THIS AM WE BEGIN OUR STUDY OF THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH.EZRA & NEHEMIAH ARE 1 BOOK IN THE HEBREW BIBLE.THERE ARE 3 OT BOOKS- EZRA, NEHEMIAH, ESTHER- WHICH BELONG TOGETHER.
THE BACKGROUND OF THE ISRAELITES IN BABYLON- HOW/WHY THEY WERE SENT THERE-GOD SPOKE THRU THE PROPHET JEREMIAH- AND MANY OTHERS- BUT THE PEOPLE DID NOT LISTEN.
Jeremiah 25: 8Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ...
NOTICE GOD CALLS HIM A SERVANT - EVEN THO' HE WAS A RUTHLESS KING- GOD WAS THE ONE WHO RAISED HIM UP TO DO THIS TO THE ISRAELITES...
,” declares the LORD, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.[NIV]
BUT GOD DID NOT LEAVE THEM WITHOUT HOPE-
Jeremiah 24: 4 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 5 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.[NIV]
Around 587 BC the Babylonians invaded Judah and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, along with Solomon’s temple. WHEN THE BABYLONIANS PLUNDERED THE CITY,THEY PILLAGED THE TEMPLE, CARRIED OUT THE VESSELS OF GOD, THEY TOOK BOTH GOLD AND SILVER, THEY TOOK THE GOLDEN LAVER THAT SOLOMON HAD DEDICATED.THEY TOOK PILLARS OF BRASS, GOLDEN TABLES, AND CANDLE STICKS ( IF YOU REMEMBER DANIEL CH 5 WHERE BELSHAZZAR HAS A PARTY AND USES ITEMS FROM THE TEMPLE- THIS ARE THE ITEMS).
AFTER ALL THESE WERE CARRIED AWAY THE GENERAL OF THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE SET FIRE TO THE TEMPLE.THIS IS THE TEMPLE THAT SOLOMON HAD BUILT 470 YEARS EARLIER.THE CITY WAS OVERTHROWN TO ITS VERY FOUNDATIONS- ALL THE PEOPLE WERE TAKEN CAPTIVE, THE HIGH PRIEST SERAIAH AND ZEPHANIAH WHO WAS NEXT IN LINE WERE TAKEN AS PRISONERS.
About 70 years after the first Babylonian invasion, Cyrus, King of Persia, gave the Jews permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel, these exiled Jews returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. Ezra and Nehemiah give the historical accounts of the return of the Jews from Babylonian
captivity. There were actually three groups that returned. The first group returned in 536 BC underleadership of Zerubbabel, the second group in 458 BC led by Ezra, and the third group in 445 BCled by Nehemiah. Nehemiah describes the return of the third group from captivity and the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.
Ezra 1:1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah .
Consider the history of the period according to the reigns of several great Persian kings :
Cyrus — He overthrew Babylon in 538 BC. The first group of Jews returned to Palestine under
Zerubbabel’s leadership in 536 BC.
Darius the “Great” — During his lifetime, the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt.
Xerxes — This is the Ahasuerus of the book of Esther. He eventually chose Esther as his queen, and by her influence he saved the Jews from destruction.
Artaxerxes — This man was son of Xerxes and stepson of Esther. He ruled from about 465-423 BC. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were written during his reign.Ezra’s record begins with the first group that returned under Cyrus. But Ezra himself became personally involved in the story during the 7th year of the reign of Araxerxes, when Ezra led a group of Jews back to Palestine (458 BC). In the 21st year of the reign, Nehemiah led another group of Jews to return, and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.
EZRA 1: 1 CONTINUED He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:“The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! 4 Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.” New Living Translation (NLT)
CYRUS GAVE PERMISSION FOR THE CAPTIVES TO RETURN, AND HE ALSO DELIVERED TO THE ISRAELITES THE GOLD & SILVER VESSELS THAT HAD BEEN TAKEN AS A RESULT OF THIS DECREE A LARGE # OF CAPTIVES RETURNED TO THEIR NATIVE LAND.
Ezra 2:68 When they arrived at the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders made voluntary offerings toward the rebuilding of God’s Temple on its original site, (NLT)
Ezra 3:10 When the builders completed the foundation of the LORD’s Temple, the priests put on their robes and took their places to blow their trumpets. And the Levites, descendants of Asaph, clashed their cymbals to praise the LORD, just as King David had prescribed. (NLT)
IN THE 2ND YEAR AFTER THE RETURN THE TEMPLE FOUNDATION WAS LAID.
Ezra 6: 14 ....... The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. 15 The Temple was completed on March 12, during the sixth year of King Darius’s reign.16 The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile.....19 On April 21 the returned exiles celebrated Passover. (NLT)
Things were looking up FOR THE JEWS for while. It seemed as if Israel was on the verge of becoming a blessed nation once again. But the people refused to turn away from the very sins that God had judged their ancestors for. The temple was not being maintained. Sacrifices had ceased. The Jews continued to adopt the religious practices and culture of the surrounding nations.
By the time NEHEMIAH begins, the political, social, and spiritual conditions in Jerusalem were deplorable.
