An exposition on the book of Nehemiah
Desert Light Christian Church
February 22, 2020
Eric Villanueva
Boundaries: An Exposition of Nehemiah 1, February 23, 2020
The book of Nehemiah begins with, “The words of Nehemiah.” The name, Nehemiah comes from 2 Hebrew words: Nacham, the the first word, and the other Ya, for Yahweh. Nacham, is a strong OT word picture of breathing deeply, a picture of strong emotion. As a musician who plays many instruments, depending upon what the song is, Nacham has many meanings depending upon what the context is. It means God “grieved” (that he made people) in Genesis 6:6-7, or “regret” in 1 Samuel 15:11 (He regretted He made Saul King), “Moved to pity” in Judges 2:18, “deep comfort” in Psalm 23:4, “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me,” and Isaiah 40:1, “Comfort oh my people.” Nacham represents a strong gut feeling that makes someone do something, “deeply moved” to do so. It especially goes with really bad news.
Nehemiah, the man with the name, “Yahweh’s gut feeling” heard bad news of his country of origin, Israel, how Jerusalem’s walls were torn down 764.5 miles away. Surrounded by enemies, 444bc’s version of Palestinians, the people were in shame. Bandits entered the city and plundered people’s homes and businesses. No walls kept them out. The bad news tore him up, deeply moved, like his name, to do something. Boundary walls were necessary in the ancient Middle East. Spiritually, we need boundaries in our lives. Lack of boundaries invites lack of respect. When boundaries are down, bad things enter. Addictions, co-dependency, promiscuity, taking advantage, verbal or other abuse, and we let sin in our lives. The devil said he couldn’t mess with Job because God put a hedge boundary, (Job 1:10). No boundaries make us vulnerable to our weaknesses, others’ malice, and even to the devil. When boundaries are down, it’s bad news. Nehemiah did something about the bad news. In chapter 1 he began by taking it to God first. Pray about bad news, expect an answer, and maybe you’ll be the answer. But always pray before doing.
1 . The Walls are Down, Nehemiah feels it deeply (verses 1-4).
1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, (that would be in November-December) in the twentieth year (of Artaxerxes), as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah.
Susa was the winter capital of the world power, Persia. The text gives no specifics if they were born in the old homeland, once lived there, or Hanani just visited.
And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
Ancient times or today, people need boundaries. Walls kept cities safe from outsiders who’d terrorize and steal from the citizens. The modern state of Israel does that now. We don’t have city walls, but fences, locked doors, alarms, and police. The wall was like a police force and the gate a check in point so that any outsiders entering had to identify themselves and state their purpose for entering the city.
4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah’s name fit. He felt God’s grief for the city. This happens to followers of Jesus. A person walks with God, sometimes there’s “the burden of the Lord” that causes prayer and a fast. The prayer of chapter 1 is 1st of 13 prayers in the book
2 . It’s All about God
5 And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, When Nehemiah prayed He praised God’s nature and character, called Him by name (LORD is Yahweh), said He’s God of the universe, and not just a petty local deity.
In a scene from the 2012 Avengers film, the hulk confronts the alien bad guy Loki, who is trying to make the whole human race worship him. As Hulk approaches him Loki declares, “I’m a god!” Hulk’s large green hand reaches out and grabs the self-proclaimed god by the ankles and he slams Loki’s head to the floor, repeatedly, left and right and says, “puny god!” The God of the Bible is in no way puny. His very nature and name, “I am what I am” must leave room for majesty and mystery. Nehemiah, with the title, “God of heaven, the great and awesome,” declared Him powerful and by his words, “God who keeps covenant and steadfast love” that He is kind enough to answer. Nehemiah put a tag on himself as the one praying, and confessed love and obedience. His burden came from his love for God and a serious walk with God. God is grace, and His throne we may approach boldly; it’s a throne of grace, not works (Hebrews 4:16) but those who seriously serve Him pray His burdens also, not just their own needs. That’s the meaning of “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).
3 . Pray off the Pain
6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.
One with God’s burden grieves over one’s own sin, their people’s, and pray for mercy in such misery of sin. Because of sin, our lives have pain, and those who have connected with God’s burden feel God’s heart for human brokenness, even for large masses of humanity. Missionaries pray for nations they serve. St. Francis Xavier had God’s burden for China, saying from the island from which he died, facing the mainland, “O rock! Rock! When wilt thou open for my master?” (Record of Christian Work, Volume 27,edited by Alexander McConnell, William Revell Moody, Arthur Percy Fitt, p.891)
With such a burden, when a revival happens, it’s preceded by such prayer. Also, like Nehemiah, God’s people reckon with God and their sin, by their own choice. Nehemiah’s confession is a mark of a spiritual leader; identify one’s own sin, one’s ancestors’ sins, and one’s nation’s sins. God hates evil because as a holy God of love, He sees how it destroys people He loves. Though He summons people to prayer, He acts from His holiness, not the goodness of those who pray to bring healing, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3). It is a great thing to feel God’s pain and pray off His burden.
