The Return

Nehemiah 1

Why Nehemiah? He wasn’t a major prophet like Isaiah or Jeremiah. He wasn’t even a minor prophet like Jonah or Hosea. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even a priest or scribe. Some scholars believe that in the original texts this book was part of the book of Ezra. So, what’s the significance of this layman, cupbearer of King Artaxerxes, mentioned only in this book and nowhere else in the Bible?

Nehemiah was a faithful man who loved and feared God. He understood that there were consequences for sin and begged for God’s forgiveness for all of Israel. His mission then became to rebuild the wall so that the Jews in exile could return home. Through God’s provision, Nehemiah was able to orchestrate the rebuilding of the walls (Chapter 6), God’s Law is read and understood (Chapter 8), and the Isrealites repented (Chapter 9).

Nehemiah is significant because he truly cared for God's people. For generations the Jews looked for and waited for the promised Messiah to show up as a mighty king, but much like Nehemiah, Jesus came as a loving servant.

Jesus prayed for God to forgive His people (Luke 23:34) and because of Him, the veil would be torn, reconciling us to God. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can return home to our Father.

Prayer:

Jesus, Thank You for loving us even through our rebellion and disobedience to God. Thank you for loving us in spite of our sin! Thank you for creating the way for us to return to the Father!

Question to Consider:

What in your life right now is more important than your relationship with God? What does it look like to lay it down and return to God?