Does history matter? Why does it matter?  How should we approach a historical text like the one we have in Nehemiah? 

Christians believe in God and this changes the way we approach history. We believe in a God who is meaningfully involved in a sovereign way. He intervenes in history, redeems His people through history and also works through history and historical events. History, rightly understood, should help us to recognise God’s faithfulness of God. 

Christians read history to know their God.