BaptistWay Bible Series for April 5: Start from a spiritual perspective

Let’s pause for a moment and look back at the past few weeks of Bible studies. It’s a good time to do so. In three units over just five weeks of study, we’ve surveyed the books of Ezra, Haggai and Zechariah, reviewing the story of the post-exile Jews as they return to their God-promised land after decades of captivity by the Babylonians.

In Ezra, we saw how God’s sovereignty worked through a foreign ruler, Cyrus of Persia, to allow God’s people to return to their home and rebuild his temple in 538 B.C. and the excitement the people had for rebuilding their homeland and their place of worship.

It was a good start that, unfortunately, was delayed because of the people’s attention to their own needs. As Haggai spoke for God to the Jews in need of a wake-up call, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house (the temple) lies desolate?” (Haggai 1:4).  

In our study of the first and eighth chapters of Zechariah, approximately 520 B.C., God again speaks through his prophet, sharing messages of conviction on the people for not completing his temple and of encouragement for their future as both a nation and as a group that would share God’s light to an unknowing world.

It’s been a quick survey, and reading the passages that occur between our focal passages is important to getting the whole story of God’s sovereignty, love and plans for those who are his. Now we begin Unit Four, and will have the opportunity to spend six weeks in the book of Nehemiah allowing us a deeper dive into God’s word.

An introduction to Nehemiah

Chronologically, we jumped in our lessons from 538 B.C. at the beginning of Ezra to 445 B.C., when we open the book of Nehemiah. The books of Nehemiah and Ezra share a lot in common. It’s no coincidence they are placed next to each other in the biblical order. In some of the oldest Hebrew writings, they occur as one book. This may be because they were written very close to the same time—Ezra in 440 B.C. and Nehemiah in 430.

Both have similar themes, centering on God’s sovereignty and God’s fulfilled promises. Both begin with God leading a Persian king to enable the Jews to fulfill their part of the promise.

They also differ in one significant way: While Ezra was a priest, Nehemiah was a layman, a personal servant of King Artaxerxes. They also complement one another. While Ezra was concerned with rebuilding the spiritual walls of the temple, Nehemiah focused on the physical walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s story is one of personal conviction, prayer and action. And as we see in chapter 1, having a spiritual perspective and commitment is the place to begin for getting things done.

Bad news leads to personal conviction

We open with a first-person introduction of Nehemiah. He’s a wealthy man who enjoys a high position as an attendant and protector∏—the “cupbearer” (v. 10)—to King Artaxerxes in the Persian capital of Susa. Nehemiah receives a delegation of Jews that includes his brother, Hanani. The group delivers some stunning news to Nehemiah: despite some 90 years of reoccupation, the Jews still were living in a ruined city, and Jerusalem’s walls—representing its defenses and dignity—still were down. It was a source of great “distress and reproach” (v. 3) to the people.

The news also distresses Nehemiah, as he relates in verse 4 that when he heard it, “I sat down and wept and mourned for days.”

But he also is convicted to do something. And he acts on his conviction with a spiritual start: He prays. The next several verses (vv. 4-11) reveal the depth of Nehemiah’s spiritual attenuation to God and a model of prayer for us when we receive distressing news.

• He addresses God. In verses 4-5, Nehemiah pairs his prayer with fasting, then addresses God with his covenant name—Lord, Yahweh—along with a string of identifiers that includes “God of heaven,” “great and awesome God” and preserver of the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love him.
 
• He confesses his sins to God. Verses 6-7 contain Nehemiah’s heartfelt plea to God to hear him while acknowledging that he and the Jews have “acted corruptly” and not obeyed God’s commands.

• He recounts God’s promises. During his prayer, Nehemiah recounts God’s promises both to punish the people when they disobey and restore them (vv 8-10). Why remind God of this? Did Nehemiah think god needed memory help? Definitely not. Nehemiah remembered God’s promises to punish the Jews as part of his confession on behalf of both himself and all of the Jews. He was letting God know he understood the depth of the people’s sin against God and the depth of their need for God to restore them.

• He asks for divine help (v. 11). Nehemiah concludes his prayer with a request for help. He was about to approach one of the most powerful men on the planet with an ambitious plan on behalf of his countrymen—a plan that would rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore the city to its former glory. It was a plan that could only succeed through the grace of God.

Questions for thought

• The news that Nehemiah’s brother brought him sent Nehemiah into days of weeping and mourning. Have you received news that affected you similarly? How did you respond?  

• Nehemiah’s response to his people’s distress was a personal conviction to do something, even though it will mean leaving his high position and taking on a huge task. Have you ever received a God-initiated conviction to do something? Take a look at this video produced by Bluefish TV and featured on Tangle.com and see if it speaks to you about conviction.