Nehemiah – By M. Norvel Young

Outline

I. INTRODUCTION
__A. Some historical background
__B. The message of the book
__C. The man Nehemiah
II. THE BOOK ITSELF
__A. Nehemiah’s grief
__B. Nehemiah’s prayerfulness
__C. Answer to his prayer
____1. Nehemiah and Artaxerxes
____2. Return to Jerusalem
__D. Survey and plan
__E. The execution of the plan
____1. Opposition from without
____2. Opposition from within
____3. Some reasons for success
____4. More attempts at discouragement
____5. Success
III. CONCLUSION

Introduction

Among the great historical records of the Old Testament is the book of Nehemiah. It sheds light upon a very important period in the history of Judaism. It is a straightforward narrative, very vivid, and most dramatic. In depicting the course of Israel’s troubled history not only is it a good historical record but also it is a most wonderful autobiography of a great man, whose courage and statesmanship brought his people to renewed dedication to God. Such interesting reading makes the Christian proceed eagerly as the moving story of Nehemiah’s leadership unfolds. The book was written probably between 300 and 250 BC.

In 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar carried out of Jerusalem 8,000 Jews to Babylon in exile. In 586, Nebuchadnezzar’s army again carried off exiles which numbered 48,000 or more. So there was a big Jewish settlement in Babylonia. The great Persian Empire which had been built by Cyrus and Darius was ruled at the time of this history by Artaxerxes. Under Cyrus there had been a decree issued which allowed all the Jewish exiles who wished to return to their homeland. Not all of them went back at this time, and those who did were confronted with many serious problems. They first had to build homes and to make a living before they began rebuilding the temple. But under Haggai the prophet and afterwards Zechariah, the temple was begun and completed in 40 years. It was not so large or fine as Solomon’s temple, but it was a support to the people in re-establishing the faith.

The Jews who had stayed in Babylon continued to live in peace and prospered. Many of them became very important people, and among these were two Jews, Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra had received permission to go back to Jerusalem and was working on social reforms against such evils as mixed marriages when Nehemiah got permission to return.

The message of the book of Nehemiah is more than a message of a man who undertook a difficult task in rebuilding the wall around his beloved city. It is the message of courage and grief and diligence and prayerfulness, which must accompany any great accomplishment for God. Nehemiah was a masterful man and a master of men, and his accomplishments were more than leading a people in a physical task. He prepared the way for Ezra’s new code of laws, which began a new era among the Jewish people. The Word of God was read to them, and they became the people of a book. Nehemiah’s greatness lay in his preparing the people for this return of faith, as well as in proving to be a fine governor of his people to which office Artaxerxes had appointed him. All young ministers should read this book and read it often. All those Christians who wish to serve God in troubled times need to read this book and read it often. Those elders who wish to lead the people of God courageously need to read this book and read it often.

Nehemiah was a child of captivity. He had been born and brought up in the furnace of affliction. This autobiography is of a very short period in his adult life. It is the story of what he was able to do at Jerusalem during his furlough from Shushan. We know little of his early life or his old age. We know only his father’s name. Eusebius and Jerome both describe him as being of the tribe of Judah. The Bible says his ancestors were buried at Jerusalem.

Nehemiah is not as well-known as Moses, but he did exactly what Moses did in suffering with the people of God rather than enjoying security and pleasure for a season. He was heroic in his self-denial for the good of his people. He has been called the first religious statesman to sacrifice himself in the cause of his religion.

Discussion

The first quality which gains our admiration is Nehemiah’s sympathy for his people. It was true that Jerusalem had been largely rebuilt, that the temple had been restored, and that daily sacrifices were being held; but the walls around the city lay in ruins, and the gates and the towers and the battlements were still destroyed. Since this was true, the city was not safe from the ravages of the enemies around it. Also, the poverty-stricken condition of the Jews who were living in Jerusalem was a greater source of sadness than the condition of those who lived in captivity in far off Babylon.

When Nehemiah was told that the people were in great affliction and that the walls of the city were broken down and that the people were suffering from poverty and reproach, he was grieved. The Bible says, “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept”. How much we need concerned Christians today who will look at the sin-sick world and the apathy in the church and weep; who will see division and secularly-oriented church members as causes for grief. How much we need the concern of Christ who wept over Jerusalem. If Nehemiah had not been concerned, he would never have made the effort to go back to help his people.

Secondly, we see in Nehemiah prayerfulness. He fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. His prayer was effective because it was a prayer of faith. He knew God’s power, so he dared to ask much and to expect much. It was an earnest prayer from the very depths of his heart. He cried up to God. He importuned God for his people. It was a prayer which included confession since he said, “Both I and my father’s house have sinned”. It was a prayer of confidence. He said, “Remember, I beseech you, the words that You commanded Your servant Moses saying, ‘If you transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the millions, but if you return unto Me and keep My commandments and do them . . ., I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place that I have chosen to set My name there’”. It was also a prayer of consecration: “Your servants, who desire to fear Your name”. Thus, Nehemiah prayed without ceasing, day and night, and his prayer was heard and answered.