EZRA AND NEHEMIAH RECORD THE RETURN OF THE ISRAELITES EXILES FROM BABYLON TO JERUSALEM, THEY RECORD THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE AND THE WALLS AROUND JERUSALEM.
NEH 1: 1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.
The book is introduced as the words of Nehemiah, son of Hachaliah. This could mean, either that he wrote the book, or that the story records his life and words but someone else actually recorded it. Many people believe Ezra wrote the book, because it is so similar to his writings. But it is spoken in the first person as though Nehemiah himself is speaking. Little is known of Nehemiah except what is written in this book. He was apparently recognized as an important person in many ways. He had the serious responsibility of being the king’s cupbearer (see on v11). The Persian king readily named him governor of Judea (10:1).
So, like Daniel and Esther, he was a Jew who became prominent in the nation of his captivity. Nothing is known for sure about his father Hachaliah.
1:1 ... It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan[a] the citadel,
The story begins in the month Chislev in the 20th year. 2:1 shows this means the 20th year of the reign of Persian king Artaxerxes (see chart). Artaxerxes started to reign in 465BC, so these events would have taken place beginning in 445 BC. Artaxerxes had been king when Ezra brought his group of exiles back to Judah in the 7th year of the king (Ezra7:1,8). So it was 13 years from the time Ezra brought his group to Judah till the time Nehemiah’s story began. Nehemiah served in Shushan, the palace of the king of Persia.
Nehemiah 1: 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
Nehemiah received a visit from Hanani who is identified as one of his brothers (cf. 7:2) who came with other men from Judah. At this time two groups of Jews had returned to Judah from captivity (see introduction). Apparently some of these came back for a visit to their relatives in Shushan. Nehemiah asked these men about the welfare of the Jews who had returned from captivity to Jerusalem. Remember, it
had been 90 years since the first group had returned. The subsequent story will help us understand the significance of this problem.
3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
THE WALLS THAT HAD BEEN DESTROYED LEFT THE CITY VULNERABLE TO NUMEROUS ENEMIES- WITHOUT A WALL THE CITY WAS OPEN TO ROBBERS, MURDER AND HARRASSMENT.
We will see that these problems deeply grieved Nehemiah. This was a time of restoration and rebuilding the nation that had fallen because of apostasy. The Jews had returned to rebuild the city and restore the nation. But Nehemiah was grieved by the evidence that they were so far from achieving that goal.
NEHEMIAH IS THE STORY OF THE REBUILDING OF THE WALL, WHICH OCCURS IN THE 5TH CENTURY BC.BUT NEHEMIAH DID MORE THAN REBUILD A WALL AS WE WILL LEARN. THIS BOOK IS ALSO THE STORY OF THE RESTORATION OF PEOPLE FROM RUIN AND DESPAIR TO A NEW WALK WITH GOD.
ONE OF THE MOST WIDESPREAD SECULAR ILLUSIONS OF OUR DAY IS THAT WE DO NOT NEED GOD TO DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO. SOMETIMES AS CHRISTIANS WE DEPEND UPON OURSELVES TO DO CERTAIN THINGS. THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH WILL TEACH US THAT ONLY WITH GOD'S HELP CAN WE ACTUALLY CHANGE OURSELVES AND RECOVER FROM THE DAMAGE AND RUIN OF THE PAST.
Finally, the chapter tells us Nehemiah’s occupation: CH 1 VS 11 For I was the king’s cupbearer . This was not a trivial job: carrying around a cup. It was a serious responsibility, like current security police who work to protect the president. The cupbearer’s job was to make sure that no one poisoned the king. He was to constantly supervise all that the king drank to be sure no harm came to him. As cupbearer, Nehemiah was a very trusted servant. He would also be a constant companion to the king, present or at least nearby every time the king drank anything (cf. chap. 2). The effect would be to even give him access to the king as a friend or possibly even a counselor.
GOD PUT NEHEMIAH IN SUSA JUST AS HE HAD PUT ESTHER THERE ,JUST AS HE HAD PUT JOSEPH IN EGYPT , MOSES IN THE PALACE AND DANIEL IN BABYLON.WHEN GOD WANTS TO ACCOMPLISH A WORK HE ALWAYS PUTS HIS WORKERS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
CH 1:VS 4 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
THIS PERIOD OF SOME DAYS IS ABOUT 4 MONTHS. Nehemiah was so moved by what he heard that he wept. It’s not that he was weak, or emotionally unstable, but instead that he was burdened. In fact he was so burdened that it says in verse 4 he mourned and fasted and prayed for days. Nehemiah’s concern over the condition of Jerusalem consumed him. It broke his heart. So what did he do? He didn’t steal away across the desert in the night. He didn’t fabricate a reason to leave Persia. He didn’t even share his burden with other concerned Jews. But he also didn’t allow his daily responsibilities to distract him from the burden that had gripped his heart.No, Nehemiah chose the third and most difficult option. He chose to wait. Nehemiah knew what so many of us have a hard time remembering.
What could be and should be can’t be until God is ready for it to be. So he waited....AND PRAYED AND FASTED.
