Nehemiah Chapter 1
Please read: Nehemiah 1 –
Nehemiah was a man that was concerned about his people and the city of Jerusalem while he was living in Persia. There had been those who reportedly survived being captured by the Babylonians and he inquired how they were faring. He wanted to also know how the city of Jerusalem looked. He would have known efforts to rebuild in the time of Ezra, but he wanted to hear how strong the city was. His brothers who had returned from visiting Judah did not have a good report to share with Nehemiah. The news affected Nehemiah deeply. Nehemiah cared about what God cared about.
Let's Reflect
1. What did Nehemiah learn about Jerusalem which told him the safety and security of the city were in a state of great vulnerability?
2. Nehemiah knew this was not a good situation for the city of God to be in. What was his first reaction to the news?
3. Nehemiah’s heart attitude was like Ezra’s heart attitude. What did he understand about the reason Jerusalem and the people were in such a state?
4. In verse 9 Nehemiah “reminded” God of a promise He made to the people. It might seem wrong to remind the God of the universe about promises He made, or we can look at it from a standpoint of faith. Nehemiah was showing faith by re-stating a promise that He knew God made and because He is God, He must keep. We all need to have faith like that! What promise did Nehemiah remind God of?
5. Nehemiah tells us in the very last verse of this chapter that he was a Jew living in the Persian kingdom that had been given a prestigious position in the kingdom. What was his position?
6. What important truth did Nehemiah recognize about God and the Jewish people? See verse 10.
7. In verse 11 there is an indication that the answer to Nehemiah’s prayer was that God wanted to use Nehemiah to accomplish His task. What was Nehemiah’s request in his prayer?
