Beginning Again

The Walls Begun

Nehemiah 1-4

Lesson 26

For copies of the notes to this lecture go to dictationsfromthespirit.com

History Matters

605 BC – neo-Babylonian empire, under king Nebuchadnezzar begins forcing Judah into submission.

587 BC – Babylon destroys Jerusalem, destroys the temple that Solomon built, and the wall surrounding Jerusalem

Jeremiah 25:12: “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the LORD, “and will make it desolate forever.”

539 BC – Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon establishing the Medo-Persian Empire

History MattersEzra 1:1-4: Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:   All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

536 BC – first of three groups of Jews return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple

Nehemiah 1:5-9: And I said, “ I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of your were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.

The Picture of a Perfect Prayer

Acknowledges God’s place – “LORD God of heaven”

Acknowledges the magnitude of God – “O great and awesome God”

Acknowledges the faithfulness of God – He keeps His promises – “You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments.”

Acknowledges Israel’s wickedness – and includes his father’s house as well as Nehemiah himself – quotes Scripture confirming the consequences of their sins – “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations.”

He believes in and acknowledges the full promise of God - again quoting Scripture - if they returned to Him, He would bring them back to their land – “But if you return to me…I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.”

Asks for mercy

The Outline of a Perfect Prayer

The Man Nehemiah

Luke 19:41-44: Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.

An Important Prophecy

An Important Prophecy

Daniel 9:24: Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.Daniel 9:25: Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

An Important Prophecy

Nehemiah 2:5: And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

Nehemiah 2:6b: So it pleased the king to send me

Nehemiah 2:1: And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes.

The twentieth year of Artaxerxes would be 445 B.C. The month of Nisan is typically March/April. According to work done by Sir Rollinson, the exact date of the commandment was in the palace of Shushan on March 14, 445 B.C.

An Important Prophecy

A week, or a “7”, is equal to 7-years in Scripture

7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks; 69 weeks x 7 = 483 years

Babylonian calendar had 360 days in a year, so 483 years x 360 days = 173,880 days

Counting down from March 14, 445 B.C. using 365 days/year, that puts you at April 6, 32 A.D.

Daniel 9:26: And after the sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut-off, but not for Himself;

The 5 “P”s of Preparing For the Journey

People

Purpose

Plan

Prayer

Petition/Permission

John 3:17: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Matthew 26:28: This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

John 17:1-2: Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

Luke 22:42: Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.

Luke 23:34: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

Reaping and SewingGenesis 19:37-38: The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.

Deuteronomy 23:3: An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever

Sheep Gate (vs. 3:1) is where we all begin our walk with Christ (Isaiah 53:6)

Fish Gate (vs. 3:3) Once saved, we’re to go to work. At the fish gate – we become fishers of men

Old Gate (vs. 3:6) When asked questions by people, we go to the Old Gate – the teachings of the Word

Valley Gate (vs. 3:13) Where we go during times of trials and difficulties – testing

Dung Gate (vs. 3:14) the “dungy” things we say - things we don’t want to in the testing – we need to confess and admit who we are before God

Fountain Gate (vs. 3:15) the place where we’ve gone through our stuff and now want more.

A Walk Through the Gates

Water gate – Word of God and new life

Horse Gate – Revelation 19:14 – Jesus coming on a horse – Jesus’ return

East Gate – Jesus will enter this gate in His second coming

Miphkad literally means “Judgment” – Jesus will bring judgment with Him

Sheep Gate again – everything begins and ends with Jesus, the Lamb of God

A Walk Through the Gates

The Opposition Intensifies

Nehemiah 4:1-3: When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”  Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”

Nehemiah 4:4-5: Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.

Daniel 9:25: “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

Diagnosis & Cure for Discouragement

The Symptoms The Cure

Loss of strength – 4:10

Loss of vision – 4:11

Loss of confidence – 4:11

Loss of security – 4:12

Unified the people – 4:13

Pointed to the Lord – 4:14

Encouraged balance – 4:16

Had a rally point – 4:20

Had them serve others – 4:22

Closing

Exodus 3:7-8a: I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey

Can you name one name one of the names of the people listed in Chapter 3?

For copies of this lecture

dictationsfromthespirit.com

Go to “Categories” drop down window and choose “POW Bible Studies”. This lecture is called “Nehemiah 1-4”