Nehemiah – Remember, and Rebuild your Walls
July 9, 2023, Oct. 6, 2024
Nehemiah’s World: By 447 B.C., Jerusalem’s destruction was old news; the walls had been torn down for over 150 years. But life as a conquered people under the Persians was actually pretty good as long as you paid your taxes. In fact, it was so good, that most of the children of the exiled Jews decided to stay and prosper where they were at, and not every return home. The only ones who went home were those who valued being God’s visible people more than their prosperity, security, and safety. But despite having a faithful, dedicated group of returnees, what was news was that they were greatly distressed by the opposition they encountered. Perhaps one would wonder why God would let this happened, and why God did not do something. But God did! He sent one single godly man – Nehemiah. But perhaps surprisingly, God did not send a powerful military leader, nor a full-time priest, nor a prophet. Rather, Nehemiah had a foot in two worlds. On one hand he, like Zerubbabel, was a “Tirshatha”. This Persian word can be translated as “his excellency”, and refers to a governor or a deputy of the King. On the other hand, Nehemiah’s “obsession” was seeing that God was glorified, even more than his king, to whom he was also completely loyal. Nehemiah was prayerful, practical, and formidable as an administrator. It took just 52 days, even despite the opposition, for Nehemiah accomplish what no one had been able to do in 141 years. See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.144 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.462 for more info.
Nehemiah can be considered as “four books in one” because it can be read on four different levels. On the most basic level, it is a historical account of how Jerusalem was rebuilt and resettled. Archaeologists in particular have found Nehemiah very useful of this otherwise lightly documented period. But on a second level, it can serve as an allegory of a Christian life, re-building up the walls of your spiritual life after a catastrophe, to go from being a vulnerable, almost defenseless, fair-weather Christian to a rugged, all-season Christian. On a third level, it is about how to build under tough opposition, whether a building, an organization, or a local church. On the fourth level, it is about godly leadership, and how to be both a servant-leader and a strong, no-nonsense leader at the same time.
The book of Nehemiah has one watch-word, repeated seven times throughout the book: remember. It is in Nehemiah 4:14; 5:19; 6:14; 13:14, 22, 29, 31.
Here is one lesson on godly leadership for each chapter of Nehemiah.
1. His people’s problem: How do you react when things are not as they should be?
2. Political problem: How do you set priorities and plan?
3. Administrative and material problem: How do you work together and lead?
4. Physical problem: How do you deal with opposition?
5. Social problem: How do you deal with problems believers cause?
6. How do you deal with threats?
7. How do you strategically place people in positions?
8. How well do you yield the stage to others?
9. How do you encourage confession?
10. How do you build consensus?
11. How do you build teamwork and unity?
12. How do you dedicate your work and your life, and others to God?
13. How and when do you strongly rebuke?
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.86 for more info.
Pre-Nicene writers who quote or allude to Nehemiah.
X Meleto of Sardis (170-177/180 A.D.) listed all of the O.T books, but not Nehemiah or Esther |
Amphilochius Iambi ad Seleucum (c.349-386 A.D.) |
Athanasius (325-373 A.D.) |
Rufinus (374-406 A.D.) |
Lactantius (c.303-325 A.D.) |
John Chrysostom (-407 A.D.) |
Athanasius (325-373 A.D.) |
Sulpitius Severus (363-420 A.D.) |
Cyril of Jerusalem (c.349-386 A.D.) |
Jerome (373-420 A.D.) |
Earliest manuscripts of Nehemiah
Ketef Hinnom scrolls are 650-587 B.C., on silver (so they survived), Neh 1:5 and other books |
Alexandrinus (=A) c.450 A.D.) |
Vaticanus (B) 340-350 A.D. |
Vulgate (4th-5th century) |
Sinaiticus (Si) (340-350 A.D.) |
|
Nehemiah and Esther are not present among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
An Outline of Nehemiah
Looking at six different outlines, they differ greatly. For example, should chapters 5-6 be combined as a third level heading, or is Nehemiah 5:1-14-19 a second level heading? Nehemiah 13 is a first level section in four outlines, and a third level section in The New Geneva Study Bible. Here is my outline of Nehemiah - Leading the Rebuilding.
..1 The Calamity and One Man’s Response
..2:1-10 Entering the Field
..2:11-20 Assessing the Condition
..3 Rebuilding the Gates of God’s People
..4 Nehemiah Handles the Opposition
..6 Opposition to Rebuilding
..8-10 Revival Worship
.…8 Hearing God’s Word
.…9 Renewing a Covenant with God
.…10 Accountability to Each Other
..11 Living Revival: In Jerusalem and the land
..13 Maintaining Revival: Cleanse from Foreign Things
Nehemiah 1 – Are we Spiritually Vulnerable?
3. In Neh 1:3, why was it surprising that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down?
4. In Neh 1:4, how should we react when things are not as they should be?
5. In Neh 1:4, should we mourn and pray when God’s people are in distress?
6. In Neh 1:5-11, what are the key points of Nehemiah’s prayer?
7. In Neh 1:11, what was a cupbearer, and what is the evidence of what a cupbearer did?
8. In Neh 1:11, how can Christians be better at using their technical skills and position for God?
9. In Neh 1:11 and Neh 2:4, why would someone normally be very reluctant to ask Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem?
Nehemiah 2:1-10 – How Should Believers Plan? – part 1 – some brief answers
1. When did Neh 2:1 and Neh 1:1 occur and why was there such a delay?
2. In Neh 2:1-2, has God ever ordered circumstances to place you in an awkward situation? Why do you think He did that?
3. In Neh 2:1-9, how do you plan and set priorities?
4. In Neh 2:1, how do you pronounce “Artaxerxes” and when did he reign?
5. In Neh 2:2-3, why was it a serious thing that Nehemiah looked sad?
6. In Neh 2:2-3, if a Christian were in Nehemiah’s position, how could he or she be expected to have the courage needed?
7. In Neh 2:3-20, what preparations did Nehemiah make?
8. In Neh 2:4-8, what is the significance of this proclamation?
Nehemiah 2:11-20 – How Should Believers Plan? – part 2
1. In Neh 2:13-16, why did Nehemiah inspect the walls before telling anyone of his mission?
2. In Neh 2:15, when is it good to do something secretly, so that even your allies and friends do not know what you are doing, and when is it not?
3. In Neh 2:16, Nehemiah did not lie, but when is it better to withhold information from people who are not evil, and when is it not?
4. In Neh 2:17, when is it best to be transparent with some people, and when is it best to not be transparent with some people?
5. In Neh 2:19, Sanballat was a Horonite, but what was a Horonite?
6. In Neh 2:19, do we have any extra-Biblical evidence of Tobiah the Ammonite and Sanballat governor of Samaria?
7. In Neh 2:19, why does Josephus say Sanballat was governor of Samaria around 330 B.C.?
A: According to The Expositor’s Bible Commentary p.768, here are some of the governors of Samaria, and the source from where we found their name.
Name |
Born |
Governor |
Source |
Sanballat I |
b.485 |
445 |
Nehemiah |
Delariah |
c.460 |
410 |
Elephantine papyrii |
Sanballat II |
c.435 |
380 |
Samaria papyrii |
Hananiah |
c.410 |
355 |
Samaria papyrii |
Sanballat III |
c.385 |
330 |
Josephus |
8. In Neh 2:19-20, when should you answer a false rumor spread about you, and when should you not do so?
Nehemiah 3-4:1 – Leading the people to build the wall
1. In Neh 3, why did they scrupulously record who fixed which gate?
3. In Neh 3:1, why did the high priest himself work on the Temple?
4. In Neh 3:8, how physically suitable do you think perfumers were for the construction work for building the wall?
5. In Neh 3:4 is this the same as Uriah the Hittite, whom David had killed?
6. In Neh 3:5, how do you handle it when people who should be helping sit out?
7. In Neh 3:5, how do you handle it when leaders under you who fail to even try to lead?
8. In Neh 3:28, why was Nehemiah wise to have people work opposite their own house? How do we cultivate ownership in people under us today?
9. In Neh 4:1, how should we deal with opposition?
Nehemiah 4 – Handling Opposition
1. In Neh 4:1,7, how should we react when people become very angry with us?
2. In Neh 4:1-4, how does Satan use discouragement to attack believers?
A: Sanballat I the Samaritan was the Jews’ enemy to the north; Tobiah II the Ammonite was the Jews’ enemy to the east, and Geshem was the enemy of the Jews in the south. The men of Ashdod were the Jews’ enemy to the west. You can remember how enemies tried to discourage the Jews by the acronym “FAILS”.
Finances and Greed
…Circumstances of financial hardship (Nehemiah 5:1-3)
…Individual demoralizing leaders laying heavy financial burdens (Nehemiah 5:15)
…Groups profiting from others’ financial hardship (Nehemiah 5:3-8)
…Bribery (Ezra 4:4)
…Failing to pay wages The Levites were not paid properly in Nehemiah 13:10-13.
Anger
…Morale: Showing rage (Nehemiah 4:1,3,7)
…Individual: Tobiah tried to intimidate Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:19) and they made the people afraid to build (Ezra 4:4)
…Group: Openly threatening a surprise attack (Nehemiah 4:11-12)
…Morale: Trying to make Nehemiah fear, and set an example for others to fear (Nehemiah 6:13-14)
…Individual: Planning to secretly meet (and probably harm) Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:2,4)
…Group: Secretly planning to fight against Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:8-9)
… Pretended help (Ezra 4:1-3)
…Past: Using humor to mock and scorn the quality and usefulness of what they already did (Nehemiah 4:1,3)
…Future: Ridicule and questioning if they would succeed, the usefulness of their efforts, if they would finish in an extremely short time (Nehemiah 4:2)
…Accusations of revolt (Nehemiah 2:19; 6:5-7; Ezra 4:6,12,13)
…Religious: False prophets (Nehemiah 6:10,14)
…Individual: Spying, and giving Nehemiah positive information (Nehemiah 6:1,17-19) Tobiah’s man Eliashib living in the Temple (Nehemiah 13:4-7)
…Group: Opposition of discouraged brothers (Nehemiah 4:10-23)
Unfortunately, these same techniques can work today, unbelievers keep their focus on God and what He wants them to do. See 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.315-216 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.315 for more info.
3. In Neh 4:1-3, how do you handle it when someone succeeds in trying to discourage you?
4. In Neh 4:5 and Neh 13:29, did Nehemiah have a proper attitude in not wanting their sins to be forgiven?
5. In Neh 4:7-8,11 why didn’t Sanballat and Tobiah attack?
6. In Neh 4:9, why did they set a guard here, instead of asking the Persians for protection?
7. In Neh 4:12-14, when and why do you sometimes need to tell people not to be afraid?
8. In Neh 4:13-14, how did Nehemiah have to adapt to the threat?
Nehemiah 5 – How to handle damaging people within
1. In Neh 5:1-5, what was the exact problem here?
2. In Neh 5:1-6, when should you just work hard, not worrying about payment and reward, and when should you raise a red flag that you are being wronged?
3. In Neh 5:1-6, when someone speaks up to you that they are being treated wrong, either by you or someone else, what should you do?
4. In Neh 5:1-13, how do you deal with problems believers might cause?
6. In Neh 5:4,6,10, just how high was the interest, and how heavy were the taxes?
7. In Neh 5:6, should a godly leader ever get angry?
8. In Neh 5:7, since building the wall was such a high priority, when would it be best to “call a meeting” which would detract from the work of building the wall?
9. In Neh 5:10-11, was Nehemiah admitting he had lent at interest too and he was also going to stop?
10. In Neh 5:14-15, when should you not take benefit from something that you are entitled to and lawfully yours?
11. In Neh 5:14-15, when is it appropriate to tell people you did something good, and when is it boasting?
12. In Neh 5:14-19, how much did Nehemiah save for his own future personally?
13. In Neh 5:18, how did they serve poultry (birds) at the feast?
14. In Neh 5:19; 13:31; 15:14, when should we pray for God to remember us?
Nehemiah 6 – Be Tenacious When Enemies Act
1. In Neh 6:2, was Nehemiah right to think they were going to harm him?
2. In Neh 6:2, when should you change plans and do something else, and when should you not?
3. In Neh 6:6, was Nehemiah’s opponent named “Gashmu” or “Geshem” in Neh 2:19?
5. In Neh 6:9, how should we answer false accusations?
6. In Neh 6:10, why did Shemaiah try to make Nehemiah fearful?
8. In Neh 6:15, what is interesting about the short duration of 52 days?
9. In Neh 6:17-19, how do you deal with infiltration?
10. In Neh 6:19, how should we deal with threats?
Nehemiah 7 – Stand Up and be counted
1. In Neh 7:1-2, how do you strategically appoint people to positions?
2. In Neh 7:2, Nehemiah had already got people to go in the right direction and accomplish their task. But like Nehemiah, how do you motivate people to continue in the right direction, after the first task has been successfully completed?
3. In Neh 7:4, what problem did Nehemiah see and how did he solve it?
4. In Neh 7:3, how does or should the church today have “gatekeepers”?
5. In Neh 7:7, what are the differences with Ezr 2:2?
6. In Neh 7:7-72 and Ezr 2:1-70, just how accurately did ancient scribes transmit lists of numbers?
7. In Neh 7:7-72, why do the numbers of returned people differ from Ezr 2:1-70?
8. In Neh 7:64, why were these people wanting to be registered as priests?
10. In Neh 7:70-73, when should we tell how much people gave and when should we not?
11. In Neh 7:72, what can see is so precious about this money?
Nehemiah 8 – Rekindling Spiritual Fervor
1. In Neh 8:1, how well do you yield the stage to others?
2. In Neh 8:4 was more of a pulpit or a podium?
3. In Neh 8:1-4, who initiated the gathering?
4. In Neh 8:8, how did the Levites make the law clear?
6. In Neh 8:10, how was Nehemiah an effective leader?
A: He worked well with other leaders, including Ezra. As a leader, he was good in choosing other leaders, valuing reliability and reverence. In addition, here are 21 factors taken from Donald K. Campbell’s list in Nehemiah : Man in Charge p.23.
