A look into Nehemiah His life

Nehemiah

Of Nehemiah, the author and principal actor in the events recorded in this book, the Jews speak as one of the greatest men of their nation.

His concern for his country entitles him to the character of the first patriot that ever lived. Descended, according to some, of the family of Aaron, or according to others, of the tribe of Judah and allied to the royal family of David, in the course of Divine Providence, he was a captive in Babylon, but there his excellences were so apparent, that he was chosen by the Persian king to fill an office the most respectable and the most confidential in the whole court. Here he lived in ease and affluence.

he lacked no good thing; and here he might have continued to live, in the same affluence, and in the same confidence; but he could enjoy neither, so long as he knew his people distressed, the sepulchres of his fathers trodden under foot, the altars of his Yahweh overturned, and his worship either totally neglected or corrupted.

He sought the peace of Jerusalem; prayed for it; and was willing to sacrifice wealth, ease, safety, and even life itself, if he might be the instrument of restoring the desolations of Israel. And Yahweh, who saw the desire of his heart, and knew the excellences with which he had endowed him, granted his request, and gave him the high honour of restoring the desolated city of his ancestors, and the pure worship of their Yahweh.

The opposition of Sanballat and the Samaritans, and the firmness and zeal with which he repelled their insults and ineffectual efforts cannot be read without the liveliest emotions; and will afford to the latest times, a noble and animating example of distinguished patriotism, united with the sincerest devotion to the interests of religion. The virtue and piety of this great and good man, appear with equal lustre in the numerous and important reformations he effected.

He relieved the people from their hardships and oppressions, by abolishing the harsh and usurious practices of the nobles and rulers; gave up his own revenue, as governor of the province, for the benefit of the people; and, as a further means of conciliating their affections, exhibited an example of the most princely hospitality.

As the best security for good morals, and the better observance of the laws of Yahweh, he re-established the offices of public worship, and prevented the profanation of the sabbath, which had arrived at a shameful excess; he furnished the returned captives with authentic registers, and enabled them, in the best manner possible, after so long and calamitous an interval, to trace the genealogies, and claim the inheritance of their respective families; and further, he accomplished the separation of the Jewish people from the mixed multitude, with which they had been incorporated, and annulled the numerous marriages which they had made with heathens and idolaters of every description.

For disinterestedness, philanthropy, patriotism, prudence, courage, zeal, humanity, and every virtue that constitutes a great mind, and proves a soul in deep communion with Yahweh, Nehemiah will ever stand conspicuous among the greatest men of the Jewish nation; and an exemplar worthy of being copied by the first patriots in every nation under heaven.

Neh 1:6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, for the children of Yisra’ĕl Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Yisra’ĕl which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

Neh 1:7 “We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not guarded the commands, nor the laws, nor the right-rulings which You commanded Your servant Mosheh.

Neh 1:8 “Please remember the word that You commanded Your servant Mosheh, saying, ‘If you trespass, I shall scatter you among the peoples,

Neh 1:9 but if you shall turn back to Me, and guard My commands and do them, though you were cast out to the end of the heavens, I shall gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen, to make My Name dwell there.’

Neh 6:16 And it came to be, when all our enemies heard, and all the nations around us saw, that they fell greatly in their own eyes, and knew that this work was done by our Elohim.

Neh 8:1 And when the seventh month came, the children of Yisra’ĕl were in their cities. And all the people gathered together as one man in the open space that was in front of the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, which Yahweh יהוה had commanded Yisra’ĕl.

Neh 8:2 And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

Neh 8:3 And he read from it in the open space in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people listened to the Book of the Torah.

Interesting to know here that they head to the ground rather like the muslim people do todat but without a certain direction.

Neh 8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood up.

Neh 8:6 And Ezra blessed Yahweh יהוה, the great Elohim. Then all the people answered, “Amĕn, Amĕn!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshipped Yahweh יהוה with faces to the ground.

