Maple St. Church of Christ

OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

The 16 th book of the Old Testament is one of the most interesting and appealing. It tells the story
of an Israelite named Nehemiah- a man of uncompromising conviction in God, a champion of
courage amid great obstacles, a man who knew the secret of combining the practical with the
spiritual, and above all else a leader. Nehemiah did what those who opposed said could not be
done and he did it in 52 days.
This book takes place in the period of the Old Testament which we know as the return from
captivity. Judah had been taken captive to Babylon and had served there for 70 years. Persia has
conquered Babylon and Judah is serving them. The year is about 445 BC and Artaxerxes I was
in the 20 th year of his reign over Persia. The restored remnant of the Jews had now been back in
their homeland for over 90 years. Zerubbabel and his contemporaries were now dead, and
another generation had taken their place. What had happened during those 90 years (or had not
happened) form the backdrop for Nehemiah.
The new temple had been built (inferior to the original). The pleading and prodding of the
prophets Haggai and Zechariah have motivated the people to get this done. Zerubbabel had led
the first group back into the land with the idea of restoring the temple. Ezra had led the second
group back and worship had been restored to some degree. Work was left to do with both Ezra
and Nehemiah (who was the third to lead a group from Judah back to rebuild the walls.
Ezra comes into the picture about finds moral and spiritual conditions far from what God would
have them to be. The people had intermarried with their idolatrous neighbors and left
unchecked, it would only be a matter of time before idolatry would infiltrate and jeopardize
future generations as a distinct people for God. Ezra was both a priest and a scribe. He was a
man with a heart to serve and one who felt deeply the distress of the people who were in sin. He
calls them to order morally and spiritually. While Zerubbabel puts the finishing touches on the
temple, Ezra begins his work of restoring the hearts of the people themselves. He does this
through the proclamation of the Words of the Lord. The law is stressed and also the necessity of
love and respect for it and who gave it.
12 years after Ezra leads some more back, the circumstances are still far from what they should
be. While it should have been that 70 years of captivity should have removed the idolatry and
the danger of it from the hearts of the people, many had become satisfied with their way of life in
bondage. Haggai tells us they are diverted from building the house of the Lord and the walls, to
taking care of their own affairs and feathering their own personal nests. God and His ways are
not a priority.
The walls of Jerusalem and its gates are still in ruins, the poor are being exploited by the rich,
and there had been a general laxness about keeping the Sabbath. SO, Nehemiah leads the third
phase of the return.

Three Groups Taken Captive
606- 2 Kings 24:1-2
597- 2 Kings 24:10-16
Three Groups Return
536- led by Zerubbabel
456- led by Ezra
445- led by Nehemiah
Nehemiah’s objective was the rebuilding of the city walls. Ezra falls into two sections (restoring
the temple and restoring the worship). Nehemiah will fall into two groups also (restoring of the
walls and the reconstruction of the People).
So, in these two books there is the restoration of the temple, the worship, the walls, and the
people.
Nehemiah is in the court of the king of Persia and he hears a story about the city of Jerusalem
and its walls lying in a rubble. He is a trusted servant of the king (as his cupbearer), and the king
notices his distress and asks what is wrong. Nehemiah tells him and the king (a heathen) tells
him to go back to his city and get the work done that needs to be done. The Persian king also
provides what is needed to get this job done.
The Outline for Nehemiah is as follows:
The Reconstruction of the walls: Section One
Nehemiah’s intercession – Chapter 1
Nehemiah’s expedition- Chapter 2:1-16
Nehemiah’s Exhortation- Chapter 2:17-20
Rebuilding Attempted- Chapter 3
Rebuilding Obstructed- Chapter 4-6
Rebuilding Completed- Chapter 6
The Reconstruction of the people- Section 2
Re- registration of the Remnant- chapter 8
Re-consecration of the people-chapter 9-10
Re-population of the city-Chapter 11

