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- [00:05]
A
Hey, you're listening to A Year in the Bible With Daily Grace. We just finished up the Book of Ezra. We're jumping into the Book of Nehemiah. CJ can you set up the Book of Nehemiah for us?
- [00:15]
B
Yeah. So again, Ezra 1 through 6 was mostly about Temple. Ezra 7 through 10 was mostly about the. The law and reforming the people, and Ezra coming to teach them. Nehemiah 1 through 7 now is going to be focused on the city and the walls of Jerusalem. And then Nehemiah 8 through 12 are also going to be about the law and covenant renewal. And then again, Nehemiah 13 ends in tragedy. So again, this. This portion that we're in now, beginning in Nehemiah is focused on the city of Jerusalem and its walls. So Nehemiah, he's a cup bearer of the king, which means he tastes the wine before the king does to make sure it's not poisoned. So he'll drop dead instead of the king. So he has the king's ear. He has a lot of influence. And this sort of relationship that he has with the Persian king will probably remind us of some of the other characters we've met in the Bible. We think of Joseph and Pharaoh, we think of Daniel and all the Babylonian kings might even think of Esther in her place. And another thing to know is that this is about 13 years, some commentators will say, since the time of Ezra's return. So Ezra and Nehemiah are close, but they're not, you know, exactly the same age or the same. They don't happen at the same time.
- [01:25]
A
Okay, yeah, that's great background information. So let's talk about Today's chapters, Nehemiah 1 through 3.
- [01:31]
B
Great. So Nehemiah learns that the walls of Jerusalem and Jerusalem itself is sort of in disrepair still. And he's in the. He's back in. In Persia or back in Babylon, the same region. And he's sitting there and he. He hears this as people return from Judah, and he breaks down and he's sad. And the king says, why are you so upset? And he explains himself. He says, well, you know, my city, Jerusalem, and my homeland is in disrepair. So Nehemiah prays to the Lord and he cries out to God for his favor. And the king is favorable to Nehemiah and permits him to return and see to some of these problems. After arriving in Judah, Nehemiah then meets opposition as. Just like Ezra did, just like some of the early men did who returned. And he surveys the city, and his main opposition is from a guy named Sanballat which is kind of a funny name to say in English, I guess. And he's a political leader in the region, and his existence is actually confirmed in other ancient sources, not just the Bible, which is pretty interesting. And then some of the people of Judah, despite this opposition, they gathered together to continue their rebuilding efforts and to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls.
- [02:43]
A
Yeah, great. So what do we take away from these first three chapters of the book of Nehemiah?
- [02:49]
B
Yeah, so one thing that jumps out to me is God's providence. And we've talked about this a lot with some of these Old Testament stories, but that really is key in all of them. Nehemiah, who's just a Jewish guy who happens to be the cup bearer of a really important man, ends up being able to use his influence and where he's at to allow God to use him. And I think that's just a really powerful sentiment to all of us and how no matter our station, we can pray to the Lord and hope that he can use us in. In his efforts. And another thing that, that this reminds me of is the idea of humility and humble circumstances and how Nehemiah, he was sort of just a humble man. He just was like, I. I'm praying to the Lord and I pray that something would be done. And this reminds us of the ultimate, humble one who accomplished the ultimate goal in Christ. And I think those are the two things that I come away with.
- [03:41]
A
Yeah, absolutely. I think what I take away from these first three chapters, the word like zeal came to mind when Nehemiah heard that the repairs and the rebuilding were not as far along as maybe he thought they were. He was devastated by it. He allowed it to affect him, and it moved him both in prayer and in action. And he, you know, there was a moment of reflection there for me where I was like, man, am I allowing things that the Lord is zealous for, that he's passionate about to also impact me to the point that I'm praying and acting on it. And so that's a takeaway for me today. All right, thanks for walking us through the first three chapters of Nehemiah. We're talking more and more great.