NEHEMIAH---REPAIRING THE RUINS
INTRODUCTION
1. The book of Nehemiah is a sequel to the book of Ezra.
A. Ezra speaks of the rebuilding of the temple.
B. Nehemiah speaks of the rebuilding of the wall around the city of Jerusalem.
C. Nehemiah is a personal narrative, the first two chapters giving us a purely personal sketch that describes the circumstances that led to his being the director of all the
transactions connected with the rebuilding of the wall.
2. Nehemiah was appointed by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, to be the governor of Jerusalem and received permission to rebuild the walls. (2:1-8)
A. Artaxerxes’ stepmother was Esther the Queen, the Jewess, who was responsible for saving the Jews from annihilation. (See book of Esther.)
B. It may have been that Nehemiah received his appointment through her influence.
C. He reached Jerusalem in 445 B.C., twelve to thirteen years after Ezra.
3. Though the temple had been rebuilt, and the people had built homes for themselves, the city could not be considered fully established until the walls were erected. (The walls of ancient cities were very important. A city was not considered autonomous unless it had walls sufficient for its protection. If Jerusalem was to be a major city once again it must have its walls rebuilt.)
4. Where Ezra can be described as a man of the Word, it is easy to mark Nehemiah as a man of prayer. His example of a life of prayer for all and any circumstance is certainly worth copying and studying.
A. Though he enjoyed considerable leisure and position, he sorrowed over the sad state of Zion. (1:4)
B. He was a man full of self-denying labor for the cause of God. (2:5)
C. He was a man able to inspire others to work (2:17,18) as well as work himself. (4:23)
D. He was a man with a glorious conception of the sacredness and nobility of work for God. To leave the work he was engaged in, even to meet the great ones of the district, he considered to be a “coming down”. (6:3)
E. He was man undismayed and undisturbed by opposition from without and within.
F. He was a man who was willing to give God all the credit and glory for anything and everything he was able to accomplish. (2:12; 7:5)
G. He was “a man of patriotism and courage - fearless, enthusiastic, and enterprising, a man of prayer and hard work, and one who feared God and sought His blessing. His character is without blot.” --Lee
AUTHOR: Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah (1:1)
1. Cupbearer to the king, Artaxerxes (1:11; 2:1)
2. Governor (Tirshatha) of Judah (5:4; 8:9; 10:1)
DATE
1. Of coverage: about 12 years, the period of Nehemiah’s governorship, from about 444-432 B.C.
2. Of writing: probably shortly after the end of his term of office.
CIRCUMSTANCES
1. Ezra had returned to Jerusalem about 13 years earlier. (Ezra 7:7,8; Neh. 2:1)
2. The remnant in Jerusalem was in great affliction and under much reproach. (1:3)
3. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates burned.
A. This had happened about 150 years before when Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon and Judah was carried away captive.
B. The Jews had been back home for about 100 years, but had made no attempt to build Jerusalem beyond the restoration of the temple.
THEME: Rebuilding the wall (1:3; 2:13,15,17; 4:1,6)
KEY PASSAGES: 4:6; 6:15,16
MESSAGES
1. The need for self-denial in the worker (2:5)
2. “There is no winning without working and warring. There is no opportunity without opposition. There is no ‘open door’ set before us without there being ‘many adversaries’ to obstruct our entering it. Whenever the saints say, ‘Let us ariese and build’, the enemy says, ‘Let us arise and oppose’. There is no triumph without trouble. There is no victory without vigilance. There is a cross in the way to every crown that is worth wearing.” --J. S. Baxter
3. The need of separation from evil (2:20; 13:3,30)
4. The delight of serving the Lord with all our might and strength (4:23)
5. The need for consecrated people who are excited about the possibilities of serving the Lord (4:6) Translation: “The heart of the people was excited to work”.
6. PRAYER, PAIN AND PERSEVERANCE PRODUCE A PERFECT PRODUCT.
OUTLINE
I. RECONSTRUCTING THE PORTALS (1-7)
A. The prayer (1)
B. The place (2)
C. The plans (3)
D. The problems (4-5)
E. The prize (6)
F. The poll (7)
II. REINSTRUCTING THE PEOPLE (8-13)
A. The work of consecration (8-10)
1. The conviction (8)
2. The confession (9)
3. The covenant (10)
B. The work of consolidation (11-13)
1. How it was commenced (11-12:26)
2. How it was completed (12:27-13)
NOTES ON THE WALLS
The third chapter of Nehemiah is the historical account of how the walls were restored and ten of the twelve gates repaired. At first glance this may seem to be a dry historical record, but a closer look discloses a line of spiritual truth that is most profitable. The lesson these gates convey to us is one of progress in the Christian’s life.
1. The Sheep Gate (3:1) - the gate through which the lambs were brought that were used for sacrifice. This brings forth the great basic truth of salvation: that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin. (John 1:29)
2. The Fish Gate (3:3) - was on the same wall as the Sheep Gate and was next in line. It marked the entrance to the market where the people bought their fish. The Fish Gate suggests the Christian’s testimony and witness which follows immediately upon salvation. (Matt. 4:19)
3. The Old Gate (3:6) - identified as the “Corner Gate” in II Chron. 26:9. Christ is the cornerstone or capstone of all that pertains to our spiritual life. (Psa. 118:22) The Corner Gate reminds us that we need to be established in Christ and the Word.
4. The Valley Gate (3:13) - the spiritual lesson suggested in this gate is that of humility. Once Christ and the Word are given the proper place in our lives, as we saw in the Corner Gate, humility will be the normal response on our part. (James 4:10)
5. The Dung Gate (3:14) - the refuse of the city of Jerusalem was carried out through the Dung Gate and disposed of. The application to us is that there must be a place for the disposing of all the refuse that accumulates from the self-life and the disposing of the self-life itself. (Luke 9:23)
6. The Fountain Gate (3:15) - speaks of the place of filling. We are to be filled with the fullness of the Lord. We are admonished to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The filling at the Fountain Gate can only be known after we have experienced the emptying at the Dung Gate. (Eph. 5:18)
7. The Water Gate (3:26) - speaks to us of the Word of God as the means of spiritual cleansing. (Eph. 5:26; Psa. 119:9) It is significant that in Nehemiah’s day the Water Gate did not need repairing. It is our lives that require repairs. The Word of God is established forever.
8. The Horse Gate (3:28) - a horse in Scripture almost always speaks of warfare. Having passed through the other gates in the progression we are now ready to be of useful service to the Lord. It is at this point that the warfare begins. (Eph. 6:10-17)
9. The East Gate (3:29) - faced toward Mt. Olivet which is associated with the Lord’s ascension and Second Coming. The East Gate speaks of His return and our need to believing in its expectation daily. (I John 3:2,3)
10. The Gate of Ephraim (8:16) - the subject matter connected with this gate is the Feast of Tabernacles (see. Lev. 23:33-44 and Bible Study notes on Leviticus). It was a reminder of how God led the people out of Egypt and how they had lived in the desert in tents. It speaks to us of the fact that we are strangers and pilgrims on earth, and that the world is not our permanent home. (Heb. 11:13-16)
11. The Prison Gate (3:25) - received its name from the fact that prisoners were led through it. Reminds us that we are to give ourselves completely to Him as His willing prisoners. (Philemon 1; Eph. 3:1)
12. The Gate of Hammiphkad (3:31) - this is the gate where the Judges sat in a court of private judgments, not criminal cases. It was to such a court that Boaz came to redeem Ruth. It was a place of review (the meaning of the word), and thus speaks of the Judgment Seat of Christ, and the rewards for works done for the Lord by the believer. (II Cor. 5:10)