Re-dedication of the walls- Chapter 12
Re-extermination of the Abuses- Chapter 13
SPIRITUAL MESSAGE:
The great message Nehemiah sends to the people and shows by his active involvement, is that
there can be no success without working. There is no opportunity without opposition.
Whenever, God’s people say, “let us rise up and build” (Neh. 2:18) the enemies say- “let us rise
up and oppose.” It will take great zeal, dedication, tenacity, and love for what is right to get this
task done. Nehemiah is able to rally the people to all of these things. There can be no triumph
without trouble becomes very obvious. Today we must realize the same thing. Those who say
there is no works involved with the attaining of final salvation in heaven, need to read this book.
Rom. 15:4 says that the things written before are written for us to learn something from. Faith is
the victory that overcomes the world, but there can be no victory without vigilance and no crown
to wear without a cross to bear. Nehemiah is able to rally the people to great faith which shows
itself in the works they produce.
REFLECTIONS ON GOD’S MAN FOR THE MOMENT- NEHEMIAH
If there ever was a man to match the task, it was Nehemiah. He stands out as a man of prayer, a
man of faith, a man of courage, and a man of action. One writer observes of Nehemiah- “he was
intensely spiritual, perfectly natural, and thoroughly practical.”
While it is true that Nehemiah makes the story recorded, it is equally true that the story makes
the an. Many times, dangers, peril and troubles bring us to our finest hours and bring out our
best qualities. The things that at the moment seem to be breaking us, in reality (if we come
through them with God) are making us. Let’s look at Nehemiah from Three capacities he
demonstrates.
NEHEMIAH THE CUPBEARER- 1-2:10
He was the cupbearer for the king of the Persian Empire, Artaxerxes. This was a trusted and
prestigious position. He and the king had daily contact. If Nehemiah could serve God among the
Pagan Persians in their palace, we can serve God in a world filled with sin. It is possible for
righteous people to succeed without compromising. It may cost us dearly in this life, but
Nehemiah shows us it is possible to put God first wherever you are. His honorable character
and trustworthiness coupled with his ability actually contribute to his success and the trust the
king has in him.
Nehemiah hears bad news (1:2-3). Word arrives that his countrymen are in dire straits because
the walls and the city are in disrepair (making them vulnerable to the enemies around them.
Walls and gates may seem trivial to us, but they were essential elements at that time for the
safety of people.

Nehemiah’s immediate response is weeping and a prayer of confession to God (that he includes
himself in (1:4-11. He could have remained in his position of ease in the king’s palace…yet, he
chooses to step up and help lead in restoring Judah and its capital city, to wholeness again. Note
he is not a prophet, a scribe, or a priest. He is just a regular citizen of Judah, who cares enough
to do the small (or great) things he is able to do. He has no special training for this job (he is a
cupbearer), but he is ready to do God’s bidding. Be sure to read his petition to God in 2:1-8.
NEHEMIAH THE WALL-BUILDER- 2:11-6:19
Armed with royal authority from Persia and God’s approval, Nehemiah sets off on a three-
month journey to Jerusalem. In 2:17-20- he takes a midnight rise around the city to inspect and
identify the problems and the severity of them. He does this to escape notice of those who might
oppose, and he also, doubtless raised the curiosity of others. After this is done, read 2:17-20:
Nehemiah says to the people- “come let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem” The RESPONSE
FROM THE PEOPLE- “Let us rise up and build.” THE RESULT- “so they put their hand to the
good work.”
The work starts after Nehemiah organizes the people into shifts and gives each group a section
they are responsible for. Every knows what they need to do and all have a vested interest in the
task. Often today, we fail in our efforts spiritually because we have no plan and no organization-
just great ideas! Each man knew his place and what he was to do. We would do well to learn
from this in our work in the Lord’s church today.
Work begins and opposition rises (it makes Satan mad when the righteous are doing God’s work
and he steps up his efforts to discourage and oppose. But the enemy here has not met or dealt
with anyone like Nehemiah (2:19-20)
OPPOSITION FROM WITHOUT (2:19; 4:1-3). How did Nehemiah meet and answer the
scoffing of Sanballat and Tobiah? See 4:4-6- He just kept on building and praying. This is the
best way to overcome ridicule. As the walls rose higher the ridicule and scorn of these two and
others, began to become embarrassing (for them). Ridicule will come to God’s people when they
do what is right but “keep on building and do not be taken off task.”
In 4:7-23- the ridicule of these gives way to force. Taunts become threats and sneers become
plots. Isn’t it amazing that mutual enemies can become mutual friends when it comes to uniting
against God and his people and the work they do? Sounds strangely like the Pharisee and
Sadducees against Jesus and His church. What was Nehemiah’s response (vs 9 and 17), keep
building but be ready for war (a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other). He also prayed-
set up a guard and kept on working. This is what we must do today. Too often we shrivel at
conflict and get nervous and come off our wall and the building stops as we cower in our closets.
Satan chases many off so easily. Nehemiah teaches us what it looks like to “resist the devil and
he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

