Discovery
Toby DeHay
Study Through Nehemiah • Sermon • Submitted
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1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
Nehemiah means “Yahweh comforts”
Nehemiah means “Yahweh comforts”
What do we know about Nehemiah?
He is a Jew, part of those exiled when Babylon conquered the area.
He was cupbearer to the king.
This knowledge in itself is very important.
It tells us he was trusted by the king. The king was confident in Nehemiah, which would lead to what we see later on in the book.
Nehemiah was dedicated to the work of getting his people back to their homeland.
Chislev (Kislev) is in November or December.
Chislev (Kislev) is in November or December.
Twentieth year: this is the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes. Around 445BC. Information such as this is very helpful in dating books such as Nehemiah.
Twentieth year: this is the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes. Around 445BC. Information such as this is very helpful in dating books such as Nehemiah.
Remnant:
Remnant:
Remnant literally means “left-over ones.”
Where else do we see the term or idea of “remnant?”
23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is a desolate waste,
12 and the Lord removes people far away,
and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 And though a tenth remain in it,
it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
whose stump remains
when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump.
3 Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
Take a look at how Jesus uses Jer. 23:3 in Luke 12:32
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Paul quotes Isaiah in Rom. 9:27-29
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,
“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”
The idea of a “remnant” is not only an OT reality, but a fact of the “last days” as well.
City Wall:
City Wall:
The city walls were typically made of heavy stone.
They were walls for protection against enemies, and gave its residents a sense of security and safety.
In the case of the Jews, the city wall meant identity.
Escape:
Escape:
These were the Jews who’d went back and lived in a ruined city. They were outside the protection of a people like the Babylonians or the Persians.
They had an identity as a Jewish people without the protection of a recognized government or their God without their intact city and temple.
Nehemiah uses the word “survived.”
Maybe they left Susa to go back to Jerusalem. This would have taken them about 2 months of treacherous travel to achieve.
Maybe they were abused by the neighboring peoples due to little to no protection with such a small population.
They were living in land where their basic needs weren’t sure each day;
where they felt detached from their God, or they weren’t even sure about who their God really was;
where they witnessed other people groups with power, stuff, and safety in their midst.
Exile:
Exile:
In 582BC, the Jewish people had their last deportation.
30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.
Most likely, this was 4,600 heads of families that would include their wives, children, and others.
So, from 582 to 445 we have a total of 137 years.
Think about the changes that would have happened in this time period.
If this were today, and were looking for something to change from 137 years ago, we’d be looking at the year 1880!
This is about 4-6 generations of peoples!
This would be my children, me and my wife, our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents, and possibly our great great grandparents.
Within exile, the people began to worship other gods;
many thought that these gods were stronger than Yahweh due to them being taken captive.
While in exile they couldn’t offer sacrifices due to the fact there was no centralized temple, but they could read and observe the law, marry other Jews, come and go within their community, buy and sell, and settle land as a community.
Hanani’s urgent report:
Hanani’s urgent report:
Let’s first ask this question:
If you were to receive an urgent report from someone, would it make a difference if it were your family?
Of course!
You would trust this person.
You’d listen with care and concern.
You’d have empathy and consideration for what they are asking you to do.
Listen to the words he used in verse 3 from the NIV.
“great trouble and disgrace.” “wall is broken down…gates have been burned with fire”
What can we learn?
What can we learn?
We learn that scripture is accurate.
Other historical events that we have records of occurred the same time as recorded scripture.
We learn that there will always be a remnant of people who worship God.
We learn that our identity is not in a walled city, but in an all-powerful, ever-present God.
We learn that things aren’t always peachy for believers. The teaching that if you have enough faith and believe then you’ll have God’s blessings are false. Sometimes believers will be persecuted, need to run in order to survive, and may face trials of all types.
We learn that God keeps His promises. He waited 137 years to allow the children of Israel to return to their home, but was faithful. Sometimes we simply need to wait on God while being faithful.
Listen to those in Christ you love and who love you. Pay attention to their advice and heed their plea to you.
They may need help, be presenting a need, or be there to encourage you to continue steadfast in the Lord.