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The Book of Nehemiah
February 6, 2016

Last week we concluded our study of the Book of Nahum reviewing the theme of the destruction of Nineveh because of its religious idolatry. The name Nehemiah has a similar meaning, "God comforts", to the name Nahum, meaning "comforter". As we start the book, we find Nehemiah working in the royal palace of the king of Persia. Distressing news comes to him from Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:1-3
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

Hanani and other men came to Persia from Judah and shared with Nehemiah that the city was left in shambles with compromised city walls, burnt gates in the entrances, and people unable to figure out what to do next. Nehemiah loved his country and Jerusalem, and it caused him so much distress that he fasted and prayed over this news, seeking divine intervention to rebuild Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:4-7
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Nehemiah admitted that the reason the children of Israel were taken into slavery was because they had disobeyed God and sinned against him, to the point where they even behaved corruptly against God by not keeping the commandments, statutes, and judgments. In other words, they had pretty much totally disregarded God in their lives, and Nehemiah knew it was this disregard for God and what God requires of us that caused this problem.

Nehemiah 1:8-11
Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

Nehemiah recalled a promise made to Moses that foreshadowed the captivity, recognizing that there was another promise to restore the children of Israel as a nation. Nehemiah prayed that he might find favor from the king, because he was the king's cupbearer. Cup bearers protected the king from poisoning attempts and were in their position of trust because they had earned that trust through years of service.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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