Introduction to Nehemiah

Introduction In our English translations, Nehemiah is the last of the history books, following on from Ezra, and tells part of the story of the return of the people of Judah to Jerusalem and the land after their years of captivity in Babylon. To fully understand the book, and the context in which it was written, it should be read together with Ezra and the prophets who brought the word of Yahweh to the people after the exile. Indeed, Ezra and Nehemiah were originally considered as just one book. Background The people of Judah were taken into exile over a period of 20 or more years, with three stages mentioned. The first was in 605 BC (when Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel, among others, Daniel 1:1-4); the second was around 597 BC when, among others, Ezekiel was taken into captivity ((2 Kings 24:14-16) and the third stage was the destruction of the temple in 587 BC (2 Kings 25:9-10).
Post-exilic Prophets

Haggai Zechariah Malachi Joel

Ezra 5:1f Ezra 5:1f

Nehemiahs work in Jerusalem probably covered the dates 445-433 BC, taking the reference in Nehemiah 2:1 to mean Artaxerxes I (there were two later kings by the same name). His mission followed on from that of Ezra, who probably came to Jerusalem in 458 BC and was part of the overall task of rebuilding the walls, temple - and indeed people - that the return from exile entailed. The story does not suggest that the land is empty for the returning exiles simply to repopulate it. Rather, it is clear that there are others living there. Part of the issue in the book is the conflict between the people living in the land and those coming from outside. In the end, for both Ezra and Nehemiah, the central question concerns where loyalties lie, and the people are called to total loyalty to Yahweh, the God of covenant (see below).

Who was Nehemiah? We are told that he was cupbearer to the king (Nehemiah 1:11), a position which allowed constant access to the king as was one of trust (the cupbearers not only chose the wines but also tasted them to show they were not poisoned). They were expected to be friendly and open in their demeanour and often were influential as advisers. This situation seems to be borne out by the events in chapter 2 and the ease with which Nehemiah is able to address the king and the openness of the kings reply. We are not told much about his family, simply who his father was (Nehemiah 1:1). This is in contrast to Ezra, whose lineage as a priest is given in much more detail (Ezra 7:1-5). What is clear, is that while Ezra continues to perform the sort of task he was raised and trained for, Nehemiahs role in the rebuilding of the city is one which involves a change of role and responsibility. Structure The book falls, almost neatly (!) into two sections. The first involves mainly the rebuilding of the wall and the various aspects of this task and concludes with its completion (Nehemiah 6:15-7:3). The second part involves, what we might call, the rebuilding of the people and traces how the Law is brought to bear on peoples lives. Our series in the book will follow this structure roughly:
Part One! Nehemiah and the Need in Jerusalem

1:1-2:10 2:11-3:32 4:1-6:14 6:15-7:73

Part Two!

Nehemiah Sees the Need Nehemiah Starts the Repairs Nehemiah Faces Opposition The Wall is Completed
The Responsibilities of a Covenant People

8:1-9:38 10:1-11:35 12:1-47 13:1-31

Reading Gods Law Following Gods Law The Wall is Dedicated Obeying Gods Law

Covenant This brings the whole question of covenant to the fore. We will continually fail to understand the story of the Old Testament - and indeed the New - if we havent got some idea of what covenant is and of its importance. In the Bible, Covenant becomes a way of speaking of all life in subordination to a loving God.1 While there are a number of covenants spoken of in the Old Testament, the one of greatest importance in OT history and the story of Gods people, is the Mosaic, or Sinai, covenant (Exodus 19-24). It is the repetition of this covenant, the Book of the Law, found in Deuteronomy which is in all likelihood read to the people in Nehemiah 8. All of the covenants, and this one specifically, have a number of characteristics in common:
1 McConville GJ, 1996, New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis Volume 1, Carlisle: Paternoster Press

753

Grace Election Love

it is God who takes the initiative, not because of who the people are but because of who God is. It is Gods choice, not anyone elses. God chooses people for a relationship with himself out of love for them and for humanity. The covenant God enters into with these people is one which is aimed at bringing blessing to others, not just them. Each covenant reflects the holiness of God through the behaviour expected of those who are part of the covenant.

Holiness

Righteousness The covenant makes possible a relationship with God because it makes individual and corporate righteousness possible. In the Mosaic covenant, this is most clearly seen in the sacrificial system. In the context of Nehemiah, all of these aspects are important, but the emphasis in the second part of the book is on the call to corporate and individual holiness. What does it mean to be a people? One of the questions that the book raises is, what does it mean to be Gods people? The answer emphasises a number of things, from the call to holiness and the centrality of our covenantal relationship with God, to the corporate nature of sin and individual responsibility. These will, no doubt be looked at as we go through our series. It seems to me to be a book which speaks very clearly to the situation of the church in Scotland today. A situation where, in many respects, we perhaps feel a little like exiles in a land we thought we knew but which has changed and which brings with it opposition from inside and out. As U2 put it in their song, Stranger in a Strange Land, He looked like you across the street/But that's a long way here; expressing the simultaneous sensations of familiarity and alienness of life lived as Gods people in Gods world, but a world which is fallen. Further Reading There are a number of books which use Nehemiah as a training manual for Christian leadership - and there is value in this. However, if you wish to look at some of the deeper theological issues related to the book, the following would be a good place to go. Those marked * are more advanced and detailed commentaries. Brown R, 1998, The Message of Nehemiah, IVP, ISBN: 978-0-85111-580-1 *Fensham FC, 1982, The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, Eerdmans, ISBN: 0-8028-2362-9 McConville JG, 1985, Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther, St Andrew Press, ISBN: 0-7152-0532-3 *Williamson HGM, 1986, Ezra, Nehemiah, Word Commentary, ISBN: 0-84990-215-0 For a general introduction to the historical books in the Bible, it is difficult to beat: Satterthwaite P & McConville G, 2007, Exploring the Old Testament Volume 2, The Histories, SPCK, ISBN: 978-0-282-05430-5

Copyright 2012 Simon Marshall

svedek@icloud.com