Reflections on Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah 01 (Contemporary English Version)

1. I am Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and in this book I tell what I have done. During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes ruled Persia, I was in his fortress city of Susa,
   
2. when my brother Hanani came with some men from Judah. So I asked them about the Jews who had escaped from being captives in Babylonia. I also asked them about the city of Jerusalem.
   
3. They told me, "Those captives who have come back are having all kinds of troubles. They are terribly disgraced, Jerusalem's walls are broken down, and its gates have been burned."
   
4. When I heard this, I sat down and cried. Then for several days, I mourned; I went without eating to show my sorrow, and I prayed:
   
5. LORD God of heaven, you are great and fearsome. And you faithfully keep your promises to everyone who loves you and obeys your commands.
   
6. I am your servant, so please have mercy on me and answer the prayer that I make day and night for these people of Israel who serve you. I, my family, and the rest of your people have sinned
   
7. by choosing to disobey you and the laws and teachings you gave to your servant Moses.
   
8. Please remember the promise you made to Moses. You told him that if we were unfaithful, you would scatter us among foreign nations.
   
9. But you also said that no matter how far away we were, we could turn to you and start obeying your laws. Then you would bring us back to the place where you have chosen to be worshiped.
   
10. Our LORD, I am praying for your servants--those you rescued by your great strength and mighty power.
    
11. Please answer my prayer and the prayer of your other servants who gladly honor your name. When I serve the king his wine today, make him pleased with me and have him do what I ask.
    

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    Following years of exile in Babylon, events occurred opening the way for the Israelites to return to their homeland. This return happened in stages. In the first stage, Zerubbabel led a group back to Judah. This group encountered tremendous opposition from the Samaritans to rebuilding the temple and their country. They did, however, succeed in rebuilding the temple. In the second stage, Ezra led another group back to Judah several years later. Ezra found the Jews living in Israel to be in a terrible spiritual and moral state. He led them to turn away from their sin and return to God. Now we come to Nehemiah who led the third stage of return to Israel. He is frequently recognized for his skills as a leader in his accomplishment of an incredible feat in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in a very brief period of time.
    
    The opening verses of Nehemiah tell of Nehemiah's reaction to a report he received from a group, led by his brother, Hanani, telling him that "The survivors in the province, who returned from the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem's wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down." Nehemiah's response was to weep, mourn, fast, and pray. Through his fasting and praying a plan emerged for which he needed the support of the king of Persia, Artaxerxes. During his fast, Nehemiah petitioned God to give him favor with Artaxerxes that he might provide support for his plan.
    
    Did God place a burden on Nehemiah's heart for the conditions of those in Judah because He planned to use him to provide leadership and relief for those in Judah, or did God use him for this purpose because of his burden? In either case, God used him in a very significant way for the benefit of His people. Nehemiah's time of prayer and fasting was no doubt as much for preparing him for the task God had planned for him as it was to petition God to favor his mission. The mission, after all, was God's mission. He didn't have to be convinced. But Nehemiah needed to be on the same page with God regarding the mission and his time of prayer and fasting served this role.