The Book of
NEHEMIAH
Author: Nehemiah
Date: Approximately 423 B.C.
Theme: Godly Leadership, Cooperation, Opposition to Success
Key Words: Distress, Praying, Work, the Book, Weeping, Joy, Service/PH Author:/IT The book derives its present title from the main character whose name appears in 1:1. (See “Occasion and Date” below). Our first glimpse of Nehemiah is in his role as cupbearer at the court of Artaxerxes. A cupbearer had a position of great trust as advisor to the king and had the responsibility of keeping the king from being poisoned. While Nehemiah no doubt enjoyed the luxury of the palace, his heart was in Jerusalem, a little city on the far frontier of the empire.
Nehemiah’s prayer and fasting, qualities of leadership, powerful eloquence, inspirational organizational skills, confidence in God’s purpose, and quick, decisive response to problems qualify him as a great leader and man of God. Most importantly, he shows us a self-sacrificing spirit whose only interest is summed up in his repeated prayer, “Remember me, O my God, for good.”
Occasion and Date. In the Hebrew Scriptures Nehemiah was originally included with Ezra. Many scholars consider Ezra as the compiler/author of Ezra-Nehemiah, as well as 1 and 2 Chronicles. Though we cannot be sure, it does seem that Nehemiah contributed some of the material in the book bearing his name (chs. 1–7; 1–13).
Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, honored Nehemiah by naming the book after him as its main character. Nehemiah means “Yahweh Comforts.” The story begins in the Book of Ezra and is completed in Nehemiah. Nehemiah, who twice served as governor of Judea, leaves Persia on his first mission in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I of Persia, who reigned from 465 until 424 B.C. (2:1). He returns to Persia in the king’s thirty-second year (13:6), and he leaves again for Jerusalem “after certain days.”
The contents of the book dictate that the work could not have been written until some time after Nehemiah’s return from Persia to Jerusalem. Perhaps it was written in its completed form before the death of Artaxerxes I in 424 B.C.; otherwise the death of such a gracious monarch would probably have been mentioned in Nehemiah.
The historical period covered by the books of Ezra and Nehemiah is about 110 years. The period of rebuilding the temple under Zerubbabel, inspired by the preaching of Zechariah and Haggai, was twenty-one years. Sixty years later Ezra brought a revival and proper teaching on temple worship. After thirteen years Nehemiah came to work on the walls. Malachi may also have prophesied during this time. If so, Nehemiah and Malachi worked together to eradicate the evil of the worship of many gods, and they attacked the evil of compromise with the peoples who had been forcibly resettled in the land by the Assyrians approximately two hundred years earlier. They succeeded so well that, during the intertestamental period, the people of God did not return to idolatry. Thus, when the Messiah came, people such as Zacharias and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds, and others were godly people with whom God would communicate.
Content. Nehemiah expresses the practical, everyday side of our faith in God. Ezra had led a spiritual renewal, while Nehemiah was the James of the Old Testament, challenging the people to show their faith by their works.
The first section of the book (chs. 1–7) deals with the wall. Protection from those outside the city was necessary for Judah and Benjamin to remain a people. In the wall-building period, the committed believers under this dynamic leader overcame laziness (4:6), mockery (2:20), conspiracy (3:9), and threats of physical attack (4:17).
The second section of the book (chs. 8–10) addresses the people inside the walls. The covenant was renewed, and the enemies inside the wall were exposed and dealt with very firmly. To lead His people God chose a man whose heart was right and who had a clear perspective on the issues, placed him in the right place at the right time, equipped him with His Spirit, and sent him forth to do exploits.
In the last section (chs. 1–13), the people are restored to obedience to God’s Word, as Nehemiah the layman works with Ezra the priest. As governor during this period, Nehemiah used the influence of his office to support Ezra and to lead spiritually. Here is a man who wisely thinks things through in advance of his action (“after serious thought”) and a man filled with boldness (“I contended with the nobles”).
