The Book of Nehemiah
Nehemiah 1
Chapter I · Vol. II, p. 907
1 Nehemiah, informed by Hanani concerning the afflicted state of Jerusalem, mourneth, fasteth, and prayeth. 5 His prayer.
1 The words of aNehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in bthe month Chisleu, in the ctwentieth year, as I was in Shushan1 the palace,
A.M. 3559. B.C. 445.
a ch.10.1.
c Of Artaxerxes, Ezr.7.7. ch.2.1.
1 Shushan or Susa, one of the ancient capitals of Persia, being the winter residence of the kings. It was taken by Alexander of Macedon, with all the chief treasures of the empire. The city called Shuster is now supposed to occupy its site.—C.
2 That dHanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
d ch.7.2.
3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the eprovince are fin great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also gis broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I hsat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,2
5 And said, I beseech thee, iO LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, kthat keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him, and observe his commandments;
i ch.4.14. De.7.21. 1 Ch.17.21. Ps.47.2.
k Da.9.4. De.7.9,12. 1 Ki.8.22. Ex.20.6. ch.9.32. Ps.89.2,28,33,34.
6 Let mthine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, dayn and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and oconfess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
7 We phave dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
p Da.9.4-16. Ezr.9.5-15.
8 Remember,q I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:3
3 A voice directly from heaven is not more decisive of a divine revelation than is the voice of prophecy and its historic fulfilment. Accordingly God has been pleased to spread this evidence over the history of the four great empires, the Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, and Roman, but to concentrate it chiefly upon the history of the Jews, whose whole condition, past and present, has been made the continual theme of prophetic announcement; and thus their separation, their captivities, their scattering abroad, with their still unsettled condition, are all prophecies whose literal fulfilment constitutes such irresistible evidence of the divine origin of the Scriptures that contain them, that reason must acknowledge they came from God.—C.
9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them, though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the rplace that I have chosen to set my name there.
A.M. 3559. B.C. 445.
r Ps.78.68,69; 132.13,14. 2 Ch.6.6.
10 Now these are sthy servants, and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
11 O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.4 For I was the king's cup-bearer.5
4 Nehemiah prepared for a noble and patriotic enterprise by a humble and penitent confession of sin, and an earnest supplication for divine mercy, guidance, and strength. The act which is prompted by the love of God, initiated by earnest prayer, and prosecuted in faith, will and must eventually succeed.—P.
5 This was an office of great dignity at the court of the Medes and Persians. The person holding it was the chief confidant of the monarch, and introduced or excluded petitioners at his pleasure; it was consequently an office of great emolument, which will account for the vast riches of Nehemiah, of which he made such pious and generous use. See Herodotus, Thalia, 34; Xenop. Cyrop. l. 3.—C.
Notes
[Ver. 1. Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. Some have supposed that Nehemiah was descended from a priestly family, because it is said in ch. 10. 8, after a list of names, 'these were the priests.' Nehemiah is the first name on the list; but a careful examination shows that his name was placed at the head not because he was a priest, but because he was Tirshatha, or recognized leader of the nation. In the translation of 2 Mac. 1. 21 he is called 'Nehemiah the priest.' This, however, is an error, for the Greek has it, 'Nehemiah ordered the priests.' He was probably of the tribe of Judah, and perhaps of the royal house of David, as his forefathers were buried at Jerusalem. Nehemiah was a man distinguished for piety, energy, tact, and courage. With the single exception of Ezra he conferred more signal benefits upon his country than any man of that age. He found the people oppressed, the country desolate, the walls of Jerusalem in ruins. He rebuilt the walls, and thus laid the foundation of national independence. By his vigilance and prudence he overcame the opposition of powerful enemies; and by the example of his energy and courage he roused the Jews from their ignominious lethargy. 'For pure and disinterested patriotism Nehemiah stands unrivalled. But in nothing was he more remarkable than for his piety, and the singleness of eye with which he walked before God. He seems to have undertaken everything in dependence upon God, with prayer for his blessing and guidance, and to have sought his reward only from God.'—Shushan the palace. Shushan was one of the most ancient cities in the world. It was the capital of the Elam mentioned in Ge. 14. 1. It was successively under the dominion of the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. It became metropolis of the Persian empire, and was the scene of the romantic story of Esther. Its site is now marked by the extensive ruins of Sus, which cover a wide extent of plain between the rivers Eulæus and Shapur. See note on Es. 1. 2. P.]
Reflections.—Sad defects still remain in the militant church. But whenever God has work to be done, he can easily find or qualify instruments for it. Lively saints may often be found where we could least expect them—courts not excepted. And no dignity or distance can make such a one careless of the honour of the church of God. The poverty or persecution which discourages others awakens his zeal and concern. In seasons of public, or private distress, fasting and tears should accompany our prayers. It is a great relief for a sorrowful spirit to pour out its complaints into the bosom of a compassionate God. While we have a God in Christ to go to, our case is never desperate. And if he pour out upon us his Spirit of grace and supplication, he will certainly hear us. Let us then, with holy and believing awe of his greatness and grace, rest on the stability of his promise. And let candid confessions of our sins and unworthiness attend our supplications for mercy. It is infinitely encouraging to us that we have to deal with a God who is our own God; a God who has done great things for us, and has pledged his promise to do more. Let us therefore put our own, and the hearts of all connected with the welfare of Zion, into his hand.