Top 7 Bible Verses About Nehemiah

Here are seven great Bible verses about Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 1:4 “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Why did Nehemiah fast and mourn and pray? Because he had just heard from Hanani and had “asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire” (Neh 1:2-3) so Nehemiah “prayed, “let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses” (Neh 1:6-7).

Nehemiah 1:11 “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.”

The phrase “I was the cupbearer to the king” means a lot more than we might first think. The person who was the king’s cupbearer was the person most trusted by the king. He was the first to ensure that the food and drink were not poisoned and the king apparently thought much of Nehemiah. So much so that he trusted him with his life.

Nehemiah 2:1-2 “When wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.”

No one every appeared before the king with a sad countenance so that’s why Nehemiah was afraid. It could be certain death to be in the king’s presence with a sad countenance so Nehemiah “said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it” (Neh 2:3-5). The king did just that.

Nehemiah 2:9-10 “Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.”

Nehemiah kept his mission silent for a time and “told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire” (Neh 2:12-13). Up to this point, “the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work” (Neh 2:16). Perhaps Nehemiah knew that there would be enemies who would try to subvert the work…and indeed, they would.

Nehemiah 2:17-18 “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.”

So it was that Nehemiah finally told the Jews what his mission was “But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king” (Neh 2:19) however, Nehemiah insisted “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem” (Neh 2:20).

Nehemiah 4:1-2 “Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?”

They tried to discourage Nehemiah and the workers as “Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall” (Neh 4:3) so Nehemiah prayed, “Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders” (Neh 4:4-5). In time, they “built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work” (Neh 4:6).

Nehemiah 12:27-28 “And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites.”

The day finally arrived where Nehemiah and the Jews had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. It was against all odds and against many who opposed him but once God calls you to do something, no man can prevail against it. If it’s God’s will then you have God’s provision. Is God calling you to rebuild something? Trust God and obey Him and then leave the consequences up to Him.

Conclusion

If you are trying to rebuild a church, a relationship, or your life, don’t give up. There will be many naysayers who will tell you it’s impossible but don’t listen to them. Find the will of God and then obey it. You can trust a God that will ensure that whatever He’s called you to do, He will also equip you to do it.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.