After Satan has exhausted his ridicule and force and been defeated, he does not give up. He
brings out perhaps one of his best tools to destroy the righteous (COMPROMISE) (6:1-14).
The compromise proposal from the enemies of this project come in 4 stages:
First, PRETENSE, 6:2. Nehemiah sees through their hypocrisy (vs. 3). The enemy sees the
success of the project and feigns that they want to get along and make a treaty. They want the
work to stop while they do diplomacy and come to a compromise. Nehemiah will have none of
that. He replies- “I am doing a great work and cannot come down to the Plains of Ono to talk
with you” We need to observe that a good letting alone will run away compromise. Now they do
not want to stop the project (they say) they want to “get along with everyone.” Nehemiah sees
through this and does not entertain this idea for one moment. They are not sincere. Compromise
with evil will only lead to our fall.
Second, BLUFFING (6:5-9). They say that a charge has been lodged with the king against
Nehemiah and the Jews. Nehemiah flatly denies this and renews his prayers and continues to
work.
Third, they try TRICKERY (deception) 6:10-14). They bribe prophets in order to trick
Nehemiah into losing his credibility with the people. He overcomes this through Honesty and
prayers (6:11,14). They cannot stop the project and work, so they get personal and go after the
man. This is a tactic that has been used over and over, and Satan will continue to use it among us
in the Lord’ church today.
FINALLY, they try FAMILY PRESSURE (6:17-19). Tobiah had become son-in-law to one of
Israel’s leaders and had gained a following. Not only that, but his son had taken a Jewish wife,
and there was a growing clique in her family and in Jerusalem. Tobiah was causing Israel to
forsake their moral and spiritual duties. Blood was becoming thicker than God’s Word.
Many times, the same issues come up and family issues bleed over into the church. All too often
we honor our relatives and friendships more than we do the Lord and His ways. Jesus warned us
about this when he told us we cannot love relatives more than we do Him (Matt. 10:37).
OPPOSITION FROM WITHIN:
Satan and evil will always have influence on a few who are weak. Then he will use them to do
their destructive deeds if he cannot succeed from without.
1. Discouragement (4:10) Earlier Sanballat had referred to the walls as “heaps of rubbish
(4:2). This had to be discouraging and it also shows that the work that was being done,
had to be back-breaking.
2. Fear (4:11-14- Word spread of a surprise attack planned by the enemies. Fear began to
grip some workers. They were few and Sanballat’s army was many. Nehemiah did 3
things to combat the fear. 1. Look to God (4:14,20) 2. look to each other (4:13-14 3. Be

ready (4:18). Look at the New Testament parallels in Eph. 6:10-20 as we put on the
whole armor of God so we can stand.
3. Greed (5:1-13). With the workers constantly busy on the walls, their families were
suffering financially. As a result, several greedy opportunists arose and took advantage in
order to become wealthy at the expense of the poor.
Some were unable to feed families- vs. 2 others were not able to keep land (vs 3); others
could not pay taxes (4). Jerusalem was hit with an economic depression. Nehemiah
confronts this by CONFRONTING THE OFFENDERS (7); APPEALS TO THEM (v 8-
11) The guilty admit their guilt and make restitution (12-13). Also, Nehemiah provides
help from his own funds to get folks over them initial challenge. Another setback
overcome and the building continues (6:15).