7We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples,
The law of Moses: 613 commands, statutes and decrees. Israel never kept them all, and God overlooked much. But when they went into complete idolatry (even in the temple), sacrificed children alive on idols that were barbecue grills, took loose living to extremes, oppressed the poor, widows, and orphans, abandoned Sabbath; making people work 7 days a week and didn’t give the land its Sabbath every 7 years, and ruined the soil of the farmland, Israel crossed the line into God’s wrath and Israel went into a 70 year captivity. It was 70 years to make up for the 70 neglected land Sabbaths over 490 years, (let the ground lie fallow every 7 years) so that the Israelites might return to a land with replenished soil, ready to give bountiful produce.
For believers in Jesus, the law is love. Jesus summed up the law by loving God and one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). God removed Old Testament Israel from the land to a 70 year captivity. Then He removed Israel again in New Testament times because Israel rejected Jesus. Rome sacked Jerusalem, they were expelled in 70ad, and didn’t return till 1948, 1,878 years later. By persecution God also sent early Christians throughout the Roman world, when lack of love for the nations among the apostles meant they stayed put in Jerusalem rather than take the gospel to nations; it cost James his life.
9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.
Israel returned after the famous decree of Cyrus, 539bc. 2 words in Hebrew are translated, “redeem.” The conept of redemption is deep and ancient in the Torah. One is, ga’al, which means to put things right, restore lost land, bring a murderer to justice, etc. In this verse, it is padah, meaning, “ransom.” Yet 95 years passed, the temple was rebuilt, but the walls were still down, meaning the city was vulnerable to the Palestinians of that time, Horonites and Ammonites who occupied the land after Israel was forcefully deported by Babylon. Why didn’t they rebuild the wall? They were already a free people for 95 years. It seems that people who are broken, and have abandoned the boundaries of the heart also neglect their physical boundaries. They had freedom to choose their destiny, but lacked hope to make it happen. They needed inspiration, motivation and especially what Nehemiah would offer; hope and leadership.
When I went to Israel in 2003, there were attacks upon Israel by Palestinians called Intifadah where Palestinian suicide bombers would freely cross into Israeli cities, strapped with bombs under loose clothing, enter a bus and set off the bomb when it left the stop, killing everyone in the bus. I saw a burned out and hollowed bus on the street that was blown up the day before. One solution to the bombings was to build walls between Israeli and Palestinian territory, where at a checkpoint those with deadly intentions could be stopped from entering. In Nehemiah’s time, this is what Israel lacked for 95 years, though they were politically free, they were still as captives in their hearts and minds.
11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name,
From these words, it seems that not only Nehemiah but others were praying. This is a spiritual secret. Often we think we are the only ones who care, but when we are touched by something and compelled to prayer, it’s most likely the desire to pray comes from God Himself and He’s touched others as well to pray. In the days of the prophet Elijah, he thought only he was faithful to Yahweh in the northern kingdom of Israel, “I have been very zealous…I am the only one left” (1Kings 19:14). God told him, “I have reserved seven thousand– all whose knees have not bowed to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18). “Fear your name,” also translated “revere” in the New Living Translation, is an Old and New Testament term for great respect for God that fears offending Him. It’s more commonly known as the fear of God. Fear of anything other than God holds us back (the bible says, “fear not” 365 times). But fear of God brings delight.
and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cup bearer to the king.
This reveals Nehemiah’s unselfish character. To him, personal success and receiving mercy from God was for God to help others in a difficult situation. His situation was prosperous and secure, but he would leave his office to serve his people in destitution. That is amazing. He had a very high position as a servant of God with a government job. “This man” would be the Emperor of Persia, King Artaxerxes. As his cup bearer, Nehemiah was with him every time he took a drink of water, wine, juice, whatever, and tasted it first in case of poison. Nehemiah prayed for mercy, trusted God as more powerful than a king, hoping to use his position to help his people.
Before anything else, he started with prayer, not his own effort. God’s answers to prayer would confirm his call to Jerusalem and fix the security problem. If you’re moved by bad news, others’ pain, then you may assume it’s God’s burden and pray before doing something. Maybe you or those you love need boundaries restored, if there ever had been boundaries. If you have God’s burden for bad news, follow up by praying first. If you feel a deep NachamYa conviction that you need Jesus, let’s pray first, then you can repent, be baptized, and live a life to follow Him.