Nehemiah 1

Study Guide 44: Nehemiah REBUILDING Overview The Book of Nehemiah continues the story of the Jewish exiles who returned to their homeland after the Babylonian Captivity. As told in the Book of Ezra, a group of about 50,000 returned to Judah in the first year of Cyrus, conqueror of Babylon (538 b.c.). The temple at Jerusalem was rebuilt by this group. Ezra himself led about 1,500 more back some 80 years later (458 b.c.). Ezra’ s spiritual leadership led to a vital reform: those who had married foreign women divorced them and recommitted themselves to their covenant relationship with God. The events recorded by Nehemiah took place some 12 years later (446 b.c.). Nehemiah came as a governor appointed to lead his people, with the express purpose of rebuilding the walls of the Holy City.

Outline I. The Walls RebuiltNeh. 1-6 II. The Covenant RenewedNeh. 7-12 III. The Sins PurgedNeh_13:1-31COVENANT. The covenant referred to in this unit is the Mosaic Law. The Law was viewed as a formal contract that defined the relationship between God and His people. WALLS. Cities in the ancient world were walled for protection. The walls were also symbols: Unwalled cities merited contempt. Walled cities were seen as significant. Nehemiah could not stand the thought that the city of God should not have walls, and committed himself to rebuild them.

Commentary Hollis was a good man: a sincere Christian, well liked by everyone who knew him. Yet whenever there was an altar call in the church he attended — an invitation to those who felt a need to rededicate themselves to the Lord — Hollis was always the first to respond. It was hard to understand why. One of his sons was a friend of mine when we were teens. In the time I spent in their home I saw no evidence of faults or failings. My parents were sure that Hollis was the last man in that congregation who needed rededication. Yet in his own heart Hollis must have felt a need for new beginnings and must have seen each altar call as an opportunity for a fresh start. As an adult, I’ ve yearned many times for a fresh start myself. Not that my spiritual commitment or relationship has changed dramatically. But somehow, many little things get warped and twisted. Habits develop, ways of thinking and feeling and responding intrude that do not fit with what I want to be. I’ d like to wipe them all out and start again, with a sense of freshness and restoration. I’ d like to make a new beginning. I suspect that the desire for a fresh start is something each of us experiences. Too often little failures, or large ones, are the source of such a sense of need. Somehow we feel that if we had really committed ourselves to God that last time, we’ d not need a fresh start now. Our lives would be consistent experiences of victory; steady journeys upward. It’ s painful to discover that even after sincere dedication we can fall. Somehow our hearts tend to drift, until we’ re jolted into awareness that we need yet another new beginning. It was a jolt for men like Ezra and Nehemiah to discover that Israel too needed fresh beginnings. The people of God had returned to the Promised Land with great expectations; they enthusiastically journeyed hundreds of miles to rebuild the temple . . . and stopped with bare foundations. Stirred up by Haggai and Zechariah, they made a fresh beginning and completed the temple, to be ready for the Messiah. But the years passed. The Messiah did not come. And the old patterns of life, the old materialism, the old values, crept in. There was no excuse. It was wrong. But it did happen to them — just as it happens to you and me. When a people or an individual does drift from God, it’ s time for recommitment. Time for the fresh start that God is always willing to give us when we return to Him. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Briefly tell the story of Hollis and his response to calls in his church for recommitment. Ask your group members to jot down one or two words that tell how they think Hollis felt. Then brainstorm: “ What kinds of things make people feel the need for a fresh start?” When many items are listed, discuss: “ How do you suppose God feels about our need for fresh starts? Our requests for fresh starts?”