NEHEMIAH THE GOVERNOR- 7-13.
Security precautions (7:1-3)
Population problems (7:4; 11:1-34). Big work would call for many workers. Nehemiah
casts lots and bring one family in every ten of the Judean population outside Jerusalem to
live inside the rebuilt walls.
8-10- The Watergate Revival (8-10). The people have a great attitude (8:1-8)
They are attentive-concentration (3) They stood – respectful (5) cried amen-Approval-
they lifted their hands (showing dependence)-6; They bowed low- humility; they
worshipped the Lord (reverence).
Nehemiah knew his job was not finished. He looked beyond the stones and mortar to the
hearts of the people needs.
LESSON- How many times do God’s people do what seems impossible to meet certain
physical needs, they give save, work and borrow to construct a building and sacrifice
greatly to do so, and then sit back in it, congratulate one another and forgot why they
built it. They forget about the spiritual work of teaching, baptizing and filling the
building with should that have been lost. Nehemiah did not quit after the physical work
was done. We dare not either!
WHAT SPIRITUAL RENEWAL IS ALL ABOUT: 8
An Appeal made to the INTELLECT. Make sure you know the will of the Lord. The
people were on fire to hear the reading of the law and the giving of the sense and
meaning of the passages (3). Are we hungry and thirsty to hear the truth? Do we
consider it an event? All too often we are lax in our study, worship and prayers.

After their minds were stimulated with knowledge it had to affect their emotions. They
were very zealous (9) and then taking things to heart, they changed their will. They
confessed their unfaithfulness (9:2-3)- they prayed to God (9:5ff)- entered into a
voluntary covenant to do God’s will (chapter 10).
THE DEDICATION OF THE WALL- 12:27-47. Think of all the struggles Nehemiah
faced along with the people. Now he stands before them with a spiritually renewed
people. (12:43).
THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE (CHAPTER 13). We continue to see Nehemiah’s
zeal for the Lord’s work. In 4-6- he returns to Jerusalem and finds new troubles. He will
not tolerate Tobiah’s stuff in the temple (vs. 7-9) He throws it out and plucks out
Tobiah’s beard for his presumptive sins. Nehemiah will not tolerate self-indulgence at
the expense of service to God (13:10-14). He will not tolerate dishonor to the Sabbath
and condemns those who are putting business before worship (15-22). And like Ezra, he
will not tolerate mixed marriages (vs 23-31).
Nehemiah was a one of a kind it seems. But he need not be. We can follow his example
in leadership- love for God- reverence for His ways-zeal for the great work- tenacity and
faith-respect for God’s law and militance in taking offense when people abuse the ways
of the Lord.
You cannot help but be amused when you see him throwing Tobiah’s things out of the
temple…pulling beards out…and chasing the young man who had become Sanballat’s
son-in-law out of the temple. He would not tolerate self-indulgence over service to God
not would he tolerate dishonor to the Sabbath.
Nehemiah was a clear-seeing, plain-spoken, brave-dealing and GOD HONORING man.
8 times he was faced with immediate crises and 8 times he responds in prayer.
Folks said it could not be done, but Nehemiah and God got it done. One man with God is
a majority anywhere they go. We would do well to remember (Rom. 8:31). The work
was not easy and it was not without opposition. Yet as one writer put it, with a sword in
one hand and a trowel in the other he led the people to do this great work in record time
brick by brick.
The walls of the Lord’s work need workers today. God help us in our work to watch for
enemies, but move forward with evangelism to guard the flock and increase its number,
by loving the souls of men more than ourselves and our comforts. LET US RISE UP
AND BUILD- GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US. ---Much of the material is from various
sources too numerous to list. (sermons over 50 years, Explore the Book and various
commentaries and class materials). We pray this material will help you in your Bible
study.

<< Back