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INTRODUCTION
A great site providing introduction to the book of Nehemiah:
HISTORICAL TIMELINE
1140 BC
God brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery
If they broke the covenant, they would be slaves once again (Jeremiah 2:14-15)
722 BC
Assyrians take northern Kingdom
10 tribes were scattered and intermarried with Assyrians or left.
586 BC – Jerusalem Falls to Babylonians
Nebuchadnezzar was ruler
Daniel to Babylon
538 BC – Persians defeat Babylonians
Cyrus was ruler
Allowed conquered subjects to return to their homelands
2 Chronicles 36:7 – Was allowed to take back possessions taken from Temple.
Ezra 1-4
Rebuilding of temple
522 BC
Darius is ruler
Greeks defeat Persians at Marathon
Haggai/Zechariah encouragement to build the Temple
Temple completed
486 BC
Xerxes is ruler
Esther is chosen to be queen (479 BC)
465 BC
Artaxerxes is ruler
Nehemiah is cupbearer
445 BC
Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem to build the wall.
THOUGHTS
Where Ezra deals with the religious restoration, Nehemiah is concerned with the political and geographical
Both are concerned with the restoration of Israel.
God uses both for His Glory!
Nehemiah 1-7 is the restoration of the wall
Nehemiah 8-13 is the restoration of the people
KEY VERSES
Nehemiah 6:15–16 – So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. (ESV)
Nehemiah 8:8 – They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. (ESV)
KEY THEMES
Nehemiah’s Trust in God
His obedience to God’s leading in His life
Coming before the King
Taking on such a task…finishing the task
Nehemiah 7:5
Nehemiah’s Perseverance
Nehemiah faced continuous opposition, disappointments, and setbacks, yet he continued with the task
Nehemiah’s Devotion to the Word of God
The spiritual revival came in response to Ezra’s reading of “the Book of the Law of Moses” (Nehemiah 8:1-13)
Reading, Explaining, Understanding, Doing the Word (the will of God)
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