Background Information
From cupbearer to governor, Nehemiah is an unforgettable character. He will lead the third party of exiles to Jerusalem. Then, he will rebuild the wall surrounding the city—a seemingly impossible task; but God enabled him to accomplish this enormous undertaking in just fifty-two days.
As a cupbearer of Artaxerxes I, he was in the right place at the right time to ask the king for permission to take time off from his job and build the wall around Jerusalem. Just one generation prior to Nehemiah, a Jewish girl by the name of Esther became the queen of Persia (she is the stepmother of Artaxerxes I). There is little doubt that this noble queen introduced a number of the Jews to the king’s court.
Embodied in this great man are courage, compassion, integrity, godliness, and selflessness. He left the palace because his priorities were right. He was a man of prayer and always gave God the glory. Pray that God will raise up a man like Nehemiah in our generation.
Highlights of Nehemiah
Let me walk you through an arrow of prayer—past power opponents, lasting credit, and the Wailing Wall—to praise the Lord and fight. We’ll see vineyards and farms, a governor without greed opposed to greedy politicians, ongoing psychological warfare, remembrances of the past, walking bibles, the joy of the Lord, the sealed ones—freedom at last—city fright, a victory party, and a never-ending task. Don’t fall off your chair, and I will be your guide on this tour.
Keys to Open Nehemiah
Help is on the way to Jerusalem! God will send Nehemiah who will leave Persia in BC 445 and not return till BC 433. It is noteworthy to remember that Malachi is a prophet during this period of time.
The decree of Artaxerxes I marks the beginning point of the 69 prophetic weeks in Daniel’s prophecy that determine when the Messiah will come in.
Dan 9:25-27 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two sevens. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
In exactly 69 weeks of years (483 years) Jesus was anointed as the Messiah. See my book, Daniel and the Revelation, for an expanded view of this subject.
Nehemiah had political and religious training that enabled him to set in place efficient civil authority and to work with Ezra to establish spiritual and moral authority in the lives of the exiles. One verse jumps off the page, and I want to share it with you at this point.
Nehemiah 8:8 “They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.”
The most important thing in the lives of God’s people is their loyalty to the covenant.
Survey of the Book
This is a great partnership—Nehemiah the Governor and Ezra the Priest—who together form an effective team for construction and reform. Working closely with them are three prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Nehemiah arrives 13 years after the return of Ezra and 94 years after the return of Zerubbabel.
On the third day after arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah, under the light of a full moon, inspects the walls of Jerusalem. As fast as the shades of nightfall disappear, Nehemiah has a plan. Work begins immediately, and progress was faster than the flight of a rumor.
As soon as the neighboring nations hear of Nehemiah’s plan to rebuild, opposition appears: first in the form of mockery and then in the form of conspiracy. Construction progressed with half the people on guard duty and half working on the wall.
Internal problems, however, plague the progress. Wealthy Jews were overcharging interest rates, bankruptcy was rampant, foreclosures imminent. Children were sold into slavery—girls sold as sex slaves. Farms were taken by large, rich landowners. It looked like the greed and corruption of the CEOs of Wall Street. As Solomon said, “nothing new under the sun.”
Nehemiah attacks the problem with a two-pronged attack: prayer and action. He also sacrifices his entire salary to helping the people rebuild the walls of Jerusalem—and his example leads others to join his noble efforts. This man of God knew how to meet deceit, slander, and treachery head-on and accomplish the task ahead of him. Soon his enemies recognize that God is the real source of power behind Nehemiah.
Neh. 6:16 “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.”
Inspirational Introduction
Ezra stands on a special wooden podium for a marathon reading of the laws of God beginning early in the morning and lasting until midday. This reading continued for seven days. God’s Word was translated for the people from Hebrew into Aramaic, and they responded to the law by confessing, weeping, rejoicing, and obeying. The covenant is renewed—signed and ratified. Deliverance and loyalty followed; the people repent and foreign marriages are dissolved.
Then, lots are drawn to see who will live in Jerusalem as Nehemiah requires 1/10th of the people to live in Jerusalem and 9/10ths in other cities. So, the land is resettled, homes are built, children are born—a new day has arrived. The wall, restored from rubble, is dedicated with vocal music and with bands playing—it was a joyful ceremony.
Memorandum
Nehemiah travels back to Persia and then returns later to Jerusalem and finds things in disarray. He will cleanse the temple, enforce the Sabbath laws, and pull his hair out because of the moral rot of the people. The exposition section will provide more insight.