Nehemiah 1-3: Restoring What's Broken

Go deeper with our new book, The Rubble and the Wall: Sharing God's Heart to Restore What's Broken, available on Amazon or outloudbible.com

We start Nehemiah and watch a brokenhearted leader turn bad news into prayer, bold action, and a clear vision for rebuilding. We connect Jerusalem’s ruined wall to the “reproach” people see today when God’s people live without integrity, then ask what burden God may be putting on our hearts.
• why we read the Bible for real life change 
• the exile timeline and where Nehemiah fits 
• how a burden becomes a calling to Kingdom work 
• Nehemiah’s prayer of grief, fasting, and confession 
• courage and wisdom in asking the king for help 
• inspecting the problem before announcing the plan 
• casting vision that moves people to act 
• facing mockery and opposition without backing down 
• why the wall matters for honor, protection, and witness 
• what “reproach” looks like in the modern church 

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Transcript

Reading The Bible For Action

SPEAKER_00 0:11

This is the Out Loud Bible Project Podcast, and I am Mike, and we're reading the Bible like it makes a difference. We're reading the Bible and asking ourselves, all right, well, what can I do about this? And and what is God's heart in this? How can I align myself with him? And man alive, what a difference it makes when we start living biblically, not just like be a Christian, but like live biblically, read what God says and do it. Whew, man, what a difference that makes. Am I right? Tell you what, we've been covering a lot of ground on the podcast lately. Uh, I was just checking in the past month, we've touched about 10 different books of the Bible. Probably a couple different reasons for that. One being the we recently grew from three episodes a week to five episodes a week on the podcast. I hope that's made a difference in the frequency that you've engaged with the Bible, and I hope you've seen a difference in your life as a result of that. Uh, but also we've been in the minor prophets of the Old Testament, the specifically that time in Israel's history where they were sent away into exile as punishment for their unfaithfulness to God, even though they had plenty of warning, they ignored the prophets. And uh, so they were sent away into exile. And we've been reading a lot of those books of the minor prophets, minor, not because they're minorly important, but because they're just shorter, and so we can cover a lot of them faster. And we've also been kind of putting together a rough chronological timeline of these minor prophet books, as well as some of the books that were written as a history of the exile and and the exiles returning, such as Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. And so we get to start the book of Nehemiah today. Nehemiah is the the leading the third wave of exiles back to the Promised Land. Zerubbabel started and completed the temple, and Ezra started some spiritual reforms to align people's hearts back with God, and now Nehemiah has a special mission of his own, which we will read as we get into the book. So uh this book of Nehemiah is is very near and dear to my heart. Uh, it's one of my favorites, I'll say it. Uh, but uh very near and dear to my heart, as we've recently written a book about the book of Nehemiah. Uh called The Rebel and the Wall. Of course, that'll make a lot more sense as we get into the story. The Rebel and the Wall, sharing God's heart to restore what's broken. Because this book, Nehemiah specifically, but also the Rebel and the Wall book, um, but this book of Nehemiah is for you who feel like God has given you something to do in the kingdom. It's a great book for leaders, but you don't have to be a leader or a pastor or a ministry founder or a CEO to get any value from this book. All you have to have is something that breaks your heart a little bit. Something you see in the world is like, ah, that's not the way it should be. And I feel like I gotta do something about it. If you feel like that, it doesn't have to mean starting an organization. It doesn't even mean having to write a book or or start some project. It could just be relationships that you see in your family, in your life, at work. You see, ah man, that's not supposed to be that way. I feel like God wants to do something there, and I feel like I gotta be a part of it. If that's you, and I'm I guarantee it will be you at some point in your life, if not multiple times. But if that's you, then Nehemiah has so much wisdom in the way that he led this whole movement and orchestrated this grand project, the way he led it, and the opposition he faced along the way gives us great insight into what we can expect as we go along our own little corner of Kingdom Work ourselves. So The Rubble and the Wall is actually available tomorrow. If you find yourself, as we've been reading these sections of Nehemiah through these episodes of the podcast, if you find yourself wanting to go a little bit deeper with this, we can only go so deep on the podcast. We have our thinking out loud thoughts for the day, and on the at the end of the week, we'll have our living out loud conversation. But if you want to go deeper and say, oh yeah, I feel I really resonate with what's going on here. This is a really difficult time in my life, then I would go recommend reading The Rebel and the Wall. That's available tomorrow, uh at least at the time of this recording. Uh, March 18th is the official release date. Um, it's actually the third book of a series, and we're releasing them all at once. We're releasing a whole trilogy all at once. It's called the the Heartwork Series, where we recognize that hearts grow best in difficult places. And so this is book three. We'll talk about more about the rest of the series uh in the days to come. I we're very excited about it, and I I know it's gonna be a blessing for you. I know that there's going to be some difficult place that you find yourself in, and uh, and these books are just drenched in scripture and follow the stories of Moses, of Joshua, and of Nehemiah to really glean some wisdom as we navigate our own difficult seasons of our life to see what God wants to do in our hearts. So uh that's that's something we're excited about, excited to share that with you tomorrow, the release of the whole heartwork series, all three books, uh, including The Rubble and the Wall, based on the story of Nehemiah, which we get to