How does one revive and restore one’s own spirit? Can it be done alone or only by the grace of God?
What are the steps? How does one begin?
Where is your Jerusalem?
Take that first step in the right direction…
The words of Nehemias… I asked them concerning the Jews, that remained and were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me: They that have remained, and are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and reproach: and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.
And when I had heard these words, I sat down, and wept, and mourned for many days: and I fasted, and prayed before the face of the God of heaven.
Nehemias: I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, strong, great, and terrible, who keepest covenant and mercy with those that love thee, and keep thy commandments, let thy ears be attentive, and thy eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, night and day, for the children of Israel, by which they have sinned against thee: I and my father’s house have sinned.
We have been seduced by vanity, and have not kept thy commandments, and ceremonies and judgments, which thou has commanded thy servant Moses.
And these are thy servants, and thy people: whom thou hast redeemed by thy great strength, and by thy mighty hand.
I beseech thee, O Lord, let thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name: and direct thy servant this day, and give him mercy before this man.
For I was the king’s cupbearer.
Nehemias to King Artaxerxes: O king, live for ever: why should not my countenance be sorrowful, seeing the city of the place of the sepulchers of my fathers is desolate…
King Artaxerxes: For what dost thou make request?
…and they built the flock gate… the fish gate… the old gate… the gate of the valley… the gate of the dunghill… the gate of the fountain…
And after him built… and after him built… and after him built…
Prayer of Nehemias: Hear thou our God, for we are despised: turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them to be despised in a land of captivity. Cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thy face, because they have mocked thy builders. So we built the wall, and joined it all together unto the half thereof: and the heart of the people was excited to work.
And they all assembled themselves together, to come, and to fight against Jerusalem…
The work is great and wide, and we are separated on the wall one far from another… our God will fight for us… Let every one with his servant stay in the midst of Jerusalem, and let us take our turns in the night, and by day, to work.
And from the day, in which the king commanded me to be governor in the land of Juda… I and my brethren did not eat the yearly allowance that was due to the governors… But I did not so for the fear of God… yet I did not require my yearly allowance as governor; for the people were very much impoverished. Remember me, O my God, for good according to all that I have done for this people.
Day 161: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; The Spiritual Revival & Restoration of Esdras & Nehemias…
Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Second Book of Esdras (Nehemias), Chapters 1-5
Bible Notes:
The book is a history of the Jewish restoration under Nehemias, whose name is also given to the book. A servant of the Persian king, Nehemias became governor of Juda after the exile and took charge of the work of reconstruction. He not only helped rebuild Jerusalem but also fostered a spiritual revival.
2 Esdras (Nehemias) Chapter 1: Nehemias mourns over the state of Jerusalem; Nehemias asks help from God.
The words of Nehemias… I asked them concerning the Jews, that remained and were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me: They that have remained, and are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and reproach: and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.
And when I had heard these words, I sat down, and wept, and mourned for many days: and I fasted, and prayed before the face of the God of heaven.
Nehemias: I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, strong, great, and terrible, who keepest covenant and mercy with those that love thee, and keep thy commandments, let thy ears be attentive, and thy eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, night and day, for the children of Israel, by which they have sinned against thee: I and my father’s house have sinned.
We have been seduced by vanity, and have not kept thy commandments, and ceremonies and judgments, which thou has commanded thy servant Moses.
Remember the word that thou commanded to Moses thy servant, saying: If you shall transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations; but if you return to me, and keep my commandments, and do them, though you should be led away to the uttermost parts of the world, I will gather you from thence, and bring you back to the place which I have chosen for my name to dwell there.
And these are thy servants, and thy people: whom thou hast redeemed by thy great strength, and by thy mighty hand.
I beseech thee, O Lord, let thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name: and direct thy servant this day, and give him mercy before this man.
For I was the king’s cupbearer.
