© Illustration by Michael Woodruff
Bible Personalities: Nehemiah
A century after the Jews went into the Babylonian captivity, the Persians had taken over Babylon. Jewish captive, Nehemiah, served the King as cupbearer. Some Jews had returned to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel had rebuilt the temple. Then Ezra’s group had gone to rebuild the city. But work had stopped. They had not rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls to protect the people.
Nehemiah humbly fasted and prayed reminding God of his promise not to let Jerusalem perish. As the royal cupbearer, he petitioned the King who appointed him as the new governor. Once there, Nehemiah faced much opposition.
He divided the work by families and led by example, labouring himself. Half worked while half guarded with spears. They faced crises, including famine. Many Jews went into debt and lost their land while some even had to sell their children as slaves.
Nehemiah himself fed 150 of his countrymen and paid expenses from his own account. He called a great assembly. He appealed to the wealthier Jews to stop charging usury. Enemies tried to assassinate him. Nehemiah avoided “peace talks” with them saying, “I am doing a great work, so I cannot come down.” A double-agent tried to lure Nehemiah into seeking refuge in the temple where Levites only were to go.
Nehemiah did all he could, then relied on God for the rest. These efforts inspired a spiritual revolution. They set up the tithing system to sustain the priesthood and singers. They kept God’s feasts. The people even signed an agreement to “walk in God’s Law and observe all the commandments”.
Eventually, Nehemiah returned to the Persian King. Sadly, a Jerusalem power struggle then took place. Again Nehemiah journeyed to Jerusalem. He found the people working on the Sabbath. He contended with them. Also Nehemiah tackled the marriages that they were making with pagan neighbours.
After this struggle-filled life Nehemiah prayed, “Remember me, O my God, for good.” More compelling details about Nehemiah’s remarkable life are found at:
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