Nehemiah: Building Walls & Gates part 5

OPPOSITION & BUILDING

Nehemiah rallied the people of Jerusalem. The people bought into his mission and vision for building the walls of the city. They were ready and willing to start the work. It was inevitable that opposition would come swiftly, such as the very next verse from where we left off.

Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked.
Earlier in the chapter after Nehemiah's arrival, you can also find
Nehemiah 2:10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel.

When you are in God's will and doing a work for God, you can expect to run into the enemy. Who were these men that were opposed to Nehemiah and the people of Israel? All we know is what Nehemiah records, and how he addresses them.

Sanballat the Horonite
A Horonite was a person from the city of Horonaim, a city of Moab. Racial hatred existed between the Moabites and the Jews. Sanballat was one of the regional governors that Nehemiah presented his papers from the king to, on his trip to Jerusalem. He had direct control of the major highway between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean Sea. Sanballat profited by any commerce that had to travel from the Sea to Jerusalem. So when Nehemiah came with papers from the reigning king to rebuild Jerusalem, it was in Sanballat’s financial and political interest to oppose it.

Tobiah the Ammonite
Nehemiah calls Tobiah an Ammonite, though in other verses we learn he was a Jew that abandoned the Israelites and joined their enemies for financial and political gain. Nehemiah referred to Tobiah as "a servant" of Sanballat. So he was likely a gopher or an underling to Sanballat. It is believed he was allotted an area east of Jerusalem to govern.

Geshem the Arab
Geshem is presented as the leader of an Arabian tribe. He likely governed or controlled the southern part of Israel. Bands of Arabs could raid the unprotected city of Jerusalem at will.

These three were all likely regional governors under the king of Persia. Nehemiah came with authority from the king which usurped their power and authority. The Moabites and Ammonites were among the people groups God had driven from the Promised Land for the Israelites. They were the enemies of the Jews from long ago, who were now keeping the city of Jerusalem in ruins. Those who raided and plundered the people of Jerusalem likely made payoffs to these governors. Any change to the status quo in Jerusalem would be bad news to these three. So they were set on harming Nehemiah and disrupting the work or the Israelites.

How would Nehemiah respond to the opposition and the accusations made about him?
Nehemiah 2:20 I replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no share, legal right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”

It was a bold "in your face" reply. It was a defiant reply in the name of God of Heaven! He replied by speaking truth. He spoke truth about God- that the God of Israel was on their side and would prosper them. He spoke the truth about himself and the people if Israel- with God behind they had the power to rise up and build the wall. Then he spoke the truth about the enemy - They owned nothing there, they have no right and authority over them or in Jerusalem.

There is a good lesson in Nehemiah's reply. It is a model response when we are faced with an attack by the enemy of God. When the enemy is speaking to you, respond boldly. Speak out that God is with you and is on your side. Speak the truth that God will prosper you. Tell the enemy they have no authority over you.

CHAPTER 3
Chapter 3 goes into detail about the building of the gates and walls of the city. It tells, in great detail and in a particular order, of the people or families that built each gate or section of the wall. Those who have studied the Book of Nehemiah through the years have recognized a parallel or pattern between the gates of the city and the ministries in the church today. This study will deal with that topic in detail in the next lesson, but there is also a lesson the be learned when looking at who handled the building of different areas of the gates and walls. Look at these snippets of verses in chapter 3:

10 Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired the wall across from his own house, ...
23 Benjamin and Hasshub repaired the section across from their house, and Azariah son of Maaseiah and grandson of Ananiah repaired the section across from his house.
24 Next was Binnui son of Henadad, who rebuilt another section of the wall from Azariah’s house
28 Each one repaired the section immediately across from his own house.
29 Next Zadok son of Immer also rebuilt the wall across from his own house

Do you see the pattern? The people began to build right in their own front yard and worked out from there. Part of that may have been due to the convenience of being near their home while they worked. But this is also an often repeated Biblical pattern. In Acts 1:8 Jesus tells his followers:

"And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere- in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The important takeaway - Start ministry where you are. Don't say you have to wait for conditions to be right or the place where you are at to change. God wants us to be a witness, share the Gospel, and do his work in our own home and neighborhood, and work out from there.

In the next part, we will start looking at the 10 gates of the city and how they set a pattern for ministry in the church today.

Nehemiah: Building Walls & Gates part 4

NEHEMIAH THE LEADER

Nehemiah had been commissioned and given authority, by the king of Persia, to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the gates and walls of the city. He was equipped to get whatever materials he needed to do the job. Let's pick up now in verse chapter 2, verse 11 and see how Nehemiah prepared for the tasks he came to do. 

