Get Ready
Nehemiah continues the story of the Israelites’ return to Jerusalem that began in Ezra. Nehemiah actually led the third wave of returning exiles, eighty years after Zerubbabel led the first group. Under his leadership the Jews finally completed the restoration of their temple and city. Now about their hearts . . .
Author
The book of Nehemiah probably had two authors. As we noted in the introduction to Ezra, most scholars believe he compiled both books (as well as Chronicles which is part of the single Hebrew version). But much of Nehemiah is written in the first person, which leads many authorities to suggest that Ezra is the final compiler of this book, but he included some sections from Nehemiah’s personal journal or court record.
The writer probably finished the book during Nehemiah’s second visit to Jerusalem (431-430 BCE.), although it is likely that he had been working on the history since his arrival in Palestine in 458 or 457 BCE.
Context
The exiles had been living and working in Jerusalem for eighty years and Ezra, the priest, had been there thirteen years, when Nehemiah made his first visit. He came, at the direction of Artaxerxes, the Persian king, in response to reports that the rebuilding of the temple and city walls had stalled. He served as the Persian governor until 432 BCE. His leadership and encouragement led to finishing the city wall in two months, in spite of the continuing opposition of the local people (who had been transplanted by the Assyrians when they defeated the Israelites).
Nehemiah also supported Ezra’s ongoing efforts to re-institute proper sacrifice and worship among the Israelites. As in the past this work was successful only some of the time. In fact, when Nehemiah returned to Babylon to report to the king, the Israelites disobeyed many commandments, including the direction to avoid marrying foreigners. One of the priests even built a room for a pagan god in Yahweh’s temple.
Structure
This book is the story of Nehemiah’s work in Jerusalem as the regional governor for the king of Persia. The book has four primary sections:
- The report on rebuilding the city wall, which includes a census of the Israelites who had returned from captivity [chapters 1-7].
- A report on the religious life of the community [chapters 8-10].
- A report on the current population and its secular and religious leaders [chapters 11-12].
- The account of the dedication of the city wall and the religious reforms Nehemiah instituted [chapters 12-13].
This book is also a compilation of what appear to be excerpts from Nehemiah’s personal journal [chapters 1-7 and 11-13] along with (presumably) Ezra’s narrative of the religious renewal led by the two men [chapters 8-10].
Major Themes
Like the previous book, Nehemiah is about return and restoration. The Jews have returned to their “Promised Land” and Jerusalem and have begun to restore the city and the temple. On the spiritual level they must return to following God’s commandments and restore him as the spiritual center and ruler of their lives.
Nehemiah’s opening prayer asks God to remember his promise that if the Jews “return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name,” [1:9].
Nehemiah is an example of three characteristics of a faithful follower of God:
- He is a secular, not a religious leader who seeks and follows God’s direction for his life. He asked Artaxerxes to send him to Jerusalem.
- He follows God’s direction in spite of his circumstances. He led the Jews to complete rebuilding the city wall in two months, even though the local people did their best to delay and stop the work.
- He prays – regularly and often. The book recounts four of his prayers for guidance and support.
The book concludes with Nehemiah’s religious reforms, which stress that the Jews are called by God to be a separate people, obedient to God’s commandments.
Get into the Word
1. What do we know about the writer of this book? Why do scholars think two people were involved? When was the book probably written? What does it have in common with the two (or three) previous books?
2. Why did Nehemiah come to Jerusalem? Who sent him? What is the situation when he arrives? How does he respond to the Jewish people? To the other people living there? What was the result of his efforts?
3. Who else is involved with the people? What project is he leading? How is this work going? What problems have developed? Why do you think this is the case?
4. What are the major sections of this book? Why do you suppose the writer included these activities and not others? What do the activities have in common? How are they different? What sources did the compiler use in the final work?
5. What are the major themes of this book? What are the different aspects of each theme? Which aspect seems more important to Nehemiah? How does his work complement the work of Ezra?
6. What shows Nehemiah to be a true follower of God? How do his practices affect his work with the people? How would these habits work in our lives today? How might they affect our walk with Christ?
