Message 1
Scripture Reading: Neh. 1; Neh. 2; Neh. 3; Neh. 4; Neh. 5; Neh. 6; Neh. 7
With this message we begin the life-study of Nehemiah.
The book of Ezra is a history of the return of Israel’s captivity and the rebuilding of the house of God as the initiation of God’s recovery among His elect for His testimony on the earth according to His economy. The book of Nehemiah is a history of the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem as a continual recovery among His elect for His testimony for the accomplishment of His economy.
The writer of this book was Nehemiah, whose name means “comfort of Jehovah.” He was the cupbearer to the king (1:11b). The whole book is a record of Nehemiah’s trust in God for his comfort in the trials and attacks of his enemies.
The contents of this book cover a period of about twelve years, from 446-434 B.C.
The contents of this book are the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the enemies of Israel, and the further recovery of Israel’s services and worship to God. In these messages I will use the word constitution to include the two matters of services and worship. The services plus worship equal constitution.
The crucial point of the book of Nehemiah is that the city of Jerusalem was a safeguard and protection for the house of God, which was in the city. This signifies that the house of God as His dwelling and home on the earth needs His kingdom to be established as a realm to safeguard His interest on the earth for His administration, to carry out His economy. The rebuilding of the house of God typifies God’s recovery of the degraded church, and the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem typifies God’s recovery of His kingdom. God’s building of His house and His building of His kingdom go together (Matt. 16:18-19). The house of God on the earth needs His kingdom to safeguard the house and to carry out His eternal economy.
The book of Nehemiah has two sections: the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah (chs. 1—7) and the reconstitution of the nation of God’s elect (chs. 8—13).
In 1:1-3 we have a report of the condition of Jerusalem. According to this report the remnant of the returned captivity were in an exceedingly bad state and reproach (v. 3a). The wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates had been burned with fire (v. 3b).
In his prayer by fasting (vv. 4-11), Nehemiah first praised God for what He is, praising Him for His keeping of His covenant and lovingkindness with those who love Him and keep His commandments (v. 5). Then he confessed the sins of the children of Israel (vv. 6-7) and asked God to remember His word to Moses that He would bring the captivity of His people even from the ends of heaven back to the place of His dwelling (vv. 8-9). Nehemiah stood on God’s word and prayed according to it. Thus, God was bound by His own word. Nehemiah continued by begging God to hear his prayer and the prayer of those who took delight in fearing His name and to cause him to prosper and to find compassion before Artaxerxes the king of Persia (vv. 10-11a).
In 2:1-8 we see the king’s favor in giving permission to Nehemiah.
Verses 9 through 16 speak of Nehemiah’s journey to Jerusalem and his personal observation of the condition of the wall of the city of Jerusalem. The leaders of the Moabites and Ammonites were greatly displeased about Nehemiah’s seeking the good of the children of Israel (v. 10). The Moabites and the Ammonites, descendants of sons born of Lot, hated and despised the children of Israel.
Nehemiah 2:17-20 is a word concerning the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. The leaders of the Moabites and Ammonites mocked and despised the children of Israel and asked whether they would rebel against the king by doing this (v. 19). Nehemiah answered them by saying, “The God of heaven Himself will make us prosper; therefore we His servants will rise up and build. But you have no portion nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem” (v. 20). This answer indicates that Nehemiah was very aggressive. He surely was not cowardly. Anyone who is cowardly cannot be a servant of God.
Chapter three is a record of the building of the wall in consecutive sections by all the children of Israel with the priests and Levites.
Chapter four describes the frustration of the enemy.
The enemies became angry and greatly enraged, and again they mocked the Jews and despised their building (vv. 1-3).
Nehemiah trusted in God by praying that God would return their reproach to themselves. Thus the Jews built the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for they had a heart to work (vv. 4-6). Today, no matter how much we may be mocked and despised, we should have a heart to build and should be aggressive.
The enemies were angry because the building work was advancing, and they conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem (vv. 7-8).
