1) Nehemiah, a Jewish cupbearer to the Persian king, hears
of the poor condition of those who have returned to Jerusalem and prays a
prayer of repentance and petition for all his people.
2) Nehemiah gains permission from the king to return to Jerusalem and repair the city and its walls. After inspecting the walls, he calls the people to start building. The non-Jewish people who govern the area initially are glad that he seeks the welfare of the people, but are suspicious and mocking when they see he intends to build the walls.
3) The men are listed who worked on the repair and building work all around the wall and its gates, with the portion each one worked on specifically noted.
4) Opposition by non-Jews raises its head again. Nehemiah prays against their plots, but also has his men take extreme measures (24-hour guard, weapons in all hands, etc.) to thwart any potential attack. Due to this the enemies fail to attack and work on the wall continues.
5) Nehemiah addresses the economic oppression of the most needy of his people by their own fellow Jews. He secures an agreement by the rich for them to return the property which they have seized from the poor due to indebtedness. He himself is generous during his time as governor and careful not to lay additional burdens upon them.
6) Leaders who oppose Nehemiah’s program begin directing their attacks towards him personally in order to try to stop the building of the wall, including attempts to discredit him in the eyes of the emperor, in the eyes of his fellow people, and perhaps even do him harm. He parries these attacks, and the work on the wall is finished to the rejoicing of his people and dismay of his enemies.
7) Nehemiah appoints and instructs the gatekeepers for the wall. He then enrolls all the people by genealogy and gets some of them to settle in the town to make up for the lack of population within the city walls.
8) Ezra reads the law to the people, which they had been unfamiliar with. They then celebrate the Festival of Booths, which had not been done for many centuries. This chapter and the next two seem out of place in the previous account.
9) The people come together for a time of mournful repentance and petition to God. A doxology is made which recites God’s provision for Israel since the beginning, along with Israel’s many sins and turnings away. It ends with a petition that God relieve them from their current distress under Persian rule.
10) The leaders, priests, and Levites sign a firm agreement to follow the law and to commit themselves to the provision of regular temple offerings.
11) Some of the people are chosen to live in Jerusalem, as mentioned in chapter 7.
12) Lists are made to preserve the names of the priests, Levites, and heads of ancestral houses. The dedication of the wall is described. Some temple responsibilities are given.
13) Nehemiah works to keep the temple and community operating in a holy manner, throwing Tobiah out of the temple, ensuring the Levites get their tithe, enforcing the Sabbath regulations, and condemning mixed marriages. He repeatedly asks God to remember the good he has done.
Nehemiah: Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem to assist the struggling community there, building the wall around the city and standing strong against their enemies. He also helps to instigate various reforms which lead the community to live in closer obedience to the Law.
2) Nehemiah gains permission from the king to return to Jerusalem and repair the city and its walls. After inspecting the walls, he calls the people to start building. The non-Jewish people who govern the area initially are glad that he seeks the welfare of the people, but are suspicious and mocking when they see he intends to build the walls.
3) The men are listed who worked on the repair and building work all around the wall and its gates, with the portion each one worked on specifically noted.
4) Opposition by non-Jews raises its head again. Nehemiah prays against their plots, but also has his men take extreme measures (24-hour guard, weapons in all hands, etc.) to thwart any potential attack. Due to this the enemies fail to attack and work on the wall continues.
5) Nehemiah addresses the economic oppression of the most needy of his people by their own fellow Jews. He secures an agreement by the rich for them to return the property which they have seized from the poor due to indebtedness. He himself is generous during his time as governor and careful not to lay additional burdens upon them.
6) Leaders who oppose Nehemiah’s program begin directing their attacks towards him personally in order to try to stop the building of the wall, including attempts to discredit him in the eyes of the emperor, in the eyes of his fellow people, and perhaps even do him harm. He parries these attacks, and the work on the wall is finished to the rejoicing of his people and dismay of his enemies.
7) Nehemiah appoints and instructs the gatekeepers for the wall. He then enrolls all the people by genealogy and gets some of them to settle in the town to make up for the lack of population within the city walls.
8) Ezra reads the law to the people, which they had been unfamiliar with. They then celebrate the Festival of Booths, which had not been done for many centuries. This chapter and the next two seem out of place in the previous account.
9) The people come together for a time of mournful repentance and petition to God. A doxology is made which recites God’s provision for Israel since the beginning, along with Israel’s many sins and turnings away. It ends with a petition that God relieve them from their current distress under Persian rule.
10) The leaders, priests, and Levites sign a firm agreement to follow the law and to commit themselves to the provision of regular temple offerings.
11) Some of the people are chosen to live in Jerusalem, as mentioned in chapter 7.
12) Lists are made to preserve the names of the priests, Levites, and heads of ancestral houses. The dedication of the wall is described. Some temple responsibilities are given.
13) Nehemiah works to keep the temple and community operating in a holy manner, throwing Tobiah out of the temple, ensuring the Levites get their tithe, enforcing the Sabbath regulations, and condemning mixed marriages. He repeatedly asks God to remember the good he has done.
Nehemiah: Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem to assist the struggling community there, building the wall around the city and standing strong against their enemies. He also helps to instigate various reforms which lead the community to live in closer obedience to the Law.
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