Nehemiah 2:11-12 So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. 
In verse 13 it says that Nehemiah viewed or examined the broken walls and burned gates of the city. The Hebrew word in the verse translated as “viewed” or "examined" is shabar, which means to “give birth” or “burst forth”. A fuller understanding of the word shabar as used by Nehemiah in this passage is to scrutinize, examine, develop a plan, and then to bring the plan to birth. 

A principle of good leadership is that before one begins a task, they must develop a plan. Nehemiah began by inspecting the situation so he could formulate a plan. A leader must know what needs exist, what work needs to be done, and what problems can be expected? Then a leader must determine where to start and how to proceed. In the king’s palace in Susa, Nehemiah was a servant. Here in Jerusalem, he was preparing to become a leader.

Nehemiah had a burden from God, and a vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. But he could not do it by himself. He needed to gain the cooperation of others. Other people will not help you do something you have the power to do yourself. Nehemiah needed help to rebuild the walls. He needed other people to help fulfill his vision. Like every good leader, he needed to gain the trust of others, share his vision, and motivate them into action.

After a time of preparation, the time came for Nehemiah to present himself and his mission to the Jewish leaders and people in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 2:16 - 17  I had not yet spoken to the Jewish leaders—the priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration. But now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” 

Nehemiah showed the people the crisis they faced. He made them see the need around them. They were in distress. The walls and gates were in ruins. Next, Nehemiah issued the challenge: “Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.” Sometimes people are able and willing to do a work for the Lord, if they have good leadership to challenge them. Notice, also, that Nehemiah said "Let US", and not "You need to". He made it clear he wanted to help. A leader does not ever ask people to do something they, themselves, are not willing to do.

To gain the help and cooperation of people, a leader needs to build a covenant with them. 
Nehemiah 2:18 Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king.

By telling the people about what happened with the king, Nehemiah was letting them know that God was already working on their behalf. Nehemiah let them know how God had blessed him, and that the king had already given the permission and authority for the work to be done.  He was, in effect, saying to them "God is on our side. Here is proof. Look what he did to bring me here to get this started!" 

What would the people’s response be?
Nehemiah 2:18 ...They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.
The people bought into the mission and vision of Nehemiah. Their level of cooperation had risen to the level Nehemiah needed to accomplish the mission God had given him. This job had been waiting for years to be done. What was lacking was dedicated leadership to challenge the people to action.

 In the next part of this study - Nehemiah immediately faces opposition to rebuilding the walls. Find out who opposes him and why.  In Chapter 3 the building of the walls is started by different families around the entire city. There is an important lesson in ministry to be learned by looking at the pattern of the builders.  

Nehemiah: Building Walls & Gates part 3

The Favor Of The King

How would God answer Nehemiah's prayer and petition? God's answer to a problem is usually a person. Is it any surprise that God would use Nehemiah to answer his own prayer?  God gave the burden to Nehemiah. That burden became a calling in his life.

Nehemiah continues his narrative in chapter 2.
Nehemiah 2:1a  Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign...
Four months passed from the events in chapter 1 verse 1 to this 1st verse in chapter 2. It was four months from the time Nehemiah was impacted by the news of the conditions in Jerusalem until God moved him to act. What did Nehemiah do in those four months? We know from chapter 1 that after he heard the news, he wept, fasted, and prayed. Scripture does not tell us exactly what transpired in those four months, but we have to conclude he waited on God. He waited to hear from God, for an answer to his prayer, but most of all he waited until God prompted him to act. 

It is not natural for us to wait on God. Our human nature wants us to act impulsively and immediately. You can be sure Nehemiah had to subdue his human nature and wait to hear from God. It takes time for us to be in the right place. Sometimes God needs to work on us and our circumstances, before he wants us to act. Like Nehemiah, we have to learn to wait for God's perfect timing.

Nehemiah 2:1b- 2  I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled. Then I was terrified

Why would Nehemiah be terrified? What is so dangerous about the king seeing him sad and troubled that would cause fear? He actually had good reason to be afraid. This was in the Persian Empire of nearly 2500 years ago. It was a common belief of that day that a spirit that was on one person could be transferred to another person. For anyone to bring an evil or unpleasant presence around the king, could be seen as a threat to the kingdom, and be punishable by death. So for Nehemiah to be openly sad and troubled in the front of King Artaxerxes could have been a very bad thing. 

Nehemiah's mission was greater than the fear of his own life.  He did not try to lie or deny his sadness. Instead, he explained it.
Nehemiah 2:3 but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

Now came the moment that Nehemiah had prayed about. Now is when he needed favor in the king's heart.
Nehemiah 2:4-5 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting? With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”

Things could have taken a bad turn for Nehemiah at this point. But God was with him and answering his prayer.
Nehemiah 2:6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.


