NEHEMIAH
page 1.

Introduction of Nehemiah.

This book must be read with Ezra to understand the situations and the events leading to Nehemiah’s involvement.

Nehemiah’s prayer is answered.

Nehemiah 2:1-8.
Most of the text is written in the first person indicating that it was probably written personally by Nehemiah. In the few places where it appears to be written by someone else the text is also referring to other people, see Nehemiah 8:9; Nehemiah 10:1; Nehemiah 12:26,47. These passages refer to the position of Nehemiah and at the time of writing was not in that position, possibly retired.

Background.

Artaxerxes 1, who became king in 457 B.C. and had Nehemiah as his cupbearer, was the son of Ahasuerus who had taken Esther as his queen. (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), Esther 1:1.
Ezra had lead a group of Jews back to Jerusalem with the encouragement of king Artaxerxes 1. As a result they were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, this caused problems "Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia." Ezra 4:4,5.

They wrote to Artaxerxes who commanded the work to stop because previous Jewish kings had caused problems for his nation. It was this instruction that caused Nehemiah to turn to God in prayer.

The Book of Nehemiah covers a period of about twenty years, Ezra and Nehemiah activities over lap during this period, it is also possible that Malachi made his prophecies during this period as a number of the evil activities of the people are recorded in the book of Nehemiah.

Outline of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1:1 to 2:20

Nehemiah prays after receiving news of problems in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1:1-11.

Nehemiah’ prayer is answered. Nehemiah 2:1-8.

Nehemiah secretly surveys the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 2:9-20.

The walls are repaired. Nehemiah 3:1 to 6:19.

The workers and the work. Nehemiah 3:1-32.

Their enemies oppose the work. Nehemiah 4:1-23.

Nehemiah issues instructions. Nehemiah 5:1-19.

The work on the wall is completed. Nehemiah 6:1 to 7:4.

New reforms in Jerusalem which affect the Religious laws and people.

The Jews who returned with Zerubbabel. Nehemiah 7:5-73.

The Law is read and obeyed. Nehemiah 8:1-18.

The people confess. Nehemiah 9:1 to 10:39.

List of people living in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 11:1 to 12:26.

Dedication of the walls and Temple services. Nehemiah 12:27-47.

Nehemiah final acts. Nehemiah 13:1-30.

Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:1 to 2:20.
Nehemiah is identified as the son of Hachaliah, the name has the meaning of "The Lord has comforted". As a cupbearer he was in a position of great responsibility, at each meal he had to test the wine offered to the king to ensure that it had not been poisoned, this meant that he had easy access to the king, Nehemiah, as a Jew in this position shows how much trust the king had in him.
Being so close to the king meant that he could have considerable influence for good or bad. We can see the hand of God in this arrangement, the Jews had been allowed to return from exile in Babylon, to their own land over a century previous, some of Nehemiah’s family could have returned but had chosen to remain in the palace. God needed a person to carry out His plans and Nehemiah was now in such a position, God always prepares His workers and puts them in the right place for the task.

The brother of Nehemiah, Hanani, with others, returned from a visit to Jerusalem and report the terrible state of the city and its people, this message was to have a major effect on Nehemiah. We have to ask why Nehemiah had so much interest in a city and its people many hundreds of miles away, he was in a safe and comfortable post as the king’s cupbearer, why care for the city which had turned away from God and been judged, "For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Or who will bemoan you? Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?"
Jeremiah 15:5, Nehemiah was one of the tools of God who were to restore the people of God.
The news makes Nehemiah very sad and depressed "I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven." Nehemiah was now in the right place, in prayer and ready for instruction, for it was all part of the plan of God.

Nehemiah prays after receiving news of problems in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah would have known that the city had been in ruins since the Babylonians had captured it and taken the people into exile, 2 Kings 25:1-21. About 50,000 Jews had been allowed to return 50 years later to repair the temple and city, see Ezra chapters 1-6. The temple had been under repair for twenty years, no work had been done on the city defences, it was very open to attack.

