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Nehemiah. Let’s go back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was called Israel by God. Israel begot 12 sons. Then there became 12 tribes of Israel . The Israelites were united as one Kingdom. It was ruled by king David, and then by King Solomon. When King Solomon died, his son took over.
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His son was very foolish, and his arrogant actions made a war rise within this one kingdom of Israel.
As a result, the Single Kingdom of Israel split into TWO separate kingdoms that did not speak to each other.
The Northern Kingdom, called Israeland the Southern Kingdom, called Judah
What’s captivity? • It’s being held captive, or being held as a slave. • Happened during wars, when a country would overtake another, and take its citizens as slaves.
So the kingdom of Israel, the Northern kingdom, was held captive by the Assyrians
And the Kingdom of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, was held captive by the Babylonians
After a while, a Persian Empire arose that was more powerful than the Babylonians, and the Babylonians themselves were captured by the Persians
The King of Persia, Cyrus, gave permission to the Southern Kingdom of Judah to return to its city, Jerusalem
After 70 years of captivity, a group of people returned to Jerusalem(led by someone called Zerubabbel)
80 years later, another group returned, Led by someone named Ezra who was a priest.
A while after that, the third and final group returned, and this was led by Nehemiah
Nehemiah, was the king’s cupbearer.This was an important and trusted position.
His brother came to him and told him that the walls of Jerusalem were still destroyed, and the people there (who had already returned from captivity) were distressed.
Why were broken walls such a big deal? In Nehemiah’s days, walls of the cities provided safety, and symbolized strength and peace
Nehemiah was very sorrowful when he heard the news and grieved. Then, the first things he did were to fast and pray
He then spoke to the King and asked to go back to Jerusalem, to rebuild the city
And because God was with Nehemiah, the king granted him all that he requested and more.
Nehemiah faced many obstacles when he was rebuilding the wall
What were the obstacles? Obstacle Nehemiah faced Similar obstacle we may face People may try to scare us by telling us we’re going against everyone else(or the world) • Sanaballat (From Samaria), Tobiah, and Geshem tried to scare Nehemiah by telling him he is rebelling against the king
How did Nehemiah deal with the obstacles? • Nehemiah however was not scared, but he trusted in God, and relied on God’s help and grace, not on the king. He told them “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us, therefore we His servants will arise and build” (Nehemiah 2:20)
Obstacle Nehemiah faced Similar Obstacle we may face We could be made fun of when we try to do the right thing • When Sanaballat saw that the work was being carried out, he became so angry and mocked the work that Nehemiah was doing, and Tobiah said that “whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall” (Nehemiah 4:3)
Nehemiah prayed to God to help them and protect them from their enemies. He did not respond back with ridicule but turned his problem to God, and indeed God blessed him.
Obstacles Nehemiah faced Similar obstacles we may face Attacks of the devil on the Church Feeling down if it seemslike we can’t accomplish the goal we have • When the outsiders saw that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored, and the gaps were beginning to be closed, they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to attack Jerusalem to create confusion and cause the work to cease. Also, • The workers themselves became very discouraged and suffered from low self esteem. They felt their strength is failing and they will not be able to build the wall.
How did Nehemiah deal with the obstacle? • Prayer • Encouragement • Organization (Plan)
Key verses in Nehemiah • O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man (Nehemiah 1:11) • So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” (Nehemiah 2:4-5) • I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work. (Nehemiah 2:18)
The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build (Nehemiah 2:20) • Our God will fight for us. (Nehemiah 4:19) • So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing. (Nehemiah 4:23) • I did not do so, because of the fear of God (Nehemiah 5:15) • Remember me, my God, for good (Nehemiah 5:19)
Key Lessons from Nehemiah • Nehemiah cared for his people and was compassionate. • Nehemiah felt the goal God has placed in His heart, prayed, and took action. • Nehemiah was very respectful, humble, and polite. • Nehemiah prayedbefore doing ANYTHING • Nehemiah did not give up when he faced opposition
Nehemiah did not return evil for evil, but turned to God • Nehemiah set his mind to work (Strong Will), and knew that he can do nothing without God • Nehemiah was very organized, and planned his work carefully.
Clue # 2 Two things needed for us to change