WE CAN SEE AN SCRIPTURE THAT TALKS ABOUT WAITING ON GOD-
Habakkuk 2:2-3:
New Living Translation (NLT)
The LORD’s Second Reply
2 Then the LORD said to me,
“Write my answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
3 This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.
THERE ARE 13 INSTANCES OF PRAYER IN THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH-- THE BOOK OPENS WITH PRAYER AND CLOSES WITH PRAYER.
THE 1ST THING HE DOES IS FAST -IN THE ANCIENT WORLD MEALS WERE NOT LIKE OURS- WE CAN GRAB A SANDWICH, MICROWAVE A MEAL- TALK ON THE PHONE, TYPE EMAILS OR TEXT MESSAGES....THE EXPERIENCE OF EATING ALMOST OCCURS WITHOUT OUR KNOWING IT.
BACK IN NEHEMIAH'S TIMES MEALS WERE COMMUNAL EVENTS- IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO PREPARE, THE WHOLE FAMILY WOULD BE TOGETHER, IT WAS EXPECTED THAT YOU WOULD ENTER IN CONVERSATIONS AND BE SOCIAL.
FASTING WAS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO STEP AWAY FROM THE WORLD AND ALL ITS ENTANGLEMENTS IN ORDER TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH GOD. THINK OF HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THIS WOULD BE FOR US TODAY- TO GET AWAY FROM A PHONE OR COMPUTER OR FB, TEXTING ETC.
LET'S LOOK AT NEHEMIAH'S PRAYER-
5 And I said: “I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
NEHEMIAH'S PRAYER-THIS IS A SCRIPTURE BASED PRAYER. WHEN HE PRAYS IT IS WITH THE WORDS OF MOSES. HE REFERS TO THE PRAYERS OF DANIEL THIS IS A PRAYER THAT IS DEEPLY INFORMED BY WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY SAID ABOUT HIMSELF. Nehemiah prayed on behalf of God’s servants, the children of Israel, not just for something he wanted for himself. NEHEMIAH SAYS " YOU PROMISED US THAT IF WE REBELLED WE WOULD BE PUNISHED. BUT YOU ALSO PROMISED THAT IF WE TURNED BACK YOU WOULD BRING US HOME He prayed for others, the whole nation in this case.
He then confessed and acknowledged the sins of the people. Israel had sinned; Nehemiah and his family had sinned. He openly admits their corrupt conduct toward God, that they had not kept God’s commands, statutes, and ordinances given through Moses.
THE REQUEST HE MAKES IN VS 11 IS and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
NEHEMIAH CH 1 IS A BLEND OF PRAYER AND ACTION.WHY IS PRAYER SO IMPORTANT?
HERE ARE 4 SHORT REASONS
1. PRAYER MAKES ME WAIT
WHEN THINGS SEEM CONFUSING AND THINGS ARE PULLING US IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS- WHO WHAT SHOULD I DO ,WHERE SHOULD I GO, WHAT DO YOU WANT/ FOLLOW THE PATTERN OF NEHEMIAH SPEND FOCUSED HONEST LENGHTHY TIME WITH GOD. WE ARE A MICRO WAVE SOCIETY- BUT GOD ANSWERS IN CROCKPOT TIME.
2. PRAYER ACTIVATES MY FAITH-
BY THE TIME NEHEMAIH FINISHED PRAYING HE WAS READY TO GO BEFORE THE KING AND MAKE A REQUEST- BACK IN THOSE DAYS YOU DIDN'T DO THAT- JUST BECAUSE HE WAS CUPBEARER DID NOT GRANT HIM PERMISSION TO SPEAK. SO THIS PRAYER MOTIVATES NEHEMIAH ON WHAT AND HOW TO DO AND SAY. AFTER PRAYING I AM MORE PRONE TO TRUST GOD. PRAYER SETS FAITH ON FIRE.
3.PRAYER QUIETS MY HEART
YOU CAN'T WORRY AND PRAY AT THE SAME TIME. PRAYER REPLACES ANXIETY WITH A CALM SPIRIT. KNEES DON'T KNOCK WHEN WE KNEEL ON THEM.
4. PRAYER CLEARS MY VISION.
IN SO CALIFORNIA THERE IS USUALLY FOG IN THE MORNINGS, UNTIL THE SUN BREAKS THRU AND THE FOG CLEARS. WHEN YOU 1ST FACE A SITUATION- IT IS FOGGY. PRAYER WILL BURN THRU THE FOG. YOUR VISION WILL BE CLEAR SO YOU CAN SEE THRU GOD'S EYES.
NEHEMIAH WAS QUICK TO CALL ON GOD FOR HELP AND HIS FAVORITE POSITION WHEN FACED WITH PROBLEMS WAS THE KNEELING POSITION.NEHEMIAH ACCOMPLISHED IMPOSSIBLE TASKS BECAUSE OF HIS COMPLETE DEPENDENCE ON GOD.
PRAYER, SACRIFICE, HARD WORK AND TENACITY GO A LONG WAY IN FULFILLING GODS PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE.