In this book we find twelve prayers by Nehemiah, this is the first, see Nehemiah 2:4; Nehemiah 4:4,9;Nehemiah 5:19; Nehemiah 6:9,14;Nehemiah 9:5ff; Nehemiah 13:14,22,29,31.
"in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year," this would be December, 445 B.C. Nehemiah prayed for four months,
(Nehemiah 2:1), he is asking God to protect those who have already returned to Palestine, for the city to survive it needs the spiritual protection by God.

His prayer starts with giving God His true title,
"Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God," a God who will keep and control His promises and keep His promises, His Word and covenants.
See 2 Chronicles 36:22-23;
Ezra 1:1-2. This title is often used by Ezra, Nehemiah and Daniel:-
Ezra 5:11-12;
Ezra 6:9;
Ezra 7:12,21,23.
Nehemiah 1:4,5;
Nehemiah 2:4,20.
Daniel 2:18,19,44.
Much of the prayer of Nehemiah concerns a confession of sin, verses 6-9, using the word "we" to show that he was included, Nehemiah was claiming the promise that if you turn to Him and repent then forgiveness is available. Nehemiah used the word "remember," claiming the promises of God often in this book.
The prayer ends with a confidence that God will respond to the prayer, would release him from his post, and would then raise up the necessary people and facilities, v10,11.

Nehemiah’s prayer is answered.

Nehemiah 2:1-8.
Though Nehemiah was daily in the presence of the king he would not be expected to just put the problem to the king, the king must make the first move, (see Mark 9:23;
Matthew 17:20). The month of Nison indicates about four months have passed since the Nehemiah time of prayer, it is possible that he also had a prayer time each day, but Nehemiah has had to wait patiently for God to act, Hebrews 6:12.

Eventually the day comes when God chooses to take the next step, Nehemiah has been waiting faithfully for the opportunity to speak to the king. He is before the king, ready to taste the wine, as had been his job for a long time, but today the king notices that Nehemiah is bothered by something and asks what was the problem.
Nehemiah offers a very short instant prayer to the Lord, Hebrews 4:16, any delay in Nehemiah replying would have concerned the king.

Nehemiah has great respect for the king and his position of power, he did not say "I’m going," he worked through and submitted to the kings authority, though he was doing the work of God.
v3 Nehemiah responded with a question, "Would you not feel sadness about the conditions of his city of origin," this opened the interest of the king. Nehemiah had spent the four months in preparation of what he wanted and is now able to then explain the situation in his home country and requests permission of the king for him to journey to Jerusalem to carry out the repairs, he also asks for letters of authority to make the journey, to do the work without interference from local officials, (see Ezra 4:1ff) and to obtain the material needed to carry out the work. The king in
Nehemiah 5:14, indicates that he made Nehemiah governor of Judah.
King Artaxerxes also provides what Nehemiah requested and he is sent with an armed guard.

King Artaxerxes was not a believer in the true God but the Lord is able to work through unbelievers to fulfill His plan and Will. This has happened many times in the Biblical records, for example, the Egyptian Pharaoh involved in the story of Joseph, protected the people until many years later when another Pharaoh meets Moses, who has come to release His people from Egypt. Final thought, it was Caesar who issued the decree that sent Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.
There is no record of Nehemiah making a prophecy or gave a message from God. The only action was to faithfully carry out the work God had given him, to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.
Note the prophecy given in Daniel 9:24-27 which mentions the rebuilding of the city. God was using Nehemiah to prepare the city for the coming Messiah.

Nehemiah problems then secretly surveys the walls of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:9-20.
Nehemiah was a governor on official business, he had his armed guard and so would have caused much attention from the local nations. Two initial names are given as enemies of the Jews, Sanballat the Horonite, who was from a town about twelve miles from Jerusalem and Tobiah the Ammonite. Later in v19, we hear of the third enemy, Geshem, an Arabian. Sanballat had some kind of official position and that made him more dangerous, Nehemiah 4:1-3, Sanballat seems to have control over the army of Samaria.

