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| NEHEMIAH ~ THE BOOK OF CONSOLIDATION AND CONCLUSION *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* NEHEMIAH MEANS "COMFORTED OF GOD". NEHEMIAH WAS A LAYMAN AND A BUSINESSMAN, WHILE EZRA WAS A PRIEST AND A SCRIBE. THOUGH NEHEMIAH HAD AN IMPORTANT OFFICE IN THE KING'S COURT--------"FOR I WAS THE KING'S CUPBEARER."--------HIS HEART WAS WITH GOD AND HIS PEOPLE IN JERUSALEM (1:11b, 2:5) THIS BOOK SHOWS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY OF ZECHARIAH, AND ESPECIALLY OF DANIEL CONCERNING THE BUILDING OF THE WALL OF JERUSALEM IN TROUBLESOME TIMES (DANIEL 9:25). EMPHASIS IS UPON THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE IN EZRA, AND IN NEHEMIAH, EMPHASIS IS UPON THE REBUILDING OF THE WALLS OF THE CITY OF JERUSALEM AFTER THE TEMPLE IS BUILT. IN EZRA, WE NOTE THE RELIGIOUS ASPECT OF THE RETURN; IN NEHEMIAH THERE IS THE POLITICAL ASPECT OF THE RETURN. THIS BOOK SHOWS WHAT ENEMIES ISRAEL HAD AND WHAT OPPOSITION THEY MET, AND IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF WHAT MUST BE EXPECTED WHEN ANY WORK OF GOD IS STARTED. NEHEMIAH WENT TO JERUSALEM (444BC). EZRA HAD BEEN THERE 13 YEARS. BUT EZRA WAS A PRIEST, TEACHING RELIGION TO THE PEOPLE. NEHEMIAH CAME AS CIVIL GOVERNOR, WITH AUTHORITY FROM THE KING OF PERSIA TO REBUILD THE WALL, AND RESTORE JERUSALEM AS A FORTIFIED CITY. THE JEWS HAD BEEN HOME NEARLY 100 YEARS, AND HAD MADE LITTLE PROGRESS BEYOND THE TEMPLE, A VERY INSIGNIFICANT TEMPLE AT THAT, BECAUSE WHENEVER THEY WOULD START WORK ON THE WALL, THEIR MORE POWERFUL NEIGHBORS WOULD EITHER BLUFF THEM OFF BY FORCE, OR THROUGH INTRIGUE GET ORDERS FROM THE PERSIAN COURT FOR THE WORK TO STOP. NEHEMIAH WAS A MAN OF PRAYER, PATRIOTISM, ACTION, COURAGE AND PERSEVERANCE. HIS FIRST IMPULSE ALWAYS WAS TO PRAY. HE SPENT 4 MONTHS IN PRAYER BEFORE HE MADE HIS REQUEST TO THE KING........(1:1..THE WORDS OF NEHEMIAH THE SON OF HACHALIAH. AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MONTH CHISLEU IN THE TWENTIETH YEAR, AS I WAS IN SHUSHAN THE PALACE, (2) THAT HANANI, ONE OF MY BRETHREN, CAME, HE AND CERTAIN MEN OF JUDAH; AND I ASKED THEM CONCERNING THE JEWS THAT HAD ESCAPED, WHICH WERE LEFT OF THE CAPTIVITY, AND CONCERNING JERUSALEM) IT GOES ON TO SAY THAT THEY TOLD NEHEMIAH OF THE AFFLICTION AND REPROACH, THE WALL OF JERUSALEM IS BROKEN DOWN, AND THE GATES HAVE BEEN BURNED TO THE GROUND. NEMEMIAH'S REQUEST TO THE KING WAS TO BE INSTRUMENTAL IN ORGANIZING THE REBUILDING OF THE WALL AROUND JERUSALEM, SO THAT THE CITY COULD BE MORE PREPARED FOR ATTACKS FROM THEIR ENEMIES. (2:5..AND I SAID UNTO THE KING, IF IT PLEASE THE KING, AND IF THY SERVANT HAVE FOUND FAVOR IN THY SIGHT, THAT THOU WOULDEST SEND ME UNTO JUDAH, UNTO THE CITY OF MY FATHERS' SEPULCHRES, THAT I MAY BUILD IT. ) AFTER SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT PREPARATIONS AND MATERIALS AND PERMISSIONS THAT HE WOULD NEED, THE KING GRANTED HIS WISH. THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK IS TO TEACH US HOW GOD WOULD RESTORE FOR HIS CHURCH THE FAITH THAT PROTECTS AND GIVES VICTORY OVER THE ENEMY, AND WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED IF WE HAVE A MIND TO WORK---"THAT WE BE NO MORE A REPROACH" (2:17). NEHEMIAH WAS THE AUTHOR AND IT WAS WRITTEN ABOUT 435BC IN JERUSALEM. THIS IS THE LAST OF THE HISTORICAL BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. AS FAR AS TIME IS CONCERNED, THE OLD TESTAMENT GOES NO FARTHER THAN THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. PARTS OF THE BOOK ARE IN THE FIRST PERSON, BEING DIRECT QUOTATIONS FROM NEHEMIAH'S OFFICIAL REPORTS. NEHEMIAH IS PORTRAYED AS GOD'S SERVANT, THE SAME AS MARK DOES THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THEY BOTH FASTED AND PRAYED. BOTH CALLED OTHERS TO GOD'S WORK, AND