A Study in Nehemiah Week 1

A Study in Nehemiah Week 1 (Get your Bible and follow along as we study.)

Nehemiah OUTLINE:

I. REBUILDING the WALLS,

Chapters 1 — 7

A. Nehemiah’s prayer for remnant at Jerusalem, Chapter 1

B. Nehemiah’s request of the king, return to Jerusalem, and review of ruins of Jerusalem, Chapter 2:1-16

C. Nehemiah’s encouragement to rebuild the walls, Chapter 2:17-20

D. Rebuilding the walls and gates, Chapter 3

E. Nehemiah’s response to opposition, Chapters 4 — 6 
Wall completed, 6:15

F. Nehemiah’s register of people, Chapter 7 (Only 42,360 people, 7,337 servants, and 245 singers returned.  Compare this with the fact that Judah alone had 470,000 warriors [1 Chronicles 21:5].)

II. REVIVAL and REFORM,

Chapters 8 — 13

A. Great Bible reading led by Ezra, Chapter 8

B. Revival — the result, Chapters 9, 10

C. Reform — another result, Chapters 11 — 13

Chapter 1

Verses 1-4 – Nehemiah and Ezra were likely written by the same person. Nehemiah asks some visitors about Jerusalem and learned that the walls and gates are in shambles. He weeps, mourns and fasts and then prays a very simple prayer.

Verses 5-11 – This chapter records  the prayer. “Terrible God” is properly translated “Reverend God.” The word “Reverend” should never apply to a person, it should be applied only to God. Nehemiah confesses (6-7), reminds God of His promises (8-9) and casts himself on the mercy of God (10-11).

Chapter 2

Verses 1- 10 – The cup bearer was the one who tested the king’s drink to ensure that it was not poisoned and was of good quality. King Artaxerxes grants Nehemiah’s request for time off to build the wall and offers him whatever he needs to get the job done.

Verses 11-16 – Nehemiah estimates the size of the job he has undertaken and plans the job ahead. As we will see, he also coordinates and evaluates the job, both as it is being done and when it is finished.

Verses 17-18 – Nehemiah selects key leaders to whom he reveals his plan to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem.

Verse 19 – Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem ridiculed the plans. No doubt they said things like, “Nehemiah, you are over organizing this thing. You should spend your time worshiping God, not doing this unspiritual thing. We’ve never done anything like this before and we shouldn’t be doing it now.” They probably said, “This job is too big and we’re too small in number. We’ll never get the job done.”

Verse 20 – Nehemiah’s answer is brief, but to the point. “The God of Heaven…,” the one who organized all of creation, “…will give us success.”

Many church leaders: pastors, deacons and others, hate the difficult business of carefully thinking through a plan before they implement it. They consider planning to be unspiritual. They feel the same about organization and structure. Somehow, they believe God works by magic or genie-ism (my brand new word).

Anyone who reads anything between Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 22:21 and does not see total organization as one of God’s characteristics needs to go back and take 3^rd grade reading over.

If we organize like God and follow His method of planning, He will enable us to accomplish what He wants done. We cannot skip steps, skimp on planning or coordinating or fail to evaluate as we go and expect Him to let us proceed. We must follow His ways and not our own.