Tobiah the Ammonite came from a tribe which had been enemies of the Jews for some time,
Deuteronomy 23:3-6. Tobiah appears to have been married to a daughter of a Jewish family,
Nehemiah 6:17-19 and so would have friends amongst the Jews.

v11-16, Nehemiah soon realized that there were also enemies amongst the Jews themselves, so Nehemiah secretly surveyed the damage and work needed. This act also prevented Sanballat from knowing of his proposed repairs.

v17-20, Nehemiah told the people that God was at work with the restoring of the city, God had already prepared the way by working on the heart of the king Artaxerxes, to meet the needs of the work. This information now persuades the Jews that they take up the challenge and work. they did not remind Nehemiah that the work had been started and stopped once before. Ezra 4:1ff. Note that God had raised up the new leader, Nehemiah from outside the locals, he would have a different way of looking at the situation and problems.

When Sanballat and friends heard of the work they accused the Jews of rebellion, not knowing that the king Artaxerxes had authorized it. They ridiculed the Jews, laughing at their plans, it had worked before, Ezra 4:1ff.
Consider Isaiah 53:3;
Acts 2:13;
Acts 17:18;
Acts 26:24. Nehemiah made three points in response, the work was for God, He was with His people, His servants and Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem had no part in the work.

If God challenged you like He did Nehemiah, would you respond? Would you let Him lead you into a possible unknown challenge? Is God leading you or are you following your own plans? Read 1 Corinthians 15:58.

The walls are repaired.

Nehemiah 3:1 to 6:19.
The walls of Jerusalem had been in a bad state of repair for a long time, it offered no protection to the Jewish inhabitants, they were content to live in this state, now Nehemiah sets them the challenge, repair the city to the glory of God.
The chapter lists those who were involved and what task Nehemiah had given them, forty-two groups are named and thirty-eight individuals by name. There are also many other workers not mentioned by Nehemiah, each was given his personal task, some had large tasks, others the section of the wall by their house.
The gates had been destroyed by fire, Nehemiah 1:3; Jeremiah 17:27, Nehemiah obtained wood from the forest of the king to rebuild the gates and replace the bolts and bars so they could be locked for protection. We must always make sure that we protect our lives and work from the Enemy, compare 2 John 8.

The workers and the work.

Nehemiah 3:1-32.
The chapter mentions many different workers, the rulers, the priests, craftsmen, both men and women, even some from outside the city.
As the work was to fulfill the plans of God then we would have expected the priests to be at the front of the work, this included the high priest Eliashib. He was prepared to use his consecrated hands for the work of the Lord, see 1 Corinthians 10:31. The priests worked on the Sheep gate, this was the entrance used for the sacrifices. Unfortunately Eliashib caused Nehemiah problems, he became friends with the enemy, Nehemiah 13:4-9. Eliashib’s grandson had married a daughter of Sanballat, Nehemiah 13:28.

Nehemiah 3:5. Teknos was a small town about eleven miles from Jerusalem, some of the people from the town came to help, but sadly Nehemiah recorded that the "nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord," what was so special about these "nobles?" Perhaps they did not want to get their hands dirty? Jesus was a carpenter, Mark 6:3, Paul a tent maker Acts 18:3.
The records show that others came from some distance to work, from Jericho, verse 2; from Gibeon and Mizpah, verse 7, they were probably risking their lives to carry out this work, their desire to work for the Lord was greater than the danger from the locals.
The record shows that some people asked for additional work after completing their first task, they then worked on "another " section, see Nehemiah 3:11,19,21,24,27,30.

There are some interesting comments about the work:

The Sheep gate.

The temple was close by and so the animals for sacrifice came through this gate, it is the only gate that was "sanctified," dedicated to the use of God. There is no mention of the gate being fitted with a locking system.

The Fish Gate.

