Nehemiah

Nehemiah’s personal prayers

Structure• Background

NehemiahHis times

• Prayer in general• Nehemiah’s prayers• Lessons and exhortation

Nehemiah• Nehemiah – “Yahweh is comfort”• Son of Hachaliah (1:1), brother – Hanani

(7:2)• Cupbearer to King Artaxerxes (1:11)

– Heb = shaqah – Butler (Gen 40:1-2)– Solomon & Queen of Sheba (1

Kings 10:5)– Position of great authority– Trustworthy – plots, poison etc– Confidant / Personal advisor– Life of luxury– Wealthy (5:14,17)

The times of Nehemiah550 500 450 400

Esther (483-471) Nehemiah (445-425)

Ezra (538-458)

Cyrus (559-530)

Ahas.(486-465)

Artaxerxes465-424

Darius II(423-404)

Darius I(522-486)

Zechariah / Haggai Mal.(520-470) (432-425)

Prayer• Not easy

• Public prayer• Personal prayer

Premeditated (Mat 6:6)Spontaneous

“Prayer is not only a difficult subject to discuss but also true and acceptable prayer is an exceedingly difficult matter to practise.”

Prayer (contd)• How should we approach God & frame

our petitions?• Preparation required• Must show correct attitude (Gen 18:27, Luke 18:13, Mat 26:39)• Faith required (James 1:6, Mat 21:22)• Obedience required (1 John 3:22)• Lord’s prayer - model• Result of appropriate prayer – James

5:16

Personal prayers of Nehemiah

• Man of prayer approx. 10 prayers in book14-11; 24; 69,14; 1314,22,29,30

44-5,9; 95-38

• Premeditated prayers• Spontaneous prayer

Background - returns from exile

550 500 450 400

Nehemiah (445-425)

Ezra (538-458)

Zerubbabel (538) Ezra (458)

Esther (483-471)

Background (contd)

News from Jerusalem re state ofa. People - “great affliction and reproach” (1:3)b. City – walls broken down and

gates burned (1:3)

Caused Nehemiah great anguish

Nehemiah’s prayer (1:4-11)4  And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5  And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6  Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

DistraughtPreparationFasted & prayed

Focussed on God

Faith in distress

Confessed his personal & people’s sins

7  We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8  Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9  But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

Recognised situation

Goodness and severity of God

10  Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11  O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

Recognition of power of God

Pleads for prayer to be heard

Finally specific request

• Profound• Intense• Short (8 verses, 2 minutes max)• Eccl 5:2

“All acceptable prayer is based upon faith and obedience coupled with brevity, simplicity and suitability”

Prayers of Nehemiah and Daniel

Nehemiah 1:4-114  And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5  …O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

Daniel 9:3-193  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4 ….O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

Nehemiah 16  Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, ……and confess the sins of the children of Israel,……

which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. 7  We have dealt very corruptly

Daniel 918  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, 4 ……And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, 4,11,15 we have sinned

5 and have done wickedly

Nehemiah 17 and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments

8 If ye transgress,……

I will scatter you abroad among the nations:  

9 and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

Daniel 95  departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

11  Yea, all Israel have transgressed

7  through all the countries whither thou hast driven them,19  …for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

Nehemiah 110  …whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11  …let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant,

Daniel 915  ……that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand,

17  ……hear the prayer of thy servant

Spontaneous prayer (2:4)

• 4 months since bad news and prayer of chap 1 and spontaneous prayer of chap 2 - Chisleu (1:1) to Nisan (2:1)

• Nehemiah couldn’t hide his sadness• Immed. recognised by Artaxerxes• Nehemiah very afraid (v2) but he….

Spontaneous prayerSaid unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.  And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. (Nehemiah 2:3-6)

Returns from exile550 500 450 400

Esther (483-471) Nehemiah (445-425)

Ezra (538-458)

Nehemiah (444) Zerubbabel (538) Ezra (458)

The Bible Handbook“Nehemiah was cupbearer to Artaxerxes, a trusted and important official. Artaxerxes was son of Xerxes ( Ahasuerus) and so the step-son of Queen Esther the Jewess. Esther became queen of Persia about 60 years after the Jews had returned to Jerusalem. This must have given the Jews great prestige in the Persian court. Esther was most probably still alive and an influential personage in the palace when both Ezra and Nehemiah went to Jerusalem. Our guess is that we have Esther to thank for Artaxerxes, kindly feelings towards the Jews and his interest in having Jerusalem rebuilt”

Prayer AND action• Requested letters from King• Embarked on long journey• Surveyed walls of Jerusalem• Set up 44 working parties• Repair of walls completed in 52 days

(6:15)

“Here was a man that did not act without prayer but did not pray without acting”

Nehemiah’s journey

1000 miles20 miles / dayJourney – 50 days

Walls of Jerusalem

Other personal prayers…Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands. (6:9)

My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear. (6:14)

Other personal prayersRemember me, O my God, concerning this…(13:14) …Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. (13:22)

…Remember me, O my God, for good. (13:31)

Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood…(13:29)

Lessons and exhortations• Nehemiah provides an example when

wrestling with life changing decisions• Importance of prayer

–Preparation–Concise and to the point–Wait for appropriate time

• Importance of spontaneous prayer• Prayer AND action• Like Nehemiah and Daniel WE should

pray for Israel ……

Remember me, o my God, for good.