Nehemiah 1:5-11

We read about several of Nehemiah’s prayers in this book. Some of his prayers were very short. But this one helps us to understand what Nehemiah’s prayers were like. When Nehemiah started his prayer, he *worshipped God. This is how Daniel started his prayers (Daniel 9:4). This is also how Jesus taught us to start our prayers (Luke 11:2).

Nehemiah was far away from *Judah. So he could not easily help the people there. But he knew that the God of heaven could do anything.

Nehemiah knew about God’s agreement with the *Jews. God promised to be kind to them if they obeyed him. He gave them the country called *Judah (which is part of *Israel) as their home. And this was a good place to live. But Nehemiah also knew that God had told Moses to warn the people. God would punish them if they did not obey him (Deuteronomy 28:62-67). And the people had not obeyed God. That was the reason for the *exile. And that was why most *Jews were still living as foreigners at the time of Nehemiah.

So now, Nehemiah prayed to God on behalf of all the *Jews. He confessed the *sins of all the people. Daniel and Ezra had done this too (Daniel 9:4-15; Ezra 9:6-7; Ezra 9:10).

Nehemiah also remembered God’s promises. If the people trusted God again, God would bring them back from *exile. If they obeyed God, he would bring them back to live in *Judah (Deuteronomy 30:1-5).

Nehemiah added that the *Jews were God’s special people. They had been slaves in a country called Egypt. But God is powerful. And God is kind. God had rescued them from Egypt. And Nehemiah was praying that God would rescue them again.

Nehemiah prayed to God for help. But he also wanted to do something himself, although he was far away from *Judah. He was working in the palace of the king of Persia. That king was very powerful. He ruled many countries, including *Judah. So, Nehemiah’s job gave him an opportunity to speak to this great king. Nehemiah was very careful and he was very wise. He asked God to help him so that he could say the right thing to the king. But Nehemiah had to wait for 4 months before he got his opportunity. There are 4 months between the month called Kislev (Nehemiah 1:1) and the month called Nisan (Nehemiah 2:1).

Jews ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Or, just the people from the country called Judah.
Judah ~ the south part of the nation that belonged to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the death of King Solomon, the nation split into two, and Judah became a separate country. Then, the inhabitants were called Jews. Judah was also the name of a son of Jacob. God gave the region called Judah to this man’s (Judah’s) descendants.
introduction ~ the first section of a book. The introduction contains information that explains the contents of the book.
exile ~ a period when people cannot live in their own country. This period may be for many years.
Israel ~ the entire nation that belonged to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the death of King Solomon, the nation split into two. The northern part became a separate country, called Israel. Then, the inhabitants were called Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people from the country called Israel. But the word is sometimes used to mean the people who came from the country called Judah too.
Judah ~ the south part of the nation that belonged to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the death of King Solomon, the nation split into two, and Judah became a separate country. Then, the inhabitants were called Jews. Judah was also the name of a son of Jacob. God gave the region called Judah to this man’s (Judah’s) descendants.
Jews ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Or, just the people from the country called Judah.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jews ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Or, just the people from the country called Judah.
worship ~ to praise God and to give thanks to him; to show honour to God and to say that we love him very much. But some people worship false gods instead of the real God.
Judah ~ the south part of the nation that belonged to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the death of King Solomon, the nation split into two, and Judah became a separate country. Then, the inhabitants were called Jews. Judah was also the name of a son of Jacob. God gave the region called Judah to this man’s (Judah’s) descendants.
sacrifice ~ a gift to God by the Jews. They gave such a gift when they asked God to forgive their sins. The gift was often an animal or a bird. Sometimes people offered sacrifices to thank God for something.
Jews ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Or, just the people from the country called Judah.
sin ~ when people do bad things against God or other people; when people do not obey the commands of God.
Judah ~ the south part of the nation that belonged to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the death of King Solomon, the nation split into two, and Judah became a separate country. Then, the inhabitants were called Jews. Judah was also the name of a son of Jacob. God gave the region called Judah to this man’s (Judah’s) descendants.
Israelites ~ the people from the country called Israel. But the word is sometimes used to mean the people who came from the country called Judah too.
Israel ~ the entire nation that belonged to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the death of King Solomon, the nation split into two. The northern part became a separate country, called Israel. Then, the inhabitants were called Israelites.
Judah ~ the south part of the nation that belonged to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the death of King Solomon, the nation split into two, and Judah became a separate country. Then, the inhabitants were called Jews. Judah was also the name of a son of Jacob. God gave the region called Judah to this man’s (Judah’s) descendants.
Jews ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Or, just the people from the country called Judah.
sin ~ when people do bad things against God or other people; when people do not obey the commands of God.
prophet ~ someone who tells God’s messages; a person whom God sends to speak for him; someone who is able to tell the will of God to other people; someone who declares God’s words. However, some people were false prophets. These people pretended to speak God’s words. But really, their messages came from the devil, or from their own imagination.
Judah ~ the south part of the nation that belonged to the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After the death of King Solomon, the nation split into two, and Judah became a separate country. Then, the inhabitants were called Jews. Judah was also the name of a son of Jacob. God gave the region called Judah to this man’s (Judah’s) descendants.
Jews ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Or, just the people from the country called Judah.
descendant ~ a future member of a family.
Assyrians ~ people from the country called Assyria.
Babylonian ~ a person from the country called Babylonia, or anything with a relationship to Babylonia. The capital city of Babylonia was called Babylon.
Persian ~ a person from the country called Persia, or anything with a relationship to the country called Persia.
tower ~ a tall, strong building.
Jehovah ~ a special name for God. This name means that God is always God. And it reminds us about the special relationship between God and his people.