Looking for Nehemiah

[JLG]

- I think it is also interesting to add Daniel’s attitude about his prayer of confession to Yah.weh!

Daniel 9:3,4

So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

And I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments,

- Here again Daniel shows respect to Yah.weh through prayer and petition, fasting, sackcloth and ashes!

- Thus, Nehemiah and Daniel show humility and they pray Yah.weh!

- It is completely natural for them!

- Let’s show the same attitude to Yah.weh if we want to develop a special relationship to him and a natural one!

 

[JLG]

Nehemiah 1:5

Then I said: “I pray, O LORD (Yah·weh) God of heaven,the great and awesome God

who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep

His commandments,

- So Nehemiah prays to Yah·weh!

- The one who keeps his covenant of loving devotion with those who love him!

- The one who keeps his commandments!

- Not to forget “with those who love him”!

- Here we are told about having a strong relationship with Yah.weh!

- A strong relationship between a man and his son, a creator and his creature with such elements as:

- Loyalty, love, care, respect, mercy, forgiveness, faithfulness, slow to anger, kindness, compassion!

- To visualize loving devotion, we must think about faithfulness and faithful servants of Yah.weh!

- We can also think about the relationship between Yah.weh and Jesus, Jesus always knowing his position towards his Father!

- To visualize the opposite, we have to think about the Hebrews and mankind!

 

[Removed]

Nehemiah 1:1

• We are told who wrote this book!

• Nehemia son of Hacaliah!

• We are told when!

• In the month of Chislev!

• Kislev is a month which occurs in November–December on the Gregorian calendar and is sometimes known as the month of dreams!

• In the twentieth year!

• We are told where!

• In the citadel of Susa!

• Located in the south-west of Iran, in the lower Zagros Mountains, the property encompasses a group of archaeological mounds rising on the eastern side of the Shavur River, as well as Ardeshir's palace, on the opposite bank of the river.

The book of Nechemyah (Nehemiah) opens 12 years after the revival recorded in Ezra 9-10. The book is written to the post-exilic community
and chronicles the completion of the resettling of Yerushalayim. The author's purpose is to encourage the new Nation to trust and obey
God in their new political and spiritual setting, which differs from both the pre-exilic period and the exilic settings in Bavel and Persia.
Shalom

 

[JLG]

The book of Nechemyah (Nehemiah) opens 12 years after the revival recorded in Ezra 9-10. The book is written to the post-exilic community
and chronicles the completion of the resettling of Yerushalayim. The author's purpose is to encourage the new Nation to trust and obey
God in their new political and spiritual setting, which differs from both the pre-exilic period and the exilic settings in Bavel and Persia.
Shalom

- Thanks for the information!

 

[JLG]

Nehemiah 1:6

may Your eyes be open and Your ears be attentive to hear the prayer that I,

Pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess

the sins we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s

House have sinned.

- When we hear Nehemiah’s prayer, it sounds like Daniel’s prayer!

- In both cases they pray for the restoration of Jerusalem!

- In both cases they acknowledge the sins of the israelites!

- But he prays to Yah·weh day and night!

- And he asks Yah·weh to open his eyes and ears!

- The Hebrews have abandoned Yah.weh!

- As a consequence, Yah.weh has abandoned the Hebrews!

- Why should he listen to them again?

- He has no obligation!

- That’s why Nehemiah does his best to attract Yah.weh’s attention!

 

[JLG]

Nehemiah 1:7

We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments,

Statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.

- Nehemiah mentioned two points!

- First, the people’s corruption!

- Second, they didn’t keep Yah.weh’s commandments, statutes and ordinances given to Moses!

- They were completely wrong!

- They have no excuses!

- It is clear like crystal!

- There is nothing more to say!

- Corruption has something to do with being deep inside!

- It has become natural but it shouldn’t!

- There are no more questions, whereas there should be some!

- In fact, we should keep asking ourselves!

- Otherwise, there is something wrong or totally wrong!

- It has to do with accuracy!

- Accuracy of mind!

- We must be spiritually awakened!

- We should know all the time where we are!

- If we are confused, there is something wrong!

- If it’s not clear, there is something wrong!

- If we follow the move, there is something wrong!

 

[JLG]

Nehemiah 1:8

Remember, I pray,

נָא֙ (nā)

Interjection

Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then


the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you

are unfaithful, I will scatter you

אֶתְכֶ֖ם (’eṯ·ḵem) among the nations,

- As a consequence, Yah.weh scaterred them among the nations!