Establishing The goal
1. He established a reasonable and attainable goal.
2. He had a sense of mission.
3. He was willing to get involved.
4. He rearranged his priorities in order to accomplish his goal.
Knowing the channels to achieve the goal
5. He patiently waited for God’s timing.
6. He showed respect to his superior.
7. He prayed at crucial times.
8. He made his request with tact and graciousness.
Preparation to achieve the goal
9. He was well prepared and thought out his needs in advance.
10. He went through the proper channels.
11. He took time (three days) to rest, pray, and plan.
12. He investigated the situation firsthand.
Socializing the goal
13. He informed others only after he knew the size of the problem.
14. He identified himself as one with the people.
15. He set before them a reasonable and attainable goal.
16. He assured them God was in the project.
Handling barriers to the goal
17. He displayed self-confidence in facing obstacles.
18. He displayed God’s confidence in facing obstacles.
19. He did not argue with opponents.
20. He was not discouraged by opposition.
21. He courageously used the authority of his position.
7. In Neh 8:10, how can we use the previous to achieve goals today?
8. In Neh 8:14-17, what was the advantage to them of celebrating the feast of booths/tabernacles?
9. In Neh 8:17, was the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua, or it was celebrated by Zerubbabel in Ezra 3:4?
Nehemiah 9-10 – Pray and Commit
1. In Neh 9:1-3, how come people today, even Christians, don’t have the attention span of back then to read the Scripture a fourth of the day, and worship for a fourth of the day?
2. In Neh 9:5-36, what are the 20 things listed that God did for them?
3. Why does Neh 9:7 say, “Ur of the Chaldeans”, when Ur was a Sumerian city in Abraham’s time?
4. In Neh 9:16-20, how can we keep our patience, when the people we are trying to teach and help have “hardened their necks” and are not interested in learning?
5. In Neh 9:16-235, why are they so detailed in laying out their sins?
6. In Neh 9:22 how did God divide his people here?
7. In Neh 9:27, when do you think the best thing God can do for a disobedient people is to deliver them into the hands of their enemies?
8. In Neh 9:34, why did they say in their prayer that their kings and fathers did not keep the law, since some of the kings and ancestors were godly?
9. In Neh 10:1-27, what is the message for us of why these names are all listed in the Bible?
10. In Neh 10, how do you build consensus?
11. In Neh 10:30, is the rule not to intermarry still the same today?
12. In Neh 10:32-39, what do we see about the giving here?
13. In Neh 10:34, what is the wood offering?
14. In Neh 10:34, was casting lots an appropriate method?
Nehemiah 11-12 – Day-to-Day living in Jerusalem
1. In Neh 11:1; 10:34, was casting lots an appropriate method?
2. In Neh 11:1-2, why did they have to find volunteers, and cast lots to get people in live in Jerusalem?
3. In Neh 11, how do you build teamwork and unity?
4. In Neh 11-12, why did they record the names of the people who lived in Jerusalem?
5. In Neh 12:22, is this the same Jaddua mentioned by Josephus?
6. In Neh 12:27-32, what do we see about this worship?
7. In Neh 12:30, how could the priests purify themselves, the people the gates, and the walls?
8. In Neh 13:1-31, how long was it before this occurred?
Nehemiah 13 – Victors Losing to Complacency
1. In Neh 13:1, did they just discover that they could not intermarry with Ammonites or Moabites?
2. In Neh 13, what is the main point of this chapter?
5. In Neh 13:6-7, how can people work so hard for God, and then turn and become complacent?
6. In Neh 13:6, was Nehemiah remiss in not appointing a successor when he left Jerusalem?
8. In Neh 13:17, what additional responsibility did the nobles bear, beyond the common people, in sinning on the Sabbath?
9. In Neh 13:25, was Nehemiah right to curse, then hit them, and pull out their hair?
10. In Neh 13:25, Neh 13:8; Neh 13:15, when should Christians today use stern rebuke and take strong measures?
11. In Neh 13:29, should we ever pray to God to remember people for evil?
12. In Nev 13:14,22,29,31 what can we learn from the four “remember” prayers here?
Nehemiah 1 – Are we Spiritually Vulnerable? – some brief answers
Focus on the problem
Nehemiah asked for, and the king gave: permission, provision, and protection
Find the facts
Form a fellowship
Fortified their faith
Face the foe
Fulfilled their function
There were two Persian kings named Artaxerxes. There was Artaxerxes I (444 B.C.) and Artaxerxes II (385/384 B.C.). Josephus says that Nehemiah arrived about 440 B.C., which would be under Artaxerxes I. Also, Persia and the Bible p.242 says, “It is certain that Nehemiah (Neh. 1:1; 2:1) served as the cupbearer of Artaxerxes I, who ruled from 464 to 424 B.C., because an Elephantine papyrus (Cowley #30) dated to 407 B.C., mentions the sons of Sanballat, the governor of Samaria and adversary of Nehemiah.” The Elephantine papyri also mention the high priest Jonathan and Hananiah, as the Jewish governor in Jerusalem. Hanani/Hananiah in Nehemiah 1:2 was Nehemiah’s brother who it is believed succeeded him as governor.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.677, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.140, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary volume 4 p.570,681, and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.178 for more info.
3. In Neh 1:3, why was it surprising that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down?
A: Of course all the walls were destroyed when the Babylonians took Jerusalem in 7/18/596 B.C. However, some work had gone on to rebuild the walls. However, the decree of King Artaxerxes I halted that work. Hanani travelled over 1,000 miles, from Judea to Susa in southwestern Iran, because he thought it that important to tell Nehemiah just how desperate the situation was for the Jews in Judea. Artaxerxes had no objections earlier, when the Jews enemies burned down all of the little that had already been rebuilt, so a direct request might not be received favorably. Nehemiah was probably perplexed how he could bring up the subject, safely, with the king.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.156 for more info.
4. In Neh 1:4, how should we react when things are not as they should be?
A: We are neither to be in the flesh and lose control of our temper, nor be passive and stoic. Nehemiah was very disturbed by this news, and he went to the Lord in prayer. Nehemiah did not just pray one time about this, but he prayed day and night according to Nehemiah 1:4. While we do not see Nehemiah acting immediately, Nehemiah was preparing his heart and preparing his plan right away. For Nehemiah, as for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus’ disciples, obedience to God would mean great changes.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.26 for more info.
5. In Neh 1:4, should we mourn and pray when God’s people are in distress?
A: If our own biological brother or sister were in deep trouble hopefully we would be concerned about them and want to help them. Likewise, our spiritual brothers and sisters, who we will be with for eternity, we should be concerned about and want to help.
Nehemiah’s view of god was not so much “therapeutic” and theocratic”. In other words, the primary purpose of God’s scripture, prayer, and following God was NOT to help himself or make himself feel better. Rather, it was about primarily glorifying God. Even though Nehemiah’s relationship with God could help him and be therapeutic, those were not the primary purposes.
A Christian woman once told G. Campbell Morgan that she only took small things to God, because she did not want to bother Him with the big things. Morgan replied, Lady, anything you bring to God is small.”
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.462-463, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.156, and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.18 for more info.
6. In Neh 1:5-11, what are the key points of Nehemiah’s prayer?
Also notice what is absent in Nehemiah’s prayer. Absent from the prayer is complaining, questioning why God disciplined His people, or blaming others. He did not even blame the Babylonians, Persians, or the current king who had stopped the rebuilding.
7. In Neh 1:11, what was a cupbearer, and what is the evidence of what a cupbearer did?
A: A cupbearer not only drank out of the king’s cup to check for poison, he also was a security chief for the king. Here is what he Persian royal cupbearer did.
Xenophon’s Cyropaedia 1.3.9 says that cupbearers before giving the cup would draw off some of the liquid, pour it into their left hand, and swallow it down, so that if they put poison in, they would not profit by it. It also indicates that the cupbearer might be the one who determined who was allowed to see the king.
Herodotus’ History 3.34 speaks of the importance of Persian cupbearers.
Tobit 1:22 says, “Now Ahikar was cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts, for Esarhaddon [an Assyrian king] had appointed him second to himself.”
The Jewish Babylonian Talmud (Baba Qamma 92b) says, “The wine belongs to the master but credit for it is due to his cupbearer.”
Being a security chief was a very serious matter. Xerxes, the father of Artaxerxes I, was murdered in his own bedroom by Artabanus, a courtier.
See Persia and the Bible p.259-260 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.41 for more info.
8. In Neh 1:11, how can Christians be better at using their technical skills and position for God?
A: Tony Evans calls this “kingdomizing our skills.” Consider this: Nehemiah went for years, serving the Persian king, with no clue how his secular work would help advance God’s kingdom. But Nehemiah was faithful and honest in his job, and when the moment came, Nehemiah was there.
Likewise we are to do everything as unto the Lord, not to people as Colossians 3:17 says. We are to do all we can for our employer with two qualifications. We are not to do anything Christ would not want us to do, such as lie, cheat, break laws, etc, even if our employer asks us to. Second, we should not do what an overbearing employer asks to the detriment of everything else God wants us to do, such as being a good parent, spouse, or assembling with other Christians.
If an employer tells you not to ever give anyone any indication that you are a believer, then it is time to look for another job, where you can be yourself. On the other hand, when an employer pays you to work for them, work for them. Don’t spend a lot of time sharing the gospel, or doing other ministry activities and shortchange the time they are paying you to work for them.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.463 for more info.
9. In Neh 1:11 and Neh 2:4, why would someone normally be very reluctant to ask Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem?
A: For a century since the return of the exiles, nobody had successfully completed building Jerusalem’s walls, so why did Nehemiah have the gall to think he would be the one? In addition, Ezra 4:21-23 shows that Artaxerxes I was the same one who commanded that the building of the walls stop immediately. At this time, Artaxerxes had been king for 20 years, and up to now nobody had told the king that he was in error, or given him any reason to reverse his decree. He was basically asking the king to support what the king had already forbidden.
If Nehemiah had wanted, he could have found all kinds of excuses to not do God’s will and approach the king. As we are serving God, we should not be looking for excuses not to serve either.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.41-42 for more info.
Nehemiah 2:1-10 – How Should Believers Plan? – part 1 – some brief answers
1. When did Neh 2:1 and Neh 1:1 occur and why was there such a delay?
A: In Nehemiah 1, Kislev in the 20th year of Artaxerxes would be November-December 446 B.C.. In Nehemiah 2, Nisan in the 20th year of Artaxerxes would be March-April 445 B.C. Remember, the Persian calendar years of reign did NOT start on either January 1st or the same as the Jewish religious year. Also, in B.C. years go down until they get to 1 B.C. Then the next year is 1 A.D.
There was about a four month delay between Nehemiah receiving the news and Nehemiah telling the king. Perhaps Nehemiah was unable to; however the cupbearer being away on a four-month journey at exactly this time is highly unlikely. The king moved around to various territories and among the four different capitals, and perhaps King Artaxerxes was absent for a while.
More likely, God had placed Nehemiah in an awkward, and potentially fatal situation. Perhaps Nehemiah saw that the king was pre-occupied with something else, and this would not be the right time, and Nehemiah wanted time to plan anyway. Perhaps Nehemiah saw that this did not look like the opportune time, but he had no idea what the opportune time would look like. Perhaps Nehemiah was just procrastinating at doing something that potentially could cause him to lose his life. Regardless, God finally took it out of Nehemiah’s hands and had the king figure out that something was up with Nehemiah. Since the king had previously given a decree to destroy the partially-built walls of Jerusalem in Ezra 4:17-23, we should notice that Nehemiah here did not mention Jerusalem by name.
Also, it was a custom that the Persian king would grant requests that were asked on his birthday according to the Greek Herodotus’ History 9.110. So perhaps Nehemiah was waiting until the king’s birthday. Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.44-45 has more on this theory.
See The NIV Study Bible p.695, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.684-685, the New International Bible Commentary p.498, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.676, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.314, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.164 for more info.
2. In Neh 2:1-2, has God ever ordered circumstances to place you in an awkward situation? Why do you think He did that?
A: We might get into an awkward situation because of our own foolishness, or as discipline from God. But even when we are fully trying to obey God, the Lord could still desire us to be in a situation that is uncomfortable for us, and so work that we cannot avoid it. When this is the case, regardless of our comfort level, we should simply ask, given the situation as it is now, what does God want us to do right now. It could be strengthening for you to handle things that are more difficult, and it could be to train you to be able to handle things more sensitively.
One time I was placed in an awkward situation, and I failed. At work I was out to lunch with some co-workers, and one of them started saying untrue bad things about a good friend as well as boss of mine. Nobody said a word to stick up for him, - not even me. At the time it felt less uncomfortable just to stay totally silent. Later it got back to him that “the group” said this about him, and he was unhappy with me because he thought that I had said bad things about him too. Perhaps I was put there at that moment to speak the truth and stick up for my friend; but I did not.
3. In Neh 2:1-9, how do you plan and set priorities?
A: The American World War II general Dwight D. Eisenhower spearheaded the planning of the largest military operation up to that time: D-Day. In Nov 15, 1957 in a speech reported by The New York Times he said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything”. In other words, a strict plan on a piece of paper is useless in the drastically changing circumstances of war, but the planning process, both strategic and tactical is essential to victory. Nehemiah probably had planned to bring up the topic with the king, but the opportunity unexpectedly arose when the king asked him why he looked sad.
Planning with no information or with bad information is useless. Thus, before you plan, like Nehemiah you first have to “inspect the wall”.
Planning often involves four types of things: people, resources, processes, and quality to meet the requirements in time.
1. People are essential to any plan. Not just the number of people, but the experience and abilities, and your ability to keep them working and motivated. In software, one experienced, highly motivated person can be more productive than three people who are being trained while they work.
2. Resources include money, tools of production, and the means to acquire more as time goes on. The allocation of resources is as important as the number of resources. In software, the calendar time to accomplish a job does not go down proportionally to the number of people you put on the project; it often goes down proportionally to the square root of the number of people you put on the project. Thus four experienced people, with normal inefficiencies and time spent in constant communication, can produce something in half the time as one experienced person.
