ch.1 Fourteen years after the return of Ezra to Jerusalem, Nehemiah led up a company and restored the walls and the civil authority. Of those events this book is the record.

It is in eight divisions:

1 The journey to Jerusalem, 1.1-2.20
2 The building of the wall, 3.1-6.19.
3 The census, 7.1-73.
4 The revival, 8.1-11.36.
5 The census of the priests and Levites, 12.1-26.
6 Dedication of the wall, 12.27-43.
7 Restoration of the temple worship, 12.44-47.
8 The legal order restored, 13.1-31.

The prophecy of Malachi was spoken at this time.
The events recorded in Nehemiah cover a period of 11 years.

2:2 Nehemiah's fear was a consequence of the fact that Artaxerxes could have had Nehemiah killed. No one was supposed to look sad in the presence of the king.
That Nehemiah did demonstrates that the issue of Jerusalem was troubling him and occupying his mind even though he was doing an important task.
Do we 'mourn for Zion' Isaiah 61:3 in a similar way or do those around us have no knowledge of our concern for the city of the great king?

The links with Daniel's prayer

Show two men with the same concern. Daniel before the restoration and Nehemiah when he sees that the return has begun.

ch 1 - Nehemiah highlights the fact that the nation have been in captivity because they forsook the law of God and the covenant they made just before they entered the land under Joshua with quotations from the blessings and cursing.

2:17 That because Jerusalem was laid waste and become a 'reproach' catches the lament of Daniel 9:16.

NEH. 1:  The amount of quotations we find in this prayer are amazing.
      v5. “Great and terrible God….”  (Deut. 7:21)
             “that keepeth covenant….”   (Deut. 7:9)
             “observe his commandments” (Ex. 20:6)
      v6.  “Let thine ear now be attentive” (2 Chon. 6:40)
      v7.  “Have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments” (Deut. 6:1; 7:11; 8:11)
      v8.  “if ye transgress…. I will scatter you” (Lev. 26:39-45; Deut. 28:64; Deut. 30:1-2)
              “but if you turn unto me” (Deut. 30:1-2)
      v10. “thy people” (Deut. 9:26)

Neh 1:11. The cupbearer was a position of honor. It would have been a trusted position, since the cupbearer would be the last person to handle the king’s wine. (The possibility of it being poisoned was always there) It is indicative of Nehemiah’s character that a Jew should have such a position. Why were the Persians given this position of honor?

1:6-7 Notice that whilst the prayer is Nehemiah's he identifies himself with the nation who had sinned.

2:4 Whilst we may think that Nehemiah prayed at the time he stood before the king we should appreciate that, as can be seen from chapter 1, he had been praying for some time abut the situation in Jerusalem.

The desire to return to Jerusalem was not a spur of the moment idea with Nehemiah. It was the driving force in his life and motivated his prayer life all the time. So the question of the king was not a spur to instant prayer. Rather it was a God given situation in response to his prayer.

This could be a stretch but here we have a list of events/verses, not totally in order, that reminded me of Christ and his sacrifice etc.: 2:1 - he provided the cup of wine. 2:6 - it pleased the king to send him though he awaited his return. 2:7 - he encountered a river on the way to his journey. 2:8 - the mention of wooden beams for the gates and temple. 2:11-12 - he came to Jerusalem, three days, set out during the night, with a few men, was on a mount. 2:14 - he went through a fountain of water (strengthened by and quoting the word) before a pool of water (washed away sins/buried). 2:15 - returned from a valley gate (returned from the pit). 2:16 - he was quiet before the nobles and priests and the rulers didn't know what he did or where he went. 2:17-18 - he took away the reproach (sin) of the people and helped them to rebuild the wall (Christ was the chief corner stone) which was a good work. 2:19 - mocked and accused of rebelling against the king. 2:20 - only his servants will have an inheritance in Jerusalem. 3:1 - mention of a sheep gate with doors rebuilt by Eliashib (475) meaning God will restore. 3:3 - mention of a fish gate with its wooden beams and metal attachments rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah (5574) which means pointed and perhaps echos a suggestion of the nails that shed Christ's blood on the wooden cross.  

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book.  It is uncertain whether the author of the book(s) is Ezra or Nehemiah. 

In any event, Nehemiah here makes his first visit to Jerusalem in 445 BC.  His second visit was in 432 BC.  Nehemiah was contemporary with Malachi the prophet and with Socrates the Greek philosopher.  

1:9 Nehemiah’s prayer draws on a number of old Testament passages, but in particular his quotation of Deut 29:4 shows he appreciated that he could indeed pray to God knowing that he would be heard.