Neh 8:7 And Yĕshua, and Bani, and Shĕrĕḇyah, Yamin, Aqquḇ, Shabbethai, Hoḏiyah, Maʽasĕyah, Qelita, Azaryah, Yozaḇaḏ, Ḥanan, Pelayah, and the Lĕwites, caused the people to understand the Torah while the people were in their place.

Neh 8:8 And they read in the Book of the Torah of Elohim, translating to give the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

Neh 8:9 And Neḥemyah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Lĕwites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is set-apart to Yahweh יהוה your Elohim. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Torah.

Neh 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom none is prepared. For this day is set-apart to our Yahweh יהוה. Do not be sad, for the joy of Yahweh יהוה is your strength.” Neh 8:14 And they found written in the Torah, which Yahweh יהוה had commanded by Mosheh, that the children of Yisra’ĕl should dwell in booths in the festival of the seventh month, Neh

8:15 and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Yerushalayim, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

The booth's were basically material canvas tents or camp set ups.

Now: On the first of this month was the feast of trumpets; on the tenth, the day of atonement; on the fourteenth began the feast of tabernacles, which lasted seven days, ending on the twenty- second; on the twenty-third, they separated themselves

Neh 9:3 and they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Torah of Yahweh יהוה their Elohim a fourth part of the day, and a fourth part they were confessing and worshipping Yahweh יהוה their Elohim. Neh 9:6 “You are Yahweh יהוה, You alone. You have made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that are on it, the seas and all that are in them, and You give life to them all. And the host of the heavens are bowing themselves to You.

Neh 9:7 “You are Yahweh יהוה, the Elohim who chose Aḇram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Aḇraham,

Neh 9:8 and found his heart trustworthy before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Kenaʽanites, the Ḥittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Yeḇusites, and the Girgashites – to give it to his seed. And You have established Your words, for You are righteous,

Neh 9:9 and saw the affliction of our fathers in Mitsrayim, and heard their cry by the Sea of Reeds,

9:10 and gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, and against all his servants, and against all the people of his land. For You knew that they acted proudly against them. And You made a Name for Yourself, as it is this day.

Neh 9:11 “And You split the sea before them, and they passed over into the midst of the sea on the dry land. And their pursuers You threw into the deep as a stone into the mighty waters.

Neh 9:12 “And You led them by day with a cloudy column, and by night with a column of fire, to give them light in the way they were to go.

Neh 9:13 “And You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from the heavens, and gave them straight right-rulings and Torah of truth1, good laws and commands. Footnote: 1Traditionally rendered laws of truth, of which we also read in Mal. 2:6, while it is rendered in Rom. 2:20 as the truth in the law.

Neh 9:14 “And You made known to them Your set-apart Sabbath, and You commanded them commands and laws and Torot1 , by the hand of Mosheh Your servant. Footnote: 1Torot - plural of Torah - teaching.

Neh 9:31 “But in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them nor forsake them, for You are an Ěl of favour and compassion.

Neh 10:28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Lĕwites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands unto the Torah of Elohim, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all who had knowledge and understanding,

Neh 10:29 were joining with their brothers, their nobles, and were entering into a curse and into an oath to walk in the Torah of Elohim, which was given by Mosheh the servant of Elohim, and to guard and do all the commands of Yahweh יהוה our Master, and His right-rulings and His laws,

Neh 10:30 and that we would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons,

Neh 10:31 and that if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a set-apart day, and we would forego the seventh year and the interest of every hand.

Neh 13:1 On that day was read from the Book of Mosheh in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that an Ammonite and Mo’aḇite should not come into the assembly of Elohim forever,

Neh 13:2 because they had not met the children of Yisra’ĕl with bread and water, and hired Bilʽam against them to curse them, although our Elohim turned the curse into a blessing.

The rest goes onto genealogy and about them tacking to work on sabbath and about foreign wedings marriages.

May you be blessed in Yahweh's peace Amein.

Neh 9:15 “And You gave them bread from the heavens for their hunger, and brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, and said to them to go in to possess the land which You had sworn to give them.