www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Scripture and Patristic Writings Nehemiah: Prayer and Rebuilding the Wall

Dear Friends,

In light of recent talk and discussions the biblical Old Testament book of Nehemiah comes to mind.

In the first few chapters we find Nehemiah working to organize and lead the Jews upon their return from exile in Babylon to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The walls were in great disrepair
and had been in shambles for 70 years. They were needed to protect the temple and the city from attack.

Nehemiah was a cup bearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia but he was of Jewish ancestry. He asks for permission from his king to go to Jerusalem to repair these walls. Many exiles were now returning to the city from Babylonia. He faces much opposition and even threats but is able to mobilize the people anyway.

"I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied. "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. (Nehemiah 2:18)

Various families are assigned to be responsible for building a portion of the walls closest to their home within the city. Eventually they succeed and the walls are rebuilt. However, the most important part of the story involves the necessity of prayer in all of this. It is not enough to acknowledge the vision and set out to do the work...not without the prayer needed.


We see that played out when at first Nehemiah recognizes and acknowledges God's holiness and confesses his sins before he even approaches the king to ask for permission to go to Jerusalem to start the project. He asks God for strength. He asks God to deal with his enemies and their evil plans. And always he says, "Remember me, God." What this accomplished was the preparation of Nehemiah's heart and gave God room to work. Results were up to God.

Sometimes Nehemiah expressed anger and got frustrated with how it was going but he never took the matter into his own hands. He showed great trust but was wise in getting thoroughly prepared. For emotional and mental stability he relied on God. There would be no revenge against the enemies who arose, for justice was left up to God.
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I think Nehemiah's story can model for us the concept of working together in and for Christian unity-a rebuilding process. Like Nehemiah we must always put prayer first and we must pour out our hearts to God. The former cup-bearer [turned building superintendent] became a vessel through which God worked as can we.

However, praying is an action, but not the only action Nehemiah did. He worked and put the people to work. And as the scripture relates: "The people had a mind to work." Remember they were exiles who wished to restore their city to it's former glory.

There are evil types in the narration: e.g. One is Sanballat who when he "Heard that we(the people of Jerusalem) were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?" Nehemiah 1-2 Sanballat seems to be a Satan type...ridiculing, doubting, and discouraging.

In summing it up then: this awesome account of rebuilding rubble and restoration teaches the lesson that the first step in any venture is to pray. People under God's direction can accomplish impossible tasks.





Mary Jo...prayerfully

Dae Porter...

Thanks for the insights.

I especially noticed "The people had a mind to work." and though of everyone here longing for unity and not sure what to do.

Build the wall at the portion that is nearest you (you quoted) and that seems to hit the nail on the head.

Please tell us more if you study it more.

-ray

Ray et al,

It had been a while since I had studied Nehemiah so my comments probably suffer from a little rust and need some oiling.

As I reread the first few chapters after I wrote the post I saw that many different people worked on the wall from all walks of life - including the priestly set of that day. What I meant by the families were the various clans. There were also groups. It is also interesting that each group rebuilt the wall near various gates, e.g. Valley Gate, Dung Gate, Fountain Gate, Horse Gate, Fountain Gate, etc. Anyway, what I get out of it is the need to pray and then put the prayer into action which, of course, reflects the monastic ideal of St. Benedict.... Ora et Labora. Praying means connecting with God's will in which case a very earnest cry on Nehemiah's part. The Providence about which you speak so often on this board also comes to mind.

I also apologize for typos. It was late and I made em. And that I didn't mention that parts of the wall had been burned. The building of the temple went back 70 years but some of the destruction of the wall was more recent so got that a little out of the timeline in the story telling. My friend from Romania, Marian, who also posts on this board after reading my post just emailed me a copy of Ps. 133 which is really good for contemplation on unity.

Here it is as he sent it:

How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.

It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore. (Psalm 133)

God bless,

Mary Jo

Here is where I made a typo. This quote below is from Nehemiah 4:1-2. not Nehemiah 1-2. This is in referring to Sanballat who opposed Nehemiah and his efforts to rebuild the wall.

quote:

"When he heard that we(the people of Jerusalem) were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?"