Merchants used this gate to bring in the fish caught in the Mediterranean Sea. It was also near the Towers of Hammeah and Hananeel, part of the city defence system.

The Old Gate.

Located at the North west corner of the city, also called the Corner Gate. This allowed access into the newer part of the city in Nehemiah’s days.

The Valley Gate.

Located on the southwest corner, this gate with the Dung Gate, opened out to the Valley of Hinnom. This valley had been involved with the worship Molech, 2 Chronicles 33:6. Later the valley had become the place for burning the corpses of law breakers and animals, then later to be used for the burning of rubbish, 2 Kings 23:10. The name has become associated with Hell, Gehenna.

The Dung Gate.

Located near the pool of Siloam on the southern side of the city, it was the main gate to the Valley of Hinnom.

The Fountain Gate.

Is found to the North of the Dung Gate, near the pool of Siloam. This also gave access to the old city of David and the Gihon spring, a source of water for the city.

The Water Gate.

Located near the Kidron Valley. There is no mention that this gate was repaired, just the wall on either side.

The Horse Gate.

Near to the temple, just north of the Water Gate.

The East Gate.

This gate led directly to the Temple, today it is known as the Golden Gate. It is believed this is the gate Jesus used on Palm Sunday. Today the gate is sealed up with stone blocks. The Glory of God departed the temple, Ezekiel 10:16-22 through this gate and will return to the city the same way, Ezekiel 43:1-5.

The Miphkad Gate, Often called the Hammiphkad gate, or inspection gate.

This was the most vulnerable gate to attack, so the army would be stationed nearby.

This work of repair needed the effort and work of many people under the leadership of Nehemiah.
Consider 1 Corinthians 15:58.

Their enemies oppose the work.

Nehemiah 4:1-23.
Sanballat and his associates were worried by the work of repairing the walls of Jerusalem, they really wanted to control the Jewish people for their wealth etc. This opposition by Satan, through Sanballat, to the work of God had the opposite effect, it encouraged the people to work.
In chapters 4 to 6 of Nehemiah we see a number of ways the enemy used in attempting to stop the work:-

They made fun of their efforts, Nehemiah 4:1-3.

This is often the first attack by the Enemy, but Nehemiah took the situation to God in prayer, v4,5. The world does not realize God often uses the "weak" to do His work. Note that Sanballat involved the worship of God in his insults. The wall was soon half way up.

Threat of war. Nehemiah 4:7-10.

The Jews were surrounded by various nations controlled by the three leaders, Satan hates the Jews, the people of God and will do anything to destroy them. Consider John 4:22. Nehemiah took the situation to God in prayer again, then set up a security watch system v9, each man carried a spear as well as a building tool. See Eph 6:10-18. Unfortunately the extra work load caused problems, it is difficult to work all day and watch all night.

Fear, Nehemiah 4:11-23.

"We are not able," a common result of losing faith in the power of God, the fear rose up in the tribe of Judah, it appears from Nehemiah 6:17-19 and Nehemiah 13:15-22 that the people of Judah had marriage relationships with the enemy and were more interested in wealth then worship.

Jews from outlying villages kept sending reports of surprise attacks by the enemy, possibly rumour’s or lies.

Nehemiah paid no attention and continued the work, splitting the people into armed workers and guards. This showed that the Jews were prepared to fight anyone who threatened them.

Nehemiah tells the people to put their faith in God, Nehemiah 4:14,20. God is stronger than any enemy and will carry out His plans for the future.

Nehemiah issues instructions.

Nehemiah 5:1-19.
The Enemy had failed to stop the work now starts the next attack by using the Jews themselves, selfishness, "we are losing out," is the cry, Jew was exploiting Jew, even the women, who are normally silent, were joining in.
The complaints were from four different groups:-

1) Those who wanted food but had no land. They could not help themselves.

As the repairs were made it affected the population, food was becoming short, v3.

2) House owners who had mortgaged their homes to purchase their food.

As food became short the prices went up, people were getting into debt because of the inflation.

