Nehemiah 1-5
Posted:  October 3, 2014


Whole sermon series are preached on Nehemiah, so I won't try and cover all the details of five chapters in what is supposed to be simple devotional reflections.

But, I do take away some valuable lessons here:

1.  Nehemiah cares.  He allows his heart to be broken for a community he is no longer a part of.   He's safe and content where he is, but he chooses to set that aside to help others.   I doubt that any leader can achieve true significance without doing the same.    This same concern is reflected in his refusal of pay.  He also distributes food to a large number of people every day from his own personal resources.    In chapter 5 he notes that other rulers before him have taken advantage of the people.

2.  The wall wasn't built by any one group.   All the people worked, and they worked from sun-up until sun-down.   Some families built a few feet, and others built several hundred yards, but everyone did what they could.   The gates they are talking about are about 30 or 40 feet deep, with covered roofs and side rooms.    The wall itself was at least 20 feet thick, with stone on each side and stone and dirt packed on the inside.    In some cases, the homes would be built into the wall, and if there was an attack, the home would be filled with dirt and stone to reinforce the wall.

3.  When the task grew tiresome, attack came on three fronts:   The people where tired and wanted to quit,  the enemies threatened to attack the city in force,  and the people living in outlying areas came crying out in fear that they would be destroyed no matter where they turned.

I feel for Nehemiah here.  He is working as hard as he can, has sacrificed greatly and has taken nothing for himself.  At the same time people begin saying they want to quit. there are others from the community who are trying to make everyone afraid.   Sometimes the fear mongers are hard to love.  You have to consider that they might not be doing it because they are deliberately trying to derail the project.  They may simply be looking for attention, or they could be genuinely afraid...even if the threat isn't as great as they say.     In Nehemiah's case, the threat was very real, and Nehemiah had to take immediate action to bolster the confidence of the people.

4.  (back to before he left for Jerusalem)   Nehemiah prays, then asks the king.  Pray first and pray during.   The real supplier of the need is Jesus, and we need to constantly stay in touch with Him.   He will provide wisdom, and physical and emotional strength.


PR