3. Process, methods, and alternatives must be evaluated with assorted time estimates, risks, and uncertainties. In software development one has to ask how “heavy” a process a desired. Generally, people give three different answers for the percentage of total time spent in analysis and design: < 5%, 20%, and 60%.
4. Quality, durability, maintainability, reliability, and sustainability of both the end products and the tools used. One can spend all the time creating great tools to use and never get the job done. Or, one can concentrate on the job and wonder why the efficiency is so low. In software, the number of developers per quality assurance people can range from 5 to 1 to 2/3, depending on the importance of reducing the number of bugs. Furthermore, all bugs are not the same.
5. Time to complete the project is important, but time to complete individual milestones can be important for reducing risks and demonstrating functionality (in order to get additional funding. Often everything desired cannot be done, and one must prioritize requirements and have deadlines and due-dates.
These five categories can be considered almost like a set of algebraic equations. You can fix up to any four of the five, but at least one category is constrained by your choices in the other four categories.
See https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/11/18/planning/ for more info.
4. In Neh 2:1, how do you pronounce “Artaxerxes” and when did he reign?
Artaxerxes I ruled Persia from 465 B.C. to 12/424 B.C. He died a natural death, which was somewhat rare for Persian kings. According to Persia and the Bible p.278, his wife, Damaspia, died the same day.
5. In Neh 2:2-3, why was it a serious thing that Nehemiah looked sad?
A: Showing negative emotions might cost the cupbearer his life, as The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.675 says. As a cupbearer, Nehemiah was entrusted with the king’s life. If Nehemiah was not happy with the king, the king, if simply suspecting that Nehemiah might not be pleased with him being king, could have Nehemiah executed as a safety measure. Working for royalty had its disadvantages.
Also, many Persian kings did not die natural deaths. Knowing this, and knowing the king knew this, imagine being Nehemiah and the king saying, “you seem stressed today.”
6. In Neh 2:2-3, if a Christian were in Nehemiah’s position, how could he or she be expected to have the courage needed?
A: While I have not been in this situation myself, here are some helpful things taken from scripture.
1. Know God. God is all-powerful, and He can direct the heart of the king however He pleases (Proverbs 21:1).
2. Pray to God, acknowledging both individual and corporate sin. Pray expecting results.
3. Trust in God. Realize that the success of the outcome is not your responsibility. It is God’s responsibility, so you do not have that worry. Rather, your responsibility is to be obedient, stay close to God, do your best, and not worry about the results.
4. Realize that God’s kingdom, and your eternal life, are so much more important than your earthly life.
7. In Neh 2:3-20, what preparations did Nehemiah make?
A: Here is what Nehemiah did, and what we should do:
1. Pray day and night (Nehemiah 1:6).
2. Speak courteously (Nehemiah 2:7).
3. Plan how long something will take (Nehemiah 2:6).
4. Letters were needed to help handle the opposition, and secure resources (Nehemiah 2:7,9).
5. Do your research. Nehemiah knew the names of the men in charge of the forest (Nehemiah 2:8). The forest was either in Lebanon or else a place called “Solomon‘s Garden” about six miles south of Jerusalem.
6. Acknowledge God’s help and thank him for it (Nehemiah 2:8).
7. Execute the plan (Nehemiah 2:9).
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.686, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.676 and the New International Bible Commentary p.498 for more info.
8. In Neh 2:4-8, what is the significance of this proclamation?
A: This was not a decree for the exiles to return or a decree to rebuild the Temple, but to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This decree “started the clock” on the prophecy of Seventy Weeks in Daniel 9:25 in 530 B.C. Among many other things, God is the ultimate project planner.
Nehemiah 2:11-20 – How Should Believers Plan? – part 2 – some brief answers
1. In Neh 2:13-16, why did Nehemiah inspect the walls before telling anyone of his mission?
A: He did not want interference from others, and Nehemiah did not want others to unduly influence his evaluation. Since it was at night, he was less concerned with looking at every detail and more with the overall state. Perhaps he wanted to estimate the time and material that would be required. Or perhaps we wanted credibility when talking to others that he had seen the walls firsthand. Or most likely, both.
In addition, perhaps he wanted to see the state of the walls to spend time sharpening his focus for the task ahead. Sometimes we need to pray and think to sharpen our focus.
Sometimes when a manager wants to get a picture he knows is accurate, he will look at the situation first-hand as well as talk with his subordinates. Also, the sooner everyone knew of Nehemiah’s plans, the sooner opposition would start. Sometimes it is fine to do things secretly without telling anyone.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.678 and New International Bible Commentary p.498 for more info.
2. In Neh 2:15, when is it good to do something secretly, so that even your allies and friends do not know what you are doing, and when is it not?
A: There are a few reasons why you might want to do something secretly, even if you are not doing anything wrong.
a) Sometimes if somebody sees you doing something, without the right context, they could misinterpret what you are doing.
b) You don’t have time then to explain your actions.
c) If you tell them now, then “untrusted ears” might spread this to others that should not know about it.
3. In Neh 2:16, Nehemiah did not lie, but when is it better to withhold information from people who are not evil, and when is it not?
A: It is better to withhold, or in Nehemiah’s case postpone, revealing information, if any of the following are true.
a) You have only a piece of the picture, and you will have a much better picture shortly, i.e. after you inspect the walls.
b) You are in a public setting and have things to share that are more appropriate for a different audience or else a private setting.
c) Your information might cause emotional pain to them, and you need them to not be distracted but “sit down” to listen.
d) Likewise if it is unsettling, you probably don’t want to ruin their sleep by telling them right before they go to bed.
e) You want to get their viewpoint first. For example, in bargain, it is often best to let the other person name their price first.
As another example, remember, early in Jesus’ ministry, Jesus said not to tell others who He was, yet.
4. In Neh 2:17, when is it best to be transparent with some people, and when is it best to not be transparent with some people?
A: First notice that Nehemiah identified with the leaders of Jerusalem. He did not speak of the trouble you are in, but rather of the trouble we are in. The golden rule, do unto others what you would have them do unto you applies. What kinds of information do you think is fair or best for a friend, or someone else, to keep from you?
In Japan some years ago a patient had terminal cancer. There was nothing that could be done about it, and the doctor knew it would only make the patient sad, so the doctor never told the patient, nor anyone else, he was going to die. The family sued the doctor after the death because the patient did not prepare for death, or make a will. On a lighter note, another true story is of a mother who stopped getting her bills. Apparently her young daughter saw that when she opened up certain envelopes it just made her sad, and she didn’t want her mother to be sad, so she just cut up the envelopes and threw them away. Sometimes people need to, or even want to hear something, even though it will make them sad. Third, when my kids were in their teens, they were mildly (I hope) unhappy with me, because when they were little I would not lie to them. When they asked, I would tell them that Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny were real. If we are not supposed to lie to each other, then don’t lie.
On the other hand, 1 Samuel 16:2-3 gives an example where God specifically commanded Samuel, not to lie, but to give part of the truth and conceal the other part of the truth.
You might not have any special agenda, and see no harm in all your co-workers knowing what is going on. However, your manager might have a different view, wanting to keep some people in the dark about some things but tell those things to a different audience. On one hand you don’t want to be caught up playing your manager’s games, but on the other hand he or she won’t like it if you reveal things to co-workers or customers that they did not want revealed.
My performance review.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.56 for more info.
5. In Neh 2:19, Sanballat was a Horonite, but what was a Horonite?
A: It was probably someone from the village of Beth Horon (“Beth” means House [of]). Two cities, Upper Beth Horon, and Lower Beth Horon, were only about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of Jerusalem. Less likely alternatives are Hauran east of the Sea of Galilee, or Horonaim in Moab, except that if the latter Sanballat would have been called a Moabite. The name Sanballet is from the Akkadian Sin-uballit, which means that “Sin [the Akkadian moon-god] has given life”. According to the Elephantine papyrus Cowley 30, Sanballat was just a governor (pehah) of Samaria.
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.687, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.676, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.166, and the New International Bible Commentary p.498 for more info.
6. In Neh 2:19, do we have any extra-Biblical evidence of Tobiah the Ammonite and Sanballat governor of Samaria?
A: The name Tobiah was associated with the region of the Ammonites in non-Biblical texts. Tobiah means “Yahweh is good”. Eleven miles (18 kilometers) west of Amman, Jordan is the Caverns of the Prince, which apparently were the center of the Tobiads. On two halls are inscriptions of the name “Tobiah” in Aramaic. However, we do not know which ruler this name represents, as there were multiple rulers named Tobiah in 590 B.C, 520 B.C, 440 B.C, 270 B.C., and 200 B.C. See Persia and the Bible p.268 for more info.
Persia and the Bible p.267 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.687 both say that Tûbiâma appears in the Murashu banking documents in Nippur, and this might have been the same Tobias.
The Zeno papyrii from Gerza, Egypt, also refer to Tobias a governor of Amman. This Tobias might be a descendant of the Tobias in the Bible, according to Can Archaeology prove the Old Testament? p.44.
A papyrus in Elephantine, southern Egypt (Cowley #30) dated 407 B.C. speaks of the sons of Sanballat.
Also Geshem is the common north Arabian name Jasuma. Late fifth century silver vessels were discovered, one with the inscription “Qaynu the son of Gashmu, the king of Qedar”. It is not known if this Gashmu is the same Geshem or not, but it is likely.
The three might have disliked Nehemiah coming because it would upset their balance of power, and put Sanballat out of a job controlling Jerusalem and Judea. Also, they might have been doing a profitable frankincense and myrrh trade from Arabia.
See Persia and the Bible p.242, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.677, New International Bible Commentary p.498, Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.60-61, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary volume 4 p.570,691, The NIV Study Bible p.696, the New International Bible Commentary p.499, and Persia and the Bible p.267-268 for more info.
7. In Neh 2:19, why does Josephus say Sanballat was governor of Samaria around 330 B.C.?
A: According to The Expositor’s Bible Commentary p.768, here are some of the governors of Samaria, and the source from where we found their name.
Name |
Born |
Governor |
Source |
Sanballat I |
b.485 |
445 |
Nehemiah |
Delariah |
c.460 |
410 |
Elephantine papyrii |
Sanballat II |
c.435 |
380 |
Samaria papyrii |
Hananiah |
c.410 |
355 |
Samaria papyrii |
Sanballat III |
c.385 |
330 |
Josephus |
8. In Neh 2:19-20, when should you answer a false rumor spread about you, and when should you not do so?
A: If you are confident that no one will believe that rumor, and answering a rumor just gives a rumor more visibility, then you should not bother to do so. Nehemiah did not see any need to argue the point with them. But if the rumor could look credible, and you have facts that would prove that rumor false, then by all means bring that up. There are two ways to bring that up; explicitly and implicitly. Explicitly you can say you are answering this false accusation and present your evidence. The only downside is that people who had not heard that accusation will now hear it. Implicitly you can just present the facts alone, or related to a different context. This can work well if it is obvious that the facts would disprove a rumor like that.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.678 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.60 for more info.
Nehemiah 3-4:1 – Leading the people to build the wall – some brief answers
1. In Neh 3, why did they scrupulously record who fixed which gate?
A: This record honored the people who worked very hard here. It is good to honor people who work hard for the Lord, as Philippians 2:29 and 1 Timothy 5:17 show. Instead of having the Jews rebuild the wall, a huge task, Nehemiah split the job into 42 sections of the wall, and different team rebuilt just their section.
The NIV Study Bible p.697 adds that this is one of the most important chapters in the Bible for understanding the topography of ancient Jerusalem.
A: Gates allow people to pass in and out, but that is not their main purpose, as people can pass even more freely through large gaps in the wall. Rather, gates primarily are there so that they can be shut at night to keep out bandits and robbers, and shut anytime when there is an enemy outside.
The body of Christ needs a gate. It needs something to keep Christians “in” God’s kingdom, and prevent those who do not want to belong to Christ from coming in, masquerading as Christians. Praise God that the body of Christ already has a gate, and that gate is Jesus Christ. John 10:2-3,7-9 shows us that all who come must come by the gate, and there is no other gate.
3. In Neh 3:1, why did the high priest himself work on the Temple?
A: Besides setting an example, it was proper for the high priest to lay some of the bricks. The NIV Study Bible p.697 says that the Sumerian king himself would carry bricks for building a temple.
4. In Neh 3:8, how physically suitable do you think perfumers were for the construction work for building the wall?
A: They probably were not suitable to work very fast. But that was not the point; everyone, to the best of their ability, was working on the wall as best as they could, - that is, except for the nobles of Tekoa in Nehemiah 3:5f. But to make up for that, not only did the Tekoites worked on two different sections of the wall, in Nehemiah 3:5 and 3:27.
See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.484-485, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.466,467, and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.67-68 for more info.
5. In Neh 3:4 is this the same as Uriah the Hittite, whom David had killed?
A: No, because Uriah the Hittite lived long before and was never said to be the son of Hakkoz. There also was a Uriah the priest in 2 Kings 16:10-16 and Isaiah 8:2, and this could be the same one.
Regardless of whether someone was descended of Uriah the Hittite, or simply had his name, how should a believer react when a Christian leader falls, even to the point of murder? A believer can be disappointed, but he has a choice of how to deal with this disappointment. Disappointment can lead to apathy, or even bitterness. Disappointment can also serve as a reminder that our hope and worship are in God, and not human leaders.
6. In Neh 3:5, how do you handle it when people who should be helping sit out?
A: First you should pray about it. Second, you should check your anger, for James 1:20 says that the anger of man does not work for the righteousness of God. Then you should approach them to help, privately at first. If the still do not want to help, then other options are to publicly rebuke them, or not give them what they want. Finally, realize that they will not change in their unwillingness to help so ignore them or work around them. In Nehemiah the nobles of Tekoa were never heard from again. All we know about them was the permanent record of their unwillingness to help.