2:6 When Nehemiah was asked how long he would be in Jerusalem the time he seems to have set was 12 years because he was there for 12 years – Neh 5:12

1:11 In saying ‘desire to fear thy name’ Nehemiah, in his prayer, is echoing the earlier sentiments of the prophet Isa 26:8

1:5 Nehemiah, in his prayer, quotes Deut 7:9indicating that he feels able to speak to God in this way because he already knows what his God is like. Do we feel we know our God through our reading of Scripture?

2:5 Nehemiah’s request to ‘build’ Jerusalem might seem a wild expectation. However Nehemiah would have known the prophets and been aware of the fact that Jeremiah had prophesied that Israel would return to the land after 70 years –Jer 25:11-12 - so doubtless he saw this as a God given opportunity and so made his request.

2:3 Nehemiah’s attitude was not simply that he was sad that Jerusalem was wasted and spoiled. He was amongst those who ‘mourned for Zion’ Isa 61:1-3

Neh 1:1 - "Nehemiah" [(5166) means "consolation of Jah, Jah comforts"]. Neh 1:2 - "Hananai" [(2607) means "gracious" - believers are saved through grace (Eph 2:8-9)]. Neh 1:11 - Nehemiah was a cupbearer and Christ bore the cup also (Matt 20:22-23;Matt 26:39,42).  Neh 2:1-2 - took the wine and was sad not unlike Christ who took the wine and yielded to his Father's will with sadness including sadness of what would become of Jerusalem (Matt 26:38-39;Luke 23:28). Like Christ, Nehemiah was also a governor who lightened burdens (Neh 5:14-15;Matt 11:30).

Neh 1:8 - scattered if unfaithful (Lev 26:33). Neh 1:9 - regathered (Deut 30:4).

Neh 2:17 - this may remind us Christ will rebuild Jerusalem when he returns to establish his Father's kingdom; believers need to turn to Christ and be joined with him (the bride/body of believers joined as one to the bridegroom/Christ - John 17:21-23) for protection, then they will not be in disgrace on the day of judgment; "wall" [Heb. "chomah" (2346) means "to join, a wall of protection, wall, walled"], "Jerusalem" [(3389) means "teaching of peace, founded peaceful"].

Neh 2:19-20 - false accusers seeking to ensnare (Mark 12:14-17), those who aren't pure will have no share in God's kingdom on earth (James 1:7-8;Matt 6:24); V.19 - a plate bearing the name of "Geshem the Arab" was found in 1947 about 12 miles from Ismailia, Egypt dating to circa the 5th century BC.

12:1 covenant with the Assyrians 2 Kings 17:3
12:3 power with God Genesis 32:28
12:8 yet ... substance Revelation 3:17
12:10 spoken by the prophets 2 Kings 17:13
12:12 Jacob fled to Syria Genesis 29:1
12:14 Ephraim provoked him to anger 2 Kings 17:11

12:7 'Yet I am become rich, I have found me out great substance' is here a claim made by idolatrous Israel. Jesus' use of the same language in Revelation 3:17 is a very powerful condemnation of the brethren and sisters in Laodicea. It marks a state of mind which demonstrates complacent arrogance. Whilst it might seem difficult to see such an attitude in our brethren [at Laodicea] and today clearly it is possible. Such an attitude is marked by a total lack of awareness of one's spiritual depravity.

It’s not often that Jacob’s life is used as an illustration, rather than Abraham’s, but it is here in Hos 12:3-6. Jacob triumphed over his brother Esau at birth, (Gen 25:26), and was later given the name Israel, or “A Prince With God”, as in Gen 32:28. It’s interesting that in these 4 verses there is no mention of Jacob acquiring the birthright or the blessing. Perhaps we can say that they are earthly things which Jacob sought for himself, and things which actually did not affect how God dealt with him.

12:1  The ‘covenant with the Assyrians is a reference to 2Kin 17:3  and continues the things we saw in Hos 10

12:2 Hosea spoke against both Israel and Judah. However the repeated use of ‘Ephraim’ might lead the men of Judah to think that they were exempt from His judgement. Here, as in other places, the prophet reminds them that they have the same responsibilities and should, therefore, expect the same treatment if they are disobedient.

12:4The historical e event spoken of here – the life of Jacob and the struggle with the angel – is more than a story, the prophet is saying. This is clear when the prophet said ‘He spoke with us’ – he does not say ‘spoke with you,’

12:8 The language of this verse shows how complacent the nation had become. Not only were they doing wrong but they did not even realise they were. Just like the ecclesia in Laodicea - Rev 3:17

The worship of Jereboam's calves in Israel was a replacement for God. We might think that was silly. We'd never turn away from God in preference to an animal. But when we look at the clues of what this worship actually was, maybe we can see it is similar to the temptations we too are faced with.

