NEHEMIAH’S CARE FOR JERUSALEM Nebuchadnezzar broke down the wall of Jerusalem; and despite some attempts to rebuild it, it remained ruins for about a century and a half; which made the city open before many enemies, and there was need for a living leader like Jeremiah to rebuild it. In the year 458 B.C. the second batch of the captives returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Ezra. Yet, being a scribe and a man of the law, Ezra cared only for collecting the Holy Books. Beside the man of the law, who cared for the Word of God, there was need in that critical period, for a man of action; And God prepared Nehemiah for this task. Being a cup-bearer for king Artaxerxes the first, in the year 445 B.C, nearly 13 years after Ezra went to Jerusalem, Nehemiah’s brother Hanani (probably a relative) came to him with news concerning the desolation of Jerusalem. His reaction was to resort to prayer, the same way Ezra did before him (Ezra 9). 1- Nehemiah carries the burdens of his brethren 1 - 3 2- A sitting with God 4 3- Nehemiah’s prayer: 5 - 11 a- God who keeps His covenant and mercy 5 b- A confession 6 - 7 c- Holding fast to God’s promises 8 - 9 d- A cry-out from the heart 10 – 11 1- NEHEMIAH CARRIES THE BURDENS OF HIS BRETHREN: https://coptic-treasures.com/ “ The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel” (1) The month of ‘Chislev’ is analogous to the last part of November, and the larger part of December. Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah, the author of this book, his genealogy is not a long one, not like that of Ezra, for example, for there is no need to go back to the time of Aaron; as Nehemiah was not a priest; Nor to the time of king David, as he was not a king. A according to some he was of the tribe of Judah, of the common people. Three persons were called by the name ‘Nehemiah’: One who returned from the captivity of Babylon to Jerusalem, under the leadership of Zerubbabel (7: 7; Ezra 2: 2); Another the son of Azbuk, who took part in the repair of the wall of Jerusalem (3: 16); and ‘Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah (1: 1; 10: 2; 12: 26). “Hachaliah”, derived from (Wait upon the Lord); (Hope in the Lord), or (Jehovah is hidden) (Isaiah 8: 17; 23: 20). Saying to the king: “the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs” (2: 3), reveals that Nehemiah belonged to a prominent family in Jerusalem. “Shushan”; an important city of ‘Elam’ in the south-west of Persia, known to the Greeks as ‘Susa’, in the fertile valley 150 miles north of the Persian Gulf. In that time it was a winter resort for the kings, but was extremely hot in summer. Daniel in a vision saw himself as though in Shushan (Daniel 8: 2). When Cyrus invaded Babylon, Shushan fell in the hands of the Persians. Darius made it the capital of his kingdom, and built that great palace described in the Book of Esther 1: 4-6. After the battle of ‘Arabella, Alexander the Great found in it the jewels and treasures of the king; ………Its glory completely came to an end after the https://coptic-treasures.com/ seventh century AD. In its location nowadays is the village ‘Shushan’ ot ‘Susan’ between the two rivers Kharga and Olai , east of Babel.. Excavations proved the past existence of that city, and its history narrated in the Holy Book, particularly the Book of Esther. And close to the river in the low land there is a grave assumed to be that of Daniel; and a black pillar on which are engraved the statutes of Hamoraby king of Babylon, which was moved from Babylon by the Elamites. We should not be amazed to see a holy remnant to the account of the kingdom of God, even in the palaces of evil pagan kings; as, for example, the prophet Moses adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter in the palace of the king who gave his command to kill all the male Hebrew newborns. According to the apostle Paul: “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7: 22); and, “By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward” (Hebrew 11: 24-26)…… Obedaiah was raised in the house of Ahab, the most evil king of Israel (1 kings 18: 5-16). ………David was found in the palace of Saul the evil king; ………..Many saints who lived, as though in sanctuaries, while being in royal palaces, full of corruption and oppression, rebuke us. + As heaven was put before the sight of Moses, the Egyptian royal palace seemed of little value……….He counted the reproach for the sake of Christ better than the easy living; he cast himself in many dangers by his own free will, when he could live religiously while enjoying a good life; he counted it a sin not to endure affliction together with his people. He forsook the royal palace for he saw before him greater things; counting the reproach of Christ better than the treasures of Egypt. https://coptic-treasures.com/ (St. Johm Chrysostom) . “that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem” (2) “Hanani”, A Hebrew name meaning (Generous, merciful), short of ‘Hananiah’. After the captivity, the people of Israel were called ‘Jews’. According to the Historian Josephus, while Nehemiah was walking around the walls of the royal