7. In Neh 3:5, how do you handle it when leaders under you who fail to even try to lead?
A: We don’t know why they did not want to lead. It could have been because they were lazy, or it could have been that they had financial ties for Tobiah or Sanballat. Nehemiah probably did not know the reason until Nehemiah 6:17-19 many nobles were pledged to Tobiah.
A: They would not have far to go to work, and they could take pride and ownership in what they would see every day. On the other side of the coin, they knew that if the enemy broke in at that spot because they did shoddy work, their house and family would be the first to face the army. So Nehemiah gave them a personal investment in doing a good job, and it is good if we can give the same to those who work under us.
A really good leader helps motivate and inspire their people. For someone to have ownership, they should have a voice, a hand, and a result. They should feel that their view matters, and that someone is listening to them. One might think there is no point in making suggestions if nobody wants to hear them anyway. They should have a part in contributing to the work, preferably something where they can see their part. Finally, do they think that what they are doing is even worthwhile, or will it be thrown away. Was it a worthless idea, and that could be seen up front by anyone who was looking, but they had to do it anyway? Will they receive any reward or benefit, whether on earth or in heaven for what they are doing? Do you encourage them and appreciate what they are doing, though still correcting what needs to change? If promotions and bonuses are arbitrary, then perhaps instead of fuming about why the people under you are not motivated, you should stand in wonder of why people are still as motivated as they are. Sometimes if the people under you do not feel motivated it could be an issue with them, or else you might better see the issue by buying a mirror.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.467 for more info.
9. In Neh 4:1, how should we deal with opposition?
A: When you are opposed in doing something, first make sure it is not because the other person is right and you should not be doing it. If that is the case, you should stop doing it and thank them for their opposition. Remember, there is never a shortage of people telling you why something cannot be done. Also ask what kind of opposition it is. In this case, Nehemiah’s enemies “despised God” in Nehemiah 4:4-5; 6:12.
If you think you are right, then determine how important it is to fight. Life is too short to fight every possible battle; focus on the important ones. On the unimportant battles, simply state your position, and say you do not think it worth spending time arguing over.
For the battles you choose to engage in, you can negotiate, fight, flee, or temporarily retreat to gather allies and reinforcements. When you fight, be it in business, politics, or even in ministry, fight fair, fight in a way that glorifies God, and when you are in the right, fight well.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.467 for more info.
Nehemiah 4 – Handling Opposition – some brief answers
1. In Neh 4:1,7, how should we react when people become very angry with us?
A: Remember, almost no one is unreasonable in their own eyes. With the restrictions of their assumptions, prejudices, and limited information, almost everyone does what they themselves think is reasonable, at least until emotions take over. First we should try to see why they are angry.
Mistake: If they are mistaken in being angry, we should calmly set things right and explain the true situation. Do not just forget it if your brother has something against you, but resolve it before offering gifts to God (Matthew 5:23-24), especially if it is a person in authority, as Proverbs 16:14 shows.
Actual wrong: If we genuinely wrong that person, we should go to them, ask forgiveness, and make restitution as appropriate. For example, if you have stolen, return what you have stolen, plus extra.
Weak Conscience: If a person correctly perceives you as doing something they incorrectly think is evil, then refrain from doing it for the sake of their conscience (1 Corinthians 8; Romans 14:14-15), but do not allow what you think of as OK to be spoken of as evil (Romans 14:16).
Evil perception: Sometimes the difference cannot be resolved, such as you are serving God and they do not want people to serve God. Do not let them be a danger, discouragement, or a distraction, to you or others.
In all cases, remember that a soft answer turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1), and it is honorable to avoid strife (Proverbs 20:3).
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.708 for more info.
2. In Neh 4:1-4, how does Satan use discouragement to attack believers?
A: Sanballat I the Samaritan was the Jews’ enemy to the north; Tobiah II the Ammonite was the Jews’ enemy to the east, and Geshem was the enemy of the Jews in the south. The men of Ashdod were the Jews’ enemy to the west. You can remember how enemies tried to discourage the Jews by the acronym “FAILS”.
Finances and Greed
…Circumstances of financial hardship (Nehemiah 5:1-3)
…Individual demoralizing leaders laying heavy financial burdens (Nehemiah 5:15)
…Groups profiting from others’ financial hardship (Nehemiah 5:3-8)
…Bribery (Ezra 4:4)
…Failing to pay wages The Levites were not paid properly in Nehemiah 13:10-13.
Anger
…Morale: Showing rage (Nehemiah 4:1,3,7)
…Individual: Tobiah tried to intimidate Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:19) and they made the people afraid to build (Ezra 4:4)
…Group: Openly threatening a surprise attack (Nehemiah 4:11-12)
…Morale: Trying to make Nehemiah fear, and set an example for others to fear (Nehemiah 6:13-14)
…Individual: Planning to secretly meet (and probably harm) Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:2,4)
…Group: Secretly planning to fight against Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:8-9)
… Pretended help (Ezra 4:1-3)
…Past: Using humor to mock and scorn the quality and usefulness of what they already did (Nehemiah 4:1,3)
…Future: Ridicule and questioning if they would succeed, the usefulness of their efforts, if they would finish in an extremely short time (Nehemiah 4:2)
…Accusations of revolt (Nehemiah 2:19; 6:5-7; Ezra 4:6,12,13)
…Religious: False prophets (Nehemiah 6:10,14)
…Individual: Spying, and giving Nehemiah positive information (Nehemiah 6:1,17-19) Tobiah’s man Eliashib living in the Temple (Nehemiah 13:4-7)
…Group: Opposition of discouraged brothers (Nehemiah 4:10-23)
Unfortunately, these same techniques can work today, unbelievers keep their focus on God and what He wants them to do. See 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.315-216 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.315 for more info.
3. In Neh 4:1-3, how do you handle it when someone succeeds in trying to discourage you?
A: It might have seemed exciting to all work together to build the wall at first, but over time, it might have been hard work and even boring. But on top of that were the taunts that you were not doing anything worthwhile, and finally the physical threats. By the way, despite Tobiah’s joke that even a fox could break it down, archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon has found that Nehemiah’s walls were nine feet thick.
On the other hand, most stone around there was limestone, and limestone that has been burned loses much of its strength. If they used the burned limestone rocks, that would be a weaker wall. See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.201 for more on this. In concrete, which is similar, mortar is affected more than the concrete, but if the fire is hot and long enough strength reduction can be up to 50%. Some fire does not hurt it much though. See https://ncma.org/resource/evaluating-fire-exposed-concrete-masonry-walls/ for more on concrete.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.467-468 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.73,78 for more info.
4. In Neh 4:5 and Neh 13:29, did Nehemiah have a proper attitude in not wanting their sins to be forgiven?
A: This was not a Christ-like attitude, but then again Christ had not come and taught this yet. We are to forgive others. Nehemiah’s was sharing his attitude, as David did in the imprecatory Psalms, but we have a higher standard since Christ came.
5. In Neh 4:7-8,11 why didn’t Sanballat and Tobiah attack?
A: Once the element of surprise was lost, and the opportunity of a quick battle, they did not want to fight. Perhaps the issue was not so much a fear that they would lose, but a protracted battle would cause the Persian king to send troops against them.
By the way, governors fighting other governors was not unknown in the Persian Empire. Darius II order Tissaphernes to defeat the revolting Persian governor of Lydia and Ionia and be governor of those lands instead. Later there was a feud between Tissaphernes and Pharnabazus, governor of Phrygia. Eventually there were a revolt against Artaxerxes II, and Tissaphernes warned the king and collected a large army to help the king. Eventually he fell out of favor and was assassinated. See more on Tissaphernes and Pharnabazus at Wikipedia.
See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.485-486 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.701 for more info.
6. In Neh 4:9, why did they set a guard here, instead of asking the Persians for protection?
A: The Persian king had already provided cavalry in Nehemiah 2:9, and Nehemiah might be reluctant to ask for them again. In addition, Nehemiah or someone else would have to leave Jerusalem, make the long journey back to speak with the king again.
7. In Neh 4:12-14, when and why do you sometimes need to tell people not to be afraid?
A: Sometimes you need to tell them to “snap out of it” because there is nothing to be afraid of, but that was not the case here. There was a genuine danger with the men of Ashdod from the east, and governor Sanballat of Samaria from the north, and governor Tobiah the Ammonite from east, and Geshem the Arab from the south were willing to combine military forces to bring the Jews down. But their faith in God watching them needed to be greater than their fear of the circumstances.
But while they should not be afraid they needed to be vigilant. In today’s world, imagine telling your average construction worker, here is your shovel, here is your trowel, and here is your gun.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.468, Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.76, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.683 for more info.
8. In Neh 4:13-14, how did Nehemiah have to adapt to the threat?
A: Nehemiah knew that once the enemies saw the work on the wall, they need to complete the task quickly. Yet, Nehemiah, probably very reluctantly, chose to slow down progress on the wall by taking some of the workers off their jobs to stand guard and be ready for attack. The wives and children were with them, presumably helping some with the wall, so they would have the motive to defend them and not run.
Sometimes we can see a way to do the work more effectively, but reluctantly we cannot go that route because of some risk.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.682 for more info.
Nehemiah 5 – How to handle damaging people within – some brief answers
1. In Neh 5:1-5, what was the exact problem here?
A: Many were close to not having enough food, and when they sacrificially gave their labor to work on the wall, they did not have enough.
The Persians were not cruel, as long as you paid your taxes. But their taxation was heavy. In Babylonia man had to mortgage their fields and orchards. Some had to give away their children as slaves. In Egypt some peasants fled from their fields to the cities, but they were arrested and forced to return to their (taxable) fields. See M Dandamayev “Achaemenid Babylonia in Ancient Mesopotamia 1969 p.308 for more in this.
So other Jewish people responded to their misfortune by taking advantage of them.
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.707 and the New International Bible Commentary p.501 for more info.
2. In Neh 5:1-6, when should you just work hard, not worrying about payment and reward, and when should you raise a red flag that you are being wronged?
A: The people already volunteered; they expected to labor hard in God’s work without receiving anything in return. But what they did not expect was for others to take advantage of them and charge interest when they should not have, especially fellow Jews. When you are in that situation, speaking up is not being weak, complaining, or being negative, though you could be falsely accused of being that. Rather, it was proper for them to speak up, both for themselves and for others.
When there is a need for you to speak up, there are at least four things to think about.
How: Of the many different ways you could make things known, pray and think seriously about the best way in this situation. You might consider, if you speak up in a certain way, using a certain avenue, what is your chance of success. What negative consequences might their be, and how probable could they occur.
When: Is there an urgency to speak up immediately? Sometimes there is, but if there is not, then when might be the best time. Sometimes, if it is a situation at work, you might get your resume ready also.
With Whom: Does it make sense to get allies? If you speak up maybe your lone voice will not be heard. But if almost everyone in a group speaks up, then it might have more impact.
To Whom: It is possible that the person who is doing wrong will never listen to what YOU say. But one thing you can learn from working is that everyone has a boss. At some point you might just bypass that person and speak to their boss. They might listen to their boss, who can fire them, much more than they might listen to you.
These people were right to speak up directly to Nehemiah, though perhaps not as soon as they should have. While the creditors did not care, they anticipated that Nehemiah would care about their welfare, and that Nehemiah would do something about it. And they were not wrong.
3. In Neh 5:1-6, when someone speaks up to you that they are being treated wrong, either by you or someone else, what should you do?
A: There are two overriding principles: what would Christ have you do, to be a good witness to Him, and Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Beyond that, there are at least five different cases.
Their issue is valid. They are not being treated lawfully, or else they have been given a promise of one thing, and then given something less instead. Either deceit or cold callousness in keeping agreements might be involved. You should do something to correct it if you can, and/or direct them to someone who can do something about it.
It is an issue of fairness, not justice. Let’s say a woman was offered a job for X dollars, and men before and after her were also given the exact same kind of job for twice as much pay. They did promise her a certain amount, and they are paying exactly what they promised. Are they just by paying her what they promised, - actually yes. However, they are being unfair if they are paying her less because she is a woman, or because of some other issue that has nothing to do with her performance on the job. At least in the Unit States, you can take an employer to court over that.
Their issue is invalid. Perhaps they are trying to con you, abuse the system, or they feel too entitled. You should try to explain to them why their objections are not valid, but also listen to them, because it is possible they might be right, and you be the one that is mistaken.
Their issue is valid in their eyes only. Their perception is that they are in one of the first two cases, but their perception is incorrect. For example, they might be a woman fresh out of school, and the other three men working each have ten years of proven experience in what they do. You should diligently ensure that it is due to a work-related issue, and not just an excuse to discriminate or be unfair. If they are in fact being treated justly and fairly, try to explain to them the situation, but make sure to document facts to back up what you are saying.
Unkept commitment by someone else: They were promised something by someone else, and you have inherited the situation, often not knowing the commitment the previous person had made. For example, two countries might sign a treaty, and then a new leader comes to power in one, and decides secretly to no longer honor the treaty. The same can go for companies and formal partnerships and relationships. First, make sure there really was a commitment, and the person is not trying to scam you or is genuinely mistaken. Next, determine if the commitment should still be kept by the previous party, by you, or else by you, but you should get the funding from the previous party.
Sometimes if you are fully convinced the issue is one of the latter three categories, and they are convinced that the issue is one of the first two, we need to decide what to do. Even though we are certain we are right, it can be a case where we should “turn the other cheek” or go the extra mile, for their sake, even though we feel we are not obligated to do so.
4. In Neh 5:1-13, how do you deal with problems believers might cause?
A: See the discussion on Nehemiah 4 for how to deal with opposition in general. Sometimes it can be easy, too easy, to jump to the conclusion that the people who are complaining ar ethe people who are causing problems. However, in Nehemiah 5 that was not the case. As for problems with believers, the Bible gives numerous examples from which we can learn.
Peter opposed the apparent believer Simon Magus (not the other way around) in Acts 8:9-24. Simon on the surface appeared to be a believer, as he was baptized and intellectually believed. Superficially, Simon might have appeared to be simply a believer who was overly generous. Peter knew better, and rebuked him, offering him hope of repentance. Unfortunately, Church history tells us that Simon Magus later started his own false religion and went to Rome and had a statue made to himself.
