Nehemiah 1:4

_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN I HEARD THESE WORDS, THAT I SAT DOWN AND WEPT, AND MOURNED CERTAIN DAYS, AND FASTED, AND PRAYED BEFORE THE GOD OF HEAVEN,_ When I heard these words ... I sat down ... and mourned ... and fasted, and prayed. The recital deeply affected the patriotic feelings of this good man, and no comfort could he find but in earnest and protracted prayer, that God would favour the purpose, which he seems to have secretly formed, of asking the royal permission to go to Jerusalem....

Verse Nehemiah 1:4. _AND MOURNED_ CERTAIN _DAYS_] From the month _Chisleu_ to the month _Nisan_; about _four_ months from the time he received the above information, till the time that Artaxerxes noticed his grief, Nehemiah 2:1. All this time he probably spent in supplication to God; waiting for a favourable opening in the Divine providence. Every _good_ work is not to be undertaken hastily; prayer and watchfulness are necessary to its completion. Many good works have been ruined by making _haste_....

THE GOD OF HEAVEN - This title of the Almighty, which is Persian rather than Jewish (see 2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:2 note; Ezra 6:10; Ezra 7:12, Ezra 7:21), is a favorite one with Nehemiah, who had been born and brought up in Persia....

PART I. INTRODUCTORY SECTION. Nehemiah 1:1; Nehemiah 2:1. EXPOSITION CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH NEHEMIAH OBTAINED HIS COMMISSION TO REBUILD THE WALL OF JERUSALEM (Nehemiah 1:1; Nehemiah 2:1). Living at the Persian court, far from the land which he looked on as his true country, though perhaps he had never seen it, Nehemiah seems to have known but little of its

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. HOW NEHEMIAH RETURNEDTO JERUSALEM AND THE BUILDING OF THE WALL CHAPTER 1 _ 1. Nehemiah hears of the condition of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:1)_ 2. His great sorrow, and prayer (Nehemiah 1:4) Nehemiah 1:1. “The words of Nehemiah (the Lord is comfort) the son of Hachaliah.” It is therefore the personal narrative of his experience which is before us in the first six Chapter s of this book, in which he describes his soul exercise, and how the Lord made it possible for him to return to Jerusalem, and how the wall was rebuilt. Nehemiah was a young man, born in captivity holding a position of nearness to the great Persian king and living in the beautiful palace of Shusha

PART III (Nehemiah 1:1 to Nehemiah 7:73_ a_). THE WORK OF NEHEMIAH. Nehemiah 1:1 a. Nehemiah, Hearing of the Evil Plight of his Brethren in Jerusalem, Prays for Divine Aid. Nehemiah 1:1. The words. Hacaliah: these introductory words are not likely to have stood here originally when Ch.- Ezr.- Neh. formed one continuous book. they were probably added by a later scribe. THE MONTH CHISLEV, IN THE TWENTIETH YEAR: _i.e._ the ninth month (Ezra 10:9 *). The last date mentioned was in...

SAT DOWN AND WEPT. This sad account of the condition of Jerusalem deeply moved Nehemiah. Though it was. hundred and fifty years since his fathers had been brought from Judea, and though he had. high position and great favor with the king, still he looked upon himself as an exile and Judea as his home. The intense affection for Jerusalem of the exiled Jews during this period is touching. It often finds expression in Psalms. "If. forget thee,. Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If. do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if. prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." Psalms 137:5-6. Nehemiah not only wept over the condition of Jerusalem, but went into. period of mourning, fasting and prayer, We next have. record of the prayer he offered. THE GOD OF HEAVEN. This expression occurs often in Nehemiah and is unknown to the earl

THESE WORDS. Evidently the first authentic news he had heard. No wonder he was heartbroken. PRAYED. Nehemiah. man of prayer. Compare Nehemiah 4:4; Nehemiah 4:5; Nehemiah 5:19; Nehemiah 6:9; Nehemiah 6:14; Nehemiah 13:14; Nehemiah 13:22; Nehemiah 13:29;...

Nehemiah 1:1 to Nehemiah 7:73 _a_. Extract from the memoirs of Nehemiah 1. The Superscription. -In many MSS. and editions the beginning of this book is closely united with the last verse of Ezra, and in some it appears without line or interval between as part of Ezra" (Davidson's _Hebrew Text_). _The words_ R.V. marg. _the history_. (_a_) The rendering -words" merely calls attention to the fact that we here have a portion of the writings of Nehemiah himself. (_b_) The rendering -history" is more formal, and is capable of being understood in two different ways, (1) as a reference to a well-known work of history from the pen of Nehemiah, as in -the histories (marg. Heb. _words_) of Shemaiah, the prophet, and Iddo, the seer" ...

_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.