June 20, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Nehemiah? Here’s today’s reading:
Nehemiah 1 (NIV)
Nehemiah’s Prayer
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..........Continue Reading
Such a moving prayer Nehemiah prays on behalf of the exiles. We could definitely take some guidance from Nehemiah in our own prayer life. His prayer was passionate and sincere and for others not himself.
I fell off the wagon…on travel until Saturday, red eye flight from Seattle. Tuckered. On my feet again.
Like a broken record, allow me a view on Nehemiah 1. The obvious paraphrase is Nehemiah’s sorrow and repentance toward God for Israel, in that, the people remain scattered, and Jerusalem and its walls and gates are leveled.
So, I ask myself, why in the world would Nehemiah give a rip about an old, torn down city, beyond repair? So it’s destroyed, what of it?
So again, the reply is, “Gordon, we are not talking about any-old city. This is Jerusalem, wherein shall be the very Temple of God! Yes, so it is.
What if, just saying, we happen to say, this is more than a city, or a temple, or tabernacle situated just anywhere. What if we suppose God expected Israel to see, there is much more than a broken physical city, but the shards of the broken heart of her people, scattered, isolated by sin? Is it possible to equate the Temple as the resting place of the Lord God amongst His holy people?
Is it just possible, that a broken walled, burned gate city could replicate the very soul of the individual, whose heart itself is as leveled walls, no embattlements to ward off a spiritual enemy, no closed gates with which to intentionally secure and shield the heart from sin and temptation?
Revelation 21 speaks of a new world where God walks among His people. His tabernacle is with men, and men with God.
What of Isaiah 66:1 & 2? If God wants rest, where shall men provide it? Only in a contrite heart.
I see much more to Nehemiah 1 than I did before. Sharing in love and peace, gordy
Most Bible expositors agree that Nehemiah authored the book that bears his name. Much of the book is a first person account of the circumstances surrounding his return. chaps. 1-7; 12;31-13;31. Nothing is known about Nehemiah`s childhood, youth, or family background, except his father`s name was Hachaliah 1;1 and he had a brother named Hanani 1;2. [ The Bible Knowledge Commentary put out by Dallas Seminary Faculty]. He was a cupbearer to the king and saw the king on a regular basis. The king being Artaxerxes was very careful about who he had as cupbearer. He had to be a man who was wise and discreet, and consistently honest and trustworthy. Nehemiah`s position alone reveals much of his intellectual capabilities, his emotional maturity, and his spiritual status. [ The Bible Knowledge Commentary] His name means [ Yah comforts or encourages]. In a reference book [ All the Men of the Bible] they give a quote of a essay by Alexander Whyte. [ As a self contained man. A man of his own counsel. A man with the counsel of God alone in his mind and in his heart. A reserved and resolute man. A man to take command of other men. A man who will see things with his own eyes, and without all eyes seeing him. A man in no haste or hurry. He will not begin till he has counted the cost. And then he will not stop till he has finished the work. ] Also he was in the list of the princes that sighed the covenant. Also he was considered a contemporary of Ezra and Malachi, and also Socrates in Greece[ 470-339 BC]. [ Holman Bible Dictionary] According to Josephus , Nehemiah died of old age. Josephus goes on to say that Nehemiah did many other excellent things , worthy of commendation, in a glorious manner. pages 236,237. One more side note is that there were three Nehemiahs mentioned in the book of Nehemiah. The main one of course is the main person. Two others according to Holman Bible Dictionary. One is in the group who returned with Sheshbazzar [ Ezra 2;2 Nehemiah 7;7, and the other was the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur, a helper with rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. [ Nehemiah 3;16.] Here`s some basic history about Nehemiah. I never fully realized how deep the character of this man was, He loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind. He wept day and night with prayer and fasting after he found out how it was in Jerusalem. He knew he not only needed to pray but put it into action and bring it up to the king. This is where the Lord put him as the cupbearer to the king to say something. As we see in chapter 2 the king brings up the conversation by asking him why he is so sad. May the Lord give us wisdom to speak for Christ Jesus when are given the opportunities.
Nehemiah 1
Nehemiah 1
There are so many compelling figures in the Bible and Nehemiah is one of them. How natural it would be for him to ask people coming from Jerusalem back to Persia how things are going. And yet how notable it is for him to be moved with such conviction and compassion over its state. The Jews understood the significance of Palestine and Jerusalem and the privilege that had been granted to them to be sent back after their exile to rebuild the temple and reestablish the proper worship of God there. That’s what we saw that Ezra was involved in. It is now years later and things are not going well and Nehemiah is appropriately heart broken over it: for the people, for the city and for God’s purposes in it. This leads him to fast and pray…another appropriate response when seeking a move of God. And what a great prayer we find here: recognizing the sins of the past that put them in the situation they are in the first place, reminding God of His promise to return the people to the land when they repented, and then requesting God’s help to make something happen to improve the conditions in the city. How important it is for us to have a godly response to the problems we see: to turn to God and seek His will for addressing things and then putting ourselves forth as the the agent God will use to solve the problem. It is most often how God works and God is often looking for people who are willing to stand in the gap and be part of the solution that He would bring to the world.
Nehemiah 1
Nehemiah 1 he prayed and fasted to come before God and ask for forgiveness for his people.
I was thinking about Nehemiahs mourning over Jerusalem and I thought about Jesus’ mourning over it….oh Jerusalem Jerusalem…. It is sad when a symbol of Gods nation and His purposes is destroyed. It leads to hopelessness. It’s a plan hindered and often it’s our or a nations own fault for wandering from the Lord.
Nehemiah prepared himself by fasting and praying to God before going before the king to make his request for the exiled people. He was very wise in doing so – crying out to the Lord in praise and worship, confessing the sins of Israel, and speaking of Gods promise that was written in his Word. A good example for us on how to pray effectively.