A study of Nehemiah's personal prayers

1. Nehemiah

2. Nehemiah’s
personal prayers

3. Structure
• Background
Nehemiah
His times
• Prayer in general
• Nehemiah’s prayers
• Lessons and exhortation

4. Nehemiah
• Nehemiah – “Yahweh is comfort”
• Son of Hachaliah (1:1), brother – Hanani (7:2)
• Cupbearer to King Artaxerxes (1:11)
– Heb = shaqah
– Butler (Gen 40:1-2)
– Solomon & Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:5)
– Position of great authority
– Trustworthy – plots, poison etc
– Confidant / Personal advisor
– Life of luxury
– Wealthy (5:14,17)

5. The times of Nehemiah
550 500 450 400
Esther (483-471) Nehemiah (445-425)
Ezra (538-458)
Cyrus
(559-530)
Ahas.
(486-465)
Artaxerxes
465-424
Darius II
(423-404)
Darius I
(522-486)
Zechariah / Haggai Mal.
(520-470) (432-425)

6. Prayer
• Not easy
• Public prayer
• Personal prayer
Premeditated (Mat 6:6)
Spontaneous
“Prayer is not only a difficult subject to
discuss but also true and acceptable
prayer is an exceedingly difficult
matter to practise.”

7. Prayer (contd)
• How should we approach God & frame our
petitions?
• Preparation required
• Must show correct attitude
(Gen 18:27, Luke 18:13, Mat 26:39)
• Faith required (James 1:6, Mat 21:22)
• Obedience required (1 John 3:22)
• Lord’s prayer - model
• Result of appropriate prayer – James 5:16

8. Personal prayers of Nehemiah
• Man of prayer
approx. 10 prayers in book
14-11; 24; 69,14; 1314,22,29,30
44-5,9; 95-38
• Premeditated prayers
• Spontaneous prayer

9. Background - returns from exile
550 500 450 400
Nehemiah (445-425)
Ezra (538-458)
Zerubbabel (538) Ezra (458)
Esther (483-471)

10. Background (contd)
News from Jerusalem re state of
a. People - “great affliction and
reproach” (1:3)
b. City – walls broken down and gates
burned (1:3)
Caused Nehemiah great anguish

11. Nehemiah’s prayer (1:4-11)
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these
words, that I sat down and wept, and
mourned certain days, and fasted, and
prayed before the God of heaven,
5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God
of heaven, the great and terrible God, that
keepeth covenant and mercy for them that
love him and observe his commandments:
6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine
eyes open, that thou mayest hear the
prayer of thy servant, which I pray before
thee now, day and night, for the children of
Israel thy servants, and confess the sins
of the children of Israel, which we have
sinned against thee: both I and my
father's house have sinned.
Distraught
Preparation
Fasted & prayed
Focussed on God
Faith in distress
Confessed his
personal & people’s
sins

12. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against
thee, and have not kept the
commandments, nor the statutes, nor the
judgments, which thou commandedst thy
servant Moses.
8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word
that thou commandedst thy servant
Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will
scatter you abroad among the nations:
9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my
commandments, and do them; though
there were of you cast out unto the
uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I
gather them from thence, and will bring
them unto the place that I have chosen
to set my name there.
Recognised
situation
Goodness and
severity of God

13. 10 Now these are thy servants and thy
people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy
great power, and by thy strong hand.
11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine
ear be attentive to the prayer of thy
servant, and to the prayer of thy
servants, who desire to fear thy name:
and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant
this day, and grant him mercy in the
sight of this man. For I was the king's
cupbearer.
Recognition of
power of God
Pleads for prayer to
be heard
Finally specific
request
• Profound
• Intense
• Short (8 verses, 2 minutes max)
• Eccl 5:2

14. “All acceptable prayer is based
upon faith and obedience
coupled with brevity, simplicity
and suitability”