palace, he heard some people talking in the tongue of his land, and knowing that they came lately from Judah, he learned from them how Jerusalem came to be in desolation, and how those who returned there from captivity were in a miserable condition. According to some, those men with whom Nehemiah talked, came to Shushan, either to seek help from the Persian throne, or from Nehemiah himself; or came on a business trip between the Jews in Judah and those scattered all over the empire. Here we stand in awe and appreciation before a man who lived in a royal palace, while his heart was with his afflicted people; a man whose soul would not find comfort while the souls of his brethren moan of suffering; a feeling expressed by the apostle Paul, saying: “I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen, according to the flesh” (Romans 9: 3). And was expressed before, by the prophet Moses, sayin to God:: “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written” (Exodus 32: 32). + Why should we be amazed to hear that the apostle Paul could wish to be accursed from Christ for the sake of his brethren, if we see Him who, “being in the form of God, ……. made himself of no reputation, taking the https://coptic-treasures.com/ form of a bondservant, and came in the like of men” (Philippians 2: 6, 7);……If Christ Himself became a reproach for the sake of His servants; would it be strange, if one of His servants wish to be accursed for the sake of his brethren? (The scholar Origen) “And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire” (3) As far as Nehemiah is concerned, he considered the good of the people and that of the city, as two sides of the same coin. ….. The Breaking down of the wall means that the city is wide open before the attack of any enemy. Yet what grieved Nehemiah’s heart more, was not what happened to the walls 140 years ago, on the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, but what happened in Ezra’s days (Ezra 4: 7-23), when the Jews attempted to repair the wall in the days of king Artaxerxes the first, but were opposed by Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe; and the king gave his command to stop the work. God allowed for such a great affliction to dwell, that things would seem as impossible for a human hand to solve. And in the midst of such an utter helplessness, Nehemiah found no way, except to resort to the refuge in God by praying from the depth of his heart………. In all eras, the people of God were in need of someone to pray for their sake. The Lord Himself says: “I will be a wall of fire all around her” (Zechariah 2: 5); And He says: “I am the door” (John 10: 9). The broken down walls and the burnt doors, refer to man’s loss of the strength of God, the Stronghold, and because he https://coptic-treasures.com/ would no more find the true Door through which to reach the bosom of the Father. The wall refers to the power of God working in the believer; and the door to the divine salvation which he enjoys. 2- A SITTING WITH GOD: “So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (4). Being aware of the seriousness of the situation, Nehemiah took upon himself to do something about it, not to enter into debates, nor to depend upon his own wisdom and position, but to put it before God of the impossible. As according to the apostle James: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4: 8, 10).. The situation was clear before Nehemiah’s eyes; Instead of entering into conflicts, or making certain plans, he, by a contrite heart, sat down before God, being sure that God is close to those with contrite hearts. …….. By saying “I sat”, he means that he forsook all preoccupations to sit with God, and to put before Him such a serious matter, namely the reproach and disgrace which dwelt upon the people of God because of their sins. By sitting alone with himself, yet in the presence of God, two things were clear before him: His own sins and those of his people on one side, and the faithful promises of God on the other side. Then, his tears flowed, and his heart wailed, ……….by the spirit of hope in the work of God and His salvation; he “wept and mourned for many days” . The psalmist says: https://coptic-treasures.com/ “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears” (Psalm 6: 6) “Hear my prayers, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner as all my fathers were” (Psalm 39: 12) “My tears have been my food day and night; while they continually say to me: ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42: 3) “You number my wanderings. Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book” (Psalm 56: 8) “You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in great measure” (Psalm 80: 5) “For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping” (Psalm 102: 9) “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Psalm 126: 5). + The Lord Himself wept over Jerusalem, when she did not intend to weep over herself …….He wishes for us to weep in order to flee from perdition. Whoever weeps much in this world will be saved in the future; “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” (Ecclesiastes 7: 4) And the Lord Himself said: “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” )Luke 6: 21). Let us then weep for some time, to rejoice forever. Let us fear the Lord and wait for Him; Let us confess our sins; let us return from our evil ways; lest we may hear the words: “Woe to me! ………The faithful man has https://coptic-treasures.com/ perished from the earth, and there is no more upright among men” (Micah 7: 1-2). (St. Ambrose) + The extended prayer and the dense tears draw God to mercy. + Weeping alone will lead to the blessed joy. + Intending to refer all the blessings to Himself, Jesus says: “Blessed are those who weep”; He Himself wept to establish this blessing. (The scholar Origen) As his tears revealed the grief of his heart on his own condition, and that of his people, together with his hope in the Lord, Nehemiah was committed to fast and to pray. …..During captivity, fasting and praying became very common; as a memorial of the desolation of Jerusalem, and of the murder of Gedaliah (Isaiah 4: 16; Daniel 9: 3; 10: 3; Zechariah 7: 3-7). + When desolation was about to dwell on the whole race of queen Esther, Nothing corrupted the evil plot of the tyrant, except fasting and prayer to God, by which the perdition of the people turned into keeping them in peace (Esther 4: 16). (St. Pope Athansius the apostolic) https://coptic-treasures.com/ + In His hunger (Christ), the devil approached to tempt Him, to teach you the greatness of fasting, being the greater shield against the devil. That is why, after baptism, the people are committed to go, not to a life of licentiousness, food, drink, and full banquets, but to fasting. ……….Jesus fasted, not out of need to do, but to teach us …… For without the control of the belly, Adam was driven out of paradise; the great flood happened in the days of Noah; and fire came upon Sodom. That is what the prophet Ezekiel meant by saying: “This was the iniquity of Sodom: pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness” (Ezekiel 16: 49). In the same way the Jews have gone deep (Isaiah 5: 11, 12) (St. John Chrysostom) + The greatest ways to make the demons flee from you, are fasting and endurance of affliction; for it the demons enter into the bodies of men for the sake of a fellowship of pleasures, it is obvious that they will flee by the endurance of affliction. 3- NEHEMIAH’S PRAYER: Nehemiah presents to us a magnificent model of prayer a- Proclaiming the true concept of prayer in difficult times: he begins his prayer with a confession of the sins of the whole people, counting himself one of them, and sharing with them their sins. Then he reminds God of His divine promises. And ends it with a personal request from God to give him favor in the sight of the king; not for the sake of his own benefit, but of the glory of God, and the edification of the people. ….Nehemiah’s prayer is a liturgical prayer, he uttered in the name of the whole congregation, and https://coptic-treasures.com/ wrote to express the religious life of the Jews, and their faith in God, who listens and responds to His children, even for little requests. b- Together with his prayers for a long time for the sake of the affliction that dwelt upon the people of God, Nehemiah, here, practices what we call the “arrow prayer”; in which he lifts his heart up to God, while being in the presence of the king, before seeking anything from the later. + The prayer is like using the pump by all hands to save the boat from sinking. We use our voices when we say to God: Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Luke 11: 4); and we use our hands when “we share our bread with the hungry, and bring to our house the poor who are cast out….” (Isaiah 58: 7)….. When we do good to the poor, he will intercede for us before the Lord (See Sirach 29: 12). (St. Augustine) + “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and it will not rest until it reaches its goal” (Sirach 35: 21). It opens heavens and approaches the divine throne, borne by the archangel Gabriel who offers them before God. As a result of such a prayer the depths threw out the prophet Jonah, and the big fish brought him safely to the shore. + When Daniel prayed, his prayers shut the lions’ mouths. He said to king Darius: “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me” (Daniel 6: 22).They stretched their paws and received Daniel to keep him from falling on the hard ground; embraced him, and https://coptic-treasures.com/ kissed his feet. And when Daniel stood to pray and raised his hands up to heaven, the lions imitated him. And despite the fact that the dungeon was covered and sealed, yet light shone in it for the sake of Daniel, which the lions were pleased to see. And when Daniel intended to sleep. The lions stretched their bodies to make a soft bed for Daniel to lie on. The dungeon was more illuminated than an upper room with many windows. There, Daniel raised more prayers than the three times a day he usually did in his upper room (Daniel 6: 10). And when hel finally triumphed, and those who accused him were cast into the dungeon in his place, the lions’ mouths were opened , devoured