start today. We're gonna be reading Nehemiah, starting in chapter one, of course. That's a good place to start, and we're gonna go through chapter three here in the New English translation. These are the words of Nehemiah, son of Hakaliah. It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, I was in Susa, the citadel. Uh Hanani, one of my relatives, along with some of the men from Judah, came to me and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile and about Jerusalem. And they said to me, The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down. When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And then I said, Please, Lord God of heaven, great and awesome God who keeps his loving covenant with those who love him and obey his commandments, may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I'm praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf of your servants the Israelites. I'm confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have committed against you. Both I myself and my family have sinned. We've behaved corruptly against you, not obeying the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments that you commanded your servant Moses. Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses. If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you repent and obey my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I've chosen for my name to reside. They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your mighty strength and by your powerful hand. Please, Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man. Now I was cupbearer for the king. Then in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought to me, I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now previously I had not been depressed in the king's presence, so the king said to me, Why do you appear to be depressed when you aren't sick? What can this be other than sadness of heart? Oh uh this made me very fearful, and I I replied to the king, Oh, oh, king, I can live live forever. Why why would I not appear dejected when this city with the graves of my ancestors lies desolate and its gates destroyed by fire? The king responded, What is it you're seeking? And and then I I I quickly prayed to the God of heaven and said to the king, If the king is so inclined, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, uh dispatch me to Judah to the city with the graves of my ancestors so that I can rebuild it. Then the king, with his consort sitting beside him, replied, How long would your trip take? And when would you return? And since the king was pleased to send me, I gave him a time, and I said to the king, Well, if the king is so inclined, let him give me letters for the governors of Trans Euphrates that will enable me to travel safely until I reach Judah, and a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the king's nature preserve, so that he will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the temple and for the city wall and for the house to which I go. So the king granted me these requests, for the good hand of my God was on me. And then I went to the governors of Trans Euphrates and I presented to them the letters from the king. The king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. When Sanbalat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard all this, they were very displeased that someone had come to seek benefit for the Israelites. So I came to Jerusalem, and when I had been there for three days, I got up during the night, along with a few men who were with me, but I didn't tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me except for the one I was riding, and I proceeded through the valley gate by night in the direction of the well of the dragons and the dung gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem that had been breached and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. I passed on to the gate of the well and the king's pool, where there was not enough room for my animal to pass with me. I continued up the valley during the night, inspecting the wall, and then I turned back and came to the valley gate and so returned. The officials didn't know where I had gone or what I had been doing, for up to this point I had not told any of the Jews, or the priests, or the nobles, or the officials, or the rest of the workers. Then I said to them, You see the problem that we have? Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates are burned. Come on, let's rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue. And then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what the king had said to me, and then they replied, Let's begin rebuilding right away. So they readied themselves for this good project. But when Sanbalat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard all this, they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They said, What is this you're doing? Are you rebelling against the king? I responded to them by saying, The God of heaven will prosper us, we his servants will start the rebuilding. But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem. Well then Eliashib, the high priest and his priestly colleagues arose and built the sheep gate. They dedicated it and erected its doors, working as far as the tower of the hundred and the tower of Hananel, the men of Jericho built adjacent to it, and Zachar, son of Imri, built adjacent to them. The sons of Hasanah rebuilt the fish gate, they laid its beams and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars. Merrimouth, son of Uriah, the son of Hakaz, worked on the section adjacent to them. Meshulam, son of Barakiah, the son of Meshezebel, worked on the section next to them, and Zadok, son of Bana, worked on the section adjacent to them. The men of Tokoa worked on the section adjacent to them, but their town leaders would not assist with the work of their master. Joeda, the son of Passeya, and Meshulem, the son of Besudea, worked on the Jashana gate. They laid its beams and positioned its doors, its bolts, its bars. Adjacent to them worked Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Maranophite, who were of Gibeon and Mizpa. These towns were under the jurisdiction of the governor of Trans Euphrates. Now, Uziel, son of Harhaiah and a member of the goldsmith's guild, worked on the section adjacent to him. Hananiah, a member of the perfumer's guild, worked on the section adjacent to him, and they plastered the city wall of