I. The Character of Nehemiah (v.1)
- A. Nehemiah had three positions.
- Cupbearer
- Builder
- Governor
- B. The name “Nehemiah” means “the comfort of Yahweh” or “Yahweh has comforted.”
- Nehemiah was a man of responsibility. That he served as the king’s cupbearer (1:11-2:1) can only mean that he had proven himself trustworthy over a long period.
- Nehemiah was a man of vision. The walls of Jerusalem had been in ruins for 141 years when Nehemiah learned of an abortive attempt to rebuild them (Ezra 4:23). He had a great vision of who God was and what he could do through his servants.
- Nehemiah was a man of prayer. His first resort was to prayer (Neh 1:5-11). He prayed spontaneously even in the presence of the king (2:4-5).
- Nehemiah was a man of action and of cooperation. He would explain what needed to be done (2:16-17) and inspire others to join him (2:18). He knew how to organize the rebuilding work (ch. 3). In spite of opposition the people responded so enthusiastically that they mended the wall in less than two months (6:15). He inspired the people with his own example (5:14-18). Nehemiah, a layman, was able to cooperate with his contemporary Ezra, the scribe and priest, in spite of the fact that these two leaders were of entirely different temperaments. In reaction to the problem of mixed marriages, Ezra plucked out his own hair (Ezra 9:3), whereas Nehemiah plucked out the hair of the offenders (Neh 13:25)!
- Nehemiah was a man of compassion. He renounced his own privileges (Neh 5:18) and denounced the wealthy who had exploited their poorer brothers (5:8). He did this because of his reverence for God (5:9, 15).
- Nehemiah was a man who triumphed over opposition. His opponents used every ruse to intimidate him. They started with ridicule (2:19; 4:2-3). They attempted slander (6:5-7). Hired prophets gave him misleading advice (6:10-14). Nehemiah responded with prayer (4:4), with redoubled efforts (v.6), with vigilance (v.9), and with trust in God (v.14).
- Nehemiah was a man with right motivation. Although he justified his ministry, his primary motive was not to be judged aright by others or to be remembered by posterity. The last words of Nehemiah—“Remember me with favor, O my God” (13:31)—recapitulate a frequently repeated theme (5:19; 13:14, 22, 29). His motive throughout his ministry was to please and serve his divine Sovereign. His only reward would be God’s approbation.
- Nehemiah brought comfort to his people.
- C. Nehemiah was from a prominent family
- “Hacaliah” is contracted from “wait for Yahweh” (cf. Zeph 3:8).
- The reference to his paternal sepulchers in Jerusalem (2:3, 5) may mean that Nehemiah came from a prominent family.
II. The Concern of Nehemiah (v. 1-3)
- Kislev: Nov-Dec
- the twentieth year: of Artaxerxes I (464-424 BC): 445 BC
- The city: Susa
- The building: the palace, residence of the king
“Susa” was the major city of Elam, the area of southwestern Iran. Susa was located in a fertile alluvial plain 150 miles north of the Persian Gulf. In the Achaemenid period it served as a winter palace for the kings (Kislev = Nov.-Dec.), but the area became intolerably hot during the summer months. It was the site of the story of Esther. Ezra 4:9-10 refers to the men of Susa who were deported to Samaria. At Susa, Artaxerxes I received the embassy of Callias (449 B.C.) that ended Greek-Persian hostilitie.
- Hanani was a close relative, perhaps a brother of Nehemiah.
- Brings a report with other men from Judah about the Jewish remnant.
- a. Descendants of those who survived the Babylonian exile
- b. They returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
. 3. The people are vulnerable to attack and subject to ridicule.
. 4. The walls and gates of Jerusalem are broken and burned.
The lack of a city wall meant that the people were defenseless against their enemies. Kenyon (Digging Up , p. 170) notes: “The effect on Jerusalem was much more disastrous and far-reaching than merely to render the city defenseless…. The whole system of terraces down the (eastern) slope, dependent on retaining walls buttressed in turn by the fill of the next lower terrace, was ultimately dependent on the town wall at the base, forming the lowest and most substantial of the retaining walls.”
