INTRODUCTION

-the sovereignty of God,

- God guiding the affairs of men,

- God working all things in His own time when dealing with His people,

-that He does not solve all the problems of His people at one time,

- God responding to prayer for help to rebuild the ‘walls”

- that wisdom is required when we are doing the work of God,

-thorough planning and clear thinking helping us do the work of God,

-God’s help in crisis moments

Christians are to be shrewd or wise as serpents, but harmless as doves.  Even though doves and sheep are almost always defenceless creatures and we are called doves and sheep, the Spirit will tell us what to say when we need to say something and will enable us to do what needs to be done when we have to act. 

The post-exilic life of the Jews following their release from Babylon at the edict of Cyrus the Persian emperor had a most inauspicious start. The first returning exiles, as well as those that followed later faced major challenges to all their attempts to re-establish their national life in the ‘Land of Promise’. They were relatively few in number, lacked resources and faced sustained hostility from neighbours and those who had moved in following their expulsion from the land. They found that the enemies of God were the political, economic, and military rulers in their land and they were reduced to victims.   

The Temple, the most significant emblem of national life laid in ruins. Jerusalem, the Holy City was in shambles with its walls broken down and the gates burned. The curse section of the covenant with Yahweh (Deut. 28-31) was in full force and Israel, Judah and Jerusalem had come to national disgrace and become a byword and reproach among the nations. Yahweh’s name by association was sullied by the fortunes of the ‘chosen’ people; albeit their fate was at the hand of Yahweh Himself. 

Despite the noble efforts of patriots like Ezra, Zerubabbel, Haggai, Joshua, Zachariah and others, progress to re-establish the nation was slow and torturous and came in fits and starts. The harsh economic, social and security environment were compounded by the poor spiritual condition of the people. To illustrate the sad situation, when Nehemiah, the main character in our text came on the scene, he encountered significant antagonism and hostile attitudes to him and his work, though the Persian King had appointed him as the Jewish Governor. The people were very hard to motivate in any national effort. Those left in the land at the time of the exile had intermarried with pagans and established alliances with certain foreign families.

Many of the returnees that were well-off exploited the poor, the pursuit of personal interests was paramount with all and spiritual concerns were relegated to a distant second place in their lives. As a result it was hard to sustain any national, nation-building effort. Mere survival was a daily concern but gradually with the passing years and under some godly leadership significant milestones were achieved. 

First the altar was rebuilt, the foundations of temple were laid, sacrifice was again being offered to God, certain feasts were revived, the Temple was finally rebuilt but one glaring and needed restoration still had to be done to further the cause of nationhood. The walls of Jerusalem remained broken down and in disrepair, with the gates burnt. The city was open to attacks from bandits, marauders, animals, prowlers, human enemies, and anyone who wanted to attack the people.    

A capital city without a perimeter wall was a national disgrace and a source of shame. 

It is important to note the significance that the Scriptures ascribe to Jerusalem. The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. (Psalm 87:2-3).

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. (Psalm 122:6).

Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD. (Psalm 135:21).

For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. (Psalm 132:13)

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. (Psalm 48:1-3)

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

God designated Jerusalem ‘the City of God’, that is, the dwelling place of God and the center of life of the entire world. He chose the city of Jerusalem as his own and there is no more important place on earth in the sight of God.  Yes, the altar was important, the Temple was important, but construction of those edifices did not complete the work of restoration.  The entire city had been destroyed and burnt, and so in God’s plan the walls had to be rebuilt, as they were required to meet the need for security and strength.  God would never allow the walls to remain in ruins. So despite all that had been achieved so far, the rebuilding of the city walls remained a necessary, urgent and pressing need.

Note that starting with the first batch of returnees and on, God raised up godly men to provide the sterling leadership needed to start and accomplish the restoration and rebuilding of the nation. True to His faithfulness, God again provided a leader to inspire and motivate a dispirited people to take on the formidable task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. The man chosen was Nehemiah, a high ranking civil servant in the regime of Artaxerxes, the Persian king. Medo-Persia was the dominant regional power at the time around 444 – 443 B.C.

Nehemiah’s involvement began when he received distressing news concerning the Jewish community that had returned to Palestine from forced exile in Babylonian. Reliable sources informed him that the community was literally under siege from hostile neighbours and the walls of Jerusalem remained broken down and burned. Nehemiah’s patriotic heart was broken at the news, as he was overcome with a sense of despair and grief.