Greek-speaking Christians in Acts 6:1-6 had a legitimate complaint about the distribution of food to their widows. The church at that time was not really set up to deal with it. Rather than ignoring the problem, the apostles, met and corrected the problem by appointing deacons, apparently both Jewish and Greek-speaking, to deal fairly with this issue.
Poor Jews had a legitimate grievance against their greedy kinsmen in Nehemiah 5:1-13. While a food distribution problem was due to oversight, this problem was due to intentional greed. Nehemiah rebuked them rather than merely corrected them.
Arguments over ministry regrettably occur even among mature believers, such as Paul and Barnabas arguing over John Mark in Acts 15:26-41. If two people both pray and love God, why can’t they get along? Despite the fact of their weakness in this, God used this disagreement for His glory. While Paul, Silas, and later Timothy evangelized much of Greece and Asia Minor, church history tells us that Barnabas and Mark were not idle either, but evangelized much of Egypt.
Judaizers in Acts 15:1-2 were teaching false things. Paul and Barnabas debated vigorously with them, and then they all decided to go to the apostles in Jerusalem to decide the question. After settling the issue, the apostles sent men to Antioch to spread the decision. Apparently some Judaizers still refused to accept, as Philippians 3:2 shows. Titus 1:10-11 says that they must be silenced and not allowed to upset whole congregations.
Paul opposed Peter and was right to rebuke him in Galatians 2:11-14. Sometimes when an “upstart Christian” opposes you, she or he might be right and you need to change.
Envious believers in Philippians 1:15-18 preached Christ out of envy and rivalry to stir up trouble for Paul. They were still preaching the true gospel, so Paul simply rejoiced.
Schismatic believers formed parties and quarreled in 1 Corinthians 3:3-11. Paul’s rebuke of them is interesting. He did not address the points of doctrine or conduct that they might have claimed separated them, but rather focused solely on their divisive spirit.
Euodia and Syntache needed the apostle Paul himself to tell them to stop arguing in Philippians 4:1-2. Paul also asked a man who was with them to mediate and help them get along. Sometimes believers who cannot agree need another Christian to mediate, as 1 Corinthians 3:3-6 shows. Titus 3:10-11 says to warn a divisive person two times, and after that have nothing to do with them. (Make sure you are not the one being divisive yourself, though.)
Prideful bickering among the disciples was rebuked by Jesus, who gave an example of being a servant of others in Mark 9:33-37 and Luke 9:46-48. 3 John 9 rebukes Diotrephes, who liked to put himself first.
Wrong attitudes caused the disciples to wrongly rebuke others who were preaching about Christ in Mark 9:38-41 and Luke 9:49-50. In contrast to this, Jesus said to pray for more workers for the harvest in Luke 10:2.
Disorderly tongue-speakers were disrupting the church in 1 Corinthians 14:1-33,39-40. Paul did not rebuke them, but rather showed them the right focus and gently corrected them on what was wrong without discouraging them.
“Super-apostles” were out to get Paul and destroy his credibility in 2 Corinthians 10:9-11:15. Paul wrote against them vigorously, reminding them of his authority. False prophets tried to scare Nehemiah in Nehemiah 6:10-14 and contradict God’s word in Jeremiah 28.
We should cause problems for heretics who are in the church yet deny the faith. John directly rebuked those who held to soul-perishing heresies in 1 John 1:6,10 and 2 John 7-11. Peter rebuked heretics in 2 Peter 2:1-3, Jude rebuked “intruders” in Jude 4,8, James rebuked in James 2:1-4, and Paul rebuked in Philippians 3:2 and other places. In fact, it seems there are not many New Testament writers that did not rebuke heretics, if you count Jesus rebuking the Sadducees and Pharisees in the gospels. We also are to rebuke those who persist in sin in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 and 1 Timothy 5:20.
Yet, while 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 shows we are to watch the primary things, in which a person is not saved if they do not believe, Romans 14 clearly proves we are to have a different response to secondary things, such as eating and days to the Lord. We are not to allow what we consider right to be spoken of as evil, but sometimes we refrain from doing things to not cause problems by stumbling our weaker brethren.
A terrible war was barely avoided in Joshua 22:10-34. The 9 1/2 tribes appeared to themselves “right” given their assumptions of the 2 1/2 tribes, but they were quick to distrust and slow to communicate with the 2 1/2 tribes. The 2 1/2 tribes built a major structure, and was mistakenly thought by others to be an idol altar, without consulting or informing the other Israelites.
Gideon fought against the Israelite cities that refused to help his army in Judges 8:5-17. While Gideon was wrong to be so severe, we should point out to the Christian community Christian organizations and alleged Christian organizations that defiantly refuse to support God’s people doing God’s will. For example, when the Southern Baptist Convention was considering meeting in Chicago, many liberal churches, including a number of United Methodist ones, publicly asked the southern Baptists not to come if they were going to continue to do their evangelistic campaigns.
Civil wars occurred with Abimelech in Judges 9:26-57, Jephthah in Judges 12:4-6, David and Saul’s house in 2 Samuel 3:1, and against the Benjamites in Judges 20. In all these cases except the last, an ungodly leader in power was the cause. Jeremiah 23:1 declares woe against shepherds who destroy and scatter God’s flock. 2 Timothy 3:1-4 says we are to have nothing to do with those who have the form of godliness but deny its power. Presumably, having nothing to do with them includes being in churches where they would be our leader. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 says we are not to associate with an unrepentant person who is sexually immoral, immoral, greedy, an idolater, a reviler, a drunkard or a robber if they call themselves a believer. In the last case, Judges 20, people did not do this and refused to own up to the evil of one of their own.
Cowardly Israelites bound Samson over to the Philistines in Judges 15:11-13. Samson’s response is interesting and appropriate here. Samson made them promise not to harm him themselves, and then Samson submitted himself to them, in effect submitting himself to God’s hands. He did this rather than physically harm the cowards among his own people. Fear also kept many disciples from associating with Paul at first in Acts 9:26.
Jesus said we are not to make light of somebody having something against us but “leave our gift on the altar” while we make up with that person in Matthew 5:23-24. A general method for dealing with believers who need rebuke is given in Matthew 18:15-17. First go to the person privately, and then return with two or three witnesses if necessary. If he still will not listen, then go before the church. Finally if the person still does not repent, then treat him as a tax-collector or sinner.
In summary, problems with believers seem fairly common back in the days of the apostles, so it should be no surprise that sometimes there are problems today. We are in fact supposed to cause problems in certain circumstances, but let’s be careful not to cause any problems when we are not supposed to do so.
A: This is lending at high interest, or in this case, lending to Israelites for interest when an Israelite was not to charge another Israelite interest according to Exodus 22:25 and Leviticus 25:35.
6. In Neh 5:4,6,10, just how high was the interest, and how heavy were the taxes?
A: Here is a summary of the economic situation according to Persia and the Bible p.274-275.
Interest: Under Cyrus I and Cambyses, interest rates on loans were 20% per year. However, around 400 B.C. interest rates were 40 to 50 % per year. The House of Murashu in Nippur charged interest rates of 40% per year. At these interest rates, no one would want to take out any loans unless they were truly desperate. In Nehemiah 5:11, the Jews were apparently charging each other 1 percent per month.
Taxes: The Persian kings were easy-going on subjects’ local administration and religion, but very severe on taxes. The Persian kings received 20,000,000 darics (14,560 talents or about 450 tons) per year in taxes. According to Herodotus, the fifth satrapy, which was Syria and Palestine, paid the smallest amount. They only paid 350 talents per year. Other satrapies also had to make additional “contributions in kind” which the fifth satrapy did not have to pay. When Alexander the Great captured Susa, he found 9,000 talents (270 tons) of gold and 40,000 talents (1,200 tons) of silver just piled up.
Inflation: One study showed that the price of dates doubled between the time of Darius I and Darius II. (Artaxerxes I was between these two kings.) The problem of high taxes and inflation was not just in Palestine. In Babylonia many people had to mortgage their fields and orchards and had to become landless laborers. See (M. Dandamayet “Achaemenid Babylonia” in Ancient Mesopotamia, etc. p.308 for more info.
Land: Much fertile land was given to either the Persians or to military colonists. Thus the people had less land to pay heavy taxes, higher interest rates, and higher prices.
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.707 for more info.
7. In Neh 5:6, should a godly leader ever get angry?
A: It depends, James 1:20 says that the anger of man does not work towards the righteousness of God. But we can share God’s anger and be angry about the things God is angry about. Jesus was angry in Mark 3:5. Note that in Nehemiah 5:13 Nehemiah did just get angry, his initial step was to do nothing and think about it. The Hebrew word malak can mean I thought about it” but it can also mean “I mastered my feelings”.
Then Nehemiah spoke to the nobles appealing to both their sense of fairness (however far that got him) and the threat that he would confiscate all the wealth of those who did not comply.
Sometimes anger is an appropriate response, but it was not Nehemiah’s only response. He did something about it too.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.316, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.683, and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.88-89 for more info.
8. In Neh 5:7, since building the wall was such a high priority, when would it be best to “call a meeting” which would detract from the work of building the wall?
A: It was not enough for Nehemiah to do what was right and warn the nobles. All the people needed to see that their concerns would be addressed and hear the warning to the nobles also.
There was an internal exploitation that threatened to sap all motivation of the workforce. After you have your well-laid plan, sometimes you need to change your plan when a new threat arises. Calling the meeting showed the impoverished Israelites that something would be done, having the meeting was a public place where their agreement would be heard and recorded, and finally where Nehemiah’s commands would be heard by all.
As a leader, there is a time to discuss, negotiate, and compromise, and there is also a time to say, “the decision has been made” and we are going forward with it.
Nehemiah had a tough job because he was willing to step up during tough times. But Nehemiah was a tough, godly man, and using his wisdom and prayer to chart the best course.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.683 and the Keil-Delitzch Commentary on the Old Testament p.207 for more info and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.89-93 for an extensive discussion.
9. In Neh 5:10-11, was Nehemiah admitting he had lent at interest too and he was also going to stop?
10. In Neh 5:14-15, when should you not take benefit from something that you are entitled to and lawfully yours?
A: As believers we have “freedom in Christ”, and that includes freedom from greed, and feeling we have to take all that is ours. While Nehemiah set a good example by not taking his allotment, that is probably not the primary reason. Rather, Nehemiah saw and felt the hardship of the Jews and he did not want to be any burden on them also. Nehemiah had a tough job because he lived in tough times. But Nehemiah was a tough guy with lots of godly wisdom.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.684-685 and the Keil-Delitzch Commentary on the Old Testament p.213 for more info.
11. In Neh 5:14-15, when is it appropriate to tell people you did something good, and when is it boasting?
A: It depends on the purpose of saying that. It was normal, legal, and customary for governors to also tax the people and take their share; so by default one would have expected Nehemiah to do the same; after all in the Persian Empire he was entitled to it. But Nehemiah pointedly did not take what he was entitled to. Just before this Nehemiah rebuke the rich people for lending with interest and seizing the fields and family of others as servants when they could not pay. After Nehemiah rebuked them for their greed, it was important for people to know that Nehemiah himself did not act in a greedy way.
But if your only purpose is to make yourself look good in the eyes of others, or else show that you are better than someone else, then don’t expect any reward from God. In Matthew 6:1-4 Jesus spoke about rich religious people who sounded a trumpet before doing a charitable deed. They should not expect any reward from God; they have already got all their reward on earth by broadcasting what they have done.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.214-215 for more info.
12. In Neh 5:14-19, how much did Nehemiah save for his own future personally?
A: Nehemiah could have gotten wealthy here, but he did not make any effort to make money in Judea.
13. In Neh 5:18, how did they serve poultry (birds) at the feast?
A: It would be difficult to shoot enough wild birds to feed everyone at a feast. Rather, they had domesticated chickens. Raising chickens started in China around 2000 B.C., and they were exported to Egypt under Pharaoh Thutmose III around 1500 B.C., just before Moses’ time. In Israel around 600 B.C. the seal of Jaazaniah shows a fighting rooster.
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.711 for more info.
14. In Neh 5:19; 13:31; 15:14, when should we pray for God to remember us?
A: We can pray this as often as we wish. This apparently was something on Nehemiah’s heart. Nehemiah is essentially telling God that he hopes God is pleased. We should live our lives to please God, and it is fine to ask God to reward our work, done with proper motives, for God. Christians often pray to God to watch over us. David prayed for God to listen to Him in Psalm 5:1-2; 4:6; 13:3.
Nehemiah 6 – Be Tenacious When Enemies Act – some brief answers
1. In Neh 6:2, was Nehemiah right to think they were going to harm him?
A: Very likely yes, but regardless, Nehemiah saw no benefit in taking any chances. Nehemiah did not see anything they would give him that he wanted to accept, and he certainly would not see any decrease in risk in going out to meet them. They could have kidnapped him, killed him, and then claimed that robbers must have murdered him. But once Nehemiah told them he would not meet 25 miles away on the Plain of Ono, they could have said they would meet him in Jerusalem, but that would not serve their true goal. With the wall complete, it seems the enemies stopped trying to attack the Jews and focused just on Nehemiah. The Jews had built the wall, but still needed to put on the doors in the gates. Nehemiah was inflexible here, - as he should have been. Sometimes when people say you are not very flexible, that can be a bad thing, or it can be a good thing, depending on the situation.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.685-686, the New International Bible Commentary p.502, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.215-217, and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.101 for more info.
2. In Neh 6:2, when should you change plans and do something else, and when should you not?
A: Even if Nehemiah’s enemies did not harm him, at the very least they could distract him. Satan can throw at us a number of reasonable-sounding things in order to distract us from our main task that God wants us to do. If Nehemiah was a man of God who refused to be distracted from God’s work, he was someone the opposite of Jonah, who was almost making his own distractions from doing God’s work.
Sometimes situations and people change, and we do need to adapt our plans. But you need to ask if this is taking you away from God’s will, and whether the reason you are thinking of diverting to something else is a good reason or not.