Most scholars, however, do not believe that Nehemiah’s distress was caused by the condition of walls torn down 140 years before his time but rather by the episode of Ezra 4:7-23. According to this passage Jews had attempted to rebuild the walls earlier, in the reign of Artaxerxes I. But after the protest of Rehum and Shimshai, the king ordered the Jews to desist. There was considerable suspicion of such attempts because of the revolt of Megabyzus.
III. The Cry of Nehemiah (vv. 4-11)
- A. Nehemiah’s Response (v.4).
- His physical response
- a. He sat down
- b. He wept: external expression of grief
- c. He mourned: internal expression of grief
. 2. His spiritual response
. i. Denotes urgency.
. ii. Denotes desperation.
- b. He prayed: external and internal:
. i. Denotes dependence
. ii. Denotes a personal relationship with God.
. iii. Denotes his submission to God
. 3. Implications
- a. He clearly recognized the needs
- b. He was personally concerned for the need.
- c. He had compassion.
- B. Nehemiah’s Prayer (vv. 5-11)
- He went to God with the problem (vv. 4-5).
- He praised God: Adoration (vv. 5-6a)
- a. For God’s Sovereignty
- b. For His Greatness
- c. For His Transcendence and Holiness
- d. For His Loyal Love
. i. His faithfulness to His covenant
. ii. Toward those who love an obey Him
. i. Nehemiah trusts that God listens.
. ii. Nehemiah trusts that God sees his predicament.
. iii. Nehemiah humbles himself before God.
. iv. Nehemiah submits to God.
. v. Nehemiah is persistent before God.
. vi. Nehemiah puts other before himself.
. 3. He confessed his part in the problem: Confession (vv. 6b-7).
- a. God was faithful
- b. His people had been unfaithful.
- c. He confesses the sins of the nation beginning with himself and his family.
. i. They had been wicked.
. ii. They have been disobedient.
. iii. They had broken the covenant that God had given Moses for Israel.
. 4. He claimed the promise, the basis of his petition (vv. 8-9).
- a. He asks God to remember His covenant.
- b. Discipline and exile for disobedience.
- c. Reconciliation and return for repentance.
. i. He retrieves them from the farthest corner of the heavens.
. ii. God’s hand of judgment is never longer than his hand of mercy.
. iii. Jerusalem is the place where God’s name and glory dwell.
- d. God’s people are still His greatest investment (v. 10)
. i. His servants
. ii. His people
. iii. His redemption
. iv. His power
. v. Hi actions
. 5. He bought his petition before God: Petition (v.11)
- a. He requests again that God listen to him.
- b. He is in a concert of prayer with others.
- c. They all delight to fear and worship God.
. 6. He was available to meet the need himself (v.11).
- a. He asks for success now and in the future.
- b. He asks for compassion in the presence of the king.
- c. He was the king’s cupbearer.
. i. He would have been well-trained in court etiquette (cf. Dan 1:4-5).
. ii. He was probably a handsome individual (cf. Dan 1:4, 13, 15; Jos. Antiq. XVI, 230 [viii.1]).
. iii. He would certainly know how to select the wines to set before the king.
A proverb in the Babylonian Talmud (Baba Qamma 92b) states: “The wine belongs to the master but credit for it is due to his cupbearer.”
. iv. He would have to be a convivial companion, willing to lend an ear at all times.
. v. He would have great influence as one with the closest access to the king, able to determine who was able see his master.
. vi. Above all Nehemiah had to be one who enjoyed the unreserved confidence of the king.
The great need for trustworthy court attendants is underscored by the intrigues endemic to the Achaemenid court. Xerxes, father of Artaxerxes I, was killed in his own bedchamber by Artabanus, a courtier.
IV. Applications
- A. Prayer makes me wait.
- B. Prayer clears my vision.
- C. Prayer quiets my heart.
- D. Prayer activates my faith.