Jerusalem as far as the broad wall. Raphaea, son of Hur, head of a half district of Jerusalem, worked on the section adjacent to them. Jedeah, son of Harumath, worked on the section adjacent to them, opposite his house, and Hattush, son of Hashabenea, worked on section adjacent to him. Malkaijah, son of Harim, and Hasub, son of Pahath Moab, worked on another section, and the Tower of Ovens, and Shalom, son of Halohesh, head of a half district of Jerusalem, worked on the section adjacent to him, assisted by his daughters. Now Hanan and the residents of Zenoah worked on the valley gate. They rebuilt it and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars, in addition to working on 1,500 feet of the wall as far as the dungate. Malkaijah, son of Rechab, head of the district of Beth Hakaram, worked on the dungate. He rebuilt it and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars. Shalon, son of Kolhoseth, head of the district of Mizpa, worked on the fountain gate, and he rebuilt it, put on its roof, and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars. In addition, in addition, he rebuilt the wall of the pool of Siloam by the royal garden as far as the steps that go down from the city of David. By the way, if only Shalon knew that the pool of Siloam that he was rebuilding was going to be visited by Jesus, the Messiah himself, as he healed a blind man at that pool. Pretty cool. No way he could have known, but what great work. Nehemiah, son of Azbuk, head of a half district of Bethzor, worked after him as far as the tombs of David and the artificial pool and the house of the warriors. After him the Levites worked, Rehum, son of Bani, and after him Hashabiah, head of half the district of Keliah for his district. After him, their relatives worked, Binui, son of Henadad, head of a half district of Keleh, and adjacent to him, Ezar, son of Jeshua, head of Mizpah, worked on another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress. After him, Barak, son of Zabi, worked on another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. After him, Merimoth, son of Uriah, the son of Hakaz, worked on another section from the door of Eliashib's house to the end of it. After him, the priests worked, men of the nearby district. After them, Benjamin and Hashab worked opposite their house. And after them, Azariah, son of Masaih, the son of Ananiah, worked near his house, and after him Binui, son of Henadad, worked on another section from the house of Azariah to the buttress and the corner. Him Palal, the son of Uzai, worked opposite the buttress and the tower that protrudes from the upper palace of the court of the guard. After him, Padeah, son of Parash, and the temple servants, who were living on Ofel, worked up to the area opposite the water gate, toward the east and the protruding tower. After them, the men of Tokoah worked on another section from opposite the great protruding tower to the wall of Ofel. Above the horse gate, the priests worked, each in front of his house, and after them Zadok, son of Imr, worked opposite his house, and after him Shemea, son of Shekaniah, guard at the east gate, worked. After him, Hananiah, son of Shalemiah, and Hanan, the sixth son of Zalaf, worked on another section, and after them, Meshulam, son of Barakiah, worked opposite his quarters. After him, Malkaijah, one of the goldsmiths, worked as far as the house of the temple servants and the traders opposite the inspection gate and up to the room above the corner. And between the room above the corner and the sheep gate, the goldsmiths and the traders worked. And I'll stop there for now, but can you just sense Nehemai's excitement for all of these people doing this work that has been put off for so long and seems so impossible? But now, as he shared the favor of God and shared what was on his heart to do that God put on his heart, then people are like, yes, let's do this. And you can just see the excitement as he's recording all of these names and places that maybe not, they may not mean a whole lot to us now, but they meant a whole lot to these people. And Nehemiah wanted to honor all of these people and all the hard work that they're doing because they're doing it for the Lord. They're doing this because the wall is a big deal. The wall, we don't have walled cities nowadays, but to an ancient city, a wall meant honor and protection. And God, of course, is the one to honor and is the great protector. But when people would look at Jerusalem, they would know that as the city, as the capital city where the temple was of the God of the Israelites. And if the wall was just in crumbles, then they would see the God of Israel as weak and powerless. Now God doesn't need to defend himself, but God did want his people to live in a city and to live in such a way that got people's attention so as to say, wow, the God of Israel, he is good and he is powerful. And a broken down wall did not communicate that. And that is the heart behind Nehemiah's vision. He toured the city, he kind of investigated what the problem was, but then he cast this vision for the people and says, You see the problem that we have. Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned. Come on, let's rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so this reproach will not continue. The reproach is people who look at from the outside, people in the world who look at what should reflect God, and like a Christian, like a church nowadays. And if they see, ooh, that's not good, I don't they're their God must not really matter all that much. We don't want people thinking that of God, and yet that's exactly what we see today. When people look at church, they see a bunch of Christians who are infighting and sinning and not living any different, and they see all this corruption and they see all these problems with the church, and they're like, oh, well, then God must not be a good God or he must not be a powerful God because the people who say they represent him aren't doing anything better than we're doing. Frankly, I don't want to be one of them. What do you see in your life, in your family, in the church, in a ministry, among the poor? What breaks your heart? Maybe God has put that on your heart so that you can take steps to end the reproach. That's the thinking out loud thought for the day. And if you want to go deeper with some of the things that we talked about here in the book of Nehemiah, you can check out The Rubble and the Wall available on March 18th.