– 5 Min Read
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Nehemiah 1:1-11 (LSB)
Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year—and I was in Susa the capitol— 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and remain from the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who remain from the captivity are in great calamity and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.”
4 Now it happened that when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, “I beseech You, O Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and fearsome God, who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your slave which I am praying before You today, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your slaves, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have worked in utter destruction against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been banished were at the ends of the sky, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ 10 They are Your slaves and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your slave and the prayer of Your slaves who delight to fear Your name, and make Your slave successful today and grant him compassion before this man.”
Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
Introduction
It is hard to find a leader as great as Nehemiah in the Old Testament. In many ways, Nehemiah typifies the kind of leadership our Lord displayed during His earthly ministry. From the beginning of the book, Nehemiah is marked as a man of prayer. As we will see from chapter 2 onward, Nehemiah is not just a man of prayer but a man of action. Sure, he is ready to do the will of God, but that is only because he is already seeking the will of God. What equips Nehemiah to lead so well is that he is eager to be led by the Lord. Let us briefly consider four observations from Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter 1.
Weeping and Fasting
We read in v.4 that Nehemiah weeps, mourns, and fasts for several days upon hearing the news of the condition of Jerusalem. This is an appropriate response to have because of the word his brother Hanani and friends use: “reproach.” Nehemiah is grieved because the place that is precious to the Lord (Zech. 1:14) is now in a state of “calamity”, which brings reproach from the surrounding nations. It is to Nehemiah’s shame that the people of God and the very place where God once dwelled are in a ruined state. The surrounding nations will now mock. Nehemiah is not concerned with his people’s reputation but concerned with God’s reputation. When God’s house becomes a reproach by the nations, then God’s name will also be (Titus 2:3-5). For the Christian, this is something to weep about. We want to live in a way that brings honor and praise to the Lord, not dishonor and disapproval. In Nehemiah’s case, he rightly understands that this calamity is all because of Israel’s disobedience.
Q: Are you regularly praying for the purity of the reputation of your local church?
Q: Would you say you are someone who grieves over the things that dishonor God?
Q: When was the last time you rested from food in order to draw near to God in fervent prayer?
Confession of Sins
The beginning half of Nehemiah’s prayer, from v.5-7, is all about the sins of his people. Nehemiah includes himself and his father’s house in the disobedience as well. Nehemiah begins the first phase of an intercessory prayer for his people. Remember, Nehemiah is not a leader of the people of Israel at this time. He has not yet been appointed governor of Jerusalem (Neh. 5:14), and yet, he is praying on behalf of all the people. Godly leaders usually assume responsibility before being officially given any. This is often what will make them stand out as good candidates for leadership positions. Here, Nehemiah assumes the weight of the sins of the people on his shoulders before the God of heaven. This is a lesson that intercessory prayer is not just for leaders but for everyone. We collectively are the household of God and should all be very concerned with our fellow members and eager to confess our corporate sins (Jam. 5:16). Nehemiah serves as an example of one who runs to the Lord and repents on behalf of the people. Instead of withholding forgiveness from our brethren who sin, we should gladly give it to them and pray that God will as well.
Q: Do you find yourself regularly praying to God on behalf of your nation?
Q: Have you ever asked God to forgive the specific sins of others?
Q: Do you feel burdened by the sins of those in your family?
Praying Scripture
In v.8-10, we then read how Nehemiah prays to God to show compassion on Israel by appealing to God’s own words. Nehemiah knows his God and remembers his God’s words. Many Christians today lack an effective style of praying that has served many saints well throughout redemptive history. No, this is not a trick play or prayer cheat code to get what you want. But it is a very meaningful and biblical way to pray to God. We are reminded of how Moses prayed to the Lord at Sinai after Israel broke their covenant, made a golden calf, and the Lord was ready to kill all of them and make Moses into a great nation; “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and You said to them, ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’ So Yahweh relented concerning the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Exod. 32:13-14). Requesting mercy from God based upon the words He has spoken is what Nehemiah does here. He remembers how God said through Moses that if Israel turned back to their God, then they would be brought back to a place of peace in which they could dwell (Deut. 30:1-5).
Q: Is God’s mercy a dominant theme in your prayers?
Q: Are the promises of God mentioned in your prayers to God?
Q: Are you as compassionate towards others the same way you want God to be to you?
Requesting Grace
After confessing sins and interceding on behalf of all the people of Israel, Nehemiah then asks the Lord for grace (v.11). Nehemiah is seeking the favor of the Lord in what he plans to do next. In chapter 2, we read that Nehemiah, when given the opportunity, will ask for King Artaxerxes’ blessing to go to Jerusalem and help restore it. Even at that moment, Nehemiah prays to God again when asked what it is he wants; “Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven” (Neh. 2:4). Nehemiah knows that it is God alone who is sovereign and so he relies on Him. This is how we ought to live our lives and make our plans, beseeching the favor of the Lord always. Nehemiah asks God to “make Your slave successful today and grant him compassion before this man, (Artaxerxes)” (v.11). It is wise to make plans of action for God’s glory, but only when we first consult with God. Remember, no one is more concerned with God’s glory than God Himself. God will allow the work to be done if He so pleases, when He so pleases. But it is always appropriate to seek His blessing, which Nehemiah does. Nehemiah is aware of Solomon’s proverb: “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of Yahweh; He turns it wherever He pleases” (Prov. 21:1).
Q: Do you remember to consult with God in prayer before making plans?
Q: Would you say that you rely heavily on God’s grace in your daily tasks?
Q: Are your plans more focused on the result of your glory or God’s glory?
Conclusion
What we will see as we study Nehemiah is that he was a man who spent a great deal of time in prayer. Nehemiah was in tune with what God wanted him to do (Neh. 2:12), which shows through the book. This should be no surprise as Nehemiah regularly communed with God in prayer. May we apply these helpful insights from Nehemiah’s example to our own lives. May we, too, become a people of prayer. God has granted us bold access to His throne; let us beseech Him and request His good counsel. Men, I challenge you to be men of prayer. Wives, ask your husbands to lead your family in prayer more often. Pray over the children. Pray over your local church. Pray for the community you live in. What a privilege to have a God who cares and listens to our prayers!