Nehemiah 2 - 4

Study 2 – Nehemiah 2

1. Nehemiah prayed a quick prayer under his breath and first asked the king for permission to leave to help rebuild the city. He then asked for letters of safe passage as well as letters to give him permission to cut down timber to help rebuild the gate of Jerusalem. At any one of these stages the King could have refused Nehemiah and put an end to his ambitions. He also faced the obstacle of the Ammonites that were opposed to the rebuilding of the city.
   
   
2. Nehemiah stated clearly that the reason that he was successful was, “. . . because the gracious hand of God was upon me.” Nehemiah took no credit for himself or his own cunning powers of persuasion. Far too often God fails to move miraculously on our behalf because we are all too ready to take the credit for His actions.
   
   

Study 3 – Nehemiah 3

1. The change of a city in disrepair to one of a city busy at the work of rebuilding came about because one man – Nehemiah – dared to make a request of the King. One man’s boldness and courage changed everything!
   
   
2. We desperately need one another. We need everyone. We need people from all walks of life and from every socio-economic and educational background. We are all deeply in need of one another and realizing that each one of us has a vital role to play in the building of the Kingdom of God.
   
   

Study 4 – Nehemiah 4

1. The ridicule and potential threat of physical harm to those rebuilding the city became extremely intense. The people dealt with the ridicule by resting on their faith in the Lord and they dealt with the threat by working with a weapon in one hand while they worked with the other!
   
   
2. Nehemiah was fearless. He didn’t plan to be in the background if a fight broke out. If there was going to be a fight Nehemiah planned on being on the front lines!