Being good a project management does not just mean figuring out what you and your team should be doing. That is the easy part. The more difficult part is seeing all the other good things you could be doing that are actually diversions, and stop doing them, to focus on the primary job or ministry.
Nehemiah was told to change course for what sounded like good reasons: safety, slander, personal safety, and a Word from God. Notice that in Nehemiah 6:5-7, Sanballat even pretended to be a helpful ally! You should know who your friends are, and who they aren’t. But Nehemiah was wise enough to recognize what was from God and what was a diversion from following God whole-heartedly.
Shemaiah even claimed that Nehemiah should come because he had a prophecy from God. However, non-priests were not to go inside the Temple (Numbers 3:10; 18:7), and Nehemiah could see that Shemaiah (who was bribed according to Nehemiah 6:12) was actually telling Nehemiah to disobey God out of fear. Nehemiah had told the people not to be afraid in Nehemiah 4:4; now it was time to practice himself what he preached. The prophetess Noadiah and other false prophets were also trying to make Nehemiah afraid in Nehemiah 6:14. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous people use religion for their own advantage.
If we are trying to do God’s will for our life, we should not be surprised when have our own Sanballats, Geshems, Tobiahs, and Shemaiahs. We just have to recognize them for what they are, and continue doing God’s will despite the distractions.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.470, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.317, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.685-686, the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.486-487, and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.105-107 for more info.
3. In Neh 6:6, was Nehemiah’s opponent named “Gashmu” or “Geshem” in Neh 2:19?
A: Both are the same person. This curious difference shows the reliability of the name here in Nehemiah. According to both Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.233 and When Critics Ask p.217, the Arabic language has names end in “u” for nominative, “i” for genitive, and “a” for accusative. Nehemiah 6:6 has the Arabic pronunciation when the name is in the nominative case. However, Hebrew and Aramaic-speaking people usually omitted all the short-vowel case endings, which would make the name “Geshem”.
Persia and the Bible p.268-269 mentions that the Arabic name Jasuma, meaning bulky or stout, is found in various Arabic inscriptions including Safaitic, Lihyanite, Thamudic, and Nabataean.
A: The NIV Study Bible p.697 says that an inscription in Dedan in Northwest Arabia mentions Geshem, who was over a large amount of land an involved in the spice trade. Persia and the Bible p.269 says this inscription in Lihyanite Arabic reads, “Jasm son of Sahr and Abd, governor of Dedan.”
Several silver vessels at Tell el-Maskutah near Ismailia say in Aramaic “Geshem son of Shahar” and “Qainu son of Geshem”. See Persia and the Bible p.269 for more info.
Geshem would be suspicious of a new political power arising, especially given Solomon’s famous trading activities in centuries past.
5. In Neh 6:9, how should we answer false accusations?
A: We should not be silent, because many people interpret silence as either agreement or inability to answer. Nehemiah said the charge was false, but Nehemiah did not waste any time here detailing why it was wrong, since they did not give any details why they claimed the charge was true.
If Nehemiah had provided evidence why the charge was wrong, then they could debate Nehemiah’s evidence. However, since they did not have any evidence either, there was nothing to debate.
In summary, when charges are baseless and without any evidence, we should say they are wrong, but not waste too much time going into detail to defend ourselves when there are no reasons given for the charges.
6. In Neh 6:10, why did Shemaiah try to make Nehemiah fearful?
A: Humanly speaking, Nehemiah appeared to be in a precarious position. If he secluded himself out of fear, everyone would know that. Then the people would be afraid too, if they saw that Nehemiah was afraid. If you are told to flee like Nehemiah, perhaps you might meditate on Psalm 11.
Satan and Sanballat were using Shemaiah to try to get inside Nehemiah’s head, to throw him off his game. When people would see the formerly bold, decisive leader become an insecure, fearful one, they would stop following.
See also the discussion on Nehemiah 13:14 for more info.
A: First understand that there are two kinds of fear.
Fearing the Lord is a good thing that we are to do (Nehemiah 7:2; Proverbs 1:7: 8:13, etc.). It means to honor, respect, and be in awe of a holy and all-powerful God.
Other fear is not good, as the fear of man can be a snare (Proverbs 29:25). Fear is a choice, and 2 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of fear. 1 John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out all fear. It is a sin to fear when your emotions overpower your good judgment, and you are not trusting in God.
However, being cautious and taking precautions are OK. Jesus said we are to be a wise as serpents and as innocent as dove in Matthew 10:16.
8. In Neh 6:15, what is interesting about the short duration of 52 days?
A: Note that 52 days was a probably shorter period of time than it took Nehemiah to hear the news, plan what to do, and journey to Jerusalem. Sometimes it is better to plan and execute well, than to execute too quickly with inadequate planning.
9. In Neh 6:17-19, how do you deal with infiltration?
A: You can’t really tell friend from foe when enemies have infiltrated your friends. A typical natural response might be to just despair and give up. But Nehemiah continued to put his trust in God. He continued to plan and lead, even knowing that some in his leadership council were spies of the enemy. See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.107-108 for more info.
10. In Neh 6:19, how should we deal with threats?
A: Nehemiah was very shrewd, but his shrewdness, and going to God in prayer went hand-in-hand. If anyone things that following God and doing His will should be without trouble or opposition, they really need to read the Book of Nehemiah.
You can remember one way to deal with threats by the acronym “PAPER”.
Pray to God for wisdom, protection, and that your responses will be glorifying God.
Analyze the threat. Gather intelligence and seek out wise counselors to answer the following questions. How serious is the person making the threat? Do they present this as serious, and if so, could they be bluffing? What are the consequences to them if they carry out their threat? If the threatened thing actually occurs, how seriously will it affect you? Can you even have adequate prevention and /or response and what would it be?
Prepare for the threat in different ways. For most threats, you can at least take steps that do not have much cost and provide some means of prevention or response. Then, perhaps you might want to take costlier measures, too. You might need to mobilize some or all of what you have to deal with the threat. Even if there is no immediate threat, you can “further fortify the city” as David did. How strong a defense do you need? How quickly do you need to be able to employ your defense?
Enlist subordinates to deal with the threat. Perhaps now is good to form alliances. David was skillful at even enlisting Philistine soldiers, who formerly were his enemies, in his army. If you are a king, and an enemy has an army on your border, now might be good to enlist an enemy of both of you as a “co-belligerent” and suggesting that now might be a good time for them to invade your attacker’s territory.
Respond to the threat appropriately. Responses can range from capitulation, negotiation, communicating that you will not be moved, a counter-threat, publishing the threat to the world, to a pre-emptive strike. If your BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) is certain death, perhaps you might want to negotiate a little more patiently. You need to estimate your BATNA, the other side’s BATNA, and if the other side even knows their BATNA. If you negotiate with someone who is in a desperate situation, but they have no clue that they are in a desperate situation, the negotiations might not go anywhere.
By the way, BATNA is discussed in detail in the book Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton. Get the 2011 edition, though it was first published in 1981 and 1991. Some people have found it helpful: it has sold 15 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.
Nehemiah 7 – Stand Up and be counted – some brief answers
1. In Neh 7:1-2, how do you strategically appoint people to positions?
A: Sometimes you need to decide whether one candidate should be hired/appointed, or between two or more candidates. First, you need to pray that God will give you wisdom and keep you from serious mistakes. Then you have to know what you want, yet still be open to serendipity. One subjective way of looking at candidates if to picture in your mind how this person might work out in the next few years.
Here is an analytical way of deciding between different people. This list pertains both to qualifications for a position, and for “disqualifications” for a position. Remember, it is not capabilities, experience, and so forth that are important, but relevant capabilities experience, etc. You can remember this as the “REACH” method.
Relationships: How well will they like others in the group? How will others get along with them? Do they provide variety and make your group more diverse in a good way? Do they have valuable relationships through networking? Will they serve others well, and could they lead others well?
Experience: What track record do they have of training, doing the task, leading others, and teaching others?
Attitude: What is their self-image, and their view of their identity in regard to the task at hand. Is their attitude positive and enthusiastic? Will they be dedicated, loyal, and dependable? Do they accept authority readily, and are they teachable? What vision do they have for the endeavor? How well will they react when part of their vision is overruled?
Capability: Knowledge of the theory, applied knowledge, intelligence, creativity, how fast and error-free they can perform. Are there any unanticipated benefits or liabilities with this applicant? More important than the mechanical abilities are judgment and style. The millionaire Henry Ford once claimed that it was simple to hire smart people to surround him. What he needed was people with good judgment and style.
Handicaps are something everyone has. If you find someone with no shortcomings, then you have not looked very hard at him or her yet. When you see some limitations, are they so serious that all their strengths do not matter, or can you live with them? Be careful not to propagate your own handicaps. Many people unconsciously hire and promote people that they think are like them. This provides an ingrown group, as the strengths do not help much, since they are shared by all, and the limitations are added.
A: Nehemiah clearly articulated a common vision. Everyone needed a sense of identification with the general cause, a sense of continued urgency and importance, and an individual role that they knew was important to do.
Nehemiah made his vision their vison, in other words this is the difference between “interest” and “ownership”. They did not work to rebuild Nehemiah’s wall. Rather, they rebuilt “God’s” wall and “their” wall.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.470 for more info.
3. In Neh 7:4, what problem did Nehemiah see and how did he solve it?
A: A city with a good wall was still not well defended if there were too few people to guard the wall. Nehemiah needed people to volunteer to move to Jerusalem as residents. So first he had a census to get an idea of how many were present from each tribe. Then he would ask for a certain number from each tribe to live in Jerusalem.
The Greek historian Thucydides lived at the same time as Nehemiah. He wrote that it is the people, not the walls, that make a city.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.318 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.117-120,127 for more info.
4. In Neh 7:3, how does or should the church today have “gatekeepers”?
A: When a normal person passes through the gate, the gatekeeps are almost completely unnoticed. But when someone who should not be passing through tries, the gatekeeper should either stop them, or else call for help for others to stop them. When it is not the proper time to pass through the gate, the gate should be closed.
In theory, we would like the church to be open to all, both believers and unbelievers, because they need to hear the gospel too. Now, neither unbelievers nor believers are going to be sinlessly perfect. However, people should not be harmed when they come to church. Those who would harm them, bully them, be divisive (Titus 3:10), seduce them sexually (Revelation 2:20-21), or seduce them with false doctrine, or continue in sin (1 Corinthians 5:9-11), should be removed from the church.
People should be on the lookout to guard the flock. But one function of the elders is to remove those from the church that need to be removed.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.113 for more info.
5. In Neh 7:7, what are the differences with Ezr 2:2?
A: Nehemiah has the names Seriah, Reelaiah, and Rehum, while Ezra has Azariah, Raamiah, and Nehum. Remember that the Jews spoke Hebrew and Aramaic, and the different pronunciations might be due to that. Nehemiah also has Nahamani, which is absent in Ezra. This likely is a scribal error. The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.656 also suggests that twelve men is more likely, as they would symbolize the twelve tribes.
6. In Neh 7:7-72 and Ezr 2:1-70, just how accurately did ancient scribes transmit lists of numbers?
A: Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.230-231 gives us two good examples for comparison in ancient documents.
The army of Frada: The Persian Behistun Rock inscription says the army of Frada had 55,243 dead and 6,572 prisoners in the Babylonian column. An Aramaic translation found on Elephantine Island in Egypt says the number of prisoners was 6,972, one digit off from the Behistun Rock inscription. In a duplicate copy of the Babylonian column found at Babylon, the number of prisoners was 6,973, one digit difference from the Aramaic translation.
The rebel army of Frawartish: The Persian Behistun Rock says 2,045 were killed and 1,558 taken prisoner in the rebel army of Frawartish. The Aramaic copy has over 1,575 as the number of prisoners.
These examples originally came from F.W. Konig, Relief and Inschrift des Konigs Dareios I am Felsen von Bagistan [Leiden: Brill, 1938) p.48,45).
7. In Neh 7:7-72, why do the numbers of returned people differ from Ezr 2:1-70?
A: It probably is due to a combination of a number of reasons.
Simple copyist errors: In the manuscripts today, there have been some copyist errors. Many copyist errors would be changing or leaving out a digit. In the Hebrew vs. Septuagint there are 2 differences in Ezra (both single-digit) and 10 differences in Nehemiah (5 are single-digit). Thus one would expect simple copyist errors to explain around 2 to 5, or possibly up to 10 of the 22 differences. Since The number of times Nehemiah is larger in 7 out of 12 single-digit differences, there is no statistically significant trend of one being larger.
Change in the way numbers were written: The way Hebrews wrote numbers changed about this time. Formerly the Hebrews used old “round letters”, and changed to “square” letters. This would cause more copyist errors. The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.667 mentions that the Moabites spoke a dialect of Hebrew and still used the old round letters in the ninth century B.C.. The Encyclopedia Britannica volume 1 (1956) p.684 says, “the earliest records of Aramaic go back to about 800 B.C…. The alphabet at this time differs little from that of the Moabite Stone.” It says there were two tendencies, which were completed during the time of the Persians
1) the opening of the heads of letters beth, daleth, and resh. And angles became more rounded and ligatures developed. This might be expected to explain more errors.
Cipher lists: The NIV Study Bible p.674 says that the differences might be due to using “cipher lists”, where a vertical stroke represented “1” and a horizontal stroke represented “10”, and this would lead to greater copying errors.
The lists were made at different times: Of the 10 multi-digit differences, Nehemiah is larger in 7 of them. On one hand, the differences probably are not due to more exiles returning, as the totals match exactly. On the other hand, or the returnees, more people might have been found in the listed clans and villages. 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.139-140 and the Commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown volume 1 p.289 mention that Ezra 2:1 says this is the list was made of those who left for Babylon, apparently prior to them arriving at Jerusalem. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.229 also adds that there might have been some last minute decisions to join with a clan or village.
Different lists: How did these lists come about? It is not that God dictated these numbers to a scribe, but rather two or more people counted and made these lists. They were probably originally separate lists because: Ezra separates the men of Bethlehem and Netophah while Nehemiah combines them. Magbish is absent in Nehemiah. They exchange the order of Lod etc. and Jericho. Nehemiah divides the numbers more than Ezra.
