Most scholars believe that it was Ezra who actually compiled this book using Nehemiah’s personal memoirs. Others say it was Nehemiah himself!
Here he is writing in the 20th year of Artaxerxes I (446bc)
Read Nehemiah 1:1-3
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.”
Work on rebuilding had been stopped (Ezra 4:21-24). Darius had then authorised the continued work on the Temple (Ezra 6:6-13), but there was still much evidence of the destruction of 2 Kings 25:8-10. Particularly the burnt gates and flattened city walls symbolised the downfall of their nation and it remained as visible evidence of their great disgrace.
Read Nehemiah 1:4
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.
Nehemiah knew that the only way for rebuilding to start would be for the king to issue an edict, as previous kings had done. And the only way to move a king was for God to do it. But before he could pray for that, he had to himself get right with God. For some days, he mourned and fasted and prayed.
How serious are we when we come to God in prayer?
As we read Nehemiah’s prayer, see how it matches the Lord’s prayer:
Read Nehemiah 1:5-11
5 Then I said:
‘Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
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.
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly towards you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
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.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
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 favour in the presence of this man.’
Give us today our daily bread.
I was cupbearer to the king.
What a lot is contained in those six words! A cupbearer was a high-ranking, highly reliable official in the royal court. Not only did he test the wine to ensure no poison had been added, but often he would act as confidant to the king – and always with a pleasant, happy demeanour. The king had absolute confidence in this trusted official.
Read Nehemiah 2:1-2
1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, ‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’
I was very much afraid,
Because his job required him to always exhibit a happy, sunny expression as he served the king, it was immediately obvious that there was something wrong. The king picked it up immediately, and that meant trouble. How much did the king trust him? Would he be summarily dismissed? Would he be punished?
Read Nehemiah 2:3-4
3 but I said to the king, ‘May the king live for ever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’
4 The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’
Then I prayed to the God of heaven,
Did Nehemiah even know what he wanted? His ‘telegram’ prayer was his instinctive reaction. But this was God’s man, placed in this position for God’s purposes, and God will give him the words!
Read Nehemiah 2:5
5 and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favour in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.’
Did Nehemiah know, when he opened his mouth, that he was intending to rebuild Jerusalem single-handedly?
Read Nehemiah 2:6(a)
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, ‘How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?’
Amazingly, the king was totally unfazed by his request – as if he shared the confidence that God had in the abilities of his servant.
Read Nehemiah 2:6(b) - 10
It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, ‘If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?’ And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
What Nehemiah doesn’t mention here is that King Artaxerxes had actually appointed him as governor of Judea (Nehemiah 5:14). Sanballat had earlier been appointed governor of Samaria and Tobiah may have been governor of Trans-Jordan. No wonder that they ‘were very much disturbed’ – and it was probably more than providential that ‘The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me’ to reinforce his claim. Not surprisingly, they reacted strongly against this interloper coming and taking over ‘their’ land.
In those days Jerusalem was nothing like the modern city. Apart from an extension built to the north of the temple, the city itself was built on a steeply sloping ridge which extended due south of the Temple. In order to provide level ground to build on, the ridge had been terraced (2 Samuel 5:9, & 1 Kings 9:15, 24). Partly the surrounding walls had been constructed to hold these terraces in place, and with the walls destroyed, some terraces had collapsed.
Read Nehemiah 2:11-16
11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate towards the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on towards the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and re-entered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
Nehemiah needed to know exactly what he faced, without any negative comments. The walls had been destroyed 140 years before, and no-one had shown any enthusiasm to do anything about it. (If there is interest in where exactly Nehemiah went, wait until the next chapter!)
Read Nehemiah 2:17-18
17 Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’ 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work.
Nehemiah was an imposing official, backed by orders from the king, and supported by whatever building supplies were needed. But more than that – ‘the gracious hand of my God on me’. That was enough to galvanise the people into action.
Read Nehemiah 2:19-20
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. ‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked. ‘Are you rebelling against the king?’
20 I answered them by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.’
Sanballlat and Tobiah obviously saw that their power and influence had been reduced, and they were not happy. Besides, as they watched Nehemiah repairing the walls and restoring the gates it looked as if he wanted to re-establish the Davidic kingdom. Nehemiah was not concerned with their claims to power. It was God’s Kingdom that interested him and he was on a mission!
We now enter Chapter 3 which contains a detailed tour of the city, and lists those groups of people who were engaged in its rebuilding. To avoid repeating what someone else has already done I recommend looking at https://jesusplusnothing.com/series/post/nehem3.
It is interesting that many of the workers started building where they lived or worked – and moved out from there.
Read Nehemiah 3:1
1 Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.
There will be several examples of those who might think that they lacked the skill or knowledge as builders – but who were first to start to build. The Sheep Gate was the main entrance to the Temple from the North, and it was where the sacrificial animals would be brought in. High Priest Eliashib chose not to build by his own house (v20-21) but rather, nearest to the Temple.
Read Nehemiah 3:2-5
2 The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them.
3 The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. 4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. 5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.
We commented on the fact that even the High Priest was prepared to be involved. Here I think the names of ‘the nobles ’ are deliberately forgotten for posterity.
Read Nehemiah 3:6-8
6 The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. 7 Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah – Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth – places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. 8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
Again, I was impressed that Goldsmiths and Perfume-makers were also prepared to get their hands dirty.
Read Nehemiah 3:9-12
9 Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. 10 Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him. 11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.
So Encouraging – a ruler and his daughters. In fact many rulers are mentioned.
Read Nehemiah 3:13-32
13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. They also repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.
14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.
15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David. 16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.
17 Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. 18 Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites under Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah. 19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armoury as far as the angle of the wall. 20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.
22 The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region.
23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner, 25 and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate towards the east and the projecting tower. 27 Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.
28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. 31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; 32 and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.
Such an encouraging passage (if a bit long). But unfortunately all was not as it seems.
