Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community. The Passion and The Prayer. Nehemiah 1:1-11b

Nehemiah: Rebuilding A Community
The Passion and The Prayer

Nehemiah 1:1-11b

The Passion (v. 1-3)

• Nehemiah is the author of this book
  • Probably written around 430 BC
• Not much is known about Nehemiah before this
  • His father is Hakaliah and his brother is Hanani
• Kislev is a month that would commonly include parts of Nov. and Dec.
  • 20th year = 20th year of the reign of the Persian King Artaxerxes
• Nehemiah shows his heart by asking about the city of Jerusalem and more important the condition of the people there
  • He is told that the survivors* were in great trouble and disgrace
    • Since there was no simple way to communicate, this would have been devastating news to receive

 

Prayer of Confession (v. 4-7)

• Begins with brokenness
  • His concern for the people and the city of Jerusalem led him to tears, to fasting and to mourning and most importantly, to prayer
• This portion of his prayer shows us his clear understanding of who God is
  • Praise before petition
• His confession was personal and not superficial
  • He understands that their inability to follow God’s commands had time and time again gotten them into trouble
    • This was no exception

  The Petition (v. 8-11b)

• Nehemiah reminds God of his promise to his people
  • Done to show his utmost confidence in the covenant God had made with his people (2 Chron. 7:14)
• He references the Exodus and God leading his people out from Egypt (v. 10)
• He understands that the time for action in at hand (v. 11)
  • He was asking God to act and showed the confidence of being in his will

 

 

 

 

So What?

• Do we have a heart for the “survivors” in our community?
• Do we understand that before we can be a part of restoration in our community, we need to restore our relationship with God?

Meditation Verse: Neh. 1:11a