3. (God is consolation)
Nehemiah was a Jewish leader who
had attained status in the Persian
court as cupbearer to King
Artaxerxes.
3
4. Nehemiah 1:3
They said to me, "Those who
survived the exile and are back in the
province are in great trouble and
disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is
broken down, and its gates have been
burned with fire."
4
5. Nehemiah 1:4
When I heard these things, I sat down
and wept. For some days I mourned
and fasted and prayed before the God
of heaven.
5
6. Nehemiah 2:2-4
I was very much afraid, but I said to
the king, "May the king live forever!
Why should my face not look sad
when the city where my fathers are
buried lies in ruins, and its gates have
been destroyed by fire?" The king
said to me, "What is it you want?"
6
7. Nehemiah 2:11-12
I went to Jerusalem, and after staying
there three days I set out during the
night with a few men. I had not told
anyone what my God had put in my
heart to do for Jerusalem. There were
no mounts with me except the one I
was riding on.
7
8. Nehemiah 2:17-18
Then I said to them, "You see the trouble
we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its
gates have been burned with fire. Come,
let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and
we will no longer be in disgrace." 18 I
also told them about the gracious hand
of my God upon me and what the king
had said to me. They replied, "Let us
start rebuilding." So they began this
good work.
8
9. Nehemiah 3:1-2
Eliashib the high priest and his fellow
priests went to work and rebuilt the
Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its
doors in place, building as far as the
Tower of the Hundred, which they
dedicated, and as far as the Tower of
Hananel. 2 The men of Jericho built the
adjoining section, and Zaccur son of Imri
built next to them.
9
10. Nehemiah 4:1-2
When Sanballat heard that we were
rebuilding the wall, he became angry
and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed
the Jews, and in the presence of his
associates and the army of Samaria, he
said, "What are those feeble Jews
doing? Will they restore their wall? Will
they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a
day? Can they bring the stones back to
life from those heaps of rubble-burned
as they are?"
10
11. Nehemiah 5:4-5
Still others were saying, "We have had
to borrow money to pay the king's tax
on our fields and vineyards. Although we
are of the same flesh and blood as our
countrymen and though our sons are as
good as theirs, yet we have to subject
our sons and daughters to slavery. Some
of our daughters have already been
enslaved, but we are powerless, because
our fields and our vineyards belong to
others."
11
12. Nehemiah 8:1
all the people assembled as one man
in the square before the Water Gate.
They told Ezra the scribe to bring out
the Book of the Law of Moses, which
the LORD had commanded for Israel.
12
Editor's Notes
Written about events around 446 B.C.
Written to the returned exiles and citizens of Judah and Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was a servant in the intimate circle of King Artaxerxes.
As such, he knew that the Persian government had sanctioned actions against Jerusalem.
When he learned the full extent of the violence the Judean Jews had suffered, he was grieved for his people.
He sought God's grace for devising a plan to restore the holy city.
Nehemiah was a servant in the intimate circle of King Artaxerxes.
As such, he knew that the Persian government had sanctioned actions against Jerusalem.
When he learned the full extent of the violence the Judean Jews had suffered, he was grieved for his people.
He sought God's grace for devising a plan to restore the holy city.
Nehemiah stood before King Artaxerxes with a sad face— a capital offense in ancient Persia. But God granted him favor, and the king not only listened to Nehemiah but also allowed him a leave of absence in order to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. When Nehemiah arrived in Judah, he inspected the walls at night to assess the work that lay ahead. He then called the Jewish leaders together to present his plan.
Nehemiah stood before King Artaxerxes with a sad face— a capital offense in ancient Persia. But God granted him favor, and the king not only listened to Nehemiah but also allowed him a leave of absence in order to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. When Nehemiah arrived in Judah, he inspected the walls at night to assess the work that lay ahead. He then called the Jewish leaders together to present his plan.
Nehemiah stood before King Artaxerxes with a sad face— a capital offense in ancient Persia. But God granted him favor, and the king not only listened to Nehemiah but also allowed him a leave of absence in order to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. When Nehemiah arrived in Judah, he inspected the walls at night to assess the work that lay ahead. He then called the Jewish leaders together to present his plan.
After the rousing approval of Jerusalem's leaders, the hard work of actually building the wall began.
Nehemiah wrote in his journal the names of real people— individuals and families who applied themselves to the project.
This was hard, dirty, and sometimes dangerous work, but together they saw it to completion.
The building of Jerusalem's wall was underway.
But the bustle of activity prompted renewed antagonism and threats from Nehemiah's enemies.
It began with mocking words and insults and led to serious threats and plans of violence.
Through it all, Nehemiah prayed, kept the people focused on the work, and placed armed men along the wall as a defense against attack.
Outside Jerusalem, Tobiah and Sanballat had organized a loose confederacy of malcontents.
Inside the Jewish community, unfair practices and mercenary attitudes among the leaders posed a new threat to national reconstruction. Nehemiah next dealt with growing disunity and injustice from within.
After Nehemiah opened the genealogical records dating from the time of Zerubbabel, the compiler of the text took the opportunity to describe the development of the faith community.
He takes the reader back to Ezra's reading of the law and the effect God's Word had upon the people.