3) The taxes to the king of Persia were going up, some were having to borrow money to pay these.

The tax money went to the king and was not used locally.

4) Jews who were wealthy were taking advantage of the situation, they loaned money but use the borrowers home, land or children as security.

It was not lawful for a Jew to charge interest on a loan to another Jew. Deuteronomy 23:19-20;
Exodus 22:25-27. There were also laws concerning any security needed for help, Deuteronomy 24:1-13;
Leviticus 25:35-46.

The "year of the Jubilee," Leviticus 25:1-17 was implemented by God to ensure all debts were forgiven, this limited the rich from becoming too rich at the expense of the poor.

Greed was one of the many sins that caused God to punish the Jews with the Babylonian captivity.
Nehemiah was very angry when he heard of the problems, he thinks about the situation and then calls the leaders and nobles to him where he points out their wrong, then he calls the people together and challenges them about their national behaviour, reminding them that they had once been sold into slavery.
Nehemiah points out a number of facts to them:-

They were robbing their own Jewish families, not the Gentile enemy. Lending money was not wrong,
See Matthew 25:27, as long as it was not against the Law of God. This is also important for Believers as they forget who supplies all their needs.

Their acts was putting their Jewish families into bondage just to get money, God had just redeemed them from Babylon, now they were putting their neighbour back to bondage for money.

God had wanted the Jews to be His witnesses to the world, Isaiah 42:5,6,7, but this behaviour was having the opposite effect. Consider the thoughts in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11.

"Fear of God," this fear is not as a slave and master but with respect and love as a child with their parents, this means that the child needs to trust, honour, obey the words from their parents. It is this relationship that should exist between God and His people. To walk in fear is a walk of faith and trust.

v10,11. Nehemiah was lending money to help others but not charging interest, he was making a good example. The "hundredth part" suggests the level of interest being charged by others, it indicates that the yearly interest was about 12 percent.

v12,13. The Lord’s judgement if they fail to obey. Nehemiah makes them take an oath in the presence of the priests and others. Their agreement was between the people and also between God and themselves.

Nehemiah demands they repent and restore. The action of shaking his clothes was a Jewish act of condemnation, similar to shaking dust off of their feet. Matthew 10:14;
Acts 13:51; Acts 18:6.
The people respond with the word "Amen" which has the meaning "so be it," an agreement with all that has been said, an act of worship, for God to act as necessary.

A Perfect example; Nehemiah 5:14-19

Nehemiah’s first and second period as governor were good examples, here he shows that he had not used his position for gain, but for the people. Read and consider the remarks of Jesus in Matthew 20:25-28;
Mark 10:42-45;
Luke 22:23-30 and Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:1ff, especially note v14, "for the labourer is worthy of his wages.".
v16-19 Nehemiah and his friends also feed others and helped in the building of the wall. He lived and worked to please the Lord. Nehemiah knew that one day he would be judged on his work by God as a leader and he was willing to wait for the examination and words from the Lord.
It was now the time to get back to work on the wall but the enemy still had many tricks to use to stop the work.

The work on the wall is completed.

Nehemiah 6:1 to 7:4.
The walls have now been repaired, now the gates need replacing or repaired and the fellowship of the people restored.
The opposition by Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of the enemies had failed to stop the work, now they decide to destroy Nehemiah or make up false stories which would effect his control, once this had been done they could move into the city, helped by any of their secret supporters, v17-19.
The aim was to cause fear in Nehemiah and the Jews, Nehemiah 6:9, 13-14,19. The first try involved an invitation to meet with them as an act of friendship, half way between Jerusalem and Samaria, but Nehemiah knew that they only meant him harm and responded with "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" Satan often uses a similar trick to stop the Lord’s work, getting unbelievers to distract a believer from the work the Lord has given him, they can even apparently join in the work to do this. If Satan can stop a Christian leader from being in control and supervising then the whole ministry may fail. Read and consider 1 Corinthians 11:13-15;
1 Corinthians 10:1-17 and Acts 21:10-40,
2 Corinthians 6:14-17.

