Nehemiah 1:1-4

Sad words concerning Jerusalem -- Nehemiah 1:1-4: Nehemiah is identified as the son of Hachaliah. He served in Shushan, the palace of the king of Persia. This is where Esther had lived and served as queen. (Esther 1:2) This great book teaches us that (1) God really cares about His people, (2) He desires to see His work accomplished, and (3) He wants His people to be faithful and prosper. The story of the Book of Nehemiah is that Nehemiah is allowed to lead a group of people to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and help restore the city. Hanani, one of Nehemiah's brothers and some other men came to visit Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 7:2) He asked them concerning the conditions in Jerusalem and the welfare of the Jews that were there.

Nehemiah found out that the city was still in disarray, the walls were broken down and the people were facing great difficulties. It had been about 90 years sense the first group returned and still the conditions are this horrible. These problems deeply grieved Nehemiah. The people had returned to rebuild and restore the nation but the goal had not been accomplished. Nehemiah's reaction to the sad word that he heard was, "When I heard this, I sat down and cried. Then for several days, I mourned; I went without eating to show my sorrow, and I prayed." The report that he had received was very disheartening to Nehemiah.