The Book of Nehemiah

USS Lincoln

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JERUSALEM “So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.”

disease drought and famine invading armies EXILE

Two exiles 721 BC – 10 northern tribes (Israel) – taken into Assyria. 606 BC – 2 southern tribes (Judah) – taken into Babylon (606 – Rulers; Royal Court; Daniel 597 – Craftsmen; merchants; Ezekiel 587 – Temple destroyed/utter destruction)

Prophet Jeremiah (29) “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.”

Cyrus – 538 BC “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfil the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm …” (Ezra 1 v 1)

Three returns First Return: 536 BC – Sheshbazzar (Zerubbabel) 50,000 people Build the temple & re-establish worship Opposition of the Samaritans Prophets Haggai & Zechariah

Second Return: 458 BC – Ezra (Priest and teacher) 1,800 people (Levites) King Artaxerxes (1) Rebuild social and religious life

Third Return: 444 BC – Nehemiah Small band of craftsmen Rebuild the city walls

Nehemiah 1 v 1 - 11

“The comfort of Jehovah” NEHEMIAH “The comfort of Jehovah” wine steward

GOD RULES

How did God stir Nehemiah’s heart?

“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are; Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” “We know we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” (1 John 3 v 10,14)

CITY DILAPIDATED COMMUNITY DISPIRITED

External hostility Internal pessimism

Misappropriation of funds Moral compromise Misappropriation of funds Materialism Migration Meanness

“It is easy enough to weep over your sins when you are found out, but to weep over other people’s sins indicates a depth of spirituality that few share.”

“Occasionally, we may be moved for a moment by what we have heard, and yet we have not heard enough to really change us!”

Unless we learn to weep over the ruins, we will never build the wall