Nehemiah: An Overview It was only 12 years after Ezra’ s return that Nehemiah came to Judah. Nehemiah was a high official at the Persian court who, out of concern for Jerusalem, asked for and was given permission to serve as governor of that minor district. He served in Jerusalem 12 years, returned to Persia, and then came to Judah a second time to govern there. Unlike Ezra the priest, Nehemiah exercised political power. Yet his colorful and decisive leadership dealt with more than restoring respectability to Jerusalem by rebuilding its walls. Nehemiah also committed himself to purifying the lifestyle of God’ s people and bringing them into conformity with God’ s Law. It is striking to realize that even with Ezra in Judah, teaching the Word of God to the people, the Jews had drifted from full commitment. By Nehemiah’ s time intermarriage was again a problem, and doing business on the Sabbath Day was an established way of life. It was time for another fresh start for God’ s people. Nehemiah’ s day. I suppose for most who read the Bible, the ancient Jewish state might seem to be a broad and extended kingdom. Actually, in her days of greatness Israel never ranked in size with the empires and kingdoms of the Near East. In Nehemiah’ s day this always-small land had shrunk even more; the district of Yehud (Judah) included only some 800 square miles! It extended north and south about 25 miles, and east and west about 32. The tiny size of Judah and the plight of the exiles, who were surrounded on every side by hostile peoples, makes it easier for us to understand why Jewish morale so often ebbed, and why opposition from neighbors was usually all that was necessary to cause them to abandon a project. Nehemiah’ s decision to live on this insignificant parcel of land rather than to continue in his important position in the capital of the great Persian Empire seems especially dramatic, and is a measure of this man’ s commitment to God. Nehemiah’ s boldness. The people of Judah were discouraged about themselves and their future. Not Nehemiah! On his return to Judah he surveyed the tasks to be accomplished and laid his plans quietly (Nehemiah 2:11-16). Nehemiah then boldly called the people of Israel to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem “ and we will no longer be in disgrace” (Nehemiah 2:17). The response of the people was immediate — but so was the reaction of the Jewish opponents. They were greatly displeased that “ someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites” (Nehemiah 2:10). “ Bold” seems to be the best word to use to describe Nehemiah’ s character. A catalog of the challenges he had to face, and his response to them, makes it clear that in spite of Judah’ s weakness Nehemiah was unimpressed by problems. Nehemiah’ s commitment. Nehemiah brought great energy and courage to the building of the walls. The success of this project led to a dramatic change in the attitude of the people of Judah. Their self-respect had been recovered by their victory over their enemies; their awareness of God’ s presence had been stirred. Gathering together to celebrate and praise God, Nehemiah put forward Ezra the scribe “ to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel” (Nehemiah 8:1). All the people gathered to hear as Ezra read and interpreted the words. (NOTE: The interpretation was necessary because by this time the language of the people was Aramaic, not the classical Hebrew of the Old Testament documents. Ezra and the other teachers had to read in the original, translate, and explain.) This reading of the Law by Ezra took some seven days, and culminated on the eighth day with a worship service. The Jews recovered their sense of identity as God’ s people. And they went on to express fresh commitment by a written covenant (Nehemiah 10:1-39), which the leaders of the people signed. This covenant reflected the specific areas in which the people had drifted from God — and expressed their intention to observe the commands of the Lord that they had previously ignored. In a great outpouring of praise, temple service was restored, and the ministers of the temple moved back to Jerusalem from their farms. Nehemiah had not only led the people of Judah to rebuild the walls of their city; he had led them to renewed commitment to God and to His revealed will. Then comes Nehemiah 13:1-31. Nehemiah had returned to Persia to report to the king. It is uncertain how long he was away, but when Nehemiah returned he was stunned by what he found. The fresh-start promises had been broken once again! The people bought and sold on the Sabbath. A guest room for one of Judah’ s pagan enemies had been prepared in the temple of God itself. Once again Jews had married foreign wives. “ As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people” (Nehemiah 13:24, NASB). Nehemiah’ s shock did not keep him from acting as boldly as ever. “ I rebuked them,” Nehemiah reported, “ and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’ s name and said: ‘ You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves’” (Nehemiah 13:25). And as for the grandson of the high priest, who was one of those who had married a foreign woman, “ I drove him away from me” (Nehemiah 13:28). Even the Levites who served the temple had returned to their land — because the people no longer paid their temple tithes. And here the Book of Nehemiah ends. “ So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties. . . . Remember me with favor, O my God” (Nehemiah 13:30-31).

