It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel (Nehemiah 1:1)
Nehemiah made his home at Shushan, the capital city of the Persians, and he lived in the citadel – that is, the fortified palace of the Persians. The fact that Nehemiah is found dwelling in the palace of the Persian king gives us immediate clues that he is a significant figure.
I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity and concerning Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1:2)
Nehemiah carried the heart and spirit of Psalm 137:5-6
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!
6 If I do not remember you,
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
When I heard this, I sat down and wept and mourned for days and fasted and prayed [constantly] before the God of heaven, (Nehemiah 1:4)
Before Nehemiah could embark on building the walls of Jerusalem, he fasted and prayed.
Before God can work through you, He will do a work in you. Any great work of God begins with God doing a great work in somebody.
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (Philippians 1:6)
Notice the good work ‘begins in you. And when God begins a work, you can be rest assured that He will complete it. There are no incomplete works with God. He is the Great Finisher.
For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)
There are two aspects of God’s work in you
To do - empowers you and energizes you to do the work.
For I was cupbearer to the king. (Nehemiah 1:11)
A cup-bearer was one of the most trusted officials of the King in the royal courts. His duty was to taste food and drinks before the king consumed anything. This was because of the constant fear of plots to poison the monarchy. The cupbearer's closeness to the king gave him a position of great influence. This officer is first mentioned in Genesis 40:1
Nehemiah made his home at Shushan, the capital city of the Persians, and he lived in the citadel – that is, the fortified palace of the Persians. The fact that Nehemiah is found dwelling in the palace of the Persian king gives us immediate clues that he is a significant figure.
I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity and concerning Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1:2)
Nehemiah carried the heart and spirit of Psalm 137:5-6
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!
6 If I do not remember you,
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
When I heard this, I sat down and wept and mourned for days and fasted and prayed [constantly] before the God of heaven, (Nehemiah 1:4)
Before Nehemiah could embark on building the walls of Jerusalem, he fasted and prayed.
Before God can work through you, He will do a work in you. Any great work of God begins with God doing a great work in somebody.
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (Philippians 1:6)
Notice the good work ‘begins in you. And when God begins a work, you can be rest assured that He will complete it. There are no incomplete works with God. He is the Great Finisher.
For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)
There are two aspects of God’s work in you
- To will
- And to do
To do - empowers you and energizes you to do the work.
For I was cupbearer to the king. (Nehemiah 1:11)
A cup-bearer was one of the most trusted officials of the King in the royal courts. His duty was to taste food and drinks before the king consumed anything. This was because of the constant fear of plots to poison the monarchy. The cupbearer's closeness to the king gave him a position of great influence. This officer is first mentioned in Genesis 40:1