In our passage tonight, we see the beginnings of a reformation, rather than a revival. Here, God’s people recover the things that they are supposed to do because they understand.

In the previous chapter, the wall has been rebuilt. But this is not the end of the story. In fact, it only marks half of the book of Nehemiah. What then, is the rest of the book going to be about?

How do you know what you fear?

Consider: What is it that controls you? We fear what holds some sort of power or sway over us. What we fear is what controls us.

The fear of God. It might not be popular to talk about this. We might prefer to talk about the love of God or even what it means to be a people of God. And little do we talk about the fear that is owe Him.

If you fear God, you will not exact usury (or interest) but instead love them (c.f. Neh 5:9). We should not deprive our Christian brother his due. In this section, we see how the fear of God also led to Nehemiah not take his due. We should not take what is due us.

The fear of God is incredibly practical for us. How does the fear of God rewire our thinking — who we are, how we relate to one another, who God is? It helps us to see God rightly and therefore ourselves rightly. The fear of God means that all of life —even our financial dealings — is under God’s purview.

How do we deal with division within the church, amongst God's people? It's an important question, considering the damage that division can do to the good name and image of God and his church. That is the key question we shall consider in this passage.

As we worked our way through the book of Nehemiah, we have seen how Nehemiah believed that he was doing God’s work. And he did not see the work of God as something optional that he will embark on after he has accomplished his own work and secured his own standing. 

Nehemiah knew the promises of God and was concerned with how the promise of GOd becomes the blessing of God. The work of God has everything to do with the people of God, the presence of God as a fulfilment of the fulfilment of God so the blessing of God can come. 

Because this work matters, there is opposition to it. 

Nehemiah wrote this book in the first person and there is purpose to this. Throughout this book, we see that God has a purpose for His people and displays His power through them. 

Nehemiah lists names in this chapter. Now, he is not a royal scribe that is seeking to chronicle everything in great detail. He is not trying to give us as much information just because. He does so intentionally, and we will examine why this is so.

We continue our study in the book of Nehemiah and in this chapter, Nehemiah is in Jerusalem. What does he do or not do? What lessons can we learn from his approach?

What is evidence of God with you? Health? Wealth? 

How would you know if God’s good hand is on you? In a world where we cannot touch or see God, we find ourselves asking where and how God is seen.  Also, whose agenda? Success on whose terms? 

On the one hand, Nehemiah had the blessing of the king, and this was the secret of his success. Having the blessing of the king though, was not enough to make it entirely smooth sailing. This passage will show us that there were obstacles and opposition that came up against him as he sought the welfare of the people. 

Nehemiah will say that he succeeded because God’s hand is on him. What would that look like for you, as you pursue God’s good agenda? 

Nehemiah is a historical book and by this point in Israel’s history two prior waves had returned — Zerubabbel led one to rebuild the temple and Ezra led another to reteach the people. Nehemiah records for us the return of the third wave.

What comes out of this man when he hears troubling news? 

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.