them, and crushed their bones. (St. Aphrahat) A- God keeps His covenant and mercy: “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 You commandments’” (5) In prayer, Nehemiah found a refuge and a way to overcome the impossible. He managed to approach God in his prayer through three things: 1- He knew about God that He is “The great and awesome God of heaven”, who moves everything, and who cares for His heavenly and earthly creations; The expression “the great and awesome God” was used often during the period after the captivity. For, having lost Jerusalem the https://coptic-treasures.com/ city of God, and Solomon’s temple, which they counted as the most holy place in the world; the Jews started to call the Lord the “God of heaven”, to which no enemy can approach, break down its walls, nor captivate its inhabitants………He is “the Great and Awesome God”; as He Himself said to His prophet Moses: “You shall not be terrified of them, for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you” (Deuteronomy 7: 21). 2- “Who keeps His covenant” He who gave the law to Moses, and proclaimed: “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 7: 9). The expression “God is faithful” is very beloved by the old Jews; which they understand that God is faithful in keeping His promise to keep them as His own people, to whom are the exalted divine promises; and see, in the faithfulness of some believers, an image of the faithfulness of God. 3- “Compassionate and merciful” (Hebrew 4: 16), with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Although He is above man, yet He is close to him, and listens to him, the way man listens to his friend. By analyzing Nehemiah’s prayer, the following is shown: a- His prayer reveals an active personal relationship between him and the Lord his God. Prayer is not just words in the air, but true talk to God. b- Like Ezra, Nehemiah, in his prayer, talks on the tongue of the whole people; he counts what dwell on them as dwelling on him personally; he confesses his own sins, as well as those of the people, and the Jewish nation as a whole (6-7). c- He remembers the warnings of God, and holds fast to His divine promises (8- 9). d- He resorts to the covenant with God and His salvation work with His people (10) https://coptic-treasures.com/ e- He raises a personal request to gain strength and success in his future work(11). The fruit he seeks of such a humble prayer; is that God would move the events to what is for his benefit and that of his people, and would grant him the strength to work. + God, being faithful, means that we can trust in His own proclamation about Himself. (St. Clement of Alexandria) B- A confession: “ 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” (6) Not excluding himself and his father’s house from confessing their sins, Nehemiah counts the sins of his people as his own sins (6-7); and their need for the divine help, as his needs (11). https://coptic-treasures.com/ “The prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night”: Sin lies in forgetting God, while hope is bound to remembering His mercy and promises. Our feeling of the greatness and awe of God, motivate us to confess our sins; the way Isaiah did when he saw the glory of God filled the temple, and the house was filled with smoke, he said: “Woe to me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6: 5). And when Simon Peter perceived the authority of the Lord Jesus upon the sea and fish, “He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord’” (Luke 5: 8) + Let us supplicate to the Savior of our souls to break down our bonds, to take away from us this cruel imprisonment; to grant us liberation from the burden of our iron chains, and to make our souls lighter than any wing. Yet, while supplicating to Him, we are committed, on our side, to have an exalted fiery zeal; for by it, we can, in a short time, be set free of the evil that press on us, to perceive our past condition, and to hold fast to the liberty that came to be ours, which we get as a gift from God by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His love for mankind; for whom be the glory and the authority forever, Amen. (St. John Chrysostom) “We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses” (7) Confessing his own sins and those of his people, Nehemiah asks God to listen and to see; to grant repentance and purification. …..We need to confess our sins, to glorify God the forgiver of sins. