Nehemiah

Economic Oppression (5:1-19). Internal dissent threatened the building project as much as the threat of war. The absence of food caused the poorer Jews to mortgage their homes and even sell their children into servitude in order to pay indebtedness. They complained that their oppressive creditors were fellow Jews. Nehemiah convened a hearing and charged the creditors with exacting usury (see Deut. 23:19-20). He considered their actions a reproach in the eyes of their Gentile enemies since the community was already struggling to buy back enslaved Jews from the Gentiles. Nehemiah acknowledged he had made loans but not unfairly. The guilty agreed to return the confiscated possessions.

This incident led Nehemiah to defend his conduct during the twelve years of his term as governor. Unlike his predecessors, he did not govern out of greed but placed the building of the wall above his personal interests. By sharing his wealth with many on a daily basis, he set an example for the people.

Final Intimidation (6:1-19). With the work near completion, out of desperation Nehemiah's enemies entreated him four times to meet them at Ono, a site located between Judah and Samaria at the southern end of the Plain of Sharon. He refused on the grounds that the Lord's work was more important. Sanballat, frustrated by Nehemiah's refusals, stepped up his intimidation by charging him with sedition. Nehemiah responded with prayer as he had in the past. Sanballat hired Shemaiah and the prophetess Noadiah to give false counsel as though it were from the Lord. Shemaiah advised Nehemiah to take refuge in the temple because he might be assassinated that night. Nehemiah, however, saw the plot for what it was. He did not want such an act of cowardice to discredit him before the people. Again Nehemiah prayed for God's justice.

The wall was completed after only fifty-two days because of the Lord's help. Ironically, the nations became intimidated by the success of the Jews, realizing that they had accomplished an impossible task. Nevertheless, Tobiah convinced some of the Jews to act treacherously by pressuring Nehemiah. Tobiah had close ties with Eliashib the high priest (see 13:4) and also had financial dealings among the Jews.

Protecting Jerusalem (7:1-73). Nehemiah charged Hanani with the security of the city because he was able and pious. The city was now secure for new residents (see 11:1-36). God impressed upon Nehemiah the need to keep genealogical records. Therefore Nehemiah began by reciting the first record of the exiles under Zerubbabel's tenure (see Ezra 2:1-70).

The account of Ezra's ministry is told in the third person. Ezra's proclamation of the law began on the first day of the seventh month and continued probably each morning for one week. His reading of the law encouraged the exiles to rejoice and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in the proper way. By hearing the law, the people came under conviction, and collectively the nation recalled the evil of Israel's past. The result was a covenant renewal in which they pledged themselves to the law.

Ezra Reads the Law (8:1-18). The last half of 7:73 introduces chapter 8. The seventh month was the most important month of the ceremonial calendar (see Lev. 23). On the first day of the month (see Num. 29:1), the people assembled and called for Ezra to read the law. The purpose of the reading was so they could understand the law. The people stood in reverence when the law was read; and their response included praise, tears, and joy. The Levites interpreted the law for those who did not understand its meaning.

After hearing the law, the elders urged Ezra to call for a general assembly of all the Jews to observe the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles). Tabernacles was traditionally celebrated for seven days at the time of harvest ingathering (Exod. 34:22). It commemorated God's provision during the wilderness when Israel lived in temporary shelters or booths (see Lev. 23:33-43). For these exiles, this festival was particularly meaningful because they had experienced the second "Exodus" from Babylon. The booths, made of tree branches, were constructed in the city. Not since Joshua's time had the feast been celebrated in this way. The law was carefully followed. The Jews set aside the eighth day (Lev. 23:36) for special assembly.

Israel Confesses Its Sin (9:1-38). On the twenty-fourth of the month, two days after the feast, the exiles fasted while dressed in the clothing of contrition. They prepared for confession by sanctification, reading the law of Moses, and worship.

The Levites led a prayer of confession, calling the pilgrims to arise. They praised God as great and gracious. From Abraham's call to Moses' experience at Sinai, God protected and provided for Israel. In contrast to the longsuffering of God, Israel was stiffnecked and rebellious throughout its history. Still, the Lord remained merciful. The prayer concluded with supplications. They admitted that God had justly chastened them by Gentile oppression, but now they prayed that God might see their economic distress and rescue them from oppression. Their prayer of confession concluded with the nation entering an oath of commitment to obey the law of Moses.

