Today’s passage: Nehemiah 3

Helpful thoughts:

• In chapter 3, the description of the building of the wall around Jerusalem begins.
• This chapter serves as an overview, giving the highlight locations and names of people building all the way around.  It starts at the northeast corner and wraps around counter-clockwise.
• Some of the “nobles” would not “stoop” to serve the Lord (Verse 5).  They will also later be shown to be working together with Tobiah, who opposed the work of building back up the wall (6:17-19)

Questions to consider:

1. What insight is given to the orderliness and organization of this project?  Did they just start, every man for himself?  Or would they have had to work together with a mutual understanding and mutual submission?  What do groups of people have to do to see success (Ephesians 4:16)?
2. What is the irony of the nobility’s disinterest in “stooping” so low to serve the Lord?  What would the Lord later do? (John 13:12-14, Philippians 2:8)
3. How are you and how can you work together with your brothers and sisters in Christ to serve and love one another today as Christ builds the church?

Today’s passage: Nehemiah 2

Helpful thoughts:

• The kings of Persia expected their servants to be happy at all times.  Their happiness was considered a direct result of their magnificence in ruling the kingdom.  Nehemiah risked his life in showing his emotion and in making this appeal.
• Nehemiah had certainly prayed much in the last four months (As we see in 1:5-11).  The Lord also heard the short prayer he must have prayed in verse 4.  The Lord hears our long prayers and our short prayers.  Our sincerity is what matters most.
• If Artaxerxes was in the hands of the Lord to do as He pleased, Sanballat didn’t stand a chance.  Verse 18 and verse 20 articulate that truth.

Questions to consider:

1. Though everyone who had been present would have been astonished at the king’s kindness toward Nehemiah that day, who had granted his requests (End of verse 8)?  How does this remind us of the sovereign control of God (Proverbs 21:1)?
2. If Nehemiah was going to set his sights and efforts on doing what was right and pleasing to God, where was he going to have to find his comfort and encouragement?  Was this going to be easy?  Was unanimous support to be expected?  In whom can we take heart as we follow hard after Christ in this world (John 16:33)?

Today’s passage: Nehemiah 1

Helpful thoughts:

• The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were formally considered one book (Sometimes, what we call “Nehemiah” has also been called, “2 Ezra”).  Though there are passages in which Nehemiah gives first person accounts, the book is attributed to Ezra (Ezra often serving as the editor).
  • The events contained in the book and the writing of it would all have been completed before 400 B.C.
• Still in Persia, Nehemiah gets a report from his brother, who had journeyed back to Judah and Jerusalem.  The rebuilding had been thwarted and the people were in distress.
  • Four months would pass from the time Nehemiah received this news to the day he would make his appeal to the king.
• Much like Esther would in the next book of the Bible, Nehemiah realized God had potentially put him in this position of a cup-bearer for “Such a time as this.”
  • As a cup-bearer, Nehemiah would have continually laid his life on the line for the protection of the king of Persia, testing food and drink for poison before the king would partake.  This relationship often developed due to the trust and sacrifice shown.

Questions to consider:

1. What different aspects do you see in Nehemiah’s prayer?  What is he confessing?  What is he requesting?  For whose cause is he pleading?
2. How might God have used Nehemiah’s job leading up to this moment to prepare his heart for what he was about to do?  How would his willingness to sacrifice continue to show itself?  How was this sacrifice a picture of the love of Christ for us (John 15:13)?
3. How could God use your job (Or your studies, relationships in the community, etc.) to show His love and sacrifice to others?  What does working hard and working well do for your testimony and the testimony of Christ?