The answer to Nehemiah’s prayer came in an unusual way. He was serving at his regular post as cupbearer to the king of Shushan. The king was seated at a banquet table with the rich profusion of oriental elegance around him. When Artaxerxes looked at Nehemiah, who by industry and character and personal charm had risen to this high office, the king said, “Why are you of sad countenance, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart”. Truly, our face does reveal our soul. How often our faces betray our lack of faith in the worry and concern which show so plainly on our countenances. Nehemiah was frightened, but he prayed before he answered the king. Then boldly he replied that he would like to go back to his city, Jerusalem, and rebuild again the walls. He outlined his plan and needs to the king, and the king granted him his request, giving him a leave of absence from the court of Persia to do this rebuilding. The king also sent along an escort of soldiers and horsemen and letters that he might requisition the laborers and the building materials which he would need, and so Nehemiah set out on the 1,500 mile journey.

Nehemiah was no short-sighted fanatic. He was one to count the cost before he made a move, and so he waited three days in the city of Jerusalem before he set out to make definite plans. Then by night, with a few trusted friends, he went out to view the city, going around the wall to see its condition and to formulate his plans. He was a resolute man – a man who did not through hurry fail to plan. He would not begin the rebuilding until he had counted the cost, and then he would not stop until he had finished the work. He did not want to kindle an enthusiasm among the people by beginning a work he could not complete. The basis of all his confidence was: it was God’s work, and it was God’s power with which he was to do it. He was a man of confidence and enthusiasm. He had a strong man’s power of keeping things to himself, and so for these three days he did not hint at his purpose until he had examined the defenses carefully. His great power was in his sincere heart and in his prayers and in his ability to persuade men and to inspire them.

After he had viewed the city, he summoned the leaders of the people and told them why he had come from the court of Persia and appealed to their faith and their patriotism to help him rebuild the walls. The response was enthusiastic. All classes of people, including the rich and the poor, the peasants and the nobles, wanted to help. Now his vision must be backed up with performance. There would be difficulties, but he would not be discouraged. He did not say to the people, “Go and build”, but he said, “Come, let us build!” He wanted to be a part of the work as well as the administrator. There was a unity of faith among the people, and so there was a unity of effort. They said, “Let us rise up and build!” And just as the wall and ruins were a dishonor to every Jew, so a weak and powerless church is a dishonor to every church member. We, too, must arise and build.

Nehemiah’s plan for the work shows great organizational ability and a great knack for details. Every trade and profession seemed to take a portion of the work, and every family also undertook to build with their own hands or to see a portion of the wall built. First, the high priest began to build, then each man or group continued. The builders built with a sword by their sides because of the ill will of their enemies. They worked from early morning until the stars appeared, and Nehemiah worked with them and oversaw the whole operation. The people had a mind to work, a heart to pray, and eyes to watch. This is a recipe for success in any good endeavor.

As a statesman and as an experienced administrator, Nehemiah has left his mark on Jerusalem. He was able to work with Ezra the prophet – the old scribe and the young cupbearer cooperated. Nehemiah was not only determined that Jerusalem should be a safe city, but a holy city in which to dwell. He showed his faith by his works, as James has taught us to do. Without his love of work, the project would not have succeeded, for enemies were seeking continually to lure him away from the task at hand and thus to defeat him. The leaders of the Samaritans, Sanballat and Tobia, and their Arabian ally, Gershem, who wanted to prevent Jerusalem’s becoming a powerful and influential city, sought in many ways to prevent Nehemiah’s project from succeeding, but Nehemiah proved that he could persevere in the midst of opposition. The opposition was of several types– all very effective. First, they scorned the project. It is very difficult to continue in the face of snares and ridicule. They came to the wall and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves?” They made fun of him by saying that even a fox prowling by night could break down the walls if it stepped on them. But Nehemiah’s men went on with their work; “So we built the wall” is the refrain which runs all through this chorus of the hammer and the trowel and the sword. They remembered, “Our labor is not in vain in the Lord”. Nehemiah answered these scoffers with the words, “God of heaven, He will prosper us”.

One of Nehemiah’s great characteristics was his quick ability to distinguish between the worthy and the evil, and he does not spare evil. He had a keen discernment of character and motives, and he was intolerant of those who opposed him and also those who were lazy or compromising. He is certainly thoroughly practical and careful and true to detail. Not only did he face conspiracy from the enemy but also he later faced the discouragement of doubting friends. There was trouble from without and also from within. Opposition is bad enough when it comes from without, but it is worse when our friends and those who should be helping oppose us, but a discouraged man is a useless man in God’s work. Truly, he is worse than useless; he is a positive hindrance. “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, neither be you dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). The trouble from within came from the scarcity of provisions and high prices, so that the poor complained. They threatened that if corn were not given them, they would break open the granaries and get it. Nehemiah courageously rebuked the nobles and asked them to restore to the poor the ill-gotten gain.

