Nehemiah Part 1

Nehemiah Part 1 - Asking Permission (to rebuild the walls)

Now it came to pass when Nehemiah was in Shushan the palace, some men of Judah came and talked to him about the Jews that were left after the fall of Jerusalem, and about how the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates were burned with fire. And when Nehemiah heard that, he sat down and wept, and mourned and fasted (that means he had no food), and prayed before the God of heaven, and pleaded with the Lord for mercy.

And so in the 20th year of Artaxerxes the king, Nehemiah took the wine that was before the king and gave it to him, because Nehemiah was the kings cupbearer. And the king notices that Nehemiah was sad, and so he said "Why do you look so sad, seeing that you are not sick? this is sorrow of your heart." And Nehemiah was very frightened.

But he said to the king "Let the king live forever, why shouldn't I be sad when the city, lies in waste, and the gates are burned up with fire?

Then the king said to Nehemiah, "What request are you making?" So Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven, and then he said to the king "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, so that I may build it.

And the king said to Nehemiah "how long shall your journey be? and when will you return?" And so the king was pleased to send Nehemiah, who told him when he would return. And Nehemiah asked the king for letters, one for the governors so they would allow him to pass over to Judah, and one to the keeper of the king's forest, for timber to build the gates of the palace and for the wall of the city, and for the house he would enter into. And the king granted Nehemiah according to the hand of God that was upon Nehemiah.

So Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, and at night he went out by the gate of the valley and looked at the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down. Then he went to the king's pool: but there was no place for the animal he was riding to pass. Then he went up by the brook, and looked at the wall, and then returned.

But the rulers didn't know that he had gone or what he did, and so Nehemiah told them that the hand of his God was upon him and that they should rebuild the wall.. And they said "Let us rise up and build. and they strengthened themselves for the work. But some laughed at them and hated them, and made fun of them and said "what is this? will you rebel against the king?"

Then Nehemiah said to them "The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem."

Memory Verse: Nehemiah 2:4 "......so I prayed to the God of heaven."

Questions:
1 What happened when the men of Judah came and told Nehemiah how the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates burned with fire?
2 Why was Nehemiah able to talk to the King?
3 What was the main request Nehemiah asked the king for?
4 What did some of the men do when they heard that Nehemiah and his men were going to rebuild the wall?
5 What was the main reason Nehemiah was able to leave the king, gather the people, and rise up to build the wall?

Answers:
1 Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted and prayed to the God of heaven.
2 Because he was the king's cupbearer
3 For permission to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls
4 The men laughed at Nehemiah and hated them, and accused them of wanting to rebel against the king.
5 Because God was with him, and upon him.

Vicki C. Gross/Nov'03

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