Observations on the Text The Book of Nehemiah is a rich source of personal insights. It helps us discover how to make that fresh start we so often feel we need. And it shows us how to continue, unshaken, on a godly path despite opposition. Here are some of the highlights of this book to emphasize in studying and teaching it. Practical prayers. Nehemiah was a man of action. But his prayer life was not neglected. Instead, Nehemiah seems to have blended practicality and spirituality in an impressive way. *Prayer of confession (Nehemiah 1:4-11). An effective prayer life is rooted in right relationship with the Lord. Our insight into Nehemiah’ s prayer life is launched in Nehemiah 1:1-11, with his prayer of confession. Like Ezra before him (Ezra 9:6-15), Nehemiah identified with his people and accepted responsibility for their failures. He confessed their — and his own — disobedience and weaknesses. And Nehemiah prayed for strength to make a fresh start in obedience. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT A prayer of confession is the way for us to make fresh starts in our own spiritual lives. This is why Hollis continued to respond to altar calls in his church. He was sensitive to his failures, and looked to God for cleansing and renewal. A similar prayer is found in Ezra 9:6-15. To help your group members see how to make such a “ fresh-start” prayer themselves, have them work in teams to compare the Ezra 9:1-15 and Nehemiah 1:1-11 prayers. If you wish, list the following elements to look for: express sense of failure, affirm God’ s grace, pinpoint broken commands, remember results of failure, seek present aid. Discuss the insights of the work teams. Then give each group member a 3 x 5 card. Ask each to write down a step-by-step process telling “ How to Make a Fresh-Start Prayer,” which can be kept handy in their Bibles. (If you wish, work out the step-by-step process and put it on a chalkboard for each to copy.) *Prayers of action (Nehemiah 2:4; Nehemiah 4:9; Nehemiah 6:9). Nehemiah lived and worked under great pressure. Yet he remained conscious of God’ s presence with him. Awareness of God’ s presence is seen in three brief prayers. We know they were brief, because they were uttered in Nehemiah’ s heart as he carried on his mission. Nehemiah stood in the presence of Artaxerxes, the absolute monarch of Persia whose displeasure meant death. While asking this ruler to release him from his duties so he could rebuild his ancestral city, Nehemiah “ prayed to the God of heaven, and . . . answered the king” (Nehemiah 2:4-5). Back in Judah Nehemiah learned of a plot by surrounding peoples to come and fight those rebuilding the walls. “ But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat” (Nehemiah 4:9). Later those nearby sent lying reports back to the capital of Persia, and used them to try to frighten Nehemiah. But Nehemiah simply prayed, “ Now strengthen my hands,” and kept on (Nehemiah 6:9). This is practical prayer. It is prayer by a person who relies on God — but who keeps on giving his or her best efforts to the task at hand. How much we need to learn from Nehemiah’ s prayer life. We need to let confession launch us on a fresh start, and then rely fully on God while we keep on with our daily work. LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN Boys and girls can learn early to pray as Nehemiah did, asking for help with hard things, then keeping on with their work. After teaching the Nehemiah story, give each child a 4 x 6-inch piece of cardboard. Let them trace a circle in its center, using a quarter or half-dollar for the pattern. Let each child then pick one color to represent prayer, and another color to represent work. Each can color one side of their piece of cardboard with the prayer color, and the other with the work color. Then cut out each circle. Suggest that the boys and girls carry the circle with them in pocket or purse. Whenever they have a hard thing to do, they can touch the circle and be reminded to ask God for help — and keep working on the hard thing. Suggest the larger cardboard rectangle be placed at home in a place where they often do hard things. It can remind them that the way through their troubles is found in prayer and hard work. The circles and cardboard rectangles will help your boys and girls remember God’ s presence, and help them look to Him for help while they do their part. Meeting opposition. Nehemiah’ s determination to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem is seen in the way he dealt with opposition. And this opposition came from many different avenues. The chart lists the problems Nehemiah had to overcome — and what he did in each situation. What is impressive is first that opposition came from every possible source — and that in each case Nehemiah refused to be distracted from his goals. Nehemiah knew where he was going — and he permitted nothing to stand in his way. This is important to us too. We need to know our spiritual and personal goals. And then as problems arise, we need to deal with them in such a way that we keep on making progress toward our goals. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT How does a person set and reach goals? Research has shown an interesting phenomenon. People who write down goals and make lists of things to do generally achieve their goals. Have your group members study Nehemiah 2:11-6:19. From what they read they are to develop and write down Nehemiah’ s list of goals and “ things to do.” You can then review the list of problems and responses (chart), and point out how having a clear goal, and planning what needs to be done to reach it, helped Nehemiah be a spiritually significant person. You may want to give each member a sheet of paper on which to write down one goal, and these “ to-do” lists: this year, this month, this week, tomorrow. Then share goals and plans in pairs. LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN Looking ahead to set goals and plan is important for adults. It is important for children to look back — to have a sense of what they have accomplished. Nehemiah seems to have done this often: it confirmed his sense of accomplishment and his commitment to the Lord (cf. Nehemiah 5:19; Nehemiah 6:14). To encourage your boys and girls to commitment, give each a one-month “ calendar,” ruled with squares to represent each day. Let each child pick one task he or she needs to do faithfully (perhaps study, help with dishes, make his or her bed, help with younger child, etc.). Have each child write his selected task on the top or bottom of the calendar. Then give each 30 gummed stars. Tell the children that at the end of each day, if they have done their job, they can give themselves a star for that day. How good it is to look back and like Nehemiah to know we have been faithful in doing something that pleases the Lord. Covenanting with God (Neh. 9:1-10:39). Nehemiah had a spiritual impact on the people he governed. Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem had given the people a new sense of their identity as God’ s people. Success despite opposition had helped them realize that their God truly was among them, as small as their people and land had become. And then Nehemiah had the whole people assemble to hear the Word of God read and explained by Ezra (Nehemiah 8:1-18). The new sense of God’ s presence, combined with the realization of what God required, led to national repentance and recommitment. The national prayer (Nehemiah 9:1-38) of repentance follows a familiar pattern. What is new is that the people determined to make a “ binding agreement” with God, even putting it in writing and affixing their seals to the document. The contents of this document are repeated in Nehemiah 10:28-39. The commitments listed there reflect both the sins that had been committed, and the intentions of the people of the land to correct them. How important that we too clearly define our intentions as we make fresh starts in our spiritual lives. Good but unspecified intentions are not likely to result in reform. When we clearly define what a fresh spiritual commitment may mean in terms of how it will affect our lives, we are far more likely to follow through. Facing discouragement (Nehemiah 13:1-31). Nehemiah had made a commitment to Artaxerxes to return to the Persian capital at a set time. He did so, and stayed for an unspecified time. Then Nehemiah returned. He was shocked and discouraged when he came back. The people of Judah had not followed through on their written commitments. The house of God was neglected; the Levites were forced back to the land because the tithes that would have supported them as they served at the temple had not been paid. The people again violated the Sabbath by working and trading. And again the men of Judah had married foreign wives. How discouraging it must have been. And yet Nehemiah’ s personal commitment never flagged. He again confronted the sins of his people, and again demanded that they live up to their earlier commitments. It is discouraging for us when others may not maintain a high level of spiritual commitment. But it is no excuse. Nehemiah shows us that whatever others may do, the individual who is fully committed to the Lord can live a holy life — and can affect the lives of others for good.

