Nehemiah 1 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Nehemiah 1 Short Summary:

In Nehemiah 1, we are introduced to Nehemiah, a Jew who works as the cupbearer to the king of Persia in Susa. One day, some men come from Judah and report that the city of Jerusalem is in a terrible state. Ezra feels compelled to make the long journey to Jerusalem to help, but before asking leave from the king, he fasts and prays for God’s help.

Nehemiah 1 Summary

WHEN:

• 538-537 BC – Cyrus the Great of Persia frees the Jews from their Babylonian captivity.

• 516 BC – The rebuilding of the Temple is completed in Jerusalem.

• 457 BC – Ezra arrives in Jerusalem.

• 445-444 BC – Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Jews – The descendants of Israel who were repopulating the land of Judah after returning to it following 70 years of captivity in Babylonia. They spent many decades rebuilding Jerusalem.

• Nehemiah – A descendant of the Tribes of Israel, a Jew, who was the cupbearer of the King of Persia.

WHERE:

• Susa – The capital of the Persian Empire.

• Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.

OUTLINE:

• THE REPORT ON THE STATE OF JERUSALEM (1:1-3):

  • Nehemiah lived in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, and worked as a cupbearer to the king of Persia.

  • One day, some men came from Judah, and Nehemiah asked them about the state of Jerusalem.

  • They gave him a grim report, stating that the people were troubled and shamed, and the wall of the city and its gates had been torn down.

• NEHEMIAH’S PRAYER (1:4-11):

  • When Nehemiah heard about the sad state of Jerusalem, he became very sad and “mourned for days” with fasting and prayers.

  • His prayer was similar to that of Ezra’s in Ezra 9, an expression of shame and guilt because of the moral failings of his people.

  • But there was also hope in his prayer. Hope based on God’s promises to Israel.

  • He knew God would restore the Jews if they would return to Him with contrite hearts.

  • Nehemiah knew he needed to take action, so he concluded his prayer with a request that God would give him favor in the eyes of the King of Persia.

  • In chapter 2, we’ll see Nehemiah making a request of the king of Persia that will dramatically altar his life and the life of his countrymen living in Jerusalem.

APPLICATION:

• One thing that has stood out to me in the story of Ezra and Nehemiah is the way these men responded when they discovered God’s people weren’t taking God’s instructions seriously.

• They both began with prayer and fasting, then made personal sacrifices to fix the problems.

• Nehemiah probably had a decent life in Persia. He had a good job close to the king, but what we’ll see in chapter 2 is him leaving Persia and travelling 900 miles to live in the run-down city of Jerusalem.  

• Ezra made the same journey, and he dedicated a significant amount of his personal time to improving the Jews’ relationship with God.

• These men were reformers, and in them I believe we see the proper way to go about religious critique.

• They weren’t pew sitters who judged apathetic believers from afar while never endeavoring to work towards a solution. They didn’t bemoan the state of the congregation without intention to fix it.

• They critiqued the Jews, and rightfully so, but their critiques began with periods of humble prayer. They critiqued the spiritual lives of their countrymen, but they were willing to fast and work extremely hard to help those they critiqued.

• Many today sit in assemblies of believers with the critiques of Ezra and Nehemiah, but without their willingness to sacrifice. Many preach sermons about “How the Church ought to be,” but won’t put in the work out of the pulpit to make the necessary changes.

• Men full of words are cheap, but men like Ezra and Nehemiah should be cherished. They show us the way back to God through their humility, their prayers, their fasting, and their self-sacrifice.

• A true reformer is not a swollen preacher with clean hands talking at people from a pulpit. A true reformer is a man who is thin from fasting for the souls of his people, whose hands are dirty with the hard work of gospel transformation.

• Lord, help us to be men like Ezra and Nehemiah!