The Jews prayed to their God, and under Nehemiah’s instruction and direction set a watch against the enemy day and night, ready to fight with weapons under the encouragement of Nehemiah, who instructed them to remember the great and awesome Lord and fight for their families. Half of Nehemiah’s servants labored in the work, and half of them held weapons, ready to fight. Some built the wall and some carried burdens, taking the loads with one hand doing the work and with the other hand holding a weapon. The one who would sound the trumpet was beside Nehemiah, to gather them to fight, trusting that their God would fight for them. This indicates that, as the commander-in-chief, Nehemiah took the lead to watch. Thus, they labored and half of them held spears from the start of dawn until the stars came out, and Nehemiah and his brothers, servants, and the men of the guard, none of them took off their clothes. Each had his weapon at his right hand (vv. 9-23).
On the one hand, the children of Israel were prepared to fight; on the other hand, they trusted in God that He would fight for them. In this matter also they were aggressive. Those who are cowardly might say that, since God will fight for us, there is no need for us to do anything. But in a very real sense, God will help those who help themselves. If you do not help yourself, God will not help you. According to history, God does not help the cowardly. It is the aggressive ones who have received help from God.
Chapter five is concerned with the settlement of the interior problem. Often as we are fighting outwardly, we have an interior problem.
The people complained concerning the nobles’ and rulers’ imposing interest on them (vv. 1-5).
Verses 6 through 13 tell us about Nehemiah’s rebuke and resolution. He set a great assembly against the nobles and rulers and told them that they did not walk in the fear of their God because of the reproach of the nations their enemies (vv. 7-9). They should have feared God because of the reproach and opposition from the nations.
Nehemiah, his brothers, and his servants had set an example by lending money and grain to others freely, and he charged the nobles and rulers to abandon such taking of interest (vv. 10-11). The nobles and rulers responded, saying that they would do what Nehemiah had said. Then Nehemiah called for the priests and took an oath from them with a solemn warning that God would shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who did not perform this promise (vv. 12-13a). The assembly said, “Amen,” praising Jehovah, and acted according to their promise (v. 13b).
In verses 14 through 19 we see Nehemiah’s good example.
Nehemiah and his brothers did not eat the food appointed for the governor for twelve years because of the fear of God (vv. 14-15).
Nehemiah applied himself to work on the city wall. He, his brothers, and all his servants, who were gathered there for the work, did not acquire fields. This means they did not receive any kind of payment. Rather, he fed richly at his table one hundred fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to him from the surrounding nations, not demanding the food appointed for the governor, for the building service was heavy on the people (vv. 16-18).
Nehemiah asked God to remember for good all that he had done for the people (v. 19). He had the standing to ask God for this.
Here we should note that Nehemiah, as the governor, in the position of a king, was a man with a pure heart for the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall in carrying out God’s economy. He was not selfish, he did not seek his own interests, and he was not indulgent in sexual lust like all the kings, including David. Therefore, he was qualified to enjoy the top portion, the kingship of the good land promised by God to His elect. Instead of being self-seeking, he fed others for the purpose of building up the wall. In human history he might have been the only leader of a nation to behave in such a way. As a result, he was used by God.
Nehemiah 6:1-14 describes the further frustration of the enemy. First, they pretended compromise as part of a conspiracy to kill Nehemiah (vv. 1-4). They also slandered and threatened to weaken their hands from working, but Nehemiah prayed to God, saying, “Now strengthen my hands!” (vv. 5-9). Finally, the enemy acted by treachery with the false prophets and a false prophetess to cause Nehemiah to sin that they would have cause for an evil report in order to reproach him. However, Nehemiah prayed to God, asking Him to remember what they were doing (vv. 10-14).
In 6:15—7:4 we have a record of the completion of the building. The building was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days (6:15). All the enemies and all the surrounding nations were afraid and fell very low in their own eyes, knowing that this work was done with the help of God (v. 16). Verses 17-19 speak of the intimidation by Tobiah, who had relationships with the Jews in their intermarriage. In 7:1-4 Nehemiah gave his brother Hanani and the commander of the citadel charge over Jerusalem. Hanani was “a faithful man and feared God more than most” (v. 2). Lastly, God put it into Nehemiah’s heart to enroll the returned captives by genealogy for the increase of the population of Jerusalem (vv. 5-73; cf. Ezra 2:1-70).
Nehemiah received help from God to carry out a great success in the work of rebuilding the wall of the city of Jerusalem. It is surely worthwhile for us today, especially the leading ones in the churches, to consider his example.
