Current walls of Jerusalem,
rebuilt 1535-1538 by
Ottoman emperor Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent
Wall portions possibly rebuilt
by Nehemiah—notice the
difference: current walls are
built with cut stones set
precisely in place; this wall
looks to have been built
hurriedly using available
rubble.
Other areas
perhaps rebuilt
in Nehemiah’s
day.
A portion of Hezekiah’s
“Broad Wall” possibly rebuilt
in Nehemiah’s time.
Let’s answer a few questions…hopefully these
questions are your constant companions as you
read your Bibles: Who, what, where, when, and why.
The book of Nehemiah…who wrote it?
Answer: No one really knows. Sorry.
• Very likely not Nehemiah, though some of the
book is clearly sourced from his personal diaries
or journals.
• Possibly Ezra the scribe, who could have had
access to the royal archives of Persia where he
likely sourced Ezra chs. 1-6 (which took place
well before he was around).
The book of Nehemiah…what is it?
It is narrative literature. Narrative is the type of
literature you’ll see most often in the Bible. Why do
you suppose that is?
How to understand narrative – adapted from How to
Read the Bible For All Its Worth, by Fee & Stuart:
1. An OT narrative usually does not directly teach
a doctrine.
2. An OT narrative usually illustrates a doctrine or
doctrines taught propositionally elsewhere.
3. What people do in narratives is not necessarily a
good example for us. Frequently, it is just the
opposite.
The book of Nehemiah…what is it?
Understanding biblical narrative –
4. Narratives record what happened, not necessarily
what should have happened or what ought to
happen every time. Therefore, not every narrative
has an individual identifiable moral of the story.
5. Most of the characters in OT narratives are far
from perfect and their actions are, too.
6. We are not always told at the end of a narrative
whether what happened was good or bad. We are
expected to be able to judge that on the basis of
what God has taught us directly and categorically
elsewhere in the Scripture.
The book of Nehemiah…what is it?
Understanding biblical narrative –
7. All narratives are selective and incomplete. Not all
relevant details are always given (John 21:25). What
does appear in the narrative is everything that the
inspired author thought important for us to know.
8. Narratives are not written to answer all our
theological questions. They have particular, specific
limited purposes and deal with certain issues, leaving
others to be dealt with elsewhere, in other ways.
9. Narratives may teach either explicitly (by clearly
stating something) or implicitly (by clearly implying
something without actually stating it).
10.Finally, God is the hero of all biblical narratives.
The book of Nehemiah…when was it written?
Well, that’s a good question too. What do we know?
• The book of Ezra covers almost a century.
• Ezra chs. 1-6 covers the first wave of returning
exiles around 538-535 BC.
• Ezra chs. 7-10 take place more than a half
century later, beginning with Ezra’s arrival in
Jerusalem in 458 BC.
• Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in 445 BC, 13
years after Ezra. Over some 20 years he made
at least one trip to Susa and back (ch. 13).
• The book was completed after that, likely
somewhere around the turn of the century.
The book of Nehemiah…where was it written?
Don’t know that either, but likely Jerusalem.
From the ESV Study Bible: “During the time of
Nehemiah, the Persian Empire had reached its
greatest extent, engulfing nearly the entire Near East.
In 539 BC the Persians under Cyrus the Great
defeated the Babylonians and absorbed the lands of
Israel and Judah into his empire. The next year he
allowed the people of Judah (now called Jews) to
return home and rebuild the temple of the Lord.
Several waves of returning Jews continued to resettle
in Judea, and Nehemiah was granted permission to
rebuild Jerusalem’s ruined walls around 445 BC.”
The book of Nehemiah…where was it written?
One more “where” that’s worth noting—Nehemiah
lived in Susa, the capital of the Persian empire; his
journey to Jerusalem—as all journeys in that day—
followed the
water, and
was approx.
1000+ miles,
and would
have taken
around two
months to
complete.
The book of Nehemiah…why was it written?
This is the critical question…Why?
• See Isaiah 10:20-23. Judgment and grace.
• A remnant returned from captivity…most did not.
• This remnant was struggling: are we still the
people of God?
• They returned to a largely ruined city, as
strangers in a land populated by Jews who had
not been taken into exile, and by those of other
nationalities who had settled there.
• There was no more nation of Israel—it was now a
minor Persian province named Yehud, or Judea,
within the Persian satrapy Beyond the River.