Porter...prayerfully...

The tiny tyops and tny mistake didn't bother me

Ray,

I wasn't referring to just you. ..but someone else just might read it and want to check out the scripture reference so I made the correction.


Porter.

AMEN PORTER!

Sometimes Nehemiah expressed anger and got frustrated with how it was going but he never took the matter into his own hands. He showed great trust but was wise in getting thoroughly prepared. For emotional and mental stability he relied on God. There would be no revenge against the enemies who arose, for justice was left up to God.

This reminds me of: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

We must always stay in prayer even when we begin the work God calls us too. WHY? Because earthen vessles leak! So do we, we must seek to be continuously filled by the Holy Spirit so we may accomplish the task at hand.


Rom 10:11-13

It takes us all to rebuild the walls

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Treasury of Scripture KnowledgeConcordance and
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Thanks, Pani Rose. Yes, the cisterns can be broken and if they are they won't hold water. Prayer is the cement that seals them. Amen.

No, it had not crossed my mind at all - that you might be refering to me. I did not take it that way at all. Your studies like this are all interesting to me. You know I love to peek inside scriptures.

Did you get my small joke - about typos and mistakes... "tyops" and "tny"

-ray

"When he heard that we(the people of Jerusalem) were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?"

Mary Jo,

I was thinking ( I know my family says to watch out), anyway that Scripture reminds me of the dry bones...I was thinking how in rebuilding the walls it is much like the Church and us as individuals.

We are feeble and weak. We tend to go around under our own steam trying to repair the walls, offering sacrifices to God that we think will get us through the day. By the end of the day will we have learned anything new about God? Will we have accomplished anything new in our spiritual journey with God? Or are we willing to lye there like the stones of the wall on the ground or the dry bones in the valley?

Each morning is new, each day we must make a new commitment to Christ allowing him to stir up in us, through the power of his Holy Spirit the grace to rebuild the wall and yes, to bring the dry bones back together.

Without the Eucharist, Scripture, and prayer, we are those dry bones, those crumbling blocks lying on the ground. There was nothing more he could do for us or give us to draw us to himself. Scripture says in Luke 13:3, "And you will also perish uness you turn from your evil ways [repent] and turn to God." Jesus speaking in Luke makes it clear that unless we desire him alone, that we will not have life within us, as he did also in John 6:53, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."

We must partake of all three, Eucharist, Scripture, and prayers. In receiving the first two we eat the meat, the manna God has prepared for us in this parched desert. WE are dry and wilting without and cannot rebuild anything. As we are nourished and are being put back together as the wall and the bones, we must take everything to the Lord in prayer. That is where in the quietness of our heart, listening intently to his love, through his grace(power) we are rebuilt. Then we can go out and glorify God, rebuilding the walls and putting the dry bones back together.

Rani Rose

"The hand of The Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by The Spirit of The Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; it was full of bones. And He led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley; and lo, they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

"And I answered, "O Lord God, thou knowest."

"Again he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of The Lord. Thus says The Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am The Lord."

"So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And as I looked, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them."

"Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says The Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host."

"Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says The Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O My people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am The Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put My Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, The Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, says The Lord." (Ezekiel 37:1-14 RSV)

Pani Rose and RayK,

Pani Rose>>Thanks for pointing me to this in your p.m. this morning; and thank you Ray for your humor above. No, somehow this one got buried quite a while ago and I missed the last couple posts. I may have been out of town or busy with something or other. Anyway the last time I had checked the thread seemed to be finished.

Yes, Pani Rose, thanks for the reminder of those old dry bones. I remember a song years ago...

about the dry bones. Wish I could remember the words...Maybe someone here does. Charles?

I know it has to do with what bone is connected to what bone, etc. And it ends with "Hear the Word of the Lord!"

Bless you, friends, forgive my delay in replying.

In Christ,

Mary Jo...gratefully.