If the conversation with the king ended right there, Nehemiah's prayer would have been answered. He had permission from the king to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls. But our God is a God of abundance, and when He truly puts a calling on a person, He equips them to fulfill that calling. So there is much more. READ ON!
Nehemiah 2:7-8 I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.

Nehemiah was not just being allowed to go, he was being commissioned to go. He was being given authority by the king and being equipped for the task. It was God who was using King Artaxerxes to equip Nehemiah for the task. An application we can take from this section of scripture- when God calls you, He will equip you. He will supply everything you need for your ministry.

Another good lesson to learn is to be prepared. Notice that Nehemiah was ready. He knew how long to tell the king he would be gone. He already considered what letters and documents he was going to need for his task. He planned for success.

In the next part of this study, Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem. How does he prepare for the task of rebuilding the walls? How would he rally the people of the city to join him?  The answers are coming in part 4. 

Nehemiah: Building Walls & Gates. part 2

A Burden and a Prayer

Nehemiah had received bad news about the Jews that returned from exile to the homeland of Judah. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down. The gates were burned. The Jews were vulnerable to attack and living in fear, frustration, and sorrow. How would Nehemiah react? What would he do?

Nehemiah 1:4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 
Nehemiah had a burden- a burden given to him by God for the people and city of Jerusalem. When God gives a person a burden, it's not just to make them feel bad or compassionate. God places a burden when He wants to use someone to act and carry out His will. So naturally, Nehemiah was sad. He mourned and cried. But then he did exactly what a person with a burden should do. He sought to hear from God. He fasted and prayed. 

Fasting is an act of repentance. It is something anyone can do when they are frustrated and not sure what else to do. Fasting helped Nehemiah to focus on the problem, and on God. When you have fasted, you can pray more effectively.

Chapter 1 verses 5-11 records the prayer of Nehemiah. It is one of the great prayers recorded in the Bible- a model of how to intercede in prayer for a city, people, or a cause. This prayer can be studied by breaking it into elements, or different parts, which work together for effective intercessory prayer.

1- DIRECT THE PRAYER. 
1:5 O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands.
In the first part of the prayer, Nehemiah directs the prayer with a powerful phrase that implies warfare. He then reminds God of His covenant with His people. God did not need to be reminded of His covenant. Nehemiah was stating that he knew God's covenant promises. But then he says that God’s people must obey His commands to be entitled to those covenant promises.

2- INTENSIFY THE PRAYER. 
1:6a ...hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.
Nehemiah was ready to pray intensively until he received an answer from God. He was not going to stop, and he was letting God know it.

3-IDENTIFICATION OF THE PRAYER
1:6b  I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!
Nehemiah let God know he was bearing the blame, along with the children of Israel, for the sin that led to what was happening.

4- CONFESSION IN THE PRAYER
1:7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations...
In confessing sin, Nehemiah was asking God to forgive Israel for breaking the covenant. By asking for forgiveness, he was asking for restoration to a covenant relationship with God.

5- INSISTENCE OF THE PRAYER
1:9 'Remember what you told your servant Moses...if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’
Nehemiah was calling on God to remember the covenant promise spoken to Moses. He was in effect saying, "Here are your people God. You redeemed us with your hand. Remember us now." He was claiming the covenant promise of God now, in this time of need.

6- INTENTION OF THE PRAYER
1:11a  O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you.
In some Bible versions, the word "fear" is used in place of "honoring" in the above verse. The word is derived from the Hebrew word Yare'. It means reverencing God for His awesome power. Nehemiah wanted the name of God to be vindicated in the land of Judah. Remember that the Jews there were being shamed because their God was not taking care of them. The intention of Nehemiah's prayer was to have God's name honored, respected, and revered.

7- THE PETITION OF THE PRAYER
1:11b Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”
Nehemiah was petitioning God to grant him success, to prosper him, with the intention of reverencing and honoring God's name. He wanted Israel and the rest of the world to be awed by God's presence in His people. After Nehemiah had mourned, fasted, and prayed, he was prepared to act on the burden he had. His plan of action obviously involved the King of Persia, because he asked for God's intervention to have the king's favor and kindness.

After the end of his prayer, in the last part of the last verse in chapter 1, Nehemiah adds a very important piece of information.
1:11c In those days, I was the cupbearer to the king.
This explains why Nehemiah was in the palace in Susa. He was the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. The cupbearer is a trusted loyal servant to the king. Besides serving drinks, the cupbearer was responsible for making sure the drinks were safe. Poisoning was a common means of assassination. The cupbearer would taste the drinks before they were served. 