Personal Application. Four lasting principles stand out in Nehemiah. First, compassion is often the springboard of obedience to God’s will. Second, cooperation with others is required to carry out God’s will. Third, confidence results from fervent prayer and the exposition of the Word of God, which reveals God’s will. Fourth, courage will manifest itself as sanctified tenacity in refusing to compromise on the conviction that one is doing God’s will.
Christ Revealed. Nehemiah, with his associate Ezra, called on the people of God to remember the law. Doing so, he became part of the chain of inspired writers of Holy Scripture who put the people in the hands of the “tutor” (Gal. 3:23, 24) to guard them until Christ should arrive.
While Christ is not directly referred to in Nehemiah, Nehemiah typifies Him by the life he modeled. He was a courageous leader, defying the odds and encouraging the people to do Yahweh’s work (2:18), even as Christ defied the people’s opposition and encouraged His disciples to endure (John 15:18–27). He was an ardent prayer (2:1–20; 6:9–14), even as Christ was (Luke 6:12). Finally, he was dedicated to God’s law (8:9, 10), an important element in Christ’s life as well (Matt. 5:17).
The Holy Spirit at Work. Since creation, the Holy Spirit has been the executive arm of God on Earth. Elihu spoke the truth when he said to Job, “The Spirit of God has made me” (Job 33:4). The pattern is consistent in that it is the Spirit of God who works to make us all that God desires us to be. Nehemiah 2:18 states, “And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me.” The hand of God, His action on Earth, is the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel, a captive in Babylon before the liberation of God’s people and their return to Jerusalem, wrote: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God” (Ezek. 36:26–28). Nehemiah, whose name means “Yahweh Comforts,” was clearly an instrument of the Holy Spirit. Under the power of God’s Spirit, he certainly modelled the Holy Spirit’s workings and became one of the early fulfillments of this remarkable prophecy.
Jack W. Hayford, Spirit Filled Life Study Bible
NEHEMIAH
Author: Nehemiah
Date: Approximately 423 B.C.
Theme: Godly Leadership, Cooperation, Opposition to Success
Key Words: Distress, Praying, Work, the Book, Weeping, Joy, Service/PH Author:/IT The book derives its present title from the main character whose name appears in 1:1. (See “Occasion and Date” below). Our first glimpse of Nehemiah is in his role as cupbearer at the court of Artaxerxes. A cupbearer had a position of great trust as advisor to the king and had the responsibility of keeping the king from being poisoned. While Nehemiah no doubt enjoyed the luxury of the palace, his heart was in Jerusalem, a little city on the far frontier of the empire.
Nehemiah’s prayer and fasting, qualities of leadership, powerful eloquence, inspirational organizational skills, confidence in God’s purpose, and quick, decisive response to problems qualify him as a great leader and man of God. Most importantly, he shows us a self-sacrificing spirit whose only interest is summed up in his repeated prayer, “Remember me, O my God, for good.”
Occasion and Date. In the Hebrew Scriptures Nehemiah was originally included with Ezra. Many scholars consider Ezra as the compiler/author of Ezra-Nehemiah, as well as 1 and 2 Chronicles. Though we cannot be sure, it does seem that Nehemiah contributed some of the material in the book bearing his name (chs. 1–7; 1–13).
Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, honored Nehemiah by naming the book after him as its main character. Nehemiah means “Yahweh Comforts.” The story begins in the Book of Ezra and is completed in Nehemiah. Nehemiah, who twice served as governor of Judea, leaves Persia on his first mission in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I of Persia, who reigned from 465 until 424 B.C. (2:1). He returns to Persia in the king’s thirty-second year (13:6), and he leaves again for Jerusalem “after certain days.”
The contents of the book dictate that the work could not have been written until some time after Nehemiah’s return from Persia to Jerusalem. Perhaps it was written in its completed form before the death of Artaxerxes I in 424 B.C.; otherwise the death of such a gracious monarch would probably have been mentioned in Nehemiah.