Nehemiah’s list was a copy. Note carefully that Nehemiah 7:5 does not say these were the exactly correct number of people who returned. Rather, Nehemiah simply says he found a list, and this is what the list said. The list might be incorrect, but Nehemiah is correctly relating what the list said. See the next question for the implications of this.
8. In Neh 7:64, why were these people wanting to be registered as priests?
A: While we are not sure, there was a famine at that time, and being a priest would guarantee you food. Today some people want to become religious ministers for various reasons.
9. In Neh 7:70, Ezr 8:27, and 1 Chr 29:7, is there any extra-Biblical evidence of drachmas at this time?
A: Yes. Archaeologists have found several “drachmas” from Persian times in Beth Zur (Khirbet et-Tubeiquah), south of Jerusalem and 4 1/2 miles (7 km) north of Hebron. See Can Archaeology Prove the Old Testament? p.44 for more info.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary volume 4 p.620-621 also mentions this, but adds that these drachmas were not minted in Greece, but in Judah in the “drachma style”. It mentions an article that says that the Jews were permitted to mint their own silver coins with the name of the province “Yehud” in archaic Hebrew script.
However, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary volume 4 p.620-621 also mentions a second theory. The Hebrew word here, darkemonim, and a similar word in Ezra 8:27 and 1 Chronicles 29:7, adarkonim, might refers to the Persian daric, which was a gold coin named after the Persian word for gold: dari. A soldier would be paid one of these per month for his wages.
10. In Neh 7:70-73, when should we tell how much people gave and when should we not?
A: Three points to consider in the answer.
1) Jesus told us to give in secret in Matthew 6:3-4. So we should tell others what we, or somebody else individually gave.
2) Paul commended the Philippians for their generous gift in Philippians 4:15-18. So Paul collectively called them out for their generous giving, without mentioning any individual gifts.
3) Nehemiah mentions the generous gifts given by the community in Nehemiah 7:71-72, without mentioning individual.
4) Nehemiah did mention what the “governor” gave (i.e., himself) in Nehemiah 7:70, which goes against what Jesus said, except that Nehemiah said this centuries before Jesus gave this command.
11. In Neh 7:72, what can see is so precious about this money?
A: These offerings were “precious” in at least two ways. For some, the money was earned while they were settled and fairly well-off in Babylonia. Even though times were very tight now, they were offering it anyway. Second, the offerings were sort of a “first fruits”. Some had not completely settled in their houses, and yet they gave to the Lord’s work before their own finances were clear.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.125 for more info.
Nehemiah 8 – Rekindling Spiritual Fervor – some brief answers
1. In Neh 8:1, how well do you yield the stage to others?
A: Ezra had been preaching there for fourteen years, and he had proven himself and was trusted. Nehemiah yielded the stage to Ezra, and we should be able to do the same to others too. Many endeavors in business and ministry die once the founder is no longer there. You should yield to others when the cause is more important than your personal ambition or recognition. Yielding the stage well involves four things.
Passing the baton: The new leader (or existing co-leader in Ezra’s case) should be comfortable and able to fill his new role. Make sure the new leader understands his new responsibilities.
Telling others: Make sure that not only do subordinates and peers know of the transition, but that they accept the transition.
Get out of the way, and let the person who is supposed to lead do his job, since it is not now your job.
Be enthusiastic, not grudging: Visibly give your support to the person who is now leading. It will help them, and help the people who should be following them. Be a positive part of the transition, not a liability.
2. In Neh 8:4 was more of a pulpit or a podium?
A: It was a raised platform, and not a pulpit or podium, according to The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.689, the NIV, and NRSV. The NET Bible says “platform” with a footnote says the Hebrew was literally “tower of wood”. A platform would be helpful for having the sound carry father.
3. In Neh 8:1-4, who initiated the gathering?
A: This was not led by Nehemiah nor Ezra, but by the crowd, who wanted Ezra to come and teach them all. Ezra was in Jerusalem before Nehemiah, they knew him well, and he had likely spoken to them before. When the crowd has a godly idea, go along with the crowd!
This desire to “live by the book” was initialized by the people. The people worshipped by listening to Scripture too, and not just singing.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.129-130 for more info.
4. In Neh 8:8, how did the Levites make the law clear?
A: It means they explained and interpreted the law. There is no evidence they had to “translate” the law, unless there were a few exiles who spoke Aramaic but were not as fluent in Hebrew. But it is not enough to just read the syllables of scripture; we should understand and help others understand God’s meaning. See Hard Sayings of the Bible p.251-252 for more info.
A: While some might have wept for joy, these verses indicates that most of the weeping was hearing the words of the law, and remembering how much the Israelites and Jerusalem suffered because of their not obeying the law. Perhaps the weeping showed a genuine desire to return to God’s ways.
6. In Neh 8:10, how was Nehemiah an effective leader?
Establishing The goal
1. He established a reasonable and attainable goal.
2. He had a sense of mission.
3. He was willing to get involved.
4. He rearranged his priorities in order to accomplish his goal.
Knowing the channels to achieve the goal
5. He patiently waited for God’s timing.
6. He showed respect to his superior.
7. He prayed at crucial times.
8. He made his request with tact and graciousness.
Preparation to achieve the goal
9. He was well prepared and thought out his needs in advance.
10. He went through the proper channels.
11. He took time (three days) to rest, pray, and plan.
12. He investigated the situation firsthand.
Socializing the goal
13. He informed others only after he knew the size of the problem.
14. He identified himself as one with the people.
15. He set before them a reasonable and attainable goal.
16. He assured them God was in the project.
Handling barriers to the goal
17. He displayed self-confidence in facing obstacles.
18. He displayed God’s confidence in facing obstacles.
19. He did not argue with opponents.
20. He was not discouraged by opposition.
21. He courageously used the authority of his position.
See also The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.678 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.116 for more info.
7. In Neh 8:10, how can we use the previous to achieve goals today?
A: First decide are you really going to be wise in wanting to achieve the goal. Or, do you just want to pop off with a few random things, and then complain that people are foolish when they won’t follow something where you have not laid the proper groundwork? If you are serious about being wise, you can first “plan forward” in seeing what you need to do. Then, you can “plan backward”. This involves assuming you have accomplished the goal and asking what prerequisite steps had to happen before you can achieve that goal. Then ask what prior steps would have to happen to achieve those steps. Then continue back until you get to the beginning of things you can start right now.
8. In Neh 8:14-17, what was the advantage to them of celebrating the feast of booths/tabernacles?
A: It probably was celebrated many times since Joshua’s day, but it was not celebrated to this great extent until this time in Nehemiah. It was celebrated at least once under Solomon in 1 Kings 8:2, and once under Zerubbabel I Ezra 3:4. Hosea 12:9 mentions that it was celebrated in Judah, though not in Israel. See the New International Bible Commentary p.504 and When Critics Ask p.218 for more info.
Nehemiah 9-10 – Pray and Commit – some brief answers
A: First of all, this was not a regular occurrence, but a revival. These people, who had not paid so much attention to God’s word in the past, were hungry to hear what God had to say. Once they heard, they wanted to respond with confession and worship. Consider this: what else did they have to do that was better?
People today are so used to having beautiful pictures, videos, and improved multi-media in presentations, that they are just bored if they are just presented with content. Even a university professor noticed that Ph.D. students today do not have the attention span of Ph.D. students a couple of decades ago.
If you can somehow keep from losing the ability to concentrate for a long time, you will have a talent that is lost by many today.
2. In Neh 9:5-36, what are the 20 things listed that God did for them?
A: The are creating/making (9:5-6), choosing (9:7), encouraging (9:8), hearing (9:9), delivering (9:10-11), guiding (9:12), meetings (9:13a), teaching (9:13b), protecting (9:14), feeding (9:15), forgiving (9:17), loving (9:17), accompanying (9:19), clothing (9:21), empowering (9:22), sustaining (9:21), multiplying (9:23), prospering (9:25), correcting (9:26-27), and rescuing (9:27).
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.166 for more info.
3. Why does Neh 9:7 say, “Ur of the Chaldeans”, when Ur was a Sumerian city in Abraham’s time?
A: The city of Ur is in modern-day Iraq, though Abraham did not know about either Iraq or any Chaldeans. Ur was a part of the Chaldean/Babylonian empire, but that was 500 years after Abraham. There are two answers, and both might be true. First, since Ur was in Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, the Israelites were referring to the land that they knew. Second, the priest who composed this prayer might not have been known that Ur was a part of Sumer in Abraham’s time, and Scripture is just accurately recording what they said. As an example, when Satan lied to Eve in Genesis 3:4 “You will not surely die” Scripture is accurately reporting what Satan said, but of course we are not supposed to believe the sentence that Satan said.
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.732 for more info.
4. In Neh 9:16-20, how can we keep our patience, when the people we are trying to teach and help have “hardened their necks” and are not interested in learning?
A: This means to stubbornly strain to go in a sinful direction, despite the painful consequences. This was not just disobedience, this was stubborn, defiant disobedience. They did this with God, but He was patient with the repeated disloyalty of the Israelites for centuries. When it got too bad He exiled them. But when they returned and decided they wanted to listen to God, God was there, patiently waiting for them.
Remember that in our own lives, there might have been times where God wanted to teach us, and we chose not to listen, but God was patient with us anyway. If God, who is perfect, can be patient with our shortcomings we can persevere, show grace, and be there for others when they are ready.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.472 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.320 for more info.
5. In Neh 9:16-35, why are they so detailed in laying out their sins?
A: An interesting tidbit is that the ninth chapter of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel are all about confessing national sin, according to See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.729.
This is a long list of both their sins, and their sins despite the things God did for them. In order to keep from repeating them, people, especially younger people, would need to know what they were. Second, notice that is “their sins”. They considered what their ancestors did to be corporate sins of their nation.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.149-150 for more info.
6. In Neh 9:22 how did God divide his people here?
A: the Hebrew could mean everyone had their own district to go to. The Hebrew could also mean they had the land assigned even to the remotest frontiers. Or, since the Hebrew is broad, it could mean both. See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary volume 4 p.734 for more info, and translations in the NKJV, NIV and NET Bible.
7. In Neh 9:27, when do you think the best thing God can do for a disobedient people is to deliver them into the hands of their enemies?
A: So much can get permanently destroyed when an individual or a people are handed over to their enemies. If they might repent without this step, it will be so much easier ,and they can use what they have built up for God’s glory. But if there is no way they are going to repent, then there might be no other way to get them to consider repenting than turning them over to their enemies and destroying everything they have and have saved up.
As Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.164 puts it “There are times when, sadly, only sorrow can bring people to their senses”. The prodigal forgot about his father when he was eating in luxury. But when he was his stomach was growling, only then did he remember his Dad.
8. In Neh 9:34, why did they say in their prayer that their kings and fathers did not keep the law, since some of the kings and ancestors were godly?
A: While a minority of the kings were godly, on the whole they were wicked, and the people followed the kings.
9. In Neh 10:1-27, what is the message for us of why these names are all listed in the Bible?
A: The 83 names are of priests, Levites, and leaders. Of the 21 names of priests, 15 are families, not just individuals, because some of the names are families who came with Zerubbabel. Ezra is not mentioned specifically, but he is of the family of Seriah. While we don’t know anything else about the lives of these specific individuals besides their name, the point of having the list is instructive. These leaders publicly committed to following God without compromise, and if they started to quaver, their friends could strengthen them, and hold them accountable by pointing back to the list that they signed. Today some Christians have accountability partners, where every week or so, they talk and honestly tell each other how they are doing in the Lord.
We don’t need to memorize their names, but it is good that we go on public record that we will carefully and completely follow God.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.321, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.473, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.691, and the New International Bible Commentary p.504-505 for more info.
10. In Neh 10, how do you build consensus?
A: There are different levels of consensus, from tolerance to full support, to enthusiastically enlisting others. In some situations, especially in business, when there is no pre-existing standard, consensus often is strongest when all have some say in developing the concept or strategy. Building consensus usually takes longer than just having a dictatorship, but building a consensus can give better results.
A consensus is not always good. For example, a group of people might be together and someone asks where everyone should go to lunch. One person throws out the name of a place that is far away, and he himself is not too enthusiastic about it. Nobody else really wants to go there, but nobody wants to risk hurting anyone’s feelings, so everyone is quiet, and they all go where no one really wants to go.
Another pitfall of a consensus is distinguishing between reviewers and approvers. Both reviewers and approvers make their comments and give recommendations, but only the approvers make the decision on which way to go. If every reviewer is an approver, every approver has veto power, and you have enough approvers, nothing will ever get approved. To avoid this logjam, have some reviewers not be approvers, and only let a few (if any) single approvers have veto power.
11. In Neh 10:30, is the rule not to intermarry still the same today?
But there is also a big difference between what Christians should obey today and Nehemiah 10:30 If a Christian is married to an unbeliever, the Christian is not to initiate divorce, as 1 Corinthians 7:10-15 teaches.
Also, we need to see that just as there is a world of difference between Christianity and worshipping demons, there is a world of difference between Christianity and other religions (Judaism excepted) because offerings made to those gods are made to demons, as 1 Corinthians 10:19-22 shows.
See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.492 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.181 for more info.
12. In Neh 10:32-39, what do we see about the giving here?
A: It was regular, systematic, sacrificial, organized, and a “firstfruits” kind. Firstfruits giving is the opposite of meet all you needs and then give God the leftovers. Rather, recognize that the ministers and ministries have needs as important as yours. Give some of the first harvest to God, before you know for certain if you are going to get the rest of the harvest or not. Offerings were regular. There were not going to be financial surprises for the priests and Levites that relied on the gifts for their families’ sustenance. Finally, even the Levites and priests had to give a tithe of what they received too.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.255-265 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.190-192 for more info.
13. In Neh 10:34, what is the wood offering?
A: Curiously, this offering is not specified elsewhere in the Old Testament. Leviticus 6:12-13 says the fire must not go out, but it does not specify a wood offering for that. Apparently wood was needed to keep the fires going in the temple. Wood was rather scarce, so you might need to travel a bit to get it. Poor people, who could not afford other offerings very often, could go out and cut wood.
