Neh 1:4 | KingComments | STEP | Nehemiah’s reaction to his brother’s account is moving. The message strikes him like a bomb. Nehemiah will have been raised by God-fearing parents. They will have taught him the history and the law of the Jewish people. This explains why he is so touched when he learns from his brother about the devastation of Jerusalem and the people. Such expressions of feelings, that show us the workings of his heart, are regular occurrences in his book. Each time during a description of the work, he airs his feelings. When we receive or read a message, we can accept it as a notification. That way we will not deal with a message that comes from our own brother. Nehemiah knows him. He’s not a man of dramatic stories. If he says something, it’s completely trustworthy. Nehemiah doesn’t thank his brother kindly for the message. He’s not going to ask critical questions either. What he hears makes an enormous impression on him, he is overwhelmed by feelings of great dejection. Through his brother’s message he gets a different view on his life. Inwardly involved as he is with the people in Jerusalem, he feels the degradation of the remnant as his own. Nehemiah knows God’s thoughts toward his people. Now he hears how far away the practical situation is in which the people find themselves. Instead of immediately making feverish plans to change that situation, he sits down. Overwhelmed by intense grief about the situation in which the remnant of God’s people find themselves, he is incapable of anything but crying and mourning over several days. It does not stop at this expression of sorrow and shame. He also fasts and prays. Fasting means giving up everything that is lawful in itself, but now has to make way in order to give himself completely to a certain cause. The legitimate needs of the body are not met for a time in order for the mind to concentrate fully on a matter that transcends bodily needs. We see this in prayer, which is almost always inextricably linked to fasting. Also here. Nehemiah fasts and does not pray out of control. He knows himself before the face of “the God of heaven”. If that were not the case, all the exercises of his soul would be useless torments. The awareness of God’s face makes such exercises valuable experiences. What is hidden from the eye of men is perceived and rewarded by God with great pleasure ( ). The expression “God of heaven” is significant. God has withdrawn into heaven. He no longer lives on earth in the midst of His people, a people that He has had to surrender into the hand of their enemies. He no longer acts in power for His people because they have rejected Him. But faith knows how to find Him, and He allows Himself to be found. The same goes for us. The church has no external power or glory. It is connected with a rejected Lord, Who is now in heaven. But she knows that He is there and that “all power is given to Him in heaven and on earth” ( ). Therefore we will turn to Him in our need. Some lessons 1. All the inner exercises of this dejected man find their way out in prayer. Many have experienced that their work for the Lord has begun with fasting and praying because of the desolate situation of which they have been informed. We can only help reduce a need when we have felt the misery in our own souls. We only receive an instruction from the Lord when He has opened our eyes and we see things as they really are, that is, as He sees them. Nehemiah is called to rebuild the walls, but first he weeps over their ruins. 2. Serving God is not a hobby. He who thinks so, inevitably suffers shipwreck. Before, for example, doing children’s work, we must first see the appalling lack of Christian education in the schools and the blatant promotion of evil around us. The recognition of this situation on our knees before God is the beginning. 3. The Lord Jesus is moved with compassion over the flock like sheep who have no shepherd and in this He involves His disciples. For this He calls us to prayer ( ). What does it do to us when we see the many people on the street? Do we care about them? 4. When we look at the walls with the eyes of the Lord Jesus, we first have to experience grief that so many people, and especially so many so-called Christians, do not show the Lord Jesus in their lives.

‏ Nehemiah 1:4

The Reaction of Nehemiah

Nehemiah’s reaction to his brother’s account is moving. The message strikes him like a bomb. Nehemiah will have been raised by God-fearing parents. They will have taught him the history and the law of the Jewish people. This explains why he is so touched when he learns from his brother about the devastation of Jerusalem and the people. Such expressions of feelings, that show us the workings of his heart, are regular occurrences in his book. Each time during a description of the work, he airs his feelings.

When we receive or read a message, we can accept it as a notification. That way we will not deal with a message that comes from our own brother. Nehemiah knows him. He’s not a man of dramatic stories. If he says something, it’s completely trustworthy. Nehemiah doesn’t thank his brother kindly for the message. He’s not going to ask critical questions either. What he hears makes an enormous impression on him, he is overwhelmed by feelings of great dejection.

Through his brother’s message he gets a different view on his life. Inwardly involved as he is with the people in Jerusalem, he feels the degradation of the remnant as his own. Nehemiah knows God’s thoughts toward his people. Now he hears how far away the practical situation is in which the people find themselves.

Instead of immediately making feverish plans to change that situation, he sits down. Overwhelmed by intense grief about the situation in which the remnant of God’s people find themselves, he is incapable of anything but crying and mourning over several days.

It does not stop at this expression of sorrow and shame. He also fasts and prays. Fasting means giving up everything that is lawful in itself, but now has to make way in order to give himself completely to a certain cause. The legitimate needs of the body are not met for a time in order for the mind to concentrate fully on a matter that transcends bodily needs. We see this in prayer, which is almost always inextricably linked to fasting. Also here.

Nehemiah fasts and does not pray out of control. He knows himself before the face of “the God of heaven”. If that were not the case, all the exercises of his soul would be useless torments. The awareness of God’s face makes such exercises valuable experiences. What is hidden from the eye of men is perceived and rewarded by God with great pleasure (Mt 6:17-18).

The expression “God of heaven” is significant. God has withdrawn into heaven. He no longer lives on earth in the midst of His people, a people that He has had to surrender into the hand of their enemies. He no longer acts in power for His people because they have rejected Him. But faith knows how to find Him, and He allows Himself to be found.

The same goes for us. The church has no external power or glory. It is connected with a rejected Lord, Who is now in heaven. But she knows that He is there and that “all power is given to Him in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18). Therefore we will turn to Him in our need.

Some lessons

1. All the inner exercises of this dejected man find their way out in prayer. Many have experienced that their work for the Lord has begun with fasting and praying because of the desolate situation of which they have been informed. We can only help reduce a need when we have felt the misery in our own souls. We only receive an instruction from the Lord when He has opened our eyes and we see things as they really are, that is, as He sees them. Nehemiah is called to rebuild the walls, but first he weeps over their ruins.

2. Serving God is not a hobby. He who thinks so, inevitably suffers shipwreck. Before, for example, doing children’s work, we must first see the appalling lack of Christian education in the schools and the blatant promotion of evil around us. The recognition of this situation on our knees before God is the beginning.

3. The Lord Jesus is moved with compassion over the flock like sheep who have no shepherd and in this He involves His disciples. For this He calls us to prayer (Mt 9:36-38). What does it do to us when we see the many people on the street? Do we care about them?

4. When we look at the walls with the eyes of the Lord Jesus, we first have to experience grief that so many people, and especially so many so-called Christians, do not show the Lord Jesus in their lives.