Nehemiah heard of the situation in Jerusalem. Two parties had returned from exile as we read in the book of Ezra. The situation seemed desperate. The fabulous temple built by Solomon had been destroyed and almost all the occupants from Jerusalem had been taken into exile into Babylon for 70 years. Jerusalem had been condemned to the pages of history. After the 70 years, they were given opportunity to return to their homeland and around 50,000 returned out of the two/three million who had been taken to Babylon, which was a small percentage.
It is thought that this book begins around fifteen years after the book of Ezra ends.
We must remember that Israel, the Promised Land had been promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but that must have seemed a distant memory. Even though they settled in Babylon, many were still following the God of Israel. We can read of some of them in the book of Daniel – Daniel himself, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who all stood firm for their God and had been given positions of importance in the Babylonian Empire, as well as Esther who had been made Queen to King Xerxes (Ahasuerus).
In verses 1-3 in the month of Chislev in the twentieth year of the king’s reign, Nehemiah was in Shushan the citadel. Hanani one of his brethren (possibly his brother) had come from Judah with others, and Nehemiah asked him about what was happening in Jerusalem. He was told that the people were in great distress, the walls were broken down and its gates burned with fire. The state of the people and the walls would have been connected. A city without walls would be vulnerable to attack and infiltration by enemies. Their defences would be non-existent; thus, they would be stressed, in fear for their families. Even the building of the temple would be in jeopardy as thieves could steal from it without a wall for protection. No wonder the people were in distress.
Shushan is another name for Susa. Nehemiah lived there in the citadel, the fortified palace. He was concerned about the people in Jerusalem, for despite his high position in Persia, he was still thinking about his own people who had returned to Jerusalem.
When Nehemiah heard the news, he sat down and wept and mourned for many days with fasting and praying to The LORD Almighty. (v4) He was genuine in his concern, and he was seeking God’s will in humility with a broken heart. This was no half-hearted attempt to show his grief, he sought God’s answer and was willing to be part of it.
His prayer is recorded for us in verses 5-7 – And I said: “I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.”
If you want to do anything you must pray, especially if you want to do anything for God. None of us are capable of doing things without the power of God. Prayer is essential to leadership.
Notice these things in his prayer –
· He recognises who God is. – Great and awesome, who keeps His word.
· Comes to God in humility.
· A God who hears and knows.
· A God who can help.
· He confesses his sin and doesn’t seek to excuse it.
· Persistent – day and night.
Most if not all these things should feature in our prayers.
He continues (v8-11) -“Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer.”
It seems that Nehemiah is reminding God of His promises to Moses, but God doesn’t need reminders. However, I think it is perhaps more correct to say that Nehemiah is reminding himself of God’s promises and using those as requests for God to fulfil them through him. It is good to show that we are identifying in and resting on God’s promises. It also shows that we are aware of them and not trusting in our own strength.
Nehemiah recognises that God had said to Moses that the people must be obedient and if they weren’t then God would scatter them. He remembers that God said that if they return to Him, He will bless them. God does not write us off, He wants us to turn from wickedness to Him. He is a long-suffering God and is easy to forgive and use us for His glory. Nehemiah pleads for God’s mercy and grace even though they have not kept His word. None of us can say that we have been totally faithful, all of us have failed and do not deserve God’s blessing, but God delights in hearing us come to Him in repentance. Nehemiah wants to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness and wants to obey and do God’s will and be used by God to do His work.
He does not ask God to use someone else but to use him and to prosper him as he has the desire to fear God’s name. He does not put the blame on others, he includes himself by saying that ‘both my father’s house and I have sinned.’
