author because of the continual story line with the contents of the book of Ezra and the similar writing style of both books. We have seen the common phrase the “good hand of the Lord was upon me. You can find that phrase in Ezra 7:9, 8:18, 8:22, Nehemiah 2:8, and 2:18

The Book

The outline of the book is simply:

Nehemiah returns 445 BC

Nehemiah’a ministry of rebuilding physically Ch 1-7

Ezra’s ministry of rebuilding spiritually Ch 8-10

Nehemiah’s ministry of resettlement geographically 11-12

Nehemiah returns again after 433 BC

Nehemiah corrects improper practices religiously 13

These writings are significant for many reasons both theologically and historically. Theologically, they continue defining the characteristics of God that were displayed throughout Ezra. Remember with me how he witnessed:

God’s Faithfulness

As I stated throughout our study of these books, we don’t want to make this study about man, we want it to be about God. God raises up great leaders and we can learn great truths from them. Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah have all been used by God in grand ways to further his purposes and his kingdom. But the main character has and always will be God and we should see that again and again. I have stated that God’s attribute of his faithfulness was clearly seen in the book of Ezra and now in the book of Nehemiah.

We have seen how God was faithful to send back the remnant of Jews to Jersualem allowing the escape from captivity. He was faithful to send materials their way of allies and enemies so that the Temple and city could be rebuilt. We learned of his faithfulness to once again allow the sacrifices as worship to resume. God’s was faithful to protect them against opposition, to send them a great leader and priest like Ezra who was bold to challenge them on their sin by declaring the law to them. He was faithful to give grace as the people repented of their disobedience against his holy name instead of bringing judgment on them once again.

In this final installment, we will see how the Jews are blessed by God with a leader like Nehemiah so that he might lead them to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and fortify the city. The rebuilding of the walls was an important aspect of the security of the city. For Artaxerxes, this rebuilt city was the property of his kingdom and the rising enemies of Persia could easy glance their lustful eyes towards Jerusalem in order to seige and capture it for themselves.

Therefore, God’s faithfulness will be seen in protecting His people by turning the heart of Nehemiah to return to rebuild and allowing the King to understand such a need as well. Those walls may be simply stone, but they represent the unlimited protection of our almighty God that preserves his people in that land for 400 years so that the Lord Jesus would be come to display his deity in his power and in his sinlessness. We could say that those walls represent the preserving power of God to deliver on his promise of a Savior who would come 400 years after the walls were restored.

The passage in Nehemiah 9 that was read is the word from Ezra to the people about all God has done for them through their history. 14 times in that recollection of God’s faithfulness in Nehemiah 9:6-38, the Phrase “you gave” is used to recount of God had done. This just a testament to the graciousness and faithfulness that God has been to his people in spite of their rebellion against him.

Nehemiah 9:33 (ESV)

33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.

God’s faithful character is displayed in the HB word EMET. It means God is certain, dependable, he will never fail us. Because God is truthful and he never lies, it means that his word is always faithful. Similarly, because his word is truth and he never changes, or immutability, then likewise God is always faithful. We cannot divorce these equal aspects of God’s character and nature.

AW Tozer writes,

Upon God's faithfulness rests our whole hope of future blessedness. Only as He is faithful will His covenants stand and His promises be honoured. Only as we have complete assurance that He is faithful may we live in peace and look forward with assurance to the life to come...The tempted, the anxious, the fearful, the discouraged may all find new hope and good cheer in the knowledge that out Heavenly Father is faithful. He will ever be true to His pledged word. The hard-pressed sons of the covenant may be sure that He will never remove His loving-kindness from them nor suffer His faithfulness to fail.

Tozer, A.W.. The Knowledge of the Holy (p. 81). Fig. Kindle Edition.

How do you recount the faithfulness of God in your life? Do you speak of the faithfulness of God before others? Do they know and understand how good God has been to you and to this world? Let us all be challenged this week to intentionally take a conversation with someone outside your home to recount God’s faithfulness in your life. Steer the conversation away from sports for a moment and speak of specific ways you have seen God work in your life

God’s Faithfulness

God’s Providence

Secondly, once again we see miraculous providence of God at work as he turns the heart of the king to do the will of the King of Kings. As I mentioned before, the security of God’s people rests in God and yet he provides a physical fortitude for us. Our homes offer some measure of security for us but locked doors are not the source of worry-free rest. Our security comes from God.