2 Esdras (Nehemias) Chapter 2: Artaxerxes sends Nehemias to Jerusalem; Arrival in Jerusalem; Nehemias views the broken wall; Nehemias urges rebuilding the wall.
King Artaxerxes to Nehemias: Why is thou countenance sad, seeing thou dost not appear to be sick?
Nehemias: This is not without cause, but some evil, I know not what, is in thy heart. And I was seized with an exceeding great fear…
Nehemias to King Artaxerxes: O king, live for ever: why should not my countenance be sorrowful, seeing the city of the place of the sepulchers of my fathers is desolate…
King Artaxerxes: For what dost thou make request?
Nehemias: That thou wouldst send me into Judea… and I will build it…
And the king gave me according to the good hand of my God with me.
…and it grieved them exceedingly, that a man was come, who sought the prosperity of the children of Israel. And I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
…and I told not any man what God had put in my heart to do in Jerusalem… the wall of Jerusalem which was broken down…
You know the affliction wherein we are… come and let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, and let us be no longer a reproach. And I showed them how the hand of my God was good to me, and the king’s words, which he had spoken to me, and I said: Let us rise up, and build. And their hands were strengthened in good. But Sanaballat… and Tobias… and Gossem… scoffed at us, and despised us…
Reproach—
Nehemias to the Scoffers: The God of heaven he helpeth us, and we are his servants: let us rise up and build: but you have no part, nor justice, not remembrance in Jerusalem.
2 Esdras (Nehemias) Chapter 3: Builders of the flock gate; Builders of the fish gate; Builders of the old gate; Builders of the gate of the valley; Builder of the gate of the dunghill; Builder of the gate of the fountain; Builders of the wall.
…and they built the flock gate… the fish gate… the old gate… the gate of the valley… the gate of the dunghill… the gate of the fountain…
And after him built… and after him built… and after him built…
2 Esdras (Nehemias) Chapter 4: Enemies scoff at the builders; Prayer of Nehemias; Plot against the builders; The builders are armed; Military provisions.
…when Samaballat heard that we were building the wall he was angry: and being moved exceedingly he scoffed at the Jews… and said before his brethren, and the multitude of the Samaritans: What are the silly Jews doing? Will the Gentiles leave them alone?
Tobias: Let them build: if a fox go up, he will leap over their stone wall.
Prayer of Nehemias: Hear thou our God, for we are despised: turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them to be despised in a land of captivity. Cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thy face, because they have mocked thy builders. So we built the wall, and joined it all together unto the half thereof: and the heart of the people was excited to work.
And they all assembled themselves together, to come, and to fight against Jerusalem…
Nehemias: Be not afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, and your wives, and your houses… that God defeated their counsel… that half of their young men did the work. And half were ready for to fight… and the rulers were behind them in all the house of Juda… with one of his hands he did the work, and with the other he held a sword… And they built, and sounded with a trumpet by me.
The work is great and wide, and we are separated on the wall one far from another… our God will fight for us… Let every one with his servant stay in the midst of Jerusalem, and let us take our turns in the night, and by day, to work.
2 Esdras (Nehemias) Chapter 5: Economic problems; Usury is forbidden; Nehemias’ unselfishness.
And my heart thought with myself… We, as you know, have redeemed according to our ability our brethren the Jews, that were sold to the Gentiles… And they held their peace, and found not what to answer. And I said to them: The thing you did is not good; why walk you not in the fear of our God, that we be not exposed to the reproaches of the Gentiles, our enemies? …let us forgive the debt that is owning to us. Restore ye to them this day… We will restore, and we will require nothing of them: and we will do as thou sayest… thus may he be shaken out, and become empty. And all the multitude said: amen. And they praised God. And the people did according to what was said.
And from the day, in which the king commanded me to be governor in the land of Juda… I and my brethren did not eat the yearly allowance that was due to the governors… But I did not so for the fear of God… yet I did not require my yearly allowance as governor; for the people were very much impoverished. Remember me, O my God, for good according to all that I have done for this people.
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