The book of Nehemiah tells us the story of Prophet Nehemiah, the man of God; the condition of the city of Jerusalem; Nehemiah’s team that rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, and God.
Nehemiah was known as the “weeping prophet”. In the first four chapters we learn that he was an ordinary person who used to work at the King’s palace as a cupbearer.
In these Chapters I have learned about Nehemiah’s heart that beat for the people of God, his obedience and his faithfulness to God. After receiving the news about Jerusalem from his brothers and other people, Nehemiah willingly submitted before God his desire to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He wept, prayed and fasted and sought God’s guidance to undertake the difficult task.
In verses 8 and 9 of Chapter 1, Nehemiah claimed God’s promises by reminding God of His own words, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.” He prayed for four consecutive months till his prayers were answered and he finally found his way to Jerusalem.
Here we also observe the faithfulness of Nehemiah, his passion for Israelites the people of God, and for Jerusalem.
We see that Nehemiah was a brave and courageous man of God. He was afraid of the King yet he mustered up courage to speak the truth. In Chapter 2:3 he said to the King, “the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire”.
I also found Nehemiah to be smart, intelligent, and a wise man in his conduct. He planned ahead and knew what difficulties he might face during this course of action. As we read in verses 7 and 8 he requested the King to give him letters for the Governors of Trans-Euphrates and Asaph, and the Keeper of the Royal Park so that he could travel safely to Jerusalem as well as receive the required construction material.
The key word for the book of Nehemiah is “Walls”. This book talks about two pronged aspects: building broken down walls in Jerusalem as well as the broken-down spiritual walls of the people.
In the first half of the book, the emphasis is on rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. This is the story of Israelites when they escaped from the captivity of Egypt and entered Jerusalem some ninety years ago, however the situation on the Promised Land was still not in favor of the Israelites. The city walls had been broken down and the gates had been set on fire.
When we reflect on the given situation, we can understand that those walls and gates were the first line of defense or the Line of Control (LOC) of Jerusalem. Historically, walls around a country or city were considered to be great protection against unwelcome guests.
When we read on, we understand that Israelites were vulnerable because of the broken down walls and gates and were an easy target for their enemies. As Israelites had recently escaped from the captivity of Egyptians, there was high probability of an attack and possible captivity.
I am sure that God was well aware of the situation but as we know God waits patiently and prepares His people to stand up to do His work. Here, we see that God prepared Nehemiah who presented himself to do God’s work of completing the great work of rebuilding the walls and fixing the gates so that Jerusalem would remain safe from external threats.
I have also learned that Nehemiah was a good team player as he selected his team and delegated roles and responsibilities to his confidants who collectively completed the work of God and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.
It is a well-known fact that when believers take-up God’s call for obedience seriously, they have to face opposition. Hence from Chapter 4 we read about the opposition that Nehemiah had to face however he was consistent and faithful to God. The scripture also tells us that there was a point when Nehemiah was tempted to compromise his calling and abandon the important task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.
When we reflect on the life of Jesus, we witness that it was not only Nehemiah who was tempted. We see in the New Testament that Jesus was also tempted by Satan in the wilderness. We always need to remember that our God is unfailing. He fights for us and on our behalf. One should have a steadfast attitude like the Christ where he says, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work” John 4:34.
In Chapters 6 we see that when Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem hear that the walls were being completed they showed their interest in meeting Nehemiah however as we know Nehemiah was not rebuilding these walls to glorify his name but the Name of the Lord. He was protected and guided by God and refused to meet them. The story of opposition does not end here but continues on when these people planted Shemaiah and wicked prophetess Noadiah to derail Nehemiah from rebuilding the walls. God was with Nehemiah which is why he overcame all obstacles and completed the rebuilding work of the walls of Jerusalem. The walls were finished on the 21st day of Elul and the Israelites were finally safe from the neighboring counties or the surrounding nations.
Chapter 7 tells us of the period when all the walls were completed. It was the time of reorganizing Israelites and bringing them back to their land. We see here that Nehemiah is a good administrator as he commands his people to do the jobs and remain watchful of the entrances of Jerusalem. He assigns duties to his brother and other fellow people.
He listed down the priests, Levites, servants of temple, Solomon’s servants and those who could not provide proof of their descent from Israel.
Nehemiah also listed the animals including the number of mules, camels, horses and donkeys. He also prepared a list of previous gold, silver, and basins.
Chapter 8 tells us about another important character of the Old Testament times, named Ezra. He is also known as the teacher of the book of Law of Moses. God gave this book to Moses for the Israelites so that they would follow His commands.
Here, we see council of people where Nehemiah became Governor, Ezra was the priest and the teacher, and the Levites who used to work with the people.
We read in this Chapter that the leaders gave instructions to Jews on how to celebrate their important religious days and what to do on these days. It was Nehemiah, Ezra and other leaders who re-enforced the Laws which were given to Moses by God.
The second half of the book emphasizes spiritual renewal and spiritual reformation. Chapter 9 tells us how Israelites confessed their sins on the twenty fourth day of Tishrei where they gathered and not only repented for their own sins but the sins of their ancestors. They committed to follow the book of Law and follow God.
In the end I would again like to quote the Scripture which says, “But if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.”