BOTH MET OPPOSITION. BOTH WERE EXEMPLARY, BOTH MINISTERED TO THE PEOPLE, BOTH TAUGHT THE WORD OF GOD, BOTH CLEANSED THE TEMPLE, AND BOTH REPRIMANDED HYPOCRITES. CHAPTERS 4, 5, 6 ~ THE WALL IS BUILT OLD-TIME ENEMIES OF THE JEWS, WHO WERE NOW IN POSSESSION OF THE LAND, MOABITES, AMMONITES, ASHDODITES, ARABIANS, AND THE RECENTLY IMPORTED SAMARITANS, CRAFTILY AND BITTERLY OPPOSED THE REBUILDING OF THE WALL OF JERUSALEM. THEY MOBILIZED THEIR ARMIES, AND MARCHED AGAINST JERUSALEM. BUT NEHEMIAH, WITH FAITH IN GOD, SKILLFULLY ARMING AND ARRANGING HIS MEN, DROVE STRAIGHT AHEAD WITH THE WORK, DAY AND NIGHT, AND IN SPITE OF ALL OBSTACLES, THE WALL WAS FINISHED IN 52 DAYS, AND JERUSALEM WAS AGAIN A FORTIFIED CITY, 142 YEARS AFTER ITS DESTRUCTION IN 586BC. CHAPTERS 7,8 ~ PUBLIC READING OF THE BOOK OF LAW AFTER THE WALL WAS BUILT, NEHEMIAH AND EZRA GATHERED THE PEOPLE TOGETHER TO ORGANIZE THEIR NATIONAL LIFE. CHAPTER 7 IS ABOUT THE SAME AS EZRA 2, GIVING THE LIST OF THOSE WHO HAD RETURNED TO JERUSALEM WITH ZERUBBABEL NEARLY 100 YEARS BEFORE. THERE WERE CERTAIN GENEALOGICAL MATTERS THAT HAD TO BE ATTENDED TO. THEN FOR SEVEN DAYS, EVERY DAY FROM EARLY MORNING TILL MIDDAY, EZRA AND HIS HELPERS, "OPENED THE BOOK OF THE LAW, AND READ IN THE LAW OF GOD, DISTINCTLY, AND GAVE THE SENSE, SO THAT THE PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THE READING." THIS PUBLIC READING AND EXPOSITION OF GOD'S BOOK BROUGHT A GREAT WAVE OF REPENTANCE AMONG THE PEOPLE, A GREAT "REVIVAL" AND A SOLEMN COVENANT TO KEEP THE LAW, AS NOTED IN CHAPTERS 9 AND 10. CHAPTERS 9,10,11,12 ~ COVENANT, DEDICATION OF WALL IN DEEP PENITENCE AND GREAT EARNESTNESS, THEY "MADE A SURE COVENANT, AND WROTE IT, AND SEALED IT, AND ENTERED INTO AN OATH AND A CURSE, THAT THEY WOULD WALK IN GOD'S LAW". THE WALL COMPLETED, AND DEDICATED, ONE TENTH OF THE POPULATION WAS BROUGHT INTO THE CITY TO LIVE, AND ITS GOVERNMENT AND TEMPLE SERVICES ORGANIZED. CHAPTER 13 ~ CLOSE OF NEHEMIAH'S WORK CORRECTION OF LAXITIES ABOUT TITHES, SABBATH, AND MIXED MARRIAGES. NEHEMIAH WAS GOVERNOR OF JUDAH AT LEAST 12 YEARS (5:14 ). JOSEPHUS SAYS THAT HE LIVED TO GREAT AGE, AND GOVERNED JUDAH THE REST OF HIS LIFE. TAKING CHARGE By this time in BC, God had seen many Kings, And also had witnessed some terrible things. Still He was quite patient according to what occurred And was still giving chances to those who disobeyed His word. He had raised up many who were up to the task Of whatever He would need or whatever He would ask. Nehemiah was among the many that had been chosen To bring faith and obedience and evil to dispose. He was of a different position than some gone before, As he worked for the King and served in his court. He served as cupbearer, and served the king his drink They were trusted servants giving safety to the king. He was loyal to his master and loyal to God Also a man who believed greatly in prayer before he trod. So now he was chosen to rebuild the wall of the city The Holy City of Jerusalem, that had suffered without pity. He prayed and prayed until he was ready to undertake This task God had chosen, and there would be no mistakes. He helped fight off the foe, and built the wall in record time. Now Jerusalem was ready for its people to reside. The temple was rebuilt and it made God so proud That He had chosen one who would do all that was allowed. His friend Ezra, helped to read the word of God And everyday they ministered at the Temple's facade. This was the cause for a great spiritual revival And those that were in sin, accepted their idols rival God's children were repenting once again Because Nehemiah and others had obeyed and remained. Poem by Shirley Barr March 27, 2005 References: Halley's Bible Handbook 1965 World's Bible Handbook by Robert Boyd 1991 copyrights |
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