Signing of the Covenant (10:1-39). The chapter lists those who signed the oath, beginning with the governor. Also priests, Levites, and rulers are noted. The features of the covenant included (1) submission to the law, (2) separation from foreign marriages, (3) Sabbath observance as the sign of the Mosaic covenant, and (4) service to God through tithes and offerings. They agreed to fulfill what the law required of them. They would pay the temple tax (Exod. 30:11-16) contribute wood for the continual burnt offerings (Lev. 6:12). They would dedicate their firstfruits and firstborn (Exod. 23:19a; Num. 18:17-19) and pay tithes for the Levites and priests (Lev. 27:30-33; Num. 18:21-32; Deut. 12:5-18; 14:22-29).

The concluding section completes the themes already begun in chapters 1-10. The repopulation theme begun in chapter 7 continues with the catalog of new residents in Jerusalem to show a continuity with their ancestral faith and their hope in a new Israel. The dedication ceremonies of the walls reminds the reader of the opposition the Jews endured yet the success they enjoyed because of God's good favor. Finally, the variety of reforms introduced by Nehemiah enforced the features of the covenant undertaken by the community.

Settling the Cities (11:1-36). The exiles organized their society by lot and by volunteers who migrated to the Holy City. While descendants of all of Israel's tribes returned to Judah, Jerusalem would be comprised particularly of those whose ancestors had populated the city in the days of David's kingdom—Judah, Benjamin, and Levi.

Dedicating the Walls (12:1-47). Nehemiah's memoirs are taken up with the continuing account of the walls. The elaborate festivities planned included Levitical singers and orchestra. The people, aware of their standing before God, cleansed themselves to prepare for the celebration. Ezra and Nehemiah led the two processionals. After marching around the city on its wall, the two parades convened at the temple to offer God thanksgiving. Provisions for the Levites and priests were restored and the choirs David had ordered were reestablished.

Renewing the People (13:1-31). Another line of defense constructed by Nehemiah was the community's spiritual life. The basis for the reforms Nehemiah enforced was the Mosaic law. He attempted to reflect the Mosaic ideal that Ezra's reading of the law had set before the people (chaps. 8-10). The people segregated themselves from foreign influences that would jeopardize their spiritual commitment (see Deut. 23:3-5).

However, Eliashib the high priest (Neh. 3:1,20; 12:22; Ezra 10:6) had already compromised the holiness of God's temple. He cleared the storerooms for the Ammonite Tobiah (Neh. 6:18) to occupy. Nehemiah explained that he was in Persia when Tobiah occupied the temple. Upon his return, he immediately expelled Tobiah and cleansed and restored the storerooms for service. He reinstated the Levitical offerings, which had ceased during his absence, and charged the people with breaking their oath (13:10-14; 10:39; see Mal. 2:8-12). He took further steps against merchants who violated the Sabbath by selling goods to the Jews. He charged the Jews with repeating their fathers' sins and threatened the merchants' lives.

Nehemiah's final action addressed the continued problem of intermarriage (see Ezra 9:1-10:44). To Nehemiah, the different languages he heard spoken by Judah's children indicated that the Jews were losing their distinctive identity as God's people. The problem was the foreigners' religion, not their ethnicity. He argued that the Jews were reviving the sins of Solomon, whose unfaithfulness caused Israel to sin and suffer God's judgment. Nehemiah took drastic action because of the severe threat. He physically chastened those married to foreigners and forced them to abstain from such marriages. So sordid was the situation that even Sanballat's daughter (2:10,19) had married into the priestly line.

Nehemiah concluded his reforms by caring for the needs of the priesthood. Nehemiah was conscious that he was carrying out God's mandates and not his own. With each reform he prayed for God's blessing on his faithful service.

Theological and Ethical Significance. The Book of Nehemiah illustrates how much a layperson committed to a life of prayer, God's Word, and active obedience can do. Nehemiah serves as a reminder that Christians are needed in leadership positions not only within the church but also in civil government. Those attempting to mold society on the principles of Scripture will doubtless experience opposition like Nehemiah did. Prayer, Nehemiah's most potent weapon, continues to serve Christians in their struggle to do God's will in spite of opposition.

Nehemiah's call for divorce of foreign wives is not an endorsement of divorce or racism but a desperate command for a desperate time. (See Mal. 2:10-16; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1). The survival of the Jews as a people committed to God demanded exclusion of Gentiles for a time. The survival of the church demands inclusion of all who will hear the gospel and commit their lives to Christ.

Kidner, Derek. Ezra and Nehemiah. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1979.

McConville, J. G. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985.

Vos, Howard F. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.