The hostility of the neighbouring ethnic groups to Israel was monumental. The famous Psalm 137, which records the longing for Zion uttered by the exiled people in Babylon and their call on God to punish the abominable actions of the people of Edom says as follows: “Remember O Lord, against the sons of Edom, The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, to its very foundations!”

In the tradition of the saints of God making intercession in times of crisis (Daniel 9; 2 Chronicles 34) Nehemiah prayed for the city, confessing his sins and the sins of his people, praising God, invoking the Covenant and asking God for the favour of King Artaxerxes.  

His exemplary faith in God is amply demonstrated in a risky approach to the Monarch, as he sought permission and commission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city. Nehemiah must also have been aware of the problems he would face in Jerusalem both from enemies without and within, but confident that “…the hand of my God which was good upon me…”  he headed for Jerusalem, with an armed escort provided by the King.

Nehemiah’s godly leadership and hands-on approach to deal with this very difficult situation, is often put forward as demonstrating the principles people must follow to overcome difficulties.  While Nehemiah is rightly lauded, the providence of God and the fact that God did his work through the instrumentality of Nehemiah must be recognized in this entire episode. 

We should beware of attempts to isolate principles, as if to say that certain principles when followed determine success. Some praise Nehemiah’s problem analysis, situation assessment and forward planning ability and imply that these are essential ingredients in the success of his work.  These were undoubtedly important, but they were not the most significant elements in the narrative. The Scriptures record men and women of God who have approached problems facing the people of God in different ways, with varying degrees of success. But the common and indispensable ingredient for success is always the presence of God and His determination, irrespective of the personal abilities of the men and women of God. 

If God is not the initiator of solutions, the provider of the means for tackling the problem, the guarantor of the solution and the one with a watchful eye over the affairs of His people, there will never be godly success.  If one follows principles, outside dependence on God, there might be success of a sort, but it will not be the success that God wants. 

Let us learn the wise principles God has taught in the Scriptures so clearly demonstrated with Nehemiah and let us do the work of God efficiently, using all the abilities at our disposal. We will not operate successfully without complete dependence on God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is his guidance, wisdom and direction that we must seek and to which we must adhere. 

The book of Nehemiah and the text we study contains a tremendous amount of instructions from God and is rich in life applications. We are encouraged to pay special attention to the principles taught. 

Despite their recent history of self-interest, apathy and divisions, the people responded to Nehemiah’s appeal and committed themselves to rebuilding the city walls. The cooperative effort to rebuild the walls in the face of threats and intimidation reawakened the national spirit, boosted the morale of the community and was in fact a restoration of the people, as much as a restoration of the city walls.  

THE TEXT.

Chapter 1.

The Book of Nehemiah is a personal account of the affairs of the returned Jewish community from about 445 B.C. to 431 B.C., in particular the year 445 B.C.– 444 B.C.  A large section of the Book covers the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem which had remained in ruins since 586 B.C. when the Babylonian despot Nebuchadnezzar sacked the city. Nehemiah (the Lord comforts) was a top civil servant in the regime of Artaxerxes the Medo –Persian king who held political and military sway throughout the region at the time. In fact, Nehemiah was a Cupbearer to the King and his position and duties play a very important role in this lesson.

Sometime in late November early December (Chislev) around 445-444 B.C. Nehemiah received some troubling news about the Jews who had returned to Palestine following their release from Babylonian captivity. This was the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign and Nehemiah was stationed in Shusan (Hebrew) the winter capital of the Persian kings. (See Daniel 8:2; Esther 1:2). The main Persian capital at this time was Persepolis. 

Nehemiah inquired from a group recently returned from Judah about the welfare of the Jewish community in Palestine. He referred to the Jews as ‘escaped’ because they had been forcefully taken to Babylon. Hanani, the only member of the group named appears to have been Nehemiah’s blood brother, (7:2). Given his senior position in the government, Nehemiah was likely aware of the political limitations imposed on the returnees. They could rebuild the Temple and private dwellings but permission was not given to rebuild the city walls. Still it was good to have first hand knowledge of the situation from his own people. 

The news concerning those in Jerusalem was dire. He was told that the people were in great affliction and reproach. They were under constant harassment and intimidation and the ‘city gates’, which should have provided protection and security for the citizens, were in ruins. The people were living in fear with little dignity and the broken down walls well reflected their sad condition. Nehemiah was deeply distressed at the news. He was likely very uncomfortable living in luxury and security at the court, while his brethren suffered in Judah.  Like his great predecessor Moses, he felt compelled to do something to alleviate their sad condition. He was serving the King in Persia, but his heart was in Jerusalem. He reacted to the news with sorrow and wept, and mourned several days.  This meant that he mourned in the conventional way of sitting down on the ground in dust and ashes, so extreme was his sorrow. 