In spite of all this opposition from within and without, however, the work went forward because: 1) there was a need for the work; 2) there was a work for all; 3) it was a voluntary work, and those who work for love, work hard; 4) it was a work that was united.(1) Chapter three is a recounting in detail of the names and the order of those who rebuilt the wall, and many times in this account it says, “And next unto him”. Each worker joined his work with his neighbor. They were united in their effort, for they were not working for selfish goals or preeminence, but they were working to the glory of God and the salvation of His people. Truly, we are working together with God (2 Corinthians 6:1). Their work was successful. The word “repaired” occurs 34 times in this account. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

“Knowing ourselves, our world, our tasks so great, Our time so brief – ‘tis clear, if we refuse
The means so limited, the tools so rude, To execute our purpose, life will flee,
And we shall fade, and leave our time undone – We will be wise in time!” (Browning)

Truly, If any man shall lose his life in service, he shall save it, and in this great work the Jewish people found real life. Every name crowded into the third chapter of Nehemiah is a name immortal because it represented a man who, as Mary, wrought a good work, and so his name lives.

When Sanballat and his friends could not stop the work by ridicule, they tried to stop it by force, so the builders were armed with swords. Half of them worked on the wall, while the other half held the spear, the shield, and the bow. Someone was always by Nehemiah ready to sound the alarm. Surely, work and warfare are characteristics of the Christian life. We must be both aggressive and offensive, as was Nehemiah. When their efforts to take the people by force were found out, the Samaritans tried another tactic – to get Nehemiah to come down from the wall for a consultation and a compromise. “‘Come down,’ they said, ‘let us reason together’”. But Nehemiah answered, “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down?” Certainly, it is more honorable to work than to talk about it. Nehemiah recognized this temptation for what it was. He did not say, “I will think about it”. He said, “No”. Four times Sanballat asked him to come to the plains of Ono, and each time he said, “No”. Then Sanballat attempted to smear this man of God with a false rumor. He declared that Nehemiah was wishing to rebel against the king and to make himself king of Judah. He accused him of self-seeking. This is a common means of discrediting a Christian. When we cannot condemn his actions, often we try to misrepresent his motives. But Nehemiah met this charge with a faithful rebuke, “There are no such things done as you have said”. And then with an urgent prayer, “Now, therefore, O God, strength in my hands”. This was the unkindest cut of all: for a noble person can take much at the hands of his enemies, but to question his motives is a severe test to a righteous man. But Nehemiah found his strength, in this hour as he had found in every hour of trial, in God.

Through all of these difficulties, Nehemiah was upright and courageous. He was unselfish and wholehearted; thus, he succeeded. One other effort was made to discourage him and that was the effort of a prophet who had been hired to frighten him by urging him to take refuge in the temple. This, too, was unsuccessful.

So after 52 days of continuous effort (an incredibly short period), never quitting because of the danger or ridicule or weariness or need of provision, the people finished the wall. Their devotion and their energy came down to us as a noble example. “So the wall was finished”. What a tribute! Surely, his work was akin to worship in that it showed praise to God. With music and shouts of rejoicing and the reading of the Law, the wall was dedicated to the glory of God.

Two groups of people, one led by Ezra and the other led by Nehemiah, marched in opposite directions around the wall and then joined in the glad giving of thanks and the giving of sacrifices, “so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard far off”. It is an impressive scene.

The people themselves ask for the Book of the Law of Moses to be brought forth, and Ezra read the book in the open square from morning until noon to all of those who could understand. They reverently stood to listen and then lifted their hands and bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord. There followed a great day of fasting and humiliation in which the Book of the Law was read for three hours, and then they confessed and worshiped for three hours. The priests and the Levites also confessed their sins, and the covenant with Jehovah was signed. In the last chapter of the book certain social and religious reforms are instituted by Nehemiah – such as preserving the sanctity of the Sabbath, the house of worship, and the marriage relationship.

Conclusion

The church will always need men like Nehemiah – men who can call us to our high duty and inspire us with the Divine will – men who can promote unity, consecration, enthusiasm, and stability. But the book of Nehemiah is more than a record of one man – it is a tribute to a people who did “have a mind to work” and who coupled their energy and earnestness despite all opposition. They were steadfast, immovable, so they abounded in the work of the Lord. God, give us such men today that we may rebuild the wall of the kingdom and extend its borders until God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Footnotes

1. James Smith, Handfuls on Purpose, 1943 (see digital: “At the Work. Nehemiah 3.” paragraph 6) at: https://gracegems.org/Smith%20Handfuls%20on%20Purpose/15_nehemiah.htm.

Questions for Class Discussion