Nehemiah was a Jew in a unique position. He had daily access to the king of Persia. He was a trusted, respected, and loyal servant. He was in a time and place to seek the king's favor for the Jewish people. This was not the first time a Jew was uniquely positioned to influence the king of Persia. It happened forty years earlier, in the same city and in the same palace.  The Jewish queen Esther was placed in that time and place to seek favor from the Persian ruler, King Ahasuerus, to save the Jews of her time. Forty years after those events recorded in the Book of Esther, the cupbearer Nehemiah would seek favor from King Artaxerxes, the son of the king in Esther's time.

What kind of favor was Nehemiah seeking from the king? How would he approach the king to seek that favor? What could Nehemiah do to help the Jewish people and bring reverence to God? These questions and more will be covered in part 3 of this study. 

Nehemiah: Building Walls & Gates. part 1

Introduction and Background

This is a detailed study of the first 6 chapters of the Book of Nehemiah, which tells the account of Nehemiah going to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and gates of the city. This study also discusses the relationship between the name and function of the gates of Jerusalem to ministries in the church today. I originally wrote this Bible Study about 8 years ago, so this is a rewrite and revision of the original. Because it is lengthy and detailed, I am breaking it into multiple parts. I will write and publish a part every 2 or 3 weeks until it is completed.

If the books of the Bible were arranged in historical order, from longest ago to most recent, the Book of Nehemiah would be the last book in the Old Testament. It contains the last events recorded before the birth of Christ in the New Testament. The events in the Book of Nehemiah occurred from 444 B.C. to 432 B.C. This was over 400 years before the birth of Christ, and a thousand years after the time of Moses. To get a fuller and more complete understanding of Nehemiah, you need to know what events shaped the middle eastern world and particularly the Jewish people of that time. 

About 150 years before the time of Nehemiah, the Babylonian empire, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, invaded and conquered the land of Judah. When the Babylonians conquered a land, they plundered it's wealth, stealing everything of value, and destroyed public buildings.  They leave the conquered territory wasted and useless. This is what they did to the city of Jerusalem. They destroyed the city and tore down the once glorious Temple of Solomon. In addition, they carried away most of the population into captivity to Babylon, to be servants and slaves. 

In about 550 B.C., Cyrus, the king of Persia, overthrew Nebuchadnezzar's empire and became ruler over the middle eastern world. The Persians kings implemented a policy of rebuilding conquered lands and then collecting taxes from them. They encouraged the captive Jews to return to their homeland. 

The capital city of the Persian Empire was Susa. In the world today, Susa would be in western Iran, about 31 miles from the border with Iraq. The journey from Susa to Jerusalem was a thousand-mile trip going through areas now in Iraq, Syria, and then Israel. It took about 4 months to complete the journey.

The first large group of 50,000 exiles returned with political and religious leader Zerubabbel, in 536 B.C.  Many years later, in 457 B.C., a 2nd large group returned with Ezra the Scribe. By 444 B.C., only 2 or 3 % of the Jews in the land of Persia had migrated back to Judah. Conditions in the Jewish homeland were too dangerous and hostile for most of them to consider going back. It was at this point that God raised up Nehemiah, and the historical account in the Book of Nehemiah begins. 

THE OPENING

Nehemiah 1:1-3  These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire."

Nehemiah identifies himself as the writer, and that he lived in the palace of the Persian King Artaxerxes, in the capital city of Susa (we will find out why he lives there at the end of chapter 1). He meets with a brother and other men that just returned from Jerusalem, and asks about the conditions there. Nehemiah is told that the people of Jerusalem are in trouble and disgrace and that the walls and gates of the city are torn down and destroyed.

The Hebrew word translated in the 3rd verse as "great trouble" is ra'. It is a complex word with multiple definitions attached to it. First, it means adversity. The conditions in Jerusalem were hostile. The Jews were being subjected to all kinds of bad things. They were being raided and robbed. Women were being raped and molested. They had no protection. The second meaning is hurting. They were suffering because of the condition they lived in.  The third meaning is sorrow. They were filled with frustration and great sorrow.

The Hebrew word used for "disgrace" in verse 3, is Cherpah. The word can be defined as disgraceful. But the word has a connotation or picture image associated with it needed to understand its full meaning. That picture image is of a wagging finger of shame in your face. They were being taunted as if saying "Look how your god is taking care of you now."

Nehemiah was told that the walls of the city had been torn down. The city and its people had no protection from the outside. Enemies from the outside raided the city and plundered the people at will. The city's inhabitants lived in fear, insecurity, and frustration.  The news was very bad. The reaction from Nehemiah, and what he plans to do about it will be covered in part 2 of this study. 

END

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Much of the source material for this study comes from the following:

"Studies in Nehemiah"  book by Dr. Ronald E. Cottle. 1997
Syllabus and Study Guide for the course "Studies in Nehemiah," by Dr. Ronald E. Cottle