Nehemiah's reaction to the bad news was admirable and exemplary. He made it a subject of serious, prolonged fasting and prayer. Some believe he fasted and prayed for four months, since he was informed around November-December and did not approach the king until the month Nisan, our month of April.

Nehemiah began his prayer with praise for God's greatness and His loyal love for His people. He confessed the people had sinned against God and had disobeyed the Mosaic Law. He reminded God of His promise to restore His people to their land if they repented. He also noted that they were the people God had redeemed from Egyptian slavery for a special purpose and concluded with a petition that his planned appeal to the king would be favorably received. Much prayer and fasting preceded his approach to the King. 

Nehemiah wept and prayed over the ruined city of Jerusalem and pleaded with God to restore and recover the people. Many of us today find our selves in similar ruin and we need practical help on how to reclaim our ruined lives. We have sinned, lost our way, damaged several eras of our lives, found ourselves in bondage to wrong attitudes and habits, become vulnerable to attack and hostile forces have wreaked destruction on us.

In that situation we should follow the example of Nehemiah; pray for help and fully expect God to do something about our situation.  We know that God answers sprayer and so we continue to pray, sometimes for a longer period of time that we think it should take for God to answer.

One lesson is that if we pray for help and we expect God to do something, we have to prepare ourselves and be ready for when God’s help arrives. It often comes unexpectedly and sometimes we miss His answer. As we look at Nehemiah’s story we can see that he expected God to answer and he prepared himself for God’s answer and was ready when the answer came.

Nehemiah knew the walls of the city needed to be rebuilt, as nation building without security is an extremely difficult venture. (See Iraq and Afghanistan). He was well aware that rebuilding the walls of a city that had a history of rebellion was not in the same class of decision as giving permission to rebuild a Temple.

Allowing the city walls to be repaired and re-erected would allow the Jewish people a level of political independence that could be dangerous and would excite their neighbours. In addition, allowing the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem would be tantamount to politically separating Judea from Samaria. The rebuilding of the walls would create an area ruled by a different Governor, namely, Nehemiah. Naturally, this would be opposed by the existing power structure in Judah-Samaria. 

Nehemiah knew that the favor he desired of the king was no small matter. He knew he had no power to change the King’s mind but he also knew: The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will, (Proverbs 21:1). So he entreated God to give him strength and courage to approach the King, and also to guarantee him success. 

Nehemiah undoubtedly had great respect for the king but the expression ‘this man’ at the end of his prayer showed the big difference between his reverence for his God and his conception of his master, the Persian king.

One writer informs us on ‘cupbearer’: This officer, in the ancient Oriental courts, was always a person of rank and importance, fully trusted by the king and from the confidential nature of his duties was and had frequent access to the royal presence and possessed of great influence.

 Note the importance of Nehemiah’s position. He knew that God would work but he did know when and so he waited for four months.

 CHAPTER 2

Nehemiah, guided by God, committed himself to this project with a strong sense of God’s approval. Now was the time for him to take the tremendous risk of approaching the King with this politically charged request. Note however that Nehemiah had been praying, had learned wisdom from God and had prepared carefully what he was going to say and how we was going to say it.

Verse 1.  It was the month of Nisan, that is, April, when Nehemiah finally approached the King.  He was further burdened by the knowledge that asking the king to revise his Jerusalem policy might anger the king. Most likely he had delayed any precipitous or hasty action, patiently waiting for God to indicate that this was the right time. (See his specific request for God’s help on that day in Nehemiah 1:11).

Nehemiah came before the King to serve him wine, a very dangerous job, for he had to taste the wine before giving it to the King. Many would try to assassinate the King by putting poison in his food or in his wine. In those days was in the King was one of the very few ways to remove the King from office and so the mass job was a dangerous one. The cupbearer was one of the King's main line of personal defence and the King had to believe that he was a man of integrity, trustworthiness and above suspicion. 

Verse 3.  This was a moment of tremendous danger. Note however that this was also a moment of opportunity which Nehemiah sensed. The King had not called his guards immediately and this was God’s open door.

