seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said:
“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
I was cupbearer to the king.
I've cried over the lost. That's what Nehemiah is doing..... there is no hope.... Jesus isn't on Earth yet.... there's God and there's stupid humans.... the stupid humans are in trouble.... and Nehemiah is crying over the lost. When I prayed for the lost.... it was for those people who caught their last breath without knowing it was the last when the first plane hit the twin towers on September 11.... and that "one more second" that they thought they had was gone. These stupid humans Nehemiah is mourning over... they're still alive and God can save them.... Nehemiah is just doing for them... what they are too stupid to do for themselves.... Nehemiah is talking to God.
Bible.org says Nehemiah was going to be useful to God.
Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in 444 B.C., about 13 years after Ezra had returned there. He was a great leader whom God used to pull off a phenomenal feat: he instilled a vision in God’s remnant in Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city. In spite of much opposition and numerous hurdles, they accomplished the task in just 52 days. The temple had been rebuilt for about 70 years, but the walls that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed in 586 B.C. were still in ruins, leaving the city defenseless against enemy attacks. As we saw in Ezra 4:11-23, an attempt at rebuilding the walls had been made a few years before. But when some Samaritans and other pagan residents of the land had complained, Artaxerxes issued a decree to stop the project, which these enemies had done with force of arms.
In November/December, 444 B.C., Nehemiah was serving as cupbearer to this same Artaxerxes at his winter capital in Susa when he had a life-changing conversation with his brother, Hanani, and some other men who had just come from Jerusalem. Nehemiah inquired about the condition of the city and the people. They responded, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire” (1:3).
Nehemiah knew most of these facts before this. The wall and gates had been destroyed over 140 years before. But this graphic firsthand description of the scene by Nehemiah’s brother, including the news of things after the ban by Artaxerxes, devastated Nehemiah. He wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed for days, entreating God to do something about these deplorable conditions. God responded by doing something—through Nehemiah! We learn that …
The person God uses has a burden for His people, a vision for His purpose, and a commitment to His purpose.
Bibletrack.org has some wild stuff... that might be interesting to watch.....
The Book of Nehemiah: it's not just history!
What's the big deal about Nehemiah? Well, here's the significance of these events. The Book of Ezra records the decree from the Persian King Cyrus and the resulting completion of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. However, the city at this point has not been restored; the walls around the city are a mess. The Book of Daniel contains a prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 (see notes)which covers a number of issues, but the one we are most interested in here is the decree to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.Daniel 9:25 says, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." That term "weeks" is translated from a Hebrew word (shaw-boo´-ah) which means a group of seven. So, here's where we are: Daniel 9:25 says that the time that lapses between the decree that actually results in the rebuilding of Jerusalem until the Messiah's coming will be (7x7)+(60x7)+(2x7)=483. "483 what?" you ask. Well, the decree went out in Ezra 7:7-28 (see notes) in 457 B.C. to rebuild the city. However, twelve years later the project had stalled; the walls had not been rebuilt - worked on, yes, but not completed. Nehemiah gets the project back on track, and by the time we finish reading Nehemiah, the task is complete. That being the case, according to Daniel 9:25, 483 units of something will pass from the issuing of the decree until the coming of the Messiah. It just so happens that 483 years passed between that decree in Ezra 7 and the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. Here's the really astounding part: Daniel's prophecy was issued over 100 years before these events in Ezra and Nehemiah even begin to take place. How's that for useful prophecy?
What's the big deal about Nehemiah? Well, here's the significance of these events. The Book of Ezra records the decree from the Persian King Cyrus and the resulting completion of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. However, the city at this point has not been restored; the walls around the city are a mess. The Book of Daniel contains a prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 (see notes)which covers a number of issues, but the one we are most interested in here is the decree to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.Daniel 9:25 says, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." That term "weeks" is translated from a Hebrew word (shaw-boo´-ah) which means a group of seven. So, here's where we are: Daniel 9:25 says that the time that lapses between the decree that actually results in the rebuilding of Jerusalem until the Messiah's coming will be (7x7)+(60x7)+(2x7)=483. "483 what?" you ask. Well, the decree went out in Ezra 7:7-28 (see notes) in 457 B.C. to rebuild the city. However, twelve years later the project had stalled; the walls had not been rebuilt - worked on, yes, but not completed. Nehemiah gets the project back on track, and by the time we finish reading Nehemiah, the task is complete. That being the case, according to Daniel 9:25, 483 units of something will pass from the issuing of the decree until the coming of the Messiah. It just so happens that 483 years passed between that decree in Ezra 7 and the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. Here's the really astounding part: Daniel's prophecy was issued over 100 years before these events in Ezra and Nehemiah even begin to take place. How's that for useful prophecy?
So, as you read Nehemiah, keep this in mind: Satan respects prophecy; he believes prophecy; he does not want the countdown to the Messiah to begin. Satan's mission in Nehemiah is to STOP THAT WALL FROM BEING BUILT. Satan knows what a fully-rebuilt wall means, so obviously he's bent on stopping it's completion. And that's what Nehemiah is all about.
Well... this could get interesting. Nehemiah's going to rebuild a wall.