The book of Nehemiah…why was it written?
This is the critical question…Why?
• The returned exiles were struggling with how to
remain distinctively God’s—both Ezra and
Nehemiah confront the issue of intermarriage.
There is a strong emphasis in both books on being
the separate people of God.
• In the prayer recorded in Nehemiah 9, the people
lament that they are slaves in their own land (v. 3237). And yet, it was critical to the restored
community that they acknowledge that it was the
sins of their fathers that had led to captivity (v. 1631), and God’s mercy that had brought them back.
The book of Nehemiah…why was it written?
With all of that in mind, we can distill it down to three
reasons why this book was written:
1. Continuity—what does this mean?
• Those ancient promises made to Abraham, David
and others…are they still valid?
• The books of Ezra/Nehemiah show that, yes,
God’s promises are still valid even though the people
sinned and were severely judged.
• This sense of historical and theological continuity
was critical. “Nevertheless, in Your great mercies
You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for
You are a gracious and merciful God.” – Neh. 9:31
The book of Nehemiah…why was it written?
With all of that in mind, we can distill it down to three
reasons why this book was written:
2. Covenant—what does this mean?
• There was a reaffirmation of the covenant (i.e., the
Law of Moses, the Pentateuch/Torah)
relationship with God—resolving together to again
keep His commands and renew the temple worship.
• There was emphasis again on the steadfast love
and faithfulness of God. “Because of all this we
make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed
document are the names of our princes, our
Levites, and our priests.” – Neh. 9:38
The book of Nehemiah…why was it written?
With all of that in mind, we can distill it down to three
reasons why this book was written:
3. Community—what does this mean?
• The reestablishment of the scattered Jews as
the community of the people of God; that God
intended them to live in community.
• Survival of the community depended upon both
the faithfulness of God and the obedience of the
people to His covenant laws. “And the Israelites
separated themselves from all foreigners and
stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities
of their fathers.” – Neh. 9:2
So Nehemiah led the people in the rebuilding of the
wall of Jerusalem. Look at a couple of pictures…
So Nehemiah led the people in the rebuilding of the
wall of Jerusalem. Look at a couple of pictures…
Second Temple Judaism (and beyond) –
Israel’s first temple was built by King Solomon…
• Construction began around 966 BC and was
completed 7 years later – 1 Ki. 6:38.
• Here’s what happened when it was finished – 1 Ki.
8:10-11; 2 Chron. 5:1-14, 7:1-3.
• It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.
The second temple was built by Zerubbabel…
• Construction began around 536 BC and was
completed in 516; it was later rebuilt by Herod.
• Here’s what happened when the foundations were
laid – Ezra 3:10-13. 2 Chron. 7 did not happen.
• It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Second Temple Judaism (and beyond) –
The period from 516 BC to 70 AD is known as
Second Temple Judaism. Notice what God said
to the builders of the second temple – Haggai 2:1-9.
So what is the “latter glory” (Hag. 2:9) that God is
talking about?
• First, it is this: He was physically present in the
2nd temple – He literally walked in its courts
(Matt. 21:12, etc.).
• Second, notice the difference between how the
Jews thought of “temple” and how Jesus thought
of it – John 2:18-21.
Second Temple Judaism (and beyond) –
• Third, how do we think of “temple” now? See 1
Cor. 3:9-17. It is the focal point of God’s
redemptive work in the world – Eph. 3:8-10.
• Fourth, and ultimately, it is Rev. 21:22-26.
Bringing it full circle –
• Where did John get the language and images for
Rev. 21:22-26? Take a look at Is. 60:1-7, 19-22.
• Notice again Is. 60:7…and then look at Ezra
7:27, the words of Artaxerxes, King of Persia.
• Ezra saw himself, and his work, as a part of the
fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
Second Temple Judaism (and beyond) –
• Zerubbabel had to build the temple, it was the one
Jesus would walk in.
• Ezra had to purify the priesthood & the people &
teach them God’s laws, and be God’s point man for
renewal of the covenant—it was the beginning of the
beautifying of the house of God.
• Nehemiah had to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem; it
was those gates Jesus would walk through (Matt.
21:1-11) into Zerubbabel’s temple and later that day
predict its total destruction (Mark 13:1-2).
• As we work our way through Nehemiah, remember its
place in the larger scope of the stunning saving work
of God in the world. The exile was not the end.