This does not mean that a leader must never move on but must also be open to the leading of the Lord into another ministry, if it is His will.
Sanballat sent the request four times, Nehemiah responded each time with the same message, so now Sanballat sends a letter which was not sealed so anyone could read it, the letter contained accusations and lies, "you and the Jews plan to rebel, that you may be their king." it continues, "there is already a king of Judah, we are going to tell on you!!!! " The letter is hinting that there was a Jewish revolt starting before the work, see Nehemiah 2:19 and Nehemiah was planning to become king. This action by the enemy is common, see Matthew 27:1,11-14;
Mark 15:1-5;
Luke 23:1-5;
John 18:28-38,
Matthew 12:22-37;
Luke 11:14-23.
This charge would be considered very serious in Nehemiah’s time, The Persian kings were not prepared to have any opposition to their rule, any threat would be rapidly and violently dealt with, and end the work in Jerusalem.
The use of an "open letter" to a royal appointed governor would be considered very insulting, using the words like "It is reported " can cause suspicion without proof, it would make people have doubts about Nehemiah. Satan often uses this way of attacking the ministries and churches, to split the organization.
Nehemiah made the right action, he denied then took the problem to God to sort out.

A threat from within. Nehemiah 6:10-14.
Shemaiah the son of Delaiah was a secret follower of the enemy and made a plan to trap Nehemiah and then kill him. "let us take cover together in the temple where we will be safe, if he had access to the temple then he was a priest of some sort." Nehemiah knew it was a hoax, fake and "I perceived that God had not sent him at all," . Nehemiah was a leader who would never hide, he was a true leader.

If Nehemiah had gone passed the altar of burnt offering in the temple then he would have been put to death,
Numbers 18:7,
see also 2 Chronicle 26:16-21, action by God.
Nehemiah therefore knew that Shemaiah was not the messenger from God as the message was against the commands of God. See Deuteronomy 13:1-5. Always consider any messenger, sermon preached, "is it according to the Word of God?"
v14. Unfortunately, it appears that there was problems with some of the "prophets," but Nehemiah knew he was following the commands of God and left it in His hands.
The enemy does not give up. Nehemiah 6:15-19.
The work and repairs was done in fifty two days, verse 15, this sent the message to the surrounding nations was that it was through the power of God, the impossible had been done. But just because the work was finished this did not stop the work of the enemy, neither will Satan stop the attack on a person, church or ministry just because the work had been completed, Luke 4:13 "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Jesus until an opportune time.", "Watch out for Satan at work and always pray."
The Jews who were secretly helping the enemy were from the tribe of Judah, the tribe should have had a great interest in the "city of David," Genesis 49:8-10,
And also read 2 Samuel 7:1ff,
It was through the Tribe of Judah that the Messiah was to come, their action was therefore against the Will of God.
Why were they behaving like this? Many letters had been exchanged between Tobiah and the Men of Judah, and a marriage relationship had occurred, against the instruction of God. The letters from Tobiah were full of flattery for the Jewish leaders and lies about Nehemiah, and were believed. The Jews preferred to trust an enemy more than their "own Jewish brother".

It is worth noting that for a True Christian Jesus puts the earthly relationships second to God, Matt 10:34-39, the Blood of Christ is greater than earth relationships.
Sadly, not only did they take instruction from Tobiah but also told him everything Nehemiah did and said, probably hoping for a great reward when Nehemiah was removed, traitors to their own people and to God. They even told Nehemiah that Tobiah was a good man!!!
Note that Meshullam, one of the family, worked in two places on the repairs of the wall while his family were being traitors,
Nehemiah 3:4,30.
consider the message to Jeremiah from God Jeremiah 5:29-31
"Shall I not punish them for these things?" says the Lord. "Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?"
"An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land:
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so."
But what will you do in the end?
Yet with all this opposition the work of God to restore Jerusalem was completed.