Explore the Bible Lesson Preview January 11, 2015 God Inspires the Work Background: Nehemiah 1:1-4:23 Lesson: Nehemiah 2: 1-8, 17-18

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview January 11, 2015 God Inspires the Work Background: Nehemiah 1:1-4:23 Lesson: Nehemiah 2: 1-8, Motivation: Nehemiah was one of the great leaders of Jewish history. He was variously a cupbearer (1:11), a wall builder (2:11) and a governor (7-13). We can observe that Nehemiah was a praying man, a patriotic man, a practical man and a persistent man, all qualities for us to imitate. Examination: I. Heartbreaking News (1:1-11) A. Distressing News (1-3) 1. Recipient Nehemiah s ancestors were taken captive by the Babylonians and chose to remain in Persia rather than return to Israel. He rose to a powerful position in the court of Artaxerxes I and was undoubtedly fixed for life. His character was revealed by his concern for others. 2. Date - twentieth year (1) of the king s reign would have been about 446 BC. The book was written between BC. 3. Contents - The men from Judah painted a grim picture. 1 / 11

2 a. great trouble and disgrace (3) Without walls for protection, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were at the mercy of bandits. b. wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down (3) The intense reaction of Nehemiah leads one to believe that this destruction was more recent than that inflicted by Nebuchadnezzar 140 years earlier. A more recent attack was described in Ezra 4:7-23. B. Depth of Concern (4) The bad news affected Nehemiah so strongly that he had to sit down and cry. His mourning turned to a plea to God that involved fasting and prayer. C. Determined Intercession (5-11) 1. He recognized the sovereignty of God. Yahweh, the God of heaven (5). (Isa 46:9-10) 2. He confessed the sins of the people of Jerusalem. I confess the sins we have committed against You. (6-8) 3. He reminded God of His purpose with His people. You redeemed them by Your great power and strong hand. (9-10). 4. He asked God for His help. Give your servant success today (11). II. Distress Exposed Why should I not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? (2:1-3) 2 / 11

3 III. Request Presented (2:4-5) A. Divine Appointment: Nehemiah had been praying about the tragedy in Jerusalem for almost four months when God provided the right opportunity. Notice that God s divine appointments are in His timing, not necessarily ours. B. Dedicated Prayer: Nehemiah was overwhelmed with fear (3) because it was prohibited to be sad in the king s presence. When presented with the opportunity, Nehemiah was prayed up and prepared to seize the moment. 1. He asked at the right time so I prayed... (4) This was undoubtedly a silent prayer, one of the few mentioned in scripture. 2. He asked to be sent rather than to send others. send me (5). (Isa. 6: He asked for a job rather than a position, that I may rebuild it. (5). IV. Preparations Made (2:6-8) A. He didn t break faith with authority The king with the queen seated beside him asked me, How long will your journey take, and when will you return? So I gave him a definite time, and it pleased the king to send me. (6) Nehemiah was a man of integrity; he didn t break one commitment in order to accomplish another. B. He asked for authority to work rather than authority over people. let me have letters written to the governors of the region (7). Nehemiah s leadership is revealed throughout the book especially in the ways he related to 3 / 11

4 his followers. He wanted for his ministry to build up people, not for people to build up his self-esteem. C. He asked for resources for the task rather than for personal gain. timber to rebuild the gates (8). (1 Kings 3:3-14) V. Nehemiah Inspected the Walls (2:9-16) A. Undermining Enemies (9-10) 1. Sanballat represented threats from the outside. 2. Tobiah represented internal opposition; he made alliances with Jewish nobles to oppose Nehemiah in 6:17 and 13:4, 28. B. Undercover Evaluation (11-16) 1. Nehemiah inspected personally (11-12) It is important when evaluating a person, program or problem that one gets first-hand knowledge and understanding rather than gossip. 2. Nehemiah inspected secretly (13-16) Going public prematurely may harden both opposition and raise more questions than one can answer. Investigate problems privately and quietly until all the facts are known. 3. Nehemiah inspected thoroughly (13-16) 4 / 11

5 VI. Nehemiah Challenged the People to Work (2:17-18) A. Nehemiah appealed to their sense of need So I said to them, You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned down. Come, let s rebuild Jerusalem s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.. (17) - Matthew 19:27 says Then Peter responded to Him, Look, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us? Nehemiah answered the WIIFM question: What s In It For Me? (Phil 4:19; Mark 10:27-30; John 15:5) B. Nehemiah appealed to their sense of institutional pride -...that we will no longer be a disgrace. (17) God has created us with a desire for significance beyond our selfish interests. Nehemiah appealed to their patriotism and respect for God s city. C. Nehemiah appealed to their spiritual understanding - I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me (18) God s people want to be in God s plan. Part of our role as church leaders is to help members understand how they can carry out God s business and God s will here in the local church. VII. Opposition of Principal Enemies (2:19-20) A. Power of the Opposition - Geshem the Arab is noted in early ancient inscriptions as a power in the region. Evidently, all the leaders mentioned in verse 19 had some official capacity in the Persian Empire. B. Depth of the Opposition 1. Deriding Nehemiah they mocked us - Perhaps the harshest form of criticism is to not be taken seriously. 5 / 11

