Lesson 17 The Book of Nehemiah

Lesson 17 The Book of Nehemiah

A. The Period of time between the books of Ezra and Nehemiah is

about twelve years.

Nehemiah was in a position of great responsibility.

Skilled in the diplomacy and trickery of the Oriental

courts, a cupbearer of the king in the Persian palace,

leads the third and last return to Jerusalem after the

Babylonian exile.

B. Clearly, much of this book came from Nehemiah's personal memoirs.

1:1________________________________________________

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Some scholars think that Ezra wrote Chapter 7:6-26 & 12:44-

13-3 and that he compiled the rest making use of Nehemiah's

diary. Others think that Nehemiah composed those portions

and compiled the rest.

C. Malachi lives and ministers during Nehemiah's time, and a

comparison of the books shows that many of the evils

encountered by Nehemiah are specifically denounced by

Malachi. The cold hearted indifference toward God described

in both books remains a problem in Israel during the four

hundred years before Christ, during which there is no

revelation from God.

D. The Key Word: Jerusalem Walls

While Ezra deals with the religious restoration of Judah,

Nehemiah is primarily concerned with Judah's political and

geographical restoration.

SURVEY OF NEHEMIAH

Its two divisions are:

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE WALL 1-7

THE RESTORATION OF THE PEOPLE 8-13

PART 1

The Reconstruction of the Wall

Chapter 1 & 2

Nehemiah was of the tribe of Judah (2:3).

He was raised in exile and became prominent in the Persian court.

He was the royal cupbearer(1:11), a position of high honor and great influence.

His brother told him of the condition of Jerusalem and

Judea. The walls were in ruins and the gates were as they

were left by the Babylonians when Judea was taken captive.

Walls and gates were the only way to protect a city.

Nehemiah gave himself to fasting and prayer (1:4-11) and

he was convicted to undertake the task. For 4 months

(Compare 1:1 with 2:1) he knew this grief and burden and

his appearance changed to the point that the king asked

what was wrong (2:2). He responded (2:5) and the king

granted the request and he is commissioned to do what God

led him to undertake.

Chapters 2-6

Nehemiah reaches Jerusalem and makes a secret survey of the

ruins and then he encourages the people to build.

2:17________________________________________________________

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His plan was to section off the wall (Chapter 3) into

different groups, all working at the same time. It was so

successful, that in spite of opposition, the wall was

rebuilt in just over seven weeks (6:15) after which the

gates were finished (7:1). All work is completed within

six months of the mandate from the King of Persia. Here we

see the blending of practical organization and spirit led

leadership. In 4:9 we see this. "We made our prayers unto

God and set a watch against them day and night." We too,

should blend the practical with the Spiritual.

NOTE: The setbacks were many and Nehemiah had to over come

them. There were three forms of opposition from without:

SCORN - 4:1-6

FORCE - 4:7-23

CRAFT - 6:1-19 (pretense v. 1-4; bluff 5-9

and treachery 10-14)

Also note the hindrances from within:

DEBRIS - 4:10

FEAR - 4:11-14

GREED - 5:1-13

PART 2

THE RESTORATION OF THE PEOPLE 8-13

The people themselves asked for the scriptures to be expounded to them.

8:1______________________________________

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Ezra explained afresh the law, translating from Hebrew into

Aramaic so that they could understand.

They responded with weeping, confession, obedience and

rejoicing. The covenant is then renewed with God as the

people commit themselves to separate from the Gentiles in

marriage and to obey God's commandments.

CHAPTERS 11 & 12

Lots are drawn to determine who will remain in Jerusalem

and who will return to the cities of their inheritance. One

tenth are required to stay in Jerusalem and the rest of the

land is re-settled by the people and priests. The Walls of

Jerusalem are dedicated to the Lord in a joyful ceremony

accompanied by instrumental and vocal music.

CHAPTER 13

Unfortunately, Ezra's revival is short lived and Nehemiah

returns from Persia to reform the people who had

backslidden. 13:6___________________________________________

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Nehemiah cleanses the Temple, enforces the Sabbath and

requires the people to put away all foreign wives.

13:8________________________________________________________

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13:25_______________________________________________________

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QUESTIONS:

1. What was Nehemiah's objective in going to Jerusalem?

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2. What stands out in your mind about Nehemiah?

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3. Name the two parts in the Book.

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4. What motivated the people to obedience?

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5. What prophet did God use during this time?

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FOR NEXT TIME:

Read the Book of Esther