Jerusalem’s walls were in bad need of repair: Why?

It had been about 100 years since the first two groups of Jews came from Babylonia to Jerusalem to rebuild it. The temple was completed but the walls still needed to be repaired.

So Nehemiah wept and sought the Lord in prayer: Why was he weeping about the walls?

The walls were an important part of the cities protection and he was very sad and concerned that they had not been completed yet. He talked to God about what was on his heart.

With a plan of action he went before the king: Why did he go to the king with a plan of action?

Nehemiah went to see exactly what needed to be done and made a plan. The Persians had conquered the Babylonians, and the King of Persia was Artaxerxes. Nehemiah had gained an important position in his palace as his cup bearer. That means he poured and served whatever the king drank, and often tasted it first to make sure it was not poisoned before giving it to the king. The king trusted him. He needed permission to leave his job to go help rebuild the walls.

And was granted everything: How did this come about?

He had asked God specifically in prayer for favor from the king for his request and his prayer was answered yes.

Though their enemies jeered and planned to attack: Who were these enemies?

They were from people groups God had driven out of the promised land years ago. These old enemies were back and seeking to keep Jerusalem in ruins.

The Jews guarded their work and they did not turn back: How did they guard the work?

Part of Nehemiah’s plan included protecting themselves as they worked on the wall. Nehemiah chapter 4 goes into detail on this. Nehemiah 4:16,17 says “ From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah  who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other…“

The wall was done in 52 days: Why was the wall being done in 52 days so important?

The answer is in Nehemiah 6:16. The people who worked on it knew that it had been accomplished because of the help of God, and so did their enemies! Nehemiah 6:16 says “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.”

Then the remnant purified their ways: What did they do to purify their ways?

They had their part of the Bible that they had then (THE LAW–the first 5 books of our Bible) read to them and explained so they clearly understood what God wanted them to do. Then they started weeping when they understood how far away from God’s laws they were living. They were encouraged that the joy of the Lord would be their strength as they began changing to obey the Law of God. (See Nehemiah 8:9-10)