SUMMER QUARTER – 2002



SPRING QUARTER SUNDAY SCHOOL 2021

THEME: PROPHETS FAITHFUL TO GOD’S COVENANT

UNIT TWO: PROPHETS OF RESTORATION

“NEHEMIAH…GOD’S COMPASSIONATE BUILDING LEADER IN CHALLENGING TIMES”

Sunday School Lesson No. VII ~ April 18, 2021

Presented by Rev. Frank A. Davis, III, Pastor-Teacher

Lesson Text: Nehemiah 2:5, 11-20

Required Reading: Nehemiah 1 – 2

Motto Text: Nehemiah 2:18, “Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.”

Reliable Resources: Union Gospel Press Expositor and Illuminator (2009); Precepts for Living (UMI); Libronix Electronic Library System; Standard Commentary; Visualized Bible Notes, Tyndale/Wilmington; Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament; Joshua, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther by H. A. Ironside

INTRODUCTION

This week we meet Nehemiah, God’s compassionate building leader. He served as the “cupbearer” for King Artaxerxes of the Persian Empire, who was also the stepson of Queen Esther. Nehemiah was a man of political influence as he served as a confidant of the king. God reveals to us his great compassion in chapter one as he made inquiry concerning the present condition of Jerusalem. Upon hearing that, even after the Temple had been restored under Zerubbabel and Joshua in 538 B.C. and a great restoration of the rules and rituals of God’s laws by Ezra around 456 B.C., the city’s walls and gates still laid in ruins, exposing them to the authority of their enemies. This condition was unacceptable to Nehemiah. He realized a city without walls and gates was unable to defend or maintain itself.

LESSON EXPOSITION

I. His Compassionate Concern. Nehemiah 1:1 – 2:9

A. He made inquiry of his returned people’s condition. Nehemiah 1:1-11

“In December of 446 B.C., Nehemiah learned from a returning Jew named Hanani (and his own brother – see 1:2; 7:2) of the pitiful state of Jerusalem. The report broke his heart (1:3). Upon hearing this, Nehemiah began a time of …

1. Confession to God over the deeds of his people. Nehemiah 1:6-7

2. Intercession to God over the needs of His people. Nehemiah 1:8-11” (Wilmington)

B. He gave evidence of his concern before King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah 2:1-3

While conducting his duties before the king, Nehemiah’s concern was evident in his “body language” or countenance. When the king realized it and questioned the reason for it, Nehemiah became afraid and concerned, possibly for his life. (Read Daniel 1:9-10). In vs. 3, Nehemiah explains from his heart that his concern stems from the conditions of his homeland and the graves of his ancestors.

C. His prayers were met with a favorable response. vss. 4-9

Nehemiah had been praying through his difficult times, and now God opened a door! (Read “1:4; 4:4, 9; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22, 29, 31”) Expositor and Illuminator. Prayer is very important in difficult times, and actions should follow prayers! The king asked him of his desire and even then, Nehemiah lifted a “quick prayer” (vs. 4) and God gave him wisdom on how he should respond! Nehemiah asked for the things that were important to Build Successfully in Challenging Times. Beloved, may we learn to pray specifically and follow the Lord’s directions in our lives. Matthew 7:7 reminds us to “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Nehemiah’s Successful Building in Challenging Times happened because:

II. He Counted the Cost. Nehemiah 2:10-18

A. Nehemiah recognized the opposition. vs. 10

I Peter 5:8 cautions us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Whenever we attempt to do good, evil will raise its ugly head. The resident evil opposition Nehemiah met was an ungodly trinity! Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem or Gashmu the Ishmaelite (vs. 19) were confederates and withstood the Jews with scorn.

NOTE: When reviewing Israel’s history, God forbade the Jews to have fellowship with Moabites and Ammonites because they were half relatives who treated them like enemies. (Read Genesis 19:36-38; Deuteronomy 23:3-6)

B. Nehemiah rested and refreshed before the work began. vs. 11

The journey from Persia was short, 4½ months on foot and land. (Ezra 8:32)

C. Nehemiah’s reconnaissance of the walls and gates. vss. 12-16

The surveillance of the exposed city’s perimeter was done with a heart of compassion. The walls and gates of a city represented the life and love of a people for its heritage. We “wall” our families from the outside world to protect and teach them the important things of life. We don’t want to just expose them to anything but shield them from the attack and influence of the enemy!

Can you see the compassion of this Godly leader, not a preacher or prophet or priest, but a compassionate political leader who saw the exposure of God’s people to the enemies around them? You might say the people had become desensitized to the influence of their adversaries and had learned to live in a compromising way. Beloved, this is never the way of the Lord! I John 2:15-17 admonishes us, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Colossians 3:1-2, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” May God help us as believers to rebuild the barrier of truth around ourselves, our families, and His work in our lives! May we also appreciate God’s compassionate, faithful leaders.

D. Nehemiah’s revelation of his mission. vss. 17-18

Up until now, little was known of Nehemiah’s reason for coming to Jerusalem. Only a remnant knew what authority he really had and what it was he came to do, but that was about to change. From the faithful remnant who labored by night came the revelation of God’s intention. “We must rise up and build the walls!” No longer could they just walk around lethargically ignoring the downed walls, for to do so was to dishonor the dignity of their God, and surely of His presence. Psalm 24:7 tells us, “Lift up your head, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” This brought a sense of confidence and revival to the constituents to rise and build! Beloved, God will raise good leaders in difficult times, but the people must be willing to rise and build!

III. He was Committed and Consistent. Nehemiah 2:19-20

Beloved, whenever there is a commitment to follow the Lord, there will be adversaries. In Nehemiah’s day it was Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem and their crowd. They laughed at the thought of anyone rebuilding the work of the Lord. Today, we face our adversaries, but we must be “steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the works of the Lord.”

CLOSING

Paul wrote of opportunity with adversity to the Corinthians in I Corinthians 16:9, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” Beloved, Nehemiah’s success in difficult times hinged on his total commitment and dependence towards God’s all-sufficiency. Psalm 121:1-2, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

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