The temple at Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. When the Persians became the new rulers, they allowed the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The rebuilding was completed some 50 years before Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to repair the city wall. The wall...
When the people heard and understood the teachings of the Law of Moses, they also realized they were not observing it in their lives. In response, they developed a written covenant (or, an agreement) which stipulated specifically how they would follow the Law of...
As the people gathered to listen to the reading of the Law, they also made time to worship their God. In their worship, they began with affirming the greatness of God: “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the...
The people gathered together to listen to the reading of scriptures by Ezra the priest. However, not everyone could understand or appreciate what they heard. Thirteen Levites “helped the people to understand the Law… they gave the sense, so that the people understood...
After the physical infrastructure of the wall was up and the security arrangements in place to guard the city, Nehemiah turns to the purpose of the work done—the well-being of the people of Jerusalem. He begins with recognizing the earliest groups of exiles who had...
Those who opposed the building of the wall tried various tactics to stop the work. They tried to discourage Nehemiah by insulting and ridiculing his idea of building the wall. They questioned his motives by implying that there were rebellious intentions for building...