SO... I made the mistake of trying to study this book in one evening. We were in a series of people from the Old Testament and their FAITH in the midst of a GREAT DILEMMA. What better lesson to learn in Middle and High School than from people in the BIBLE, who experienced overwhelming life experiences and yet when everything was gone; they kept their faith. However, when I tried to boil the book and experience of Nehemiah down to about 45 mins. I barely skimmed the surface.
How things work out. Nehemiah was becoming a prominent figure in the Persian Empire. He was a trusted man for King Artaxerxes. Who, by the way, was the STEPSON of Queen ESTHER (this is going to be important information). Nehemiah served as the King's cupbearer. SO? Well back then cupbearers were important individuals because they had to drink from the cup that would go to king so that nothing could be slipped to them that would kill them.
Nehemiah, one day received a bad report from his brother and other men, who were currently living in Judah. Jerusalem and Judah had been overthrown and destroyed by Babylonia, however, Babylonia was later taken by Persia. During the time of Ezra, two groups over 90 years had made their way back. The report said that the walls of the city were in ruins and there was little sign that the groups that had returned had done much to restore them. Nehemiah was troubled by this news. So much so that he spent many days in prayer and fasting. Part of Nehemiah's prayer was to recall God's own to His people, “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 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. (1:8-9)" Nehemiah, was not only praying for the people but also himself because on some level, I believed he knew he had a job to do.
Going into chapter 2, King Artaxerxes notices something is amiss about him. His mood was not right or as it always had been. This is how close Nehemiah was to the King. The King even knew that he was not sick which would have excused the look. They friends essentially. Yet, for Nehemiah this was the entrance he needed to share with the King what was troubling him. Though, this discussion between them would not stop there. The King wanted to know more about the plan and what Nehemiah wanted from him. Nehemiah laid it out before him. With the requests he had, the King granted them. Ah, the power of prayer.
Nehemiah returned to Judah to rebuild the city walls. Back then, city walls served as protection to the people who lived there. So for their survival, city walls were extremely important. This was not going to be easy work, Nehemiah knew that going in, but he did not rush the process. He took his time to survey the damage and the work that we was going to be up against, learned the condition of the people, and formulated a plan for the work.
He turned his attention to the other Jews, up until this point no one knew what his purpose of returning was. That was going to change though. Not only was their work to rebuild the city walls, but it was also for them (as God's people) to return to God. One could not be accomplished without the other. The Jews immediately began the work that Nehemiah laid out before them.
Work did not happen without hardship of the people or opposition from neighboring cities. Like Psalm 16:8, "The Lord is at my right hand and I will not be shaken". The people came back to God in their work to their city and to Him.
This book has been important to me since I started re-learning it when preparing for this lesson. For Nehemiah to accomplish what the Lord had called him to, it would not happen by his own human strength; it was going to take God. What we learn from Nehemiah is that throughout the entire process, he sought the Lord. Even in the most difficult situations we could ever face in this world, we ALWAYS have what it takes to overcome when we turn to the Lord.
Personally, I would like to tell you that I have mastered this and you can learn from me. SO NOT TRUE! I pray one day that is the case, right now though, I teach from the mistakes I have made. More times than not, I have gotten it wrong. I struggle with Pride. I have my entire life. Too many times, I have gotten hot-headed and believe that I can do everything on my own and do not God to assist. Unfortunately, this did not occur just once or twice. It also takes me a while to learn from my mistakes. Beginning my 29th year on this Earth, I am figuring that my strength does not withstand and crumbles fairly quickly when it gets beaten by life. I NEED God. I CANNOT do it without Him. I know, I have tried many times.
NOW. We are in a season of Lent. Maybe during this time of a fresh start, we all learn to lean on the BIG GOD we serve. For once believe that "if God is for us who can defeat us". Trust now, that if God calls us to it, he WILL (like He did for NEHEMIAH) lead us through it.
Blessings...
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