A STUDY OF THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH SOUTH WALTON CHURCH OF CHRIST BY HAROLD HARSTVEDT SOUTH WALTON CHURCH OF CHRIST WALTON COUNTY FLORIDA, 32459

THE TEMPLE SOLOMON’S TEMPLE SOLOMON FINISHED THE TEMPLE (959 BC)? DESTROYED BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR (586 BC)? ZERUBBABEL’S TEMPLE RECONSTRUCTION UNDER CYRUS (536 BC)? BUILDING CEASES UNDER ARTAXERXES (17 YEARS)? BUILDING CONTINUES UNDER DARIUS (519 BC)? TEMPLE COMPLETED UNDER DARIUS (516 BC)? (516-458 BC)? HEROD’S TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION BEGAN (20 BC)? COMPLETED 46 YEARS (JOHN 2:20) (64 AD)?

ADVERSARIES OF NEHEMIAH PEOPLE TO REMEMBER NEBUCHADNEZZAR - DESTROYED JERUSALEM (586 BC)? ARTAXERXES - KING OF PERSIA 465-425 BC? LONGIMANUS - SON OF XERXES NEHEMIAH - COMFORTED OF YAHWEH SON OF HACHALIAH - BROTHER OF HANANI 445-433 BC? ADVERSARIES OF NEHEMIAH SANBALLAT THE HORONITE - GOVERNOR OF SAMARIA TOBIAH THE AMMONITE - JOINT GOVERNOR WITH SANBALLAT GESHEM THE ARAB - CHIEF OF THE ARABS IN SAMARIA ELIASHIB THE HIGH PRIEST

OUTLINE NEHEMIAH CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH: V. 1 HE INQUIRES ABOUT THE JEWS AND JERUSALEM: V. 2-3 HE IS GREATLY SORROWED; FASTS AND PRAYS: V. 4 HIS PRAYER AND CONFESSION TO GOD: V. 5-11

READ: NEHEMIAH 1:1-3 1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 That Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire."

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:1-3 1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, NEHEMIAH - COMFORTED OF YAHWEH WHO IS NEHEMIAH? WHAT YEAR IS THIS? (465-424 BC) (445 BC)? ‘TWENTIETH YEAR’ OF ARTAXERXES LONGIMANUS WHERE WAS NEHEMIAH? WHERE WAS THE CITADEL OF SHUSHAN?

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:1-3 WHERE WAS THE CITADEL OF SHUSHAN? READ: ESTHER 1:2-5 2 In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel, 5 When these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. READ: DANIEL 8:2 2 I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai. (NKJ)

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:1-3 2 That Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah. I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. WHO WAS HANANI? READ: NEHEMIAH 7:2 2 I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. (NKJ) WHAT DID NEHEMIAH ASK THEM?

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:1-3 3 And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.“ WHAT DID THEY TELL NEHEMIAH? WHAT WAS THE SITUATION IN JERUSALEM?

READ: NEHEMIAH 1:4-6 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 “Please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned.

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:4-6 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. WHAT DID NEHEMIAH DO WHEN HE HEARD THIS?

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:4-6 5 I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 “Please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned. HOW DID NEHEMIAH ADDRESS THE GOD OF HEAVEN? HOW LONG WAS NEHEMIAH PRAYING? WHO WAS HE PRAYING FOR? WHAT WAS HE CONFESSING?

READ: NEHEMIAH 1:7-9 7 "We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 "Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 ‘But if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.'

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:7-9 7 "We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. WHAT COMMANDMENTS HAD THEY NOT KEPT?

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:7-9 8 "Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 ‘But if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.‘ WHAT DID THE LORD SAY TO MOSES? WHAT IF THEY ‘RETURNED’ TO THE LORD?

READ: NEHEMIAH 1:10-11 10 "Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 "O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." For I was the king's cupbearer. (NKJ)

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:10-11 10 "Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. WHO IS ‘YOUR SERVANTS’ AND ‘YOUR PEOPLE’? HOW DID THE LORD REDEEM THEM? WHEN?

QUESTIONS: NEHEMIAH 1:10-11 11 "O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." For I was the king's cupbearer. DOES THE LORD HEAR HIS PRAYERS? WHO IS ‘THIS MAN’? KING AHASUERUS? HOW DID NEHEMIAH SERVE HIM?