Introduction to the Book of Nehemiah
I. The Writer. Nehemiah.
Nehemiah 1:1 “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace…”
II. The Occasion, Date, and place.
Nehemiah, as the governor of Jerusalem, wrote from a different perspective than Ezra, but at essentially the same time. (Nehemiah 8:2,9) Ezra wrote from his perspective as a priest and dealt with the religious issues of the people.
Norman L. Geisler states “Ezra relates the restoration of the Nation’s Temple and Nehemiah records the reconstruction of the nation’s capital city. Together they provide an account of the religious and political activities of the remnant which had recently returned from the Babylonian captivity.”
Outline of the Book of Nehemiah
I. Rebuilding. 1:1-7:73
A. Nehemiah, the man. 1:1 – 2:8
1. His professional life.
a. He was the cup bearer for the king.
b. He had personal access to King Artaxerxes.
We note that he served the king of Persia, but his heart was with the King of Kings and with God’s people.
2. His personal life. 1:2-11
a. He was a Jew of the captivity.
b. He loved the Lord and longed for Israel to be restored.
c. He had a great burden for Jerusalem. We see three things about this man in the introduction-
His Concern, His Contrition, His compassion.
1). His Concern. “…I asked them concerning the Jews…” 1:2
2). His Contrition. 1:4
“…when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven…”
3). His Compassion. 1:11
He had determined to act. His concern in asking and his contrition in hearing led him to compassion on the people. He could had said that he would pray for them and in time, with the blessings of God, they would rebuild the city and restore the nation. But his compassion led him to believe that he, as a subject and a servant of the Most High God, must get involved personally and he prayed, asking God to lead him and open the door of service.
“…and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
What do we pray about? Do we ask God what He would have us to do?