But the idea of a wood offering carried on through the ages. Just after Jesus’ time, Josephus mentions “the festival of wood-offering” when the people all gathered wood in Wars of the Jews book 2 ch.425 [17:6]. The Mishna (Taanith 4.5 also lists nine times when various families brought wood.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.254, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.742-743, and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.190-191 for more info.
Nehemiah 11-12 – Day-to-Day living in Jerusalem – some brief answers
1. In Neh 11:1; 10:34, was casting lots an appropriate method?
A: Yes, casting lots here was fine; it was equitable and without bias. Somebody needed to live in Jerusalem, and it did not matter too much who it was. They attached no lucky, significance to casting lots here. Casting lots does not mean that God explicitly desires everyone who was chosen. Thus, we cannot cast lots for everything today and claim we are guaranteed to do God’s will. However, Proverbs 16:33 shows that God can and does on occasion work through casting lots.
Lots could be with anything, but The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.744 says they were made out of small stones, pieces of wood, or that later Arabs used arrow shafts without the arrowheads. Casting lots was also done in Leviticus 16:8 (over two goats), Joshua 18:6-10, 1 Chronicles 24:5,31; 25:8; 26:13; Nehemiah 10:34; Jonah 1:7; and Acts 1:26.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.196 for more info.
2. In Neh 11:1-2, why did they have to find volunteers, and cast lots to get people in live in Jerusalem?
A: Food was scarce, and many people perhaps thought it would be better to live in the countryside where they could hunt and farm. Also, a city that was sparsely populated and a magnet for enemies would not seem like a secure place to live. About 3,044 men and their families would live in Jerusalem. This is about a tenth of the entire population of the people, or in a sense, a tithe of the people. Eventually in Nehemiah’s time the population was between 4,800 and 8,000 people. Centuries before, Jerusalem might have had 50,000 people.
See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.692, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.473-474, and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.195 for more info.
3. In Neh 11, how do you build teamwork and unity?
Questions to ask yourself about each member include: why are they here, what is their concept of the identity of the group, what keeps them coming, and what things might cause them to leave.
Team members often need remind of the things that hold them together, and team building exercises foster relationships and smooth working together.
Many groups go through four distinct stages.
In stage 1, everyone is excited about the new group, though members do not know each other very well yet.
In stage 2, as members see the shortcomings of other members, some groups dissolve because of personality conflicts.
In stage 3, members know and care about each other very much, faults and all.
In stage 4, the group was fulfilling, but it is time to end it and move on.
4. In Neh 11-12, why did they record the names of the people who lived in Jerusalem?
A: It might have involved sacrifice to live in Jerusalem. It is proper to honor people who make sacrifices. Paul said to honor those who work hard and teach in Philippians 2:29 and 1 Timothy 5:17.
5. In Neh 12:22, is this the same Jaddua mentioned by Josephus?
A: No, Josephus wrote of a later time. This Jaddua was the grandfather of the Jaddua mention in Josephus’ Antiquity of the Jews book 11 ch.302 (7.2).
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.754 for more info.
6. In Neh 12:27-32, what do we see about this worship?
A: First of all, worship was a priority for them. While the idea was spontaneous, careful planning went into its execution. At the head of one procession was the priest Ezra. At the head of the other was the civil leader, Nehemiah.
See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.276-277 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.200-201 for more info.
7. In Neh 12:30, how could the priests purify themselves, the people the gates, and the walls?
A: This expression means they consecrated and dedicated to the Lord themselves, the people, the gates, and the walls.
You cannot interpret these verses to mean the priests could take away the impurities and sins of the people, unless you think the priests could take away the impurities and sins of the gates and walls too.
8. In Neh 13:1-31, how long was it before this occurred?
A: Nehemiah was governor for about 12 years, according to Nehemiah 13:6. Then he returned to Susa, a capital of the Persian Empire. He was there for a while, perhaps two years or so, when he learned how things had taken a turn for the worse in Judea, and then returned. The Elephantine Papyri indicates that Bagohi (Bigvai) was governor of Judah in 407 B.C. Nehemiah never gave up his job as cupbearer (security chief) to the king. It also probably was to the Jews’ advantage to continue as security chief. Most importantly, Nehemiah had promised to return by a definite time in Nehemiah 2:6. We should keep out commitments too.
Coincidentally, the satrap of Egypt, named Arsames was recalled to Persia in 414/413 B.C. when there was unrest in Egypt Arsames was sent back there in 407/406 B.C., according to the Elephantine Papyrii.
See the New International Bible Commentary p.506, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.760-761, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.694, and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.324 for more info.
Nehemiah 13 – Victors Losing to Complacency – some brief answers
1. In Neh 13:1, did they just discover that they could not intermarry with Ammonites or Moabites?
A: No. Ezra the scribe arrived before Nehemiah, and Ezra regularly read from the law to them. Ammonites, Moabites, and their descendants were not allowed into the temple in Deuteronomy 23:3-6, based on what they did in Numbers 22-24. Also 30 years before this, Ezra had already commanded them to divorce their pagan wives.
According to Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.124 some could (and did) join to the people of Israel in Exodus 15:48 and Numbers 15:14-16. In essence, they could make “your people my people and your God my God” as in Ruth 1:16; 2:12.
See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.759,765 for more info.
2. In Neh 13, what is the main point of this chapter?
A: There are seven parts to this chapter: excluding foreigners from the Temple, kicking out the belongings of Tobias, paying the Levites, appointing treasurers, honoring the Sabbath, shutting the gates, and divorcing foreign wives. These are unified by one theme: maintaining the spiritual condition by cleansing from foreign things.
Here is what we can apply from this chapter:
Nehemiah 13:1-3 Exclude from your worship idolatrous things, and things that lessen your devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). Do not pretend you have the same faith or fellowship as unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14-17) and those excluded from the church (1 Corinthians 5:5,9-11; 2 Thessalonians 3:14).
Nehemiah 13:4-9 Kick out from your worship that which does not belong. As Jesus kicked out the moneychangers, and Peter kicked out Simon the Sorcerer, throw out on the street those things in your church that are not of Christ.
Nehemiah 13:10-14 Pay up your financial obligations to God’s ministers. Bring them back, if they left because of your disobedience in finances.
Nehemiah 13:15-18 Commit time for God, and understand that as financial giving is not optional, neither is giving of time to God. What do you have to do that is more important than serving God?
Nehemiah 13:15-22 Close up the gates of your church, and your life, to financial and other entanglements that are not what God wants.
Nehemiah 13:23-29 Divorce yourself from relationships that draw you away from God. (However, in New Testament times, you are not to divorce your spouse.)
Nehemiah 13:30-31 In doing the above, you will cleanse yourself and others, maintain revival, and be remembered with favor by God.
A: Eliashib and the priests labored to help build the wall in Nehemiah 3:1. Now Eliashib was helping someone who opposed the wall live in the temple itself! Eliashib was a religious person who had little respect for God’s holiness, as he made a room for Tobiah the Ammonite in the Temple itself. Only Jews were to be in the Temple. Tobiah who had opposed rebuilding the walls from outside, was now free to oppose God’s people from the inside, while appearing to belong there. Also Eliashib’s grandson was a son-in-law to Sanballat in Nehemiah 13:28. Sanballat was governor of Samaria and adversary of God’s people. Since this says ,“Eliashib the priest”, there was only one priest with this name. This is the probably same Eliashib the high priest who worked hard to build the sheep gate in Nehemiah 3:1. (though The Expositor’s Bible Commentary volume 4 p.581 says that scholars disagree on this.)
According to Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews book 11 ch.302-311 [7.2-8.2], Joannes the High priest was succeeded by his son Jaddua. Manasses was the brother who married Nikaso, the daughter of Sanballet, satrap of Samaria. Josephus also says that Sanballat built the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim for Manasses c.330 B.C. See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.3 p.295-296 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.4 p.768 for more on this.
Perhaps Tobiah hoped that since he was governor of Ammon, and lived in nearby Jerusalem, then over time the Persian might make him governor of Judea too.
There are at least four things we can learn from Eliashib.
Some believers apostatize: Even people in high religious positions, who in the past have labored very hard in the Lord’s work, can lose their sense of awe of God’s holiness.
Kick apostates out: They should be excluded from the church, both for the sake of the church, and for their sake. Sometimes, when people are excommunicated, they will repent, and then they can return as 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 plus 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 show.
Keep their work: When Eliashib did these things, they did not tear down the sheep gate that Aliashib built. Paul said in Philippians 1:15-18 that even though some preached Christ out of envy and rivalry (which were evil), Paul still rejoiced that the gospel was preached.
Don’t leave room for evil: Tobiah lived in an empty storage room, because the people had not been giving their tithe to the priests and Levites, according to Nehemiah 13:10-12 and also Malachi 3:8-10.
Some evil people can know God’s ways: Like many today, Eliashib probably knew the right things to say and do to fulfill his role. But that does not mean he loved God, or wanted to follow God. For a second example of this, see Balaam in Nehemiah 13:2; Numbers 31:8,16; 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 11, and Revelation 2:14.
See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.475, the New International Bible Commentary p.506, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.695 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.228-229 for more info.
A: We are a temple of God according to 1 Corinthians 6:19. But we have to be careful that we do not act like Eliashib. We should not let things in the temple of our body (especially our mind and heart) that are not letting things into our temple that do not belong there. We are to keep the sacrificial fire burning bright. But that can take consistent preparation. In other words, don’t forget the wood offering!
5. In Neh 13:6-7, how can people work so hard for God, and then turn and become complacent?
A: There could be multiple factors at play. The danger seemed past; neither Tobiah nor Sanballat would seem willing to attack Jerusalem, since both were allied to the high priest’s family by marriage and Tobiah lived there. Then Tobiah himself was in their midst, an influence not to follow God. Finally, in these economically hard times, with heavy taxes, it would appear to make sense economically to skip or skimp on the tithe, and work on the Sabbath.
Are you more of a builder or a protector? Up until now, Nehemiah was both a builder and a protector against external threats. But now Nehemiah shows himself also a protector from internal complacency and decay. All of his prior building and protecting would come to nought if he did not protect the people from syncretism now. Nehemiah had some very different types of opponents, and he needed to be able to handle all types of opponents the appropriate way.
See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.324 and Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.24,25 for more info.
6. In Neh 13:6, was Nehemiah remiss in not appointing a successor when he left Jerusalem?
A: No, because in Nehemiah 7:2 he had appointed his brother Hanani and Hananiah charge over Jerusalem. Hanani was a faithful man who feared God more than most. Furthermore, Nehemiah appointed them just after the wall was built, so there was some time where he could be with them, train them, and do a good job of “passing the baton”.
However, things still did not work out. While Hanani was a good man himself, he was not able to stop the other Jews from disregarding Nehemiah, and disregarding God, as soon as Nehemiah left.
Today there are some who are very good Christians but not necessarily suitable for church leadership. Certainly being faithful and fearing God are prerequisites for all good church leaders. Yet one can have this, and might not have the skills or gifts to guard others, and help prevent them from disregarding God.
A: Tyre was a powerful Phoenician city that had a long friendship with the Israelites, even before David and Solomon’s time. They were unbelievers who were willing to trade with the Israelites anytime and anywhere.
Today there are people like the men of Tyre. They are unbelievers who have fond feelings for Christians, and as friends, will help Christians, and even help Christians to sin as much as they want. In this sense, Christians should not be friends with the world, as 1 John 2:15 says.
8. In Neh 13:17, what additional responsibility did the nobles bear, beyond the common people, in sinning on the Sabbath?
A: Both nobles and common people sinned individually. However, the nobles not only set a back example, but they also sinned in setting up the areas under their control to be conducive to sinning by breaking the Sabbath.
The Israelites who had foreign wives could have given as their excuse “Well Solomon believed God, and he could do it.” But both Solomon and these men did not take time to consider the long-term effects of their disobedience. Typically people involved in sin fail to consider the long-term effects. By showing their indifference to what God asked them to do, they would teach their children, and all who looked up to them to do the same.
Nehemiah, with his authority as governor, set up an environment more conducive to righteousness by closing the gates on the Sabbath.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.244,245 for more info.
9. In Neh 13:25, was Nehemiah right to curse, then hit them, and pull out their hair?
A: Nehemiah had a zeal for the Lord, and did what he judged was right in his role as governor in the culture of his time. The Bible does not indicate whether his methods were the best for his culture, or for ours; it only records the facts of what he did. Since New Testament times, today as private citizens, we are not to hit others.
10. In Neh 13:25, Neh 13:8; Neh 13:15, when should Christians today use stern rebuke and take strong measures?
A: In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul told Timothy to always be prepared to rebuke, correct, and encourage. There is a place for encouraging those who need boldness to do what they already know is right. There is a place for gentle correction for those who do not know what is right. There is a place for rebuke for those, especially believers, who know what is right and still do wrong. Many Christians are good at one of the three, but we should be usable by God in all three areas.
Nehemiah rebuked with strong words those whom he knew already knew what was right. There was no need for correction here, rather rebuke was needed. Nehemiah threw Tobias’ possessions on the street because they did not belong in God’s Holy Temple.
11. In Neh 13:29, should we ever pray to God to remember people for evil?
A: David also prayed similar things in the imprecatory Psalms. The Bible records what Nehemiah prayed, and his devotion in doing so. It does not say this was the best thing to pray, then or now. We have a different, and higher moral standard in New Testament times. See also the discussion on Nehemiah 4:5 for more info.
12. In Nev 13:14,22,29,31 what can we learn from the four “remember” prayers here?
A: Nehemiah’s prayers are showing his motivation for working so hard for God and God’s people. Nehemiah is not out for pleasure, gain, nor to be famous in the eyes of others. Nehemiah’s motivation in doing all these things is that God would be pleased in remembering Nehemiah’s work on earth.
See Raymond Brown’s The Message of Nehemiah p.256 for more info.
by Steven M. Morrison, PhD.