Nehemiah hurriedly assured the King that he was loyal and then immediately and likely with silent prayer, tactfully told the King that he was sad because the place of his birth and the resting place of his fathers’ bones was in ruins.  

Verse 4-5.  The King considered Nehemiah’s answer a reasonable explanation for his sadness and that there was no danger to his person.  He invited Nehemiah to tell him what was on his mind.  The question showed that the king was inclined to relieve the situation in Jerusalem. Some look at the note in verse six that the Queen was sitting beside the King during this encounter and believe she played an important role as the situation unfolded.

Strengthened by four months of fasting and prayer and aware of God's presence, he immediately regained his calm self-possession and seized the opportunity offered by the King's words.  But first he prayed one last prayer to Jehovah in heaven, to ensure divine assistance in the request he was about to make to the king.  Nehemiah knew that he could not change the heart of the King and no amount of manipulation would work and so he prayed and left it up to the Lord.

Verse 6.  God was obviously at work, for the King’s heart was accepting of the explanation. The King understood that this kind of project would take some time, and he would have to find a replacement for the trusted Nehemiah.

It appears that beside Artaxerxes was his Queen, which many scholars believe would have been Queen Esther.  For those scholars that believed that Esther’s reign was before this time it is felt that she could have been there as mother-in-law of the Queen or queen mother. If this were so, her influence would have been directed toward restoring Jerusalem. 

The King asked Nehemiah how long the project would last and Nehemiah gave him a time.  It actually took Nehemiah twelve years in all to complete the project and he was gone from the court for that long a time, eventually returning as promised.  There is clear indication here that the king valued Nehemiah’s service and capability to handle such a big task and that Nehemiah had done some forward planning to determine the duration of his absence. God answered Nehemiah's prayer and the King agreed to send him to Jerusalem.

Some scholars who study secular history tell us that the province of Syria, just north of Judea had revolted two years and the King would have thought that it a good idea to have a trusted man like Nehemiah as governor of Judea. Under the wise leadership of Nehemiah, Judea would serve as a buffer between the often antagonistic provinces of Syria and Egypt.

Verse 7- 8.   Nehemiah was a careful man and he obviously thought in advance about the difficulties he would likely encounter and the needs that he would have in the rebuilding process.  He requested that the King give him formal letters of appointment and letters of diplomatic immunity so that he would have safe passage through the different territories and requisition forms to get material from the King's forests.  Nehemiah anticipated trouble, so the King arranged to have a contingent of armed soldiers along to provide security.  This detail remained with Nehemiah while he was in Judah. (See Nehemiah 4:23). He went on his journey with his military escort and with the full authority of the Persian court behind him. 

We may gather from this that if we are going to rebuild our ruined lives we need to think seriously about what the rebuilding will require. We must carefully and honestly assess our situation and determine the necessary changes for the fulfilment of God’s will in our lives.

If we have repented for our past misdeeds, determined to change and improve our lives, we must understand that we have the full authority of the throne of God behind us. Nehemiah was confident that the throne of Persia was behind him but beyond that he was in the favour of God. We should then act with confidence knowing the unlimited power of God is behind us.

We should also be aware that when we have repented and made plans to follow the guidance of God, we will often experience trouble.  Satan never rests. But know also that God uses difficulties for our maturity.

Verses 11-13.  Nehemiah did not allow the displeased pagan rulers to bother him but he went to Jerusalem and stayed there for three days to scout the situation.  He knew that he could trust no one, not even the Jewish rulers. He was aware of the corruption and compromise rife in the community and the fear and despair among the people, so caution was his watchword. 

So anticipating opposition from those inside and those outside, when doing the work of God we must as Nehemiah did face the facts as they are, list them, acknowledge them, don’t excuse them and work wisely.

Under cover of darkness he explored and assessed the damage to the walls, looked at the extent of the debris, and ascertained the scope of work for his planned restoration.   Note his careful and sensible approach.  He did not rush out and get the people all excited to rebuild the wall.  He secretly surveyed the situation, honestly examined the facts, noting what had to be done and then shaped his plans.   

Wisdom and experience tell us that we are in warfare against a deadly and strong enemy and we must be cautious and careful.  We should not assume that all the “people of God” are on our side, or alternatively on the side of God.  There are always ‘tares’ among the ‘wheat’. It behoves us to ‘test all the spirits’ to see whether or not they belong to God and depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit.   

