Rebuilding the Walls
Book of Nehemiah
Chapter 2:9-20
In last week’s
lesson we met a Jewish man named Nehemiah who was born in captivity
in Babylon. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar had taken most of the Jews
of Jerusalem to Babylon after he had destroyed the city.
Nehemiah had never
seen the city of Jerusalem but there can be little doubt that his
parents had told him of God's city of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah had great
concern for those who had returned to Israel because God had softened
the hearts of King Cyrus and King Darius and they had helped financed
the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon
that had been destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar.
Nehemiah was just a
cupbearer for King Artaxerxes, who was now the King of Persia and he
had learned of the turmoil of those who had returned to Jerusalem and
he approached this king to release him long enough to rebuild the
walls of Jerusalem so his people could be safe from the neighboring
enemies.
King Artaxerxes gave
permission Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem as long as he would return
to his job as his personal cupbearer. A cupbearer could be considered
today as a butler.
Nehemiah was given
documents of proof of his mission, access to the king's forest and an
armed escort for the trip to Jerusalem a 900-mile trip that would
have taken at least 3 months.
So let’s pick up
our story where we left off:
*****Neh 2:9 Then I
came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's
letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with
me.
Neh 2:10 When
Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard
of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek
the welfare of the children of Israel.
Many good things had
not taken place in Jerusalem because of a lack of leadership. Ezra
had done what he had set out to do. The work on the Temple was
completed and worship and the festivals where being observed but the
city lived in fear of the neighboring enemies.
As things improved
in Israel and the land began to blossom, the enemy began to take
notice and began to hinder the lives of the Jewish people.
We must understand
that the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem would not be something
that would be allowed by most conquering nations because, if
rebellion came again it would take much time to regain control of
Jerusalem, but King Artexerxes allowed this to take place because he
knew the enemies of Israel and refused to allow these things in his
kingdom. Again another type!
The name Jerusalem
means the city of peace but there will be no true peace in Jerusalem
until the return of the Messiah.
We can think of
those enemies now as Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon who still cause
problems for Israel.
They did not want
Israel to remain a nation then, and they do not now.
They were pained to
see someone come to seek the welfare of these Hebrew Jews. They did
not know at that time that Nehemiah had come to rebuild the walls of
Jerusalem.
We have no recording
of the trip of Nehemiah, so we know it was without incident.
What we do know is,
that King Artaxerxes cared for his cupbearer so much, for the safety
of Nehemiah that it would have been foolish to confront this armed
escort that was with him.
These governors were
no more that puppet rulers who could have been quickly removed and
replaced had they caused them harm.
So Nehemiah came to
Jerusalem.
*****Neh 2:11 So I
came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
Neh 2:12 And I
arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any
man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was
there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
After three day’s
rest Nehemiah secretly looked at the task that needed to be done in
secret, at night by the light of the moon.
He could not make
plans until he evaluated the job that had to be done.
Nehemiah did not
bring a large workforce, he would have to present his plan to God's
people to get this work done.
Nehemiah was in love
with Jerusalem and he had never even been there.
This is the way the
church should be today!
We may never see
this Jerusalem but as Christians we will see God's New Jerusalem!
What does God say
about these things?
Psa 51:18 Do good
in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Psa 51:19 Then
shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with
burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer
bullocks upon thine altar.
The walls of
Jerusalem are as much about the city as the city of Jerusalem itself!
The walls would be
built, and the gates would be repaired.
All those who reject
safety and security of their nation, are no more than ambassadors for
the enemy.
*****Neh 2:13 And I
went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon
well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which
were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
Let's look at these
gates:
1) Gate of the
Valley was the gate that opened to the Valley of Hinnon. In the days
of King Solomon this gate led to where children were sacrificed to
the false gods Molech. No Jew would enter at this gate because it was
considered to be unclean.
It was King Josiah
who finally broke down these false gods!
2Ch 34:4 And they
brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that
were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved
images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of
them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto
them.
2Ch 34:5 And he
burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah
and Jerusalem.
No one seems to know
exactly where the "Dragon Well" was located though most of
them believe it was the well that fed the "Upper Pool of Gihon".
Maybe the same as the "Serpents Pool" mentioned by
Josephus.
2) The Dung Port was
the gate where all the trash and the filth of the city was taken out
of the city. It was located about 1500 feet from the Gate of the
Valley.
*****Neh 2:14 Then
I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but
there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
The Gate of the
Fountain was the gate nearest to the Pool of Siloam which is also
called the King's Pool, some say this was the only true well in
Jerusalem, others say it was probably the aqueduct built by King
Hezekiah to bring the waters of Gihon into the city. This Gihon was a
fountain near the city of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah had to walk
for a time because of the rubbish that was gathering where this gate
once stood, his horse could not pass for that rubbish.
*****Neh 2:15 Then
went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned
back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.
Neh 2:16 And the
rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet
told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to
the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
The brook would be
the brook Kidron, which carried the filth of Jerusalem to the Dead
Sea when the rains came, but from there Nehemiah could see the
Eastern wall and then he returned to get his horse.
When Nehemiah had
gotten to Jerusalem, there was no sign of anyone being in authority
and he did not try to contact anyone to see who might be in charge.
It was possible that
there was a sort of town council.
It was only after
Nehemiah had surveyed all the walls that he confronted the residents
of Jerusalem.
*****Neh 2:17 Then
said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem
lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and
let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
As Jerusalem had
begun to grow into a city, they were at the mercy of their enemies
who lived around them.
