This narrative begins as Nehemiah hears that the city of Jerusalem is not doing well and has broken down walls and gates destroyed by fire. He is an official in King Artaxerxes's administration and allows the king to see him after he has been heart broken by the news of Jerusalem. The king asks what is wrong, and Nehemiah tells him. The king grants Nehemiah leave and gives him a royal letter granting him safe passage and material help. Upon arrival, Nehemiah secretly surveys the damages and assesses the needs. He then begins to rally the people to rebuild even in spite of an immediate voice of opposition from locals. Chapter three details the various groups and individuals involved and the specific sections of the wall they rebuilt. The enemies of Jerusalem begin to openly mock and seek to discourage the Jews. This escalates to threats and intimidation. The Jews pray and set up a guard. Eventually, they split those who are there in half. Half the men stand guard with weapons drawn while the other half work. Everyone is called to sleep within Jerusalem. Nehemiah encourages the people to trust fully in God.
Nehemiah's next challenge comes from problems within the Jewish community. The wealthy and powerful Jews in the region were oppressing the poor Jews. Nehemiah commands that they cease their exploitation of the people and return their property and the interest charged to them. The wealthy agree to do this. Nehemiah does without his wages and the normal allowance for his expenses as governor of the land to also lighten the burden on the people. He asks for God to remember this.
Outside enemies once again employ various tactics seeking to intimidate and instill fear in the Jews. They even hire a man within the community to act as if he is Nehemiah's friend and claim to have knowledge of an impending attack on Nehemiah, but he does not fall for it. Finally, the wall is finished after 52 days. There are some within the community that have ties to Tobiah, one of Nehemiah's enemies, and they continue to try to influence Nehemiah's perceptions about Tobiah. Nehemiah wants the people to remain vigilant for any attacks. God lays it on his heart to list the exiles who returned to the best of his ability. He does this, and a list is given. There are some priests who want to be listed, but they cannot prove their lineage. Therefore, they are excluded from the priesthood. Many of the leaders give gifts of their own wealth.
Ezra reads the law before the people, and as he is reading it, men are present with Ezra to help and be sure that the people understand it clearly. The people initially weep and grieve as they grasp the law being taught to them, but the leaders correct them and explain this is a holy day. They encourage them to feast, celebrate, and share with those who are without. The next day, they learn about the feast of booths that is proclaimed in the law. They decide to observe the feast of booths. The people join in crying for God's mercy, and the Levites lead the people and seek to acknowledge to God his great faithfulness and their ancestors' stubborn and consistent disobedience. They do this by revisiting their history and many milestones in Israel's past. Finally, they submit a written covenant of repentance to God. Chapter 10 begins with a list of prominent names that signed the covenant, and it goes on to indicate the specific practices that they are pledging to follow through with as they seek to walk in repentance and obedience.
The leaders take it upon themselves to live in Jerusalem, and the people cast lots to pick one in ten from the people to also live there. These people are honored, it seems, because of the higher level of danger to live in the city. A list of Jerusalem's inhabitants is given. A list of priests and Levites is also given. It starts with Zerubbabel and Jeshua who were among the original returning exiles, and it goes from there. The wall of Jeruasalem is dedicated with sacrifices and much loud and joyful celebration. The storerooms for the priestly and Levitical portions of the sacrifices are established. The law of Moses is read, and the Jews choose to separate themselves from foreigners in response to becoming aware that Ammonites and Moabites were never to enter the assembly of God.
Finally, after a time away, Nehemiah discovers many wrongs have taken place upon his return. Eliashib the priest uses what is supposed to be a storage room for the grain, spices, etc. from worhip as a room dedicated to being used by Tobiah, a relative of the priest. Nehemiah throws out Tobiah's possessions and orders the room to be cleansed. The people have not been faithful to bring the portion for the Levites and singers, and they have had to go back to their fields to survive instead of doing their temple duties. He finds people profaning the Sabbath with work and trade, and some people have intermarried. He seeks to correct these wrongs and institute reforms again. The book ends with his request that God remembers all the good he has done for these people.
4 comments:
This is a very good outline of Nehemiah, and very appreciated.
I not sure if it was Nehemiah, or some other person. But, in Daniel chapter 9 there is a prophesy about Jesus. The angel gives a countdown for when the Messiah will come. The stop-watch starts with the rebuilding of the temple/city, I think. It's the passage that talks about seven sevens are appointed for your people.
Yep. I've got some awesome info on that particular prophecy some time. I'll have to dig it up. It is mind boggling to me how devout Jews can justify not being pursuaded by this alone. The math on it is amazing. The short version is a very specific announcement of rebuilding + the addition of the number of years listed in this prophecy from that year is smack in the middle of the gospel account. Boo ya!
20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[e]
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.[k]”[l]
The above is from Daniel 9. The decree went forth in approximately 444 B.C. and the 69 "7's" is 483. This places the fulfillment of the "anointed one" smack during the approximate time of the gospels and Jesus. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in 70 AD, soon after the crucifixion. Most Biblical scholars I've read believe that there is a separation between the 69th and 70th "7". This is a secondary part of the prophecy and one that is more unclear to us, but the first part seems to be astonishingly accurate and spot on historically speaking with the events that played out.
The "decree" spoken of was one of the decrees to rebuild given by one of the Persian leaders just after Daniel's life was over.
Just to clarify. :)
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