The historical period covered by the books of Ezra and Nehemiah is about 110 years. The period of rebuilding the temple under Zerubbabel, inspired by the preaching of Zechariah and Haggai, was twenty-one years. Sixty years later Ezra brought a revival and proper teaching on temple worship. After thirteen years Nehemiah came to work on the walls. Malachi may also have prophesied during this time. If so, Nehemiah and Malachi worked together to eradicate the evil of the worship of many gods, and they attacked the evil of compromise with the peoples who had been forcibly resettled in the land by the Assyrians approximately two hundred years earlier. They succeeded so well that, during the intertestamental period, the people of God did not return to idolatry. Thus, when the Messiah came, people such as Zacharias and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds, and others were godly people with whom God would communicate.
Content. Nehemiah expresses the practical, everyday side of our faith in God. Ezra had led a spiritual renewal, while Nehemiah was the James of the Old Testament, challenging the people to show their faith by their works.
The first section of the book (chs. 1–7) deals with the wall. Protection from those outside the city was necessary for Judah and Benjamin to remain a people. In the wall-building period, the committed believers under this dynamic leader overcame laziness (4:6), mockery (2:20), conspiracy (3:9), and threats of physical attack (4:17).
The second section of the book (chs. 8–10) addresses the people inside the walls. The covenant was renewed, and the enemies inside the wall were exposed and dealt with very firmly. To lead His people God chose a man whose heart was right and who had a clear perspective on the issues, placed him in the right place at the right time, equipped him with His Spirit, and sent him forth to do exploits.
In the last section (chs. 1–13), the people are restored to obedience to God’s Word, as Nehemiah the layman works with Ezra the priest. As governor during this period, Nehemiah used the influence of his office to support Ezra and to lead spiritually. Here is a man who wisely thinks things through in advance of his action (“after serious thought”) and a man filled with boldness (“I contended with the nobles”).
Personal Application. Four lasting principles stand out in Nehemiah. First, compassion is often the springboard of obedience to God’s will. Second, cooperation with others is required to carry out God’s will. Third, confidence results from fervent prayer and the exposition of the Word of God, which reveals God’s will. Fourth, courage will manifest itself as sanctified tenacity in refusing to compromise on the conviction that one is doing God’s will.
Christ Revealed. Nehemiah, with his associate Ezra, called on the people of God to remember the law. Doing so, he became part of the chain of inspired writers of Holy Scripture who put the people in the hands of the “tutor” (Gal. 3:23, 24) to guard them until Christ should arrive.
While Christ is not directly referred to in Nehemiah, Nehemiah typifies Him by the life he modeled. He was a courageous leader, defying the odds and encouraging the people to do Yahweh’s work (2:18), even as Christ defied the people’s opposition and encouraged His disciples to endure (John 15:18–27). He was an ardent prayer (2:1–20; 6:9–14), even as Christ was (Luke 6:12). Finally, he was dedicated to God’s law (8:9, 10), an important element in Christ’s life as well (Matt. 5:17).
The Holy Spirit at Work. Since creation, the Holy Spirit has been the executive arm of God on Earth. Elihu spoke the truth when he said to Job, “The Spirit of God has made me” (Job 33:4). The pattern is consistent in that it is the Spirit of God who works to make us all that God desires us to be. Nehemiah 2:18 states, “And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me.” The hand of God, His action on Earth, is the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel, a captive in Babylon before the liberation of God’s people and their return to Jerusalem, wrote: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God” (Ezek. 36:26–28). Nehemiah, whose name means “Yahweh Comforts,” was clearly an instrument of the Holy Spirit. Under the power of God’s Spirit, he certainly modelled the Holy Spirit’s workings and became one of the early fulfillments of this remarkable prophecy.
Jack W. Hayford, Spirit Filled Life Study Bible
