Begins fifteen years after Ezra ends. Nehemiah was the cup-bearer of king Artaxerxes. Show
1 Nehemiah hears of Jews' struggle to rebuild Jerusalem. He fasts and prays to God, confesses sins on behalf of the Jews, asks God for mercy and help. He recalls Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 30, where the Lord says that if the exiled nation remembers Him, He will not forsake them in their distress. 2 Nehemiah is sad, and gets permission from the king to return to Jerusalem (‘the place of my fathers’ tombs’) to help rebuild it. He returns (with appropriate royal letters of permission to pass through the region), inspects the city secretly, meets with the leaders of Jerusalem and proposes to build a wall around the city. The rebuilding restarts, despite some local opposition. 3 The wall of Jerusalem And is gate is rebuilt by Levites, priests, and other Jewish people. The chapter lists the sections of the wall and who built them. 4 Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah and Ammoniste mock the Jews as they rebuild Jerusalem. Nehemiah prays as a form of defence against them. Sanballat and others are angered when the wall nears completion, and plan to attack. The Jews prepare defences (there are people on guard as the wll is built), and the plan to attack comes to nothing. 5 Some Jews have to mortgage their houses to eat and borrow money to pay taxes. Jews have become slaves to others because of financial difficulties. Nehemiah calls a meeting, urging lenders to cancel debts and not practise usury. Nehemiah does not tax the people, and prays that God may remember his good deeds. 6 Sanballat and others invite Nehemiah to the plains of Ono, with the inetention of killing him. Sanballat spreads a rumour that Nehemiah is planning to rebel against Persia and become king. Shemiah, a false prophet sent by Sanballat, unsiuccessfully urges Nehemiah to take refuge in the temple. The wall is completed in 52 days, despite some who were friends with the enemy Tobiah. Tobiah sends threatening letters. 7 Nehemiah gives orders to guard Jerusalem. A list is given of the leaders, priests, Levites, singers and animals who returned from Babylon. 8 Ezra reads the law to the Jews in Jerusalem, with teachers on hand to help explain to the people. The Jews worship and weep. The Jews observe the Feast of Tabernacles, not done since the days of Joshua. 9 The Jews gather, separate themselves from foreigners, fast, repent, read law, and hear a summary of Israel’s history and deliverance from Egypt. A covenant is made. 10 A lost of the people who sign ther covenant is given. Further laws to be obeyed: no selling of wares on the Sabbath, cancellation of debts every seven years, tithes and regulations concerning offerings and temple administration. 11 Leaders live in Jerusalem; of the rest, a tenth live in Jerusalem, and the rest in other cities. The distribution of people is decided by lot. Lists of people who stayed in Jerusalem, and a list of other towns and villages in Judah are given. 12 Records of priests, Levites and temple duties is given. The Jerusalem wall is dedicated with marching, music and sacrifice. People contribute to the temple. 13 The law is read. It is stipulated that no Ammonite or Moabite shall come into the temple, because Balak sought to curse them. Nehemiah journeys back to Persia; when he returns to Jerusalem, he is horrified to discover that Eliashib, the priest charged with managing the storerooms of the temple, had rented a room out in the temple courts to Tobiah. Tobiah is expelled. Nehemiah also realised that the Levites have not been granted their due portions, and that business is being conducted on the Sabbath. Nehemiah forbids the children of interracial marriages from marrying Jews. The son of Eliashib has become Sanballat’s son-in-law. Nehemiah cleanses Judan life from everything pagan, and asks God to remember him.  Who Wrote the Book of Nehemiah?Much of Nehemiah appears to have come directly from the personal writings of Nehemiah himself, and the book begins with the words, “The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah”, and then goes into first-person narrative of Nehemiah’s experiences. This clearly indicates that what we are reading was indeed written by Nehemiah himself. However, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah are so closely related that for many years they were considered in the Hebrew Bible to be one book, as an extension of 1 and 2 Chronicles. This is because it is a continuing story: while Ezra works to re-establish the temple and the moral fabric of the people, Nehemiah arrives later to rebuild the city wall around Jerusalem and serve as governor. It is possible that sections of the book may have been borrowed from Ezra, such as the list in Nehemiah 7:6 – 12:26 which nearly mirrors Ezra 2:1-70. Even with the possibility of some borrowed material, the main narrative of the book is clearly that of Nehemiah, and he is accepted to be the author. Context and Background of NehemiahAs stated previously, the Book of Nehemiah is a continuation of the events in the Book of Ezra. Yet unlike Ezra, who was a priest and scribe, Nehemiah does not have a religious vocation – instead, he is a man with a high position before King Artaxerxes I in Persia, serving as cupbearer. Prior to the beginning of Nehemiah, the Jewish people have been returning to Jerusalem from a seventy-year period of captivity in Persia and are reestablishing their culture and faith in the promised land. It is against this backdrop that the book begins, and Nehemiah is serving the king in the capital city of Susa. He soon leaves for Jerusalem when he hears that, “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” (Neh. 1:3). This causes Nehemiah to weep and pray, and he soon knows that he is the one being called to go to Jerusalem and lead in rebuilding it. Nehemiah had the right skills for this job, as Norman Geisler explains, “Nehemiah’s expertise in the king’s court equipped him adequately for the political and physical reconstruction necessary for the remnant to survive." Nehemiah returns to the land in 444 B.C., thirteen years after the return led by Era and 94 years after the return led by Zerubbabel. He arrives to find a job not yet completed and a people who are growing complacent. It is important to note that the prophet Malachi is active during the time period covered in Nehemiah, and through his writings, we see that the people who are recently restored to their land, who have rebuilt the city wall and the temple, and have seen the covenant of God fulfilled, are already falling into a pattern of neglecting God. Main Theme and Purpose of NehemiahEzra dealt primarily with the spiritual restoration of God’s people, and Nehemiah begins by addressing their physical and political restoration. The main theme of Nehemiah is, therefore, one of restoration: the first half of the book deals with the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem (chapters 1-7), and the second half deals with their spiritual restoration and renewal (chapters 8-13). Perhaps the most moving moment documented in Nehemiah is in chapter 8, where Ezra is reading the words of the Law to the people. Verse 9 gives us a glimpse of that emotional moment, “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.” God has finally restored His people as He promised. This moment is the culmination of much hard work, of finally overcoming opposition, and must have been extraordinarily moving for those present. It still moves us today. What Can We Learn from Nehemiah Today?Perseverance God shows His faithfulness to His people in spite of their repeated failures. We can be encouraged that even when we fail, we are not done. The grace of God is greater than our sin, and it is for us to call to mind the faithfulness of God and trust in Him as we set about the tasks He has given us to accomplish. God’s Work through Our Unity God’s Work through Individual Believers Nehemiah is a perfect example of how a person who is devoted to God does not need to be in professional ministry in order to be effective for the kingdom. God created you the way He did for a reason, and He will use your specific strengths to His glory and for His purposes. God’s Work through Leadership Our Favorite Verses from NehemiahNehemiah 1:3, “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.” Nehemiah 4:14, “After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:17-18, “who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.” Nehemiah 6:15-16, “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” Nehemiah 8:9, “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.” Nehemiah 8:10, “Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’” Sources
Photo credit: ©Sparrowstock Jason Soroski is a homeschool dad and member of the worship team at matthias lot church in St. Charles, MO. He spends his free time hanging out with his family, exploring new places, and writing about the experiences. Connect on Facebook or at JasonSoroski.net. What is the main point of the Book of Nehemiah?The book of Nehemiah records an important time period in Jewish history, which included the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem as well as the rebuilding of the spiritual lives of the Jews who had returned from captivity.
What is the chapter of Nehemiah about?The book tells how Nehemiah, at the court of the king in Susa, is informed that Jerusalem is without walls, and resolves to restore them. The king appoints him as governor of Judah and he travels to Jerusalem.
What is the summary of Nehemiah chapter 2?Reconnaissance and Opposition (2:9–20)
This part describes Nehemiah's journey to Jerusalem, and his first actions when he arrived there, especially his preliminary reconnaissance of the walls at night, and the revelation of his plan to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
What is the summary of Nehemiah chapter 3?In this section, Nehemiah lists the process of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, starting with the people working on the north wall and its gates. The north side of wall would have suffered 'the brunt of most attacks on Jerusalem, for those arriving from Mesopotamia' (cf. Jeremiah 1:13–15).
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Summary of the book of nehemiah chapter by chapter
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