Nehemiah--An Introduction - 5/4/22

INTRODUCTION

A great site providing introduction to the book of Nehemiah:

ESV Global Study Bible – Intro to 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)