Nehemiah · chapter 1 of 13
Updated on
Nehemiah 1 tells how Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in the citadel of Susa, hears from his brother Hanani that the returned exiles in Judah are in great trouble and that the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates burned. Nehemiah weeps, fasts and prays with confession for days, and asks God to give him favor before the king.
The book of Nehemiah continues the story of the return from exile, about thirteen years after Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem. If Ezra dealt with the temple and the law, Nehemiah deals with the walls and the security of the city. This first chapter shows that the whole work begins with a broken heart and a prayer.
The book presents itself as the words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while he is in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of his brothers, arrives with some men from Judah. Nehemiah asks them about the Jews who escaped and about Jerusalem. They answer that those left in the province are in great trouble and shame, that the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned.
When he hears this, Nehemiah sits down, weeps and mourns for days. He fasts and prays before the God of heaven. His prayer begins by acknowledging that the Lord is great and awesome, and keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. He asks God to hear his prayer, confesses the sins of the people of Israel and also his own and those of his father's house: they have not kept the commandments, statutes and rules that God gave to Moses.
Then he remembers the word God gave Moses: if they are unfaithful, he will scatter them among the peoples, but if they return to him and keep his commandments, he will gather them even from the farthest part of heaven and bring them to the place where he chose to make his name dwell. Nehemiah reminds God that they are his servants and his people, redeemed by great power. He asks that God's ear be attentive to the prayer of his servants who delight to fear his name, and that he give him success today by granting him compassion before that man. At the end Nehemiah explains who that man is: he was cupbearer to the king.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The returned exiles are in great trouble and shame, the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned. A city without walls was vulnerable and brought shame on God's people before the nations.
On hearing the news, Nehemiah sits down, weeps, mourns, fasts and prays for days. Before acting, he lets himself feel what grieves God and brings the problem before him.
Nehemiah confesses the sins of Israel and also his own and those of his father's house. He does not stand above the people: he prays as one who shares the guilt and needs mercy.
Nehemiah asks the Lord to hear his prayer and give him success by granting him compassion before the king, whose cupbearer he was. His prayer reaches the concrete task: he asks for help with the step in front of him.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Hanani, one of his brothers, with some men from Judah. — Nehemiah 1:2
Answer: That those left in the province were in great trouble and shame, the wall was broken down and the gates burned. — Nehemiah 1:3
Answer: He sat down, wept, mourned, fasted and prayed before the God of heaven for days. — Nehemiah 1:4
Answer: The sins of the people of Israel, and also his own and those of his father's house. — Nehemiah 1:6-7
Answer: That if they returned to God and kept his commandments, he would gather them even from far away and bring them to the place where he chose to make his name dwell. — Nehemiah 1:8-9
Answer: He was cupbearer to the king. — Nehemiah 1:11
Nehemiah 1 teaches that a great work begins with a broken heart and prayer. In a small group you can ask what real need of the church or community weighs on you, and whether you have brought it to God before trying to fix it.
It also shows an honest prayer: Nehemiah does not blame only others but confesses his own part. And his prayer rests on God's promises. Ask which promise in the Bible you can lean on when praying about something hard, and what concrete step you could ask God to help you take.
Nehemiah 1 ends with a petition made in silence: that the king grant him compassion. In chapter 2, four months later, Nehemiah appears before Artaxerxes with a sad face, and God answers his prayer.
The cupbearer tasted and served the king's wine, and so held a position of great trust and closeness. Nehemiah had direct access to Artaxerxes. God used that position in the court to open the door to his mission in Jerusalem.
In the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, in the month of Chislev, which falls between November and December. If the king is Artaxerxes I, this is c. 445 BC. Four months later, in the month of Nisan, Nehemiah speaks to the king, as chapter 2 tells.