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + Confess, O man, your sins, to get forgiveness; “State your case, that you may be acquitted” (Isaiah 43: 26 LXX)….. Why would you be ashamed to confess your sins, so long as you were born in them? (Psalm 51:7) He who denies his transgression and refrains from confessing it, actually denies his birth…… Let the sinner, and the unholy confess; And let the righteous not boast nor be haughty; lest he would loose the reward of his righteousness by his pride (Job 10: 15). (St. Ambrose) C- Holding fast to God’s promises: “Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations” (8) The word “Remember”, the key of the book, is often repeated (4: 14; 5: 19; 6: 14; 13: 14, 22, 29, 31). After the Babylonian invasion, the Jews became scattered over several locations. According to some, at the beginning of the new covenant, the number of the Jews scattered all over the world, exceeded those who were in the promised land (John 7: 35; Acts 2: 9-11; James 1: 1; 1 Peter 1: 1). “but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you 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”(9) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling place for My name” This divine promise came in many locations (Deuteronomy 30: 1-5; Isaiah 11: 12; Isaiah 23: 3 etc.) God’s commandment to His people was not to worship idols, nor to partake in the temples of idols: “You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things. But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go” (Deuteronomy 12: 4-5). D- A cry-out from the heart: “Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand” (10) Together with confessing the sins of the people as a whole including himself and his father’s household, Nehemiah holds fast to the fact that they are all the servants of the Lord and His people, not out of their worthiness, but for the sake of the salvation He presented to them by His divine power and strong hand. Nehemiah sets forth from the present, goes back to the past, and looks forward to the future, to see the fulfillment of God’s promise when He will gather His people from all over the earth to bring them back to Jerusalem. That was what the prophets said, who saw the good news of the Messianic Kingdom reorganizing the people in the holy city; like Jeremiah who said: “I will gather the remnant of My flock out of the countries where I have driven them….I will set up shepherds over them ……On them a king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness on earth” (Jeremiah 23: : 3-8); See Ezekiel 37: 21- 28). https://coptic-treasures.com/ “O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man; for I was a king’s cup-bearer.” (11) He sought the divine intervention; as without His blessing and grace, there would be no salvation. “A king’s cup-bearer: The expression here indicates that he was one of the king’s cup-bearers, and not the only one. The king’s cup-bearer, who was usually an eunuch, was a post that goes back to the old times, that had its special honor in the Persian royal court; For, in his turn of duty, he used to stand daily in the presence of the king, to serve his personal needs; and had many chances to enjoy the kindness and pleasure of the king more than anyone else. In many of the Assyrian inscriptions, we see the king’s cup-bearer holding a cup in his left hand, and a fan in his right hand to drive the flying insects away, and putting on his shoulder an embroidered long towel for the king to wipe his mouth after drinking wine. The king’s cup-bearer in Persia and Mades used to pour a little sip of wine in the cup in his left hand and drink it, to assure the king that it is not poisoned, and is safe to drink……. The Pharaohs, as well as king Solomon used to have their cup-bearers (Genesis 40: 2; 1 Kings 10: 5; 2 Chronicles 9: 4). -------------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM NEHEMIAH 1 LIFT MY HEART UP TO YOU AND LET IT BE WIDE WITH LOVE FOR ALL MANKIND https://coptic-treasures.com/ + You came down, O true Love, to us from heaven; You longed to bear all mankind in Your bosoms; And to lift all of them up to Your exalted love; Grant me to walk by Your Spirit; Let my soul ascend to You, as You descended to her; Let my heart be wide with love for all mankind; I wish all would enjoy Your glories + All the glories of the world have no place in me; For Your glory has captivated me; My depths cry out to You; When will I see all my human brethren in Your bosoms? When will You surround all mankind like a wall of divine fire? So that the devil with all his fiery arrows would not be able to approach them; When will You dwell in our midst, that Your glory be proclaimed in us; This work is greater than to be done by any man; Not even by the heavenly hosts with their exalted abilities; For it is Your divine work, O Savior of the world; For You are the God of the impossible. + Let me retreat from the world for some time; To sit in Your divine presence; https://coptic-treasures.com/ To confess to You that we have corrupted our inner Jerusalem with our sins; Who will grant us the repentance but Your Holy Spirit? For by Your grace we can arise to build its walls and set her doors; Your promises are true and faithful forever + In the midst of the royal palace of the pagan king, You prepared Nehemiah to become the unique leader; He sought from You to grant him favor in the sight of the king to allow him to work’ You granted him the grace that the king gave him all support to work; From You, his success; was realized; He set forth to work, not through the king’s permission, but rather by Your company with him; Accompany us, O Lord, to get attached to You; Proclaim Yourself in us, and set Your Jerusalem in our depths; For You are our wall and stronghold.
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