Nehemiah hears about the plight of the Jews who have returned to Jerusalem. Apparently they had no protection for the city because the wall had never been rebuilt. This greatly troubles Nehemiah to the point where he weeps and mourns for days. I admire the compassion he has for his fellow countrymen. It is so easy for us to find out about the difficulties faced by others around the world with the internet, yet very rarely is our reaction as compassionate as Nehemiah’s. I know I used to be part of an email list that sent out updates about Christians who were facing persecution or suffering in different parts of the world. Not once did I weep or mourn for days.
I found it interesting that he prays for forgiveness for the sins of his nation. For me that seems like he is taking on the responsibility and blame for those sins, which I think the more common reaction is to say, “I’m not as bad as this person” or “I’m not doing this thing that you see on the news.” Nehemiah has a very good perspective of God on a macro-level. Another example of this is his belief that God has already fulfilled His promise to exile the entire nation of Israel. The Old Testament generally shows that God is not just the Lord over your individuals situations, but that he moves governments and kingdoms as He pleases to suit His purpose. Nehemiah believes that God can do this again by granting mercy in the sight of “this man” whom we find out is the king.
I love the way this chapter ends because it’s very cliffhanger, Dan Brown-novel like. We find out that Nehemiah is in a good position to make a difference with his proximity to the king. The cliffhanger is…will he. I think the guys who added the chapters and numbering in the Bible did a good job here.