After Rebuilding The Temple… Even though the Temple was rebuilt, most of the

Jews in exile lost interest in their homeland when no nation state materialized.

Most exiles continued to stay where they were. Occasionally, groups of Jews would return to

Jerusalem. By Nehemiah’s time, the population in

Jerusalem was around 50,000…but the community was struggling.

From a letter from his brother, Nehemiah learns that the people in Jerusalem were being disgraced and harassed.

Nehemiah Approaches Artaxerxes After hearing this news from his brother,

Nehemiah spent months praying to the Lord. He confessed Judah’s sins, asked God to honor His covenant with Israel and sought guidance.

Then, Nehemiah risked the king’s anger by asking to go back to help his people rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

Artaxerxes agreed and ordered the leaders in Jerusalem to help Nehemiah and his team.

The surrounding governors, Sanballat, Geshem and Tobiah, were not pleased that Nehemiah had been sent to look after Judah’s welfare!

Nehemiah Inspects The City Walls Nehemiah became the governor of Judah. He inspected the city walls, which were broken

down and destroyed by fire, and then presented a rebuilding plan to the leaders.

The rebuilding project began but enemies (the rival governors) mocked their efforts. They accused Nehemiah and his team of rebelling against the Artaxerxes.

Day after day, the rival governors mocked the efforts of Nehemiah—declaring that his team was too weak and inexperienced to pull off the project.

Nehemiah Encourages His Team Nehemiah continually voiced his trust in God. He

encouraged his team by telling them how God had directed his life. He also continually prayed to the Lord about the project.

The rival governors began to take drastic measures to stop the rebuilding project. They stirred up crowds and pushed people to pick fights with the builders. They even plotted to kill some of the key project leaders.

Nehemiah posted guards and armed his leaders with weapons. He prayed against his opposition and reminded the people of God’s greater power.

Nehemiah Confronts Social Injustice Poor people living within Jerusalem cried out

against officials and other nobles who were unjustly charging interest to buy grain. (There was a famine in the land.)

They also complained that they were having to mortgage their land and that their sons and daughters were being sold as slaves.

Nehemiah confronted his officials and ordered them to release their slaves and to return all the interest that they had been paid.

As a model of leadership, Nehemiah even gave up his food and tax allotment that was lawfully his.

Nehemiah Relies On Prayer Enemies did not give up their attempts to stop

Nehemiah. The rival governors faked a meeting with Nehemiah in a location outside the city in order to lure him away to harm or kill him.

Sensing trouble, Nehemiah refused their invitation to meet four times.

The rival governors sent a letter around accusing the Jews of revolution—that Nehemiah was gathering prophets and making himself king.

Nehemiah continued working alongside his team, relying on his prayers to the Lord for strength and focus.

One Last Attempt To Discredit Nehemiah A man named Shemaiah made one last effort to

discredit Nehemiah. Pretending to be sympathetic to Nehemiah’s cause, he tried to trick him into entering the temple for protection from an assassination plot.

If Nehemiah had agreed, his sin would have discredited him with the people. Thankfully, God gave Nehemiah the insight to see through this plot. Nehemiah prayed for justice but was not vengeful in dealing with his enemies.

The people finished rebuilding the walls and gates surrounding Jerusalem in record time: 52 days!

• When Nehemiah’s crew finished rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall, they held a festival!• The start of this festival included a public reading of the Law. Ezra and a group of Levites stood on a high wooden platform in the town square and began reading the Torah. • This lasted from daybreak until noon for eight days! During this time, the people continually responded by raising their hands and saying “Amen!” They worshipped and bowed down before God. It was a marathon praise service!!

Ezra Returns For A Celebration of the Law

• As Ezra read, the Levites clarified the law and explained it in words the people could understand. As the people listened to their story, God touched their hearts.• They recognized that God loved them in spite of their unfaithfulness and rebellion. They realized that the message of the prophets had come true. They saw the pattern—the cry for faithful worship, the need for social justice, the call for repentance, the inevitable judgment and the promise of hope.• Such love moved them to confession, repentance and a rededication of their lives to God.

Remembering Is A Good (God) Thing…

• Some people as they listened and remembered the Law and their history with God got depressed. They couldn’t stop weeping.

• Nehemiah told the people to stop grieving and to realize that their strength was in the joy of the Lord. He told them to enjoy good food and drink.

• This renewed celebration while the Law continued to be read led to yet another rediscovery…

Nehemiah Tells The People To Cheer Up

• During the reading, the people also discovered a long forgotten festival called the Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles). At Mount Sinai, Moses had given instructions for celebrating it. • The purpose of this feast was to remember and celebrate God’s saving acts and to thank God for the harvest. (Sort of like Thanksgiving!)• During this celebration, Jewish people celebrate their escape from Egypt and God’s care during their long desert journey when they had to live in portable tents to shelter themselves from the scorching sun.

The Feast of Booths (Tabernacles)

• Many Jews still hold a week long celebration of this feast. In September or October, they build a little booth (sukkah) that they cover loosely with branches. They leave enough space to let in the light. • Some decorate their booth with wreaths, paper chains, berries, vines and gourds. Bunching together sweet smelling flowers for the inside of the booth is also common. A lemon-like fruit called an etrog is also carried around to symbolize God’s goodness.• Sometimes families even sleep in their booths!

The Feast of Booths (Sukkot) Today…

• Nehemiah, chapters 9 and 10 contain two very important declarations that offer hope and promise as Israel looked toward the future and waited for the Messiah to come.• Chapter 9 is a beautiful prayer that encompasses the whole of Israel’s story as well as her acknowledgment of her sin and God’s provision.• Chapter 10 is a series of recommitments that the people of Israel make to the Lord. Notice how the people in their own words echo the invitation and demand of the Torah—the way of the Lord given through Moses.

Israel Finally Comes Clean…

• The end of the celebration consisted of a special service of rededication of the newly rebuilt walls of Jerusalem.

• Nehemiah also continued to bring needed reforms within the daily life of the people in Judah.

• Again and again, he proved to be a man of prayer, integrity and faithfulness. He was a rare individual in that he avoided corruption during his two terms as governor of Judah.

Nehemiah Keeps Up The Good Work…