We know that as
always, the rich survive but the poor are always at risk!
These words of
Nehemiah brought assurance to these people and they went to work
building the walls of the city.
Building the walls
just seemed like an impossible task, but when you take a great big
job and break it down into many small jobs then it no longer seems so
impossible.
Jeremiah had
described these things for us:
Lam 2:5 The Lord
was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up
all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath
increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
Lam 2:6 And he hath
violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he
hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the
solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised
in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
Lam 2:7 The Lord
hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath
given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they
have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn
feast.
Lam 2:8 The LORD
hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath
stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying:
therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished
together.
Lam 2:9 Her gates
are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her
king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her
prophets also find no vision from the LORD.
Lam 2:10 The elders
of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they
have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with
sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the
ground.
Lam 2:11 Mine eyes
do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon
the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because
the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.
All these things
that Nehemiah described were the things that God had allowed to
happen to Jerusalem and the Temple, because these people had gone
against the commands of God!
Eze 5:14 Moreover I
will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round
about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.
Eze 5:15 So it
shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment
unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute
judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the
LORD have spoken it.
Eze 5:16 When I
shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for
their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will
increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
Eze 5:17 So will I
send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee;
and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring
the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.
These people did not
need a reminder of the conditions they had to live with.
What they needed was
encouragement and "faith" in God that they could change
things if they would become obedient to the Lord!
The one thing that
we so easily do is to forget we serve an almighty God, who is able to
provide our needs and keep us safe from our enemies.
What are we supposed
to do?
Eph 6:10 Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the
whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil.
What will God then
do?
Php 2:12 Wherefore,
my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but
now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Php 2:14 Do all
things without murmurings and disputings:
Php 2:15 That ye
may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as
lights in the world;
Php 2:16 Holding
forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that
I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
*****Neh 2:18 Then
I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the
king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise
up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
When we witness to
others, we need not tell them how great we are because we are a
Christian, we need to brag on God.
We do not brag on
God near enough today, yet God still loves us!
It is because we are
obedient to God that things that most all things are better for us!
If these people
would trust the Lord God of Israel, then they would be unstoppable in
this world.
The hand of God was
good on Nehemiah or how else could he have gotten favor with this
Persian King.
We understand that
the Lord works upon the hearts of people and just hearing again, "How
Great Thou Art", they quit being lazy believers and became
obedient working believers.
All in all, God does
not ask much of any of us! He asked us to believe Him and to do that
we must accept that (all), (every word) of God is true!
Deu_8:3 And he
humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna,
which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might
make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Pro_30:5 Every word
of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Mat_4:4 But he
answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luk_4:4 And Jesus
answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word of God.
When we say we trust
God, then we are saying that we believe what He says, each and every
word!
We should remember
that caution in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ!
Rev 22:18 For I
testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this
book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him
the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if
any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the
holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 22:20 He which
testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so,
come, Lord Jesus.
Ezra had made sure
these people had the true Word of God and it was time for them to get
busy for the Lord.
Again, God will not
do for us things we can do for ourselves and there is no need asking.
If we are too lazy
to do things that we are physically and mentally able to do ourselves
then God will not help with those things.
God does the things
that are impossible for man to do!
These people were in
jeopardy for their lives because they were too lazy to rebuild the
walls around Jerusalem.
God sent a man of
God, Nehemiah, to remind them of these things.
And of course, the
enemy is always watching what God's people are doing!
*****Neh 2:19 But
when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite,
and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and
despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel
against the king?
A Horonite was known
for their anger and fury and Sanballat had those qualities. These are
some of the things that God says will cause us to sin.
Tobiah was a
descendant of Lot and they have always hated the children of Israel,
because they still thought that Lot should also receive the blessings
of Abraham, but God does what God does and God says what God says,
none of these things kept them from being blessed of God, but hatred
and anger will never be qualities approved of God.
At this time this
Geshem was the Chief of all the Arab nations, and through today the
Arabs hate all the things of the Jews and would see the tiny nation
of Israel disappear from the face of the earth, but God will not
allow this to happen and those that defy God are foolish!
These Hebrews were
not going against the King, in fact they were doing things that the
King of Persia had already approved, so this time these Hebrews
ignored them as they should have all along.
Nehemiah assured
God's people that if they were obedient to God, they did not have to
worry about the King of Persia and in fact it was these trouble
makers who had better worry about what the King of Persia might do to
them.
We need some more
men like Nehemiah today to challenge the Church to be obedient to the
Lord!
As true believers,
we also must challenge and exhort all others to trust in the Lord
Jesus Christ and join the family of God.
To be honest, God is
not impressed with lazy Christians!
When we live
self-centered lives instead of God-centered lives, we are most always
in jeopardy of getting caught up in the sins of this world!
What are we to do?
1Ti 4:13 Till I
come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
We are all to be
ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Tit 1:7 For a
bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not
soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
Tit 1:8 But a lover
of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
Tit 1:9 Holding
fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by
sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
We are all to to be
present in the House of God when the time comes to do so!
Heb 10:23 Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is
faithful that promised;)
Heb 10:24 And let
us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the
day approaching.
This is the truth of
God, and it is the truth of our salvation, because we are in the
family of God and it is still time for us to take a stand on God's
Word without worrying about what the enemy will do!
Our wall is the Lord
Jesus Christ and He opens one gate and that is the gate of "FAITH"!
Amen
Let’s Pray!