Nehemiah’ s Problems and Responses ProblemResponse Ridicule by enemiesAsked God to vindicate them; ignored the ridicule Plot to attack the buildersSet half the people to work, half to guard with arms in hand Encouraged Israel to remember the Lord Poorer Jews borrowed from wealthy; they could not repay creditors while working on wallsGot wealthy to remit interest, return the lands taken as security Set example by supporting himself rather than demanding the governor’ s allowance Invited to a “ counsel” (trap) by the enemiesRefused to be distracted; kept building the walls Shemaiah the prophet hired by enemies to frighten Nehemiah into hiding in the templeRefused to hide from possible assassins; set example of courage Threatened with a letter to Artaxerxes saying Nehemiah planned rebellionReplied that the enemy had a good imagination; kept on with the work Teaching Guide Prepare Read through the Book of Nehemiah as you might read a story or newspaper article. Afterward, jot down your dominant impressions of this godly man. What traits do you want to see in group members?

Explore

1. Give a minilecture overview of the period. Explain why building the walls was so important to Nehemiah.
2. Or tell the Hollis story and help your group members identify the feelings that lead believers to sense a need for a fresh start. See the “ link-to-life” suggestion above.

Expand

1. Develop “ fresh start” and “ staying power” prayer patterns. Nehemiah’ s “ fresh start” prayer was a prayer of compassion. Use the process outlined in “ link-to-life” above to teach the process. Nehemiah’ s “ staying power” prayers were practical, quick prayers that showed reliance on God while he kept on with his task. Point out that if we continue to be aware of God’ s presence and rely on Him in our hard times, we’ ll have the courage to keep on with our work and to reach our goals, as Nehemiah did.
2. Or help your group members explore the importance of setting goals and working systematically to accomplish them. Nehemiah 2-6 can help your group members learn how to establish this vital practice. See “ link-to-life” above.

Apply Look with your group at Nehemiah 10:1-39, where the people wrote down spiritual commitments: promises of what they would do to serve God better. Give five minutes for each person to write out personal commitments. Close in prayer that each might have the strength of Nehemiah to carry them out.