6 2. Despising Nehemiah they...despised us - The opposition wanted to erect some walls of their own: walls between Nehemiah and the people, walls between Nehemiah and the king and walls between Nehemiah and his vision. 3. Doubting Nehemiah what is this you re doing? - Satan uses doubt and discouragement to blunt the effectiveness of our work for God. The Enemy attempts to raise serious questions among God s people about God s work. 4. Denouncing Nehemiah Are you rebelling against the king? Nehemiah had official letters of authorization from Artaxerxes permitting the work. Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). We must be very careful to recognize the enemy s attacks. C. Breadth of the Opposition - The location of the opposition leaders would put enemies to the north, east and south of Jerusalem. When the Ashdodites are included (4:7), Jerusalem was completely surrounded by enemies. D. Answer to the Opposition - I gave them this reply, The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start building, but you have no share or right or historic claim in Jerusalem. (20) Just as Jesus answered Satan by quoting scripture (Matt. 4:1-11), Nehemiah also relied on the promises and power of God. VIII. Reporting Progress (3:1-32) Nehemiah was a great leader in part because he was willing to delegate responsibility. In this chapter, each area of repair was assigned to a specific group. Great leadership requires great follow ship. The people responded to Nehemiah s leadership with a willingness to work. Nehemiah s spiritual approach was very successful; the builders ignored the opposition and had a mind to work, (4:6) in contrast to the Tekoan nobles who did not lift a finger to help (3:5) 6 / 11

7 IX. Trowels and Swords (4:1-33) A. Enemy s Taunts 1. Question of Ability What are these pathetic Jews doing? (2) Can they do it? 2. Question of Intent Can they restore it by themselves? (2) Will it work? 3. Question of Faith Will they offer sacrifices? (2) Is their God sufficient? (2 Chron. 20:15-25) 4. Question of Endurance Will they finish it? (2) Do they have staying power? 5. Question of Resources Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble (2) Can they afford it? 6. Question of Quality Indeed, even if a fox climbed up on what they are building, he would break down their stone wall (3) Will it last? B. Nehemiah s Prayer (4:4-6) - Nehemiah s response to opposition was to turn to God. Rather than trying to retaliate, he trusted intercession. C. People s Response (7-23) 1. Evil Intention (7-8) The coalition of enemies turned from sarcasm and ridicule to armed attack. 7 / 11

8 2. Ernest Intercession So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard (9) The interplay of faith and works is interesting. Ron Lyles writes, Christians must be willing to do more than pray, but they should not do anything more until they pray. 3. Evaporating Interest (10-12) Morale began to dissolve when the people examined possibilities of attack. The rubble evidently provided excellent cover for assassins, attackers and saboteurs. Nehemiah recorded the depth of their concern by noting that they said to us time and again, Everywhere you turn, they attack us. (12) 4. Eager Intervention (13-23) Nehemiah tackled the issue head on. a. Nehemiah took immediate action So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas (13). b. Nehemiah shifted their focus to God s power Don t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord. (14). c. Nehemiah trusted God to thwart his enemies When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it (15). d. Nehemiah turned over his own resources. From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows and armor. (16). e. Nehemiah teamed the equipped workers The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other. (17). 8 / 11

9 5. Enduring Incentive Our God will fight for us! (20) The entire chapter is an interesting blend of trusting faith and backbreaking work. Faith is revealed in Nehemiah s prayer (4), the people s attitude (6b), Nehemiah s charge (14b), and this charge (20). Their work ethic is best summed up in verses where they worked twelve hour shifts, not even taking time to change clothes (23). Application: 1. A Christian s response to overwhelming problems should be determined intercession. (Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:26) 2. God uses people who desire to serve. 3. Christians are expected to cooperate with leaders in the unity of His Spirit. (Eph. 4:1-6) 4. God s people respond best to a clear spiritual appeal. (2 Thes. 2:10-12; Col. 2:6-7; Matt. 13:13) Leader Pack Items 1-5; Item 7: Chart: Kings of Persia Illustrator p. 22, Nehemiah s Wall in Jerusalem Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format and notes at: lestudy.org Dates: 2015: 1/4-24 Missions Expo; 1/4 AMP/WIRED Wednesday; 1/7- HUB Rally; 1/9-1 9 / 11

10 0 HUB Ministry Weekend; 1/13 Night of Prayer; 1/17 Men: Serve; 1/21 Milestones preview; 1/23 Midnight Madness; 1/25 Fitness Expo; 1/28 Milestones begins; 1/30-2/1 Passion Conf. in Houston; 2/1 Super Bowl Sunday; 2/8 HUB Girls Event; 2/15 Parent Commitment; 2/15-17 Next Gen Staff Retreat; 2/20 Scott Nute Global Ministry Benefit Dinner; 2/22 MIYCO; 2/27 ReCreate Date Night; 2/27-28 Legacy 685 Conference; 2/28 Men: Serve; 3/8 Daylight Saving Time starts; 3/7-12 RUSHMORE 1; 3/15 AMP/WIRED Sunday; 3/16-17 Senior Adult Revival; 3/14-19 RUSHMORE 2; 3/18 CBU 7:00 in WC & Main Foyer; 10 / 11

11 3/28 SPF Hippity Hoppin Easter Event. 11 / 11