15. Prayers of Nehemiah and Daniel
Nehemiah 1:4-11
4 And it came to pass,
when I heard these words,
that I sat down and wept,
and mourned certain days,
and fasted, and prayed
before the God of heaven,
5 …O LORD God of
heaven, the great and
terrible God, that
keepeth covenant and
mercy for them that love
him and observe his
commandments:
Daniel 9:3-19
3 And I set my face unto
the Lord God, to seek by
prayer and supplications,
with fasting, and sackcloth,
and ashes:
4 ….O Lord, the great and
dreadful God, keeping the
covenant and mercy to
them that love him, and
to them that keep his
commandments;

16. Nehemiah 1
6 Let thine ear now be
attentive, and thine eyes
open, ……
and confess the sins of
the children of Israel,……
which we have sinned
against thee: both I and
my father's house have
sinned.
7 We have dealt very
corruptly
Daniel 9
18 O my God, incline thine
ear, and hear; open thine
eyes,
4 ……And I prayed unto the
LORD my God, and made
my confession,
4,11,15 we have sinned
5 and have done wickedly

17. Nehemiah 1
7 and have not kept the
commandments, nor the
statutes, nor the
judgments
8 If ye transgress,……
I will scatter you abroad
among the nations:
9 and will bring them unto
the place that I have
chosen to set my name
there.
Daniel 9
5 departing from thy
precepts and from thy
judgments:
11 Yea, all Israel have
transgressed
7 through all the countries
whither thou hast driven
them,
19 …for thy city and thy
people are called by thy
name.

18. Nehemiah 1
10 …whom thou hast
redeemed by thy great
power, and by thy strong
hand.
11 …let now thine ear be
attentive to the prayer
of thy servant,
Daniel 9
15 ……that hast brought thy
people forth out of the land
of Egypt with a mighty
hand,
17 ……hear the prayer of
thy servant

19. Spontaneous prayer (2:4)
• 4 months since bad news and prayer of
chap 1 and spontaneous prayer of chap 2
- Chisleu (1:1) to Nisan (2:1)
• Nehemiah couldn’t hide his sadness
• Immed. recognised by Artaxerxes
• Nehemiah very afraid (v2) but he….

20. Spontaneous prayer
Said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should
not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of
my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates
thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto
me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to
the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it
please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in
thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto
the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by
him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt
thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I
set him a time. (Nehemiah 2:3-6)

21. Returns from exile
550 500 450 400
Esther (483-471) Nehemiah (445-425)
Ezra (538-458)
Nehemiah (444)
Zerubbabel (538) Ezra (458)

22. The Bible Handbook
“Nehemiah was cupbearer to Artaxerxes, a trusted
and important official. Artaxerxes was son of
Xerxes ( Ahasuerus) and so the step-son of Queen
Esther the Jewess. Esther became queen of Persia
about 60 years after the Jews had returned to
Jerusalem. This must have given the Jews great
prestige in the Persian court. Esther was most
probably still alive and an influential personage in
the palace when both Ezra and Nehemiah went to
Jerusalem. Our guess is that we have Esther to
thank for Artaxerxes, kindly feelings towards the
Jews and his interest in having Jerusalem rebuilt”

23. Prayer AND action
• Requested letters from King
• Embarked on long journey
• Surveyed walls of Jerusalem
• Set up 44 working parties
• Repair of walls completed in 52 days
(6:15)
“Here was a man that did not act without
prayer but did not pray without acting”

24. Nehemiah’s journey
1000 miles
20 miles / day
Journey – 50 days

25. Walls of Jerusalem

27. Other personal prayers
…Now therefore, O God, strengthen my
hands. (6:9)
My God, think thou upon Tobiah and
Sanballat according to these their
works, and on the prophetess Noadiah,
and the rest of the prophets, that
would have put me in fear. (6:14)

28. Other personal prayers
Remember me, O my God, concerning this…
(13:14)
…Remember me, O my God, concerning this
also, and spare me according to the greatness
of thy mercy. (13:22)
…Remember me, O my God, for good. (13:31)
Remember them, O my God, because they
have defiled the priesthood…(13:29)

29. Lessons and exhortations
• Nehemiah provides an example when
wrestling with life changing decisions
• Importance of prayer
– Preparation
– Concise and to the point
– Wait for appropriate time
• Importance of spontaneous prayer
• Prayer AND action
• Like Nehemiah and Daniel WE should
pray for Israel ……

30. Remember me, o my God,
for good.