Report from Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1:1-11
- THE BUILDING OF THE WALL, Nehemiah 1:7-7:73
- The Expedition of Nehemiah to Jerusalem, Neh_1:1-11; Neh_2:1-20
1. What was the cause of Nehemiah’s grief?
REPORT FROM JERUSALEM
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year [of the Persian king], as I was in the capitol of Susa,
Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them about the surviving Jews who had escaped and survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.
They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its [fortified] gates have been burned (destroyed) by fire.”
NEHEMIAH’S PRAYER
Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying [constantly] before the God of heaven.
And I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,
please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You, day and night, on behalf of Your servants, the sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob), confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against You; I and my father’s house have sinned.
We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. [Deu_6:1-9]
Please remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful and violate your obligations to Me I will scatter you [abroad] among the peoples; [Lev_26:33]
but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered are in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen for My Name to dwell.’ [Deu_30:1-5]
Now they are Your servants and Your people whom You have redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.
Please, O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to [reverently] fear Your Name [Your essence, Your nature, Your attributes, with awe]; and make Your servant successful this day and grant him compassion in the sight of this man [the king].” For I was cupbearer to the king [of Persia].
Though living in luxury, in the winter palace of the Persian kings, Nehemiah’s heart was keenly sensitive to all that affected his people. But he turned from tears to prayer, from man to God. Oh, that we could cry and sigh for the rents and breaches in the Church of God. We should deal much more successfully with men, if, like Nehemiah, we dealt more largely with God. Gordon used to say that he had met and conquered his enemies before he saw them. This prayer of Nehemiah’s is very beautiful, saturated as it is with quotations from Scripture, and so effective with God, because based on His own Word. It was steeped in tears of contrition for sin, and offered without ceasing day and night. Nor was it solitary, for there seems to have been a little band of others united with him, Neh_1:11. Lord, teach us to pray thus, till others are found kneeling with us. Here is a good petition for us as we go forth to our daily calling, in which so much depends on the attitude of our fellow-men. Prosper thy servant this day and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.
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