Nehemiah noted that neither the rulers, the Jews, the priests or the nobles knew of his plans and nightly activities, as he had not disclosed his plans.  He anticipated opposition and kept things to himself. He wished to prevent any leakage of his plans to the enemy before the work began and planned to quickly finish the work and so deny them the time to mount a successfully appeal to the king. Also he might have wanted to formulate a plan before the Jews could marshal arguments as to why they could not rebuild the walls. When he did present his ideas the people responded positively. This is an evidence of Nehemiah's wisdom as a leader.

Verses 17-18.  Only after Nehemiah had personally examined the situation and determined the extent of the problem did he get others involved in the work. He knew a large work force was needed and so he finally enlisted the co-operation of the community. 

Note how he motivated the people into action.  He pointed to the situation of desolation and waste and the pervading sense of despair. Then he called them to action, appealing to their patriotism, sense of pride and self-respect and spurred them on to remove their national disgrace.

He told them the full story of how he fasted and prayed and how God led the way and ‘opened’ the heart of the King.  God removed the political concerns of the King and this was proof that God was with them. 

God was on their side and they would overcome all obstacles. The King of Persia had given him full authority and provided all the needed resources. This was all they needed to hear.  The argument was compelling and the people reacted in unison: “Let us arise and build”. 

So they strengthened each other and began to work together, now fully aware that God was with them and once they cooperated with each other success was guaranteed. 

Of course the Devil would not let them alone. The enemies came to mock and accuse them of plotting rebellion against the King of Persia.  But, knowing full well that God had put the King of Persia on their side, they responded confidently that the God of Heaven would prosper them and so they would arise and build. 

Note that the opposition first mocked and ridiculed them, and then slandered them with charges of disloyalty to the King.  When the mocking didn't work then the enemy started to threaten. 

CONCLUSION

It is most important to note that “rebuilding the walls” required good leadership and a good level of cooperation from all interested parties.  Good leadership cannot do the work alone and others must be involved. 

Often the work of God is neglected or not recognized, not from lack of willing hands but the lack of someone to lead. They all saw the wall broken down and in disrepair, yet none proposed the repair until Nehemiah made his proposal for restoration, then they were all in agreement. Wise, honest leadership under-girded by prayer is necessary to advance the work of God. 

To rebuild the ‘walls’ leadership must motivate the people, stress faith in God and point out God’s approval that He wants His people to ‘repair and rebuild’.  They must be reminded that God is in control of all circumstances and even before they want to act, He is already putting things in place so that they will succeed. Clearly good strong leadership has a critical role to play in the work of God. 

The way and the steps of recovery from ruin are now clear.  It applies in the life of the nation and in our individual lives. There must be a willingness on our part to move away from compromise. First, there must be a deep concern over the situation when people are obviously estranged from God. Grave concern will inevitably lead to deep sorrow and prayer.  When we pray and fast patiently and not faint, God will respond and will provide the opportunity to change.  When that is done, we must look at our situation honestly and begin to take the steps outlined in the commandments of God. 

Wise planning begins with prayer. With confidence in God we can then concentrate on rebuilding the ‘walls’. God has promised to give success to all those in his covenant.  Opposition should only strengthen us. The victory has already been won and God’s will is guaranteed. The work of God requires concern for others, concerned about the ruins and desolation among the people of God, courage and caution. 

Note that Nehemiah was trustworthy and honest with the King even in the face of danger.  He was not the kind of man asking for personal fortune or power. He wanted to do the work of God and he wanted to help his people. He was willing to go and he was willing to wait on God to send him at the right time.  He accepted his personal responsibility.  He was willing to exercise his gifts at the right time. 

One writer believes that we should never look at this lesson without applying what the Spirit is teaching us about ourselves. He states:

“All through our lives He will make us the right person for the critical time to say what will suit His purposes. So here are some important questions to ask:

What is God doing right now?

What struggle are you going through now?

What study of the Bible should you be making now?

Are you learning how God thinks?

What lesson can you learn from the things that are going wrong?

Should you be learning something about when to speak and when not to speak?

Have you been in settings of counsel and personal renewal in which you figured out why you struggle the way you do, what it is about your interior life that makes you prone to certain problems; and have you let God minister to you there?

Could you explain to someone else someday what you’ve been through, how your suffering has led to something good, so you can comfort them with all the comfort that you’ve received?

If so, you will know what to say because the Lord has taught you lessons throughout a lifetime.  The Spirit is doing the teaching and giving you the words for the moment.  He gets the credit.”