God moved the enemies of Persia by his Providence to raise the security alert for Jerusalem. Artaxerxes I made a tumultuous reign in Persia. He had close friends deceitfully seek to overthrow him as well as threats from those “Beyond the River” in the Trans-jordan. Those threats of war and seizure heightened the concern for the safety of Jerusalem in the heart of the king.

God also providentially allowed this news of a lack of security reach the ears of a Jewish cupbearer to the king. We are told in Ch 1, v 1 that Nehemiah had a brother who came to him and brought the devastating news. It is uncertain how the walls were torn down and set ablaze. Some believe this was from its destruction by Babylon, while others look to Ezra 4:23 when work of the rebuilding was “forcibly stopped” by the Samaritans. In either case, God providentially stirred the heart of the Persian king and the king’s cupbearer Nehemiah to hear this news.

The providence of God is most clearly seen in the fact that God once again converged two unlikely people to be united in loyalty so that His will could be accomplished. God providentially placed Moses in Pharaoh’s house. God raised up Esther to be queen with King Xerxes. God raised up Jospeh to trust and prominence with Pharaoh of his day. Now Nehemiah, a Jew in exile under Persian rule, living far away from his home, has gained the trust of the king as his cupbearer. He was not merely an official or sage for the king, he was the cupbearer. This position was the most trusted in the royal court. As the wine was brought out, this cupbearer would sacrifice his life each day in order to preserve the Kings by making sure the wine was not poisoned.

We will see how providentially God set up this relationship between king and cupbearer which leads to the king sending Nehemiah to accomplish a work in Jersualem that was truly foreordained by almighty God.

This of course should encourage us as His people to know that God has set us in a place in moment of our lives to use us for his mission and glory. You are some form of Nehemiah in the landscape of God’s providence. He has allowed you to rise to whatever place that might be in your community, in the social sphere, at your workplace so that His name might be glorified and his purposes might be fulfilled in you.

This should challenge our yearning hearts for something different, something new, some change. I know my hearts lends to discontentment in circumstances and I question God’s providence. God, why am I here doing this or that? Why am I not here or there? Folks, if you relate then I pray you come to the same reality that I do that our discontentment blinds us to the glory of God’s providence. It is a fence that obscures our view of what God places in front of us here and today for his glory. We might be asking.... “I wonder how God is going to use me in the future” while ignoring how God might you in the present place He has put you.

God’s Faithfulness

God’s Providence

God’s Holiness

Finally, we will see Nehemiah and Ezra’s efforts to continue striving towards the truth of God’s holiness with the people. As YHWH was bringing physical security to his people with the rebuilding effort, He was also restoring a proper worship of his holiness with the reading of the law and the proper practice of temple worship. We will see among the people a great time of revival in chapters 8-12 where the law is proclaimed, worship commences and confession of sin ensues. It is a great picture of the reinstituted worship of God’s holiness at the temple that had been absent for 70 years while the Jews were in captivity.

Neh 8:9-12

Nehemiah 8:9–12 ESV

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

The weeping in response to the words of God as they repented before God and were moved by His spirit to love his law as it was shared with them by Ezra. They rejoiced because of the law of God and the covenant of God that was being renewed by the people. It led to great rejoicing over who God is as the Holy one of Israel and the work of grace he revealed to His people in spite of their sin. The law declares God’s holiness and they respond to worship Him as Holy.

Later in chapter 13, we will see Nehemiah has to return to Jerusalem to address some spiritual failures among the people so that God’s holy would be upheld among the people. The priests and levites were failing in obedience to their duties in the Temple. The people were discovered to be working on the Sabbath and they once again were violating the covenant of God and intermarrying foreign women.

Nehemiah ends as the book begins as with a focus on God’s holy word to be honored among God’s holy people.

Nehemiah 13:30–31 ESV

30 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

This shows us as the church how much we need the Lord’s grace to live as holy people. We should not separate our failures before God as so very different from the failures of the Jews. In light of God’s holiness, we will never satisfy Him. We are in dire need of grace and forgiveness and he freely offers in the holiness of His son, the Lord Jesus.

It was the holiness of Christ, his sinless perfection, that overcomes the failures of God’s chosen people then and now. We know that Nehemiah’s efforts will fall flat but they picture the Lord Jesus true cleansing efforts that were accomplished on the cross where He defeated sin and he brought about reconciliation for His people with God.

Are you trusting in the FINAL AND LASTING CLEANSING work of Jesus Christ this morning?