10000 Bricks: The Burden Of The Builder Series

10000 BRICKS: The Burden of the Builder

Nehemiah 1:1–11

#10000Bricks

INTRODUCTION (p)

When Kelly and I were first married (I was in my early 20s) many moons ago, I got it in my head that I wanted a bookshelf for some of my books. I did not need to go out and buy one… but I could build one with some 2x4 laying around and one trip to the local hardware store. After many irregularly screwed in screws and some choice words from this young preacher’s mouth, my bookshelf was finished. It was about four feet tall and had to lean up against the wall to work because I could not figure out how to get it to stand on its own. It was also uneven. Kelly laughed at me which made it even worse. Everything is worse when your wife laughs at you.

When Kelly and I first moved here (I was in my early 40s), only about 7 years ago, I got it in my head that I wanted a raised bed for a garden. I had never really gardened before. I did not need to go out and buy raised beds… but I could purchase wood, hardware, and all that I needed from the local hardware store and build my own. I did. In my barn. When I was finished, the bed was so heavy that I had to load it on the back of my pickup and ease it into the yard. If I remember correctly, I also got my truck stuck in the yard, but that might have been another time. I had that raised garden bed for 7 years.

I recently took that raised garden bed apart and the reclaimed wood is sitting in my barn waiting for me to refashion it into a few smaller garden beds for this next gardening season. Not so large. Not so big. But just right. Several “just right” raised beds for things that I actually want to grow or grow and eat. We’ll see how that goes but based on the few projects I just told you about, you can imagine how my building efforts will go. And Kelly still laughs, but now mostly to herself. Mostly.

TRANSITION / BACKGROUND ON NEHEMIAH

Today, we are going to start a series of sermons from the Book of Nehemiah all about some building efforts. Spoiler alert: these building efforts had trials but were successful. The Book of Nehemiah is the 16th book in the Old Testament and has 13 chapters with 406 verses. It is a historical memoir as it was written by Nehemiah. We are going to make our way through this book until Easter.

According to the Biblical record, the Babylonian armies smashed Jerusalem to pieces (2 Kings 25) including the temple and all the palaces (2 Kings 25, Jeremiah 52). They devastated the countryside as well (Jeremiah 32). The Babylonians killed many of the priests and leaders (2 Kings 25) and then deported the young, the skilled, and others deemed of use. Nehemiah lived after this mayhem and destruction. Nehemiah was born in exile as he had never seen Jerusalem or even been there. Some of his family had returned to the land of Israel, but not him. Other Jews has traveled back to the homeland, but not him.

We know about Nehemiah from the Bible, but also from sources NOT in the Bible. Josephus, a Jewish historian says this about Nehemiah (XI, 183, 8]: “Then, after performing many others splendid and praiseworthy public services, Nehemiah died at an advanced age. He was a man of kind and just nature and most anxious to serve his countrymen; and he left the walls of Jerusalem as his eternal monument.”

About 100 years before Nehemiah, some of the Jews returned in the 540s BC, but not all is well in Jerusalem. The events in Nehemiah take place after some of the Israelites already went home. The book takes place in the 440s-430s BC after about 100 years or so of recovery. Nehemiah chapter one’s events occur which show the recovery is not going well. The book takes place mainly in Jerusalem, except for chapter 1 and the first half of chapter 2.

TRANSITION

Let’s read from Nehemiah 1.

READ NEHEMIAH 1:1-11 (ESV)

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.