Nehemiah Chapter 1
Nehemiah Chapter 1
The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ 10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”I was cupbearer to the king. -Nehemiah 1:1-11
Break it Down:
Around 1,000 years after the time of Moses and almost 400 years before the birth of Jesus the book of Nehemiah was written. The Nation of Israel was in a broken and desperate state. Around 100 years after the first captives of Israel returned to the promised land the book of Nehemiah was written. When Babylon conquered the Nation of Israel they deported around 3 million Jews. Some 70 years of captivity later, only 50,000 decided to return.
The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,
The fact that Nehemiah was in the “citadel” tells us that he was a prominent and important man, living in the palace of the King of Persia.
2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
Nehemiah, although not in Jerusalem, still had concern and a heart for his people and his homeland. His heart was aligned with the Lord’s heart just as our hearts should be today. We should remain vigilant to keep the Nation of Israel in prayer so that we might receive the blessing that God promises throughout scripture. The Psalmist knew this and he reminds us of this in Psalm 137 which says:
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth; if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy. -Psalm 137:5-6
The Nation of Israel are the people of God and as fellow believers grafted into the family of God through the blood of Jesus, we hold true to the blessing of scripture in Genesis 12:2-3 where the Lord says:
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” -Genesis 12:2-3
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” 4
The Nation of Israel was in great ruin and it’s walls destroyed and broken down. An city without walls was a city that was completely open and vulnerable to its enemies with no protection and no defense against attack. If there was anything valuable, it could be easily stolen and or destroyed. The same is true in our lives. If we don’t have the walls of God’s Word and the full armor of God on, we will have no protection against the schemes and attacks of the enemy. Paul tells us this in Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. -Ephesians 6:10-18
We need to remember that defense is important as we are walking out our Christian life. We not only need to protect ourselves but we need to protect our families and our children and other loved ones. How do we do that? By speaking life over them and by teaching them the Word of God; His promises and His truths. When we walk in holiness and obedience before the Lord, we become more than conquerors like it says in Romans 8 instead of just striving to somehow survive! The Word of God, and the blood of the Jesus is what guards us against the enemy!
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Any great work of God always begins with God doing a great work inside of somebody!
Great leaders must have a big vision, that requires God to intervene because they cannot fulfill it in their own strength. They are ones who think, “through me, God is going to correct a problem that has been around for years.” “Through me, God is going to do something that totally failed before.” We must have a vision and a goal that is big enough that it requires God to move in the midst of it and on our behalf. Nehemiah shows us this in his vision to rebuild the walls of the city. He didn’t have a great following of those to go with him in the beginning. It began with a vision and it began with him seeking the Lord in Prayer.
Prayer is essential to great leadership. If your vision is so big that only God can accomplish it, then prayer must be a discipline and devotion you cling tight to. If prayer isn’t absolutely necessary to accomplish the very thing God has placed on your heart, then your goal or mission is not big enough! Nehemiah prayed for 4 months before he began building the wall, but once it began, it only took 52 days to complete. We need to remember that prayer creates a highway for God to move. He can do in a moment what would take us a lifetime to accomplish. Before you begin doing what you believe God has called you to do, birth it in prayer! Don’t rush the process. Sometimes, God wants to win the battle in you first, before He could win the battle through you!
5 Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
Humility and complete dependence upon the Lord is the key to living out your Christian life. Humility begins by simply understanding that there is a God enthroned in the heavens, and I am not Him! Nehemiah’s prayer was not, “God fix the problem or send someone else to bring about revival.” The prayer of Nehemiah was, “God, use me to make it better!”
“True and genuine recognition of need must always be followed by faithful action, as well as persistent waiting upon God until the overwhelming sense of need becomes a specific burden in my soul for the specific work God has called me to do.”
6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
Nehemiah doesn’t put the blame on someone else, instead he stands in the gap spiritually and carries the burden not only from his turning from the Lord but for his people’s as well and God hears his prayer! We need to be those who take ownership and responsibility for our actions and our own rebellion in turning away from the Lord in our lives. We also need to be those who stand in the gap for those we love and for those who are far from God and believe for Him not only to bring them back to Himself but for Him to use us in doing so.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ 10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king. -Nehemiah 1:1-11
Nehemiah says something and does something that we can all apply to our lives, He says “remember!” As a Father, I sometimes get annoyed when my daughters remind me of the promises I made to them to take them to ice cream or to read them a book, or take them on a daddy daughter date, but guess what, I always do it. We need to remember that God is our Heavenly Father and He desires that we know Him and that we know His love as a good Father. It says in His Word that we can now through the blood of Jesus come boldly before the throne of Grace! We need to follow Nehemiah’s lead and remind God of His Word and His promises over our lives. If we are faithful to keep our promises to our children, how much more will our Heavenly Father keep His promises to us!
Prayer:
God where do I even begin. I am so overwhelmed with love and gratitude for you. You are my faithful Father! You are always good, always faithful, always present in my time of need. God, break my heart for the things your heart breaks for. Teach me to be a mighty man of God, devoted and committed to prayer. Breathe your life into me and stir up my spirit to be a man of God sized vision. Teach me to lead well and to honor you in all that I say and do. May I never forget the promises of your Word and may I never forget to inquire of you and to seek your face in the secret place. May I be attentive and obedient to your voice and may I live my life with boldness and supernatural confidence knowing that with you, nothing is impossible. Show me the good things vs the God things that you’ve called me to do, and may I learn to depend on you and trust you no matter what I see or what I feel in front of me. Thank you for your Word and thank you for speaking to me today. Write your Word upon my heart and keep the enemy from stealing your Word from within me. I love you Lord. I trust you, and I desire for nothing else than to serve you all the days of my life. In Jesus Name-Amen
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