- They were exiled to babylon!

- Because of their unfaithfulness!

- It doesn’t matter when!

- It was to happen!

- It will be the same for mankind!

- But this time it won’t mean exile!

- It will mean death!

- No possibility of coming back!

- Like in the case of Adam and Eve!

- Final judgment!

- Man has a short memory!

- Yah.weh must constantly remember who is the boss!

- But remember the case of Job!

- There was a trial between Yah.weh and the devil!

- About the faithfulness of man towards Yah.weh!

- As a consequence, Yah.weh couldn’t do anything except prevent the devil from killing Job!

- Now the last trial is about the demonstration of Yah.weh being the only one able to lead the universe and the inability of man to lead himself!

- Well, the demonstration is turning into a farce as man is about destroying all life on earth!

- Man has been trying any kind of political system!

- And man has shown himself a wolf for man!

 

[JLG]

Nehemiah 1:9

but [if] you return to Me to keep and practice My commandments,

then even if your exiles have been banished to the ends of the earth,

I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen

as a dwelling for My Name.’

- The covenant between Yah.weh and the Israelites is still available!

- But the Israelites must do their part!

- If they don’t do anything, they can forget the covenant!

- Yah.weh won’t do his part either!

- That’s the balance human beings always forget!

- If you don’t do anything, you get nothing!

- It is as simple as that!

- But apparently very complicated for mankind!

- Find the mistake!

- The problem is that the Hebrews have always demonstrated their unfaithfulness!

- And Yah.weh’s answer to Daniel’s prayer is clear: restoration followed by destruction!

- It is the same for mankind: destruction before Yah.weh’s kingdom!

 

[JLG]

Nehemiah 1:10

They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power

and mighty hand.

- Nehemiah needs to remind Yah.weh that they are his servants and his people!

- In fact, they used to be so long time ago!

- And he reminds Yah.weh of his great power!

- And his mighty hand!

- Everything has to be rebuilt!

- Everything has to be done!

- There is nothing left!

- Because they forgot Yah.weh!

- History repeats again and again!

- Israel!

- Judah!

- Mankind!

- But mankind never understands!

- Only spiritual prostitution!

- But faithfulness is not part time but full time!

- Faithfulness has nothing to do with corruption!

- Mankind only knows corruption!

- Man is corruption!

- Religion is corruption!

 

[JLG]

Nehemiah 1:11

O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayers

of Your servants who delight in reverence of Your name. Give Your servant success

this day, I pray,

נָּ֤א (nā)

Interjection

Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. (For I was the cupbearer to the king.)

- Nehemiah keeps asking Yah.weh for being attentive to his prayer and all prayers of those who care for God’s name!

- He asks Yah.weh for giving him success in his action!

- He asks Yah.weh for mercy!

- He must rebuild Jerusalem’s walls!

- And the enemies are everywhere!

- It is incredible to see the differences of attitude to Yah.weh between the faithful servants of Yah.weh and the others!

- When I look at Job, Daniel, Samuel, Nehemiah, Ezra…, I see humility, I see respect, i see people who really care!

- When I see corruption, there is no humility, no respect, no care, nothing, it is just empty as if they were already dead!

 

[JLG]

Nehemia 2:1

Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine

was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad

in his presence,

Who is Artaxerxes in the Bible?

Artaxerxes I, (died 425 BC, Susa, Elam [now in Iran]), Achaemenid king of Persia (reigned 465–425 BC). He was surnamed in Greek Macrocheir (“Longhand”) and in Latin Longimanus. A younger son of Xerxes I and Amestris, he was raised to the throne by the commander of the guard, Artabanus, who had murdered Xerxes.

- So Nehemiah gives wine to the king Artaxerxes!

- And it is the first time that Nehemiah is sad before him!

- He can’t control himself in front of the king!

- He feels sad because of the bad conditions of the people in Jerusalem!

- And he really wants to do something!

- When we read about Daniel, Nehemiah , Ezra and other faithful servants of Yah.weh, they are all concerned about their people in Jerusalem!

- On the one hand, the faithful servants of Yah.weh, one people, on the other hand, the others!

- Faithfulness vs corruption!

- It is so different!

- No comparison at all!

- Completely opposed!

- Everyone must choose his master!

- There are only two masters!

- And it is not possible to serve both!