Bible Trivia:
In addition to his leadership, Nehemiah was also a good bureaucrat: he kept track of all aspects of the project and the people. Chapter seven records the census of the people: 42,360. It also records the number of slaves, singers, horses, mules, camels and donkeys. Then it lists the gifts that various leaders gave to support the work.
Notes . . .
Preparation and Organization:
Nehemiah shows us that good planning leads to positive results. First, he gets himself appointed by the king so he will have the authority necessary to direct the work. But he doesn’t stop there. He also asks the king for letters: to the governors for safe passage, to an official for wood
for the city gates and his house. Nehemiah also organized the work: each family or group was assigned a specific part of the city’s wall and gates to complete. He also organized the people into security or protection teams when necessary.
24: Ezra summons the people to obey the Law — Nehemiah 8:1-8
Get Ready
Have you ever had another person hinder or frustrate your work on a major project? How did you deal with the situation? How did you deal with the person? Did you try to remove the other person or did you work around the obstacles and try to complete the project?
The Word
8 When the seventh month came — the people of Israel being settled in their towns — all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose. . . . 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, [11 other men], the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places.
8 So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.
The Festival of Booths Celebrated
13 On the second day the heads of ancestral houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to the scribe Ezra in order to study the words of the law. 14 And they found it written in the law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the people of Israel should live in booths during the festival of the seventh month, 15 and that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem as follows, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them, and made booths for themselves, each on the roofs of their houses, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them; for from the days of Jeshua son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the book of the law of God. They kept the festival seven days; and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance. NRSV
Get into the Word:
1. What is happening as this chapter begins? When is this happening? Where is it taking place? Who all is involved in this event?
2. What does Ezra do at the gathering? How long does he do this activity? Where does he do this? Why? What do the people do when he starts? How does Ezra respond to the people? What do they do next?
3. Who else is involved in this activity? What do they do with the people? Why was this necessary [see Notes]?
4. What did the leaders do at the end of the reading? Why do you think the people were weeping? What does he tell them to do? Why is this an appropriate response to the reading?
5. What happened on the next day? Who was involved? What did they discover? How did they react to this discovery? What did the people do? When was the previous celebration? What did they do during that week? How did the celebration end?
Get Personal
How do you deal with setbacks or “speed bumps” in your work? How does God help you to trust him in dealing with difficulties or hindrances?
Notes . . .
8:1 Seventh month — Tishri (mid-September to mid-October) is the beginning of the civil year and the month the law specifies for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Feast of the Tabernacles.
Water Gate — on the east side of Jerusalem near a spring. Interestingly, this reading of the Mosaic Law is quite a ways from the Temple.
Scribe — an important position in the culture because scribes knew how to read (usually several languages) and write (maintaining court and other records) when most people did not. In ancient Israel they would have been the primary interpreters of the Law [as in v. 7]. They also developed the synagogue service as an opportunity to teach people the requirements of the Law.
Book of the Law of Moses — we do not know the contents of this “book” (actually still a set of scrolls at this time) but scholars believe it contained at least Deuteronomy and probably other parts of the Torah.
8:3. Read from it — the context seems to indicate Ezra probably read significant portions of the law (“from early morning until midday”), but not the entire “book.” The ability to read and availability
of written materials was very limited at the time – so official documents were often read aloud in public.
8:5. Stood up — a sign of respect (many modern churches invite people to stand when the Gospel is read).
8:6. Worshipped — the appropriate response to God’s word. Lifting hands and bowing heads are signs of acknowledging God and our relationship with him.
8:7. Understand . . . with interpretation — there are probably two things involved here:
First, most people spoke Aramaic rather than classic Hebrew because of their time in Babylon, so the Levites would actually translate what Ezra was reading into the common language.
Second, the Levites were the experts on the Law so they would give the people the meaning of each point [check 2 Chronicles 17:7-9 for another example of this practice].
8:14. Festival of booths — specified in Leviticus and Deuteronomy to commemorate the Israelites’ time in the wilderness when they lived in tents (also “tabernacles”). The law actually required the men to live in “booths” the entire week.
Memory Verse:
I am doing a great work and cannot come down, [Nehemiah 6:3].
Next Lesson:
Esther 4-5: Esther agrees to help the Jews.
