Nehemiah’s Prayer

As I begin my study on Nehemiah, I remember when I first encountered the subject. I was still a Roman Catholic when I was exposed to the topic. The Bible was something I disliked compared to talking about sacraments, the rosary, and the like. I had a copy of The Children’s Bible written for Catholic children. Now, with a better insight into Nehemiah as a Christian, I’d like to give a better study on the person. Ezra was a priest. An interesting note is that Nehemiah was the personal cupbearer of the king, Artaxerxes I Longimanus. It can be debated by some scholars if Artarxes I was Esther’s child (and hence, was half-Jewish) or Vashti’s son since Amestris’ identity can be hard to figure out. Also, either Hanani was a brother or just a term used by the Jews.

The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible has Robert Jamieson say this on Nehemiah:

Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah–This eminently pious and patrioticJew is to be carefully distinguished from two other persons of the same name–one of whom is mentioned as helping to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:16), and the other is noticed in the list of those who accompanied Zerubbabel in the first detachment of returning exiles (Ezra 2:2; Nehemiah 7:7). Though little is known of his genealogy, it is highly probable that he was a descendant of the tribe of Judah and the royal family of David.

When it comes to Nehemiah, the subject of wall building is inevitable. That’s the first thing that was introduced to me when I first heard of Nehemiah. Nehemiah 1:3 tells us the sad fact of the wall of Jerusalem, which provided protection, and its gates have been burned with fire. I assume this was a recent event that caused the opposition or the method Nebuchadnezzar used several decades ago. Either way, the wall of Jerusalem was on fire. John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible mentions that it would’ve been the condition that Nebuchadnezzar left it. With decades gone by, the structure would really need a huge makeover. In short, it may have not been a recent event but something that had happened several years back. It was time for the return after the exile. However, there’s plenty of work to be done. Verse 4 states that it came to pass that Nehemiah sat down, wept, mourned for certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven.

Understanding Nehemiah’s prayer

Verses 5-11 contain a summary of Nehemiah’s prayer. Nehemiah would need God’s help especially with the upcoming dangers of Sanballat the Samaritan, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian. Their names aren’t mentioned yet in the first chapter. Those clowns would show up later. However, one thing worth mentioning over and over again is that God never allows Satan to cause harm or harass the believer without a good reason. God allowed Satan to hurt Job but not take his life. Any attack Satan does is allowed by God’s sovereign reason.

Nehemiah begins by invoking due adoration. In many cases, prayers is taught with the pattern of ACTS. Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. The formula isn’t exactly the sequence in the Our Father. The Our Father is a pattern of how to pray and not what to pray. Back on topic, verse 5 shows Nehemiah’s adoration when he mentions the LORD, the God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Although salvation isn’t by works, salvation results in works. In John 15:14-15, Jesus tells the disciples that if they are His friends, they will do as He says. True obedience is born out of love for God. Nobody can love the sin and the Savior from sin at the same time.

Now, verse 6 goes with the supplication of prayer. Nehemiah confesses the sins that were committed as a people. As the late J. Vernon McGee mentions, you can’t separate yourself from the church. In any organization, there’s always the warning to act professionally because you carry the name of the organization. That’s why a good company excommunicates wayward members. I had a talk when I mentioned two of my classmates were talking lewd stuff in school. I could say I was already a participant in the sin by laughing while they did it and later, backbiting them. It was already a silent approval. If you know someone in the church is living in sin, it’s best to confront that person privately as taught in Matthew 18:15-20. Nehemiah may have condoned the people’s sins by not doing anything. In Numbers 32, there’s also the sin of doing nothing. In Ezekiel 22:30, we have the call to look for someone to stand in the gap but no one volunteered. The people of Israel had an ongoing sin. Nehemiah wasn’t standing in self-righteousness but acknowledged he had a part in it, whatever it was. No matter how small, sin is still sin.

Verse 7 has Nehemiah not mincing any words. The statement “we” would really be a national confession. The nation of Israel rejected the commands, decrees, and laws that were given to Moses centuries ago. The law was given to Moses not as suggestions but as commandments to obey. Israel failed to follow it over and over again. In Judges, we have the sin cycles. The accounts of the kings in Israel and Judah during the divided kingdom, show it too. Verse 8 gives the warning that is spoken in Deuteronomy 28. God had warned Israel all over again but they never listened. The warnings were always dismissed because of the hardness of hearts. Verse 8 goes to show that the warning had really happened. However, the Israelites have been no different than most people today. People today laugh at God’s warnings. I doubt that anybody in Hell now is ever repentant. People in Hell are weeping and gnashing their teeth. I could imagine people in Hell are still cursing God 24/7, which further adds to their torment that their hearts are still hardened even in the worst situation.

Verses 9-11 show God’s promises. There’s the promise of restoration after repentance. True, we can’t avoid the consequences of our sins. David certainly learned the hard way when his first child with Bathsheba died and when his other sons rebelled. The promise of regathering and restoration is there. The prayer is only reserved for the redeemed. Chances are many of the foreign wives in Ezra have become worshipers of Jehovah, as not so many were named out. This prayer was for those who are God’s true servants, evidenced by delighting in His name. Nehemiah then prays for success. The net chapter would soon reveal the problems Nehemiah is allowed to face.