
Text: Nehemiah 1:1-2:8
3 Critical Questions
DO WE CARE?
“They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”
— Nehemiah 1:3,4
Nehemiah’s vision didn’t begin as a vision. It began as a
Sloth: Reluctance to work or make
“The workaholic may be guilty as the couch potato, because their constant activity keeps them from attending to the most important things and people in life.”
— Peter Kreeft
Apathy, sloth and
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
— Isaiah 6:8
DO WE CONFESS?
“I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.”
— Nehemiah 1:6b,7“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?”
— 2 Corinthians 13:5“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
— Jeremiah 17:9“For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
— Matthew 15:19
The truth is, no one lies to us more than our own hearts.
Nehemiah doesn’t only confess his and the Israelites short comings, but he also confesses, acknowledges, and declares how
“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments…”
— Nehemiah 1:5
DO WE CONNECT?
King Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah: “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
Nehemiah responded: “I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’”
The king said, “What is it you want?”
Nehemiah: “Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
The Lord answered Nehemiah’s prayer:
“And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.”
— Nehemiah 2:8b