Bible 101: Lesson 14

Nehemiah

Nehemiah means “God comforts”, and is the name of the man who oversaw the physical rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return of the exiles. He was the cupbearer to the Persian king, Artaxerxes. This means he tasted the wine before the king drank it, to be sure it wasn’t poisoned. He probably was a eunuch.

Ezra and Nehemiah worked together to restore Jerusalem. Although one was priest and the other a builder, both were necessary for the Israelites to accomplish God’s purposes in their day. From a biblical point of view, all work is holy and each person has a God-appointed role which is a sacred trust.

We see again in the book of Nehemiah the fierce opposition the Israelites encountered, and how much they needed support in order to save them from caving in to discouragement and depression. Nehemiah’s faith in God provided the strength they needed to keep going. The book covers about 25 years and was written at the same time the prophet Malachi was active. Just after this period lies the 400 year silence between the last books of the Old Testament and the ministry of Jesus.

Contains no messianic prophecies