What is the main message of the Book of Nehemiah?
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One of the powerful messages of Nehemiah is how much you can accomplish when you align yourself with the will and plan of God. Nehemiah and his followers do what seems to be the impossible because they are doing what God has called them to do. You don’t have to rebuild a wall to do the will of God.
How did Nehemiah become cupbearer?
Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem, which was then a subdivision of the Persian government. The king also provided an escort and wrote letters to governors of provinces through which Nehemiah would pass, giving the cupbearer the authority to receive supplies from the governors.
Who wrote the Book of Nehemiah?
Composition and date The combined book Ezra–Nehemiah of the earliest Christian and Jewish period was known as Ezra and was probably attributed to Ezra himself; according to a rabbinic tradition, however, Nehemiah was the real author but was forbidden to claim authorship because of his bad habit of disparaging others.
Who destroyed the walls of Jerusalem that Nehemiah rebuilt?
Nebuchadnezzar
The walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. The walls were still in ruin 140 years later when Nehemiah came to Jerusalem. Upon hearing that the wall of Jerusalem was down and destroyed, along with the gates being burned down, Nehemiah cried.
What can we learn from Nehemiah’s leadership?
Nehemiah was ready for the conflict and his protective plan allowed the work to get accomplished. In doing so, he proved himself a great leader. A true test of great leadership is “the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency” (Maxwell, 1993, p. 81).
What did a cupbearer do in Bible times?
He would guard against poison in the king’s cup, and was sometimes required to swallow some of the drink before serving it. His confidential relations with the king often gave him a position of great influence.
Why were the cupbearer and baker in jail?
One man was Pharaoh’s cupbearer and the other man was Pharaoh’s baker. Genesis tells us that these men were put into prison because they had offended Pharaoh. Both men had different dreams but were sad because they didn’t understand the meaning of their dreams.
Who wrote Ezra-Nehemiah?
Jewish tradition has identified Ezra as the author of these books, and some modern scholars concur.
Why was the wall of Jerusalem torn down?
As described in the biblical Book of 2 Kings Chapter 25 and in Jeremiah Chapter 39, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II’s army held ancient Jerusalem under a lengthy siege until “the famine was sore in the city.” The Babylonian army then breached the walls of the city, after which King Zedekiah and his warriors fled.
Why were the walls of Jerusalem so important to Nehemiah?
A wall built for Gods Glory In Old Testament times the city walls represented not only the strength of the people within that city, but also the strength of the God they served. Nehemiah depicts the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
Who was Nehemiah in the Bible?
Nehemiah was a layman, not a priest like Ezra nor a prophet like Malachi. He served the Persian king in a secular position before leading a group of Jews to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the city walls. Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the Jews withstood opposition and came together to accomplish their goal.
Is Nehemiah the last book in the Old Testament?
Nehemiah is the last historical book of the Old Testament. Although the book of Esther appears after Nehemiah in the canon, the events in Esther occurred in the time period between Ezra 6 and 7, between the first and second returns of the people to Israel. The prophet Malachi was a contemporary of Nehemiah. Why is Nehemiah so important?
What can we learn from Nehemiah’s leadership?
Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the Jews withstood opposition and came together to accomplish their goal. Nehemiah led by example, giving up a respected position in a palace for hard labor in a politically insignificant district. He partnered with Ezra, who also appears in this book, to solidify the political and spiritual foundations of the people.
What is the setting of the Book of Nehemiah?
The book of Nehemiah opens in the Persian city of Susa in the year 444 BC. Later that year, Nehemiah traveled to Israel, leading the third of three returns by the Jewish people following their seventy years of exile in Babylon.