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:
- What different aspects do you see in Nehemiah’s prayer? What is he confessing? What is he requesting? For whose cause is he pleading?
- 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)?
- 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?