In v11 we learn that worship took place "in the furrows of the field" and in 10:4-5 that this was associated particularly with the calf idol. It suggests that this idolatry was exploiting the most basic and urgent need of mankind: to eat. Somehow the people had been persuaded that this god had power to grant a good harvest, and it had the form of an ox which could bring about prosperity by working the land (see Prov 14:4). So their temptation was exactly the same as ours: Do we spend all our time persuing prosperity and encumbered with daily life, or do we acknowledge God as the giver of all our needs? It is this distinction that made the sabbath such a big deal. Do I forego a day's prosperous work, or do I trust God that He will make up the lost day?

3:1 and 2:20 mark a progression. We 'die' in the waters of baptism and 'rise' to a new life Romans 6:4. If we have risen to a new life then the ways of the old life are left behind. Now we know that this relates to our sinful behaviour. However Paul extends this, to the brethren and sisters in Colosse, to those elements of Jewish tradition which burdened them.

4:5 Walking in wisdom is an exhortation to ensure that our lifestyle does not cause the name of God to be blasphemed. It is not good enough to just know that what we do is acceptable to God. We must also ensure that we also abstain from all appearance of evil 1 Thessalonians 5:22 as well.

These evidences form a basis for Paul's exhortation to the brethren, against the background of their troubles

4:10-15 The way in which individuals are able to send greetings, and Paul is willing to include these greetings in such 'important' letters is a mark of how highly the Father views the fellowship between His sons and daughters. A lesson for us.

3:23 The focus of all our activities is that we should seek to please our Father. The danger always is that we might simply be doing things to seek the praise of men.

4:7-8 The details of Tychicus confirm that he took the letter from Paul to the ecclesia in Colosse.

3:15 In speaking of the 'peace' of God and being 'thankful'  Paul is drawing on both aspects of the peace / thank offering of the law (Lev 3:1)

4:15 Our current way of meeting in purpose built or converted rooms for our meetings should not cause us to frown upon or be suspicious of believers just because they meet in homes. This was a common first century activity (Acts 2:46 , Rom 16:15, 1Cor 16:19 , Philem 1:2)

3:11 The term Barbarian today means an uncivilized person. However, Paul's usage in his time meant something different. The term had become synonymous with foreigner. Originally, Barbarian referred to one who stuttered, a person of unintelligible speech. In a time when Greek was the language of culture, anyone who could not speak it was considered one who stammered and, therefore, an outsider (foreigner) to things Greek.

The Scythians were a nomadic people who migrated from Asia to the area of southern Russia. They were considered savages (uncivilized people) and their name became synonymous with such. Paul, of course, is pointing out that those in Christ are no longer Jew, Greek, foreign, or uncivilized, although they might have once been. All are now one in Christ, changed to conform to His righteousness (Gal 3:28).

3:9 Paul could have appealed to any number of different requirements but chooses, by the spirit, to say ‘lie not one to another’. This is paramount because any form of dishonesty between brethren and sisters destroys fellowship and unity. Dishonesty is more destructive and embarrassing truth.

4:8-9 Paul sent two brethren to Colosse to learn of their welfare. It is not that he did not trust one or other of those two brethren. Rather Paul is employing the pattern of Jesus who sent his disciples out two by two. Matt 21:1

3:4 In saying Christ is our ‘life’ we need to realise that Paul is talking abut our way of living – not simply the resurrection. Our life should centre around living like Jesus did. A similar point to that which we have seen in chapters 1 and 2

4:5     ‘them that are without’ draws on Jesus’ words in Mark 4:11 so we understand that Paul s speaking of those who have no interest in the gospel. We might think that such people do not deserve our attention but Paul teaches the contrary. We show them Christ by the way in which we live.

3:9  Whilst Paul is opposing the yoke of the Law of Moses in the form of circumcision he still emphasises the moral teaching of the law. Here ‘lie not one to another’ quotes Lev 19:11

3:3 The word hid means to be hidden by covering.  And so, those in Christ have had their sins covered by Him (Rom 4:7).

Jesus was symbolized by the mercy seat where Yahweh would commune with His people (Exo 25:21,22).  The NIV translates mercy seat as atonement cover.  In this translation we can better see the effect of Jesus’ atonement as he covers our sins.

3:18-22 These behaviors do not have a widespread following in the modern world.  But, they must be the norm to those who follow Jesus.