While reading the book of Nehemiah, I took notes for the first time on an Old Testament book. I didn't know what I was missing out on before.
The main purpose for the notes was so my thoughts would be on paper to help me write a post (this post, in fact) looking at the key ideas in Nehemiah. Taking notes allowed me to see themes in the book of Nehemiah and understand the book as a whole like I never have before… and this post is the result. Read more to find out about themes I saw in Nehemiah.
Big ideas in the book of Nehemiah:
There were a few themes that tied the book of Nehemiah together. This list covers many of the book's themes but is by no means exhaustive.
Dependence on God. As mentioned in my post earlier this week, Why should you depend on God?, Israel was hopeless apart from God. He was their strength, and they could only win their battles and grow as a nation through Him. In Nehemiah, a group of Israelites that had returned to Jerusalem rebuilt the city's wall. They were able to do this by God's strength only, and they knew that. They had to be dependent on God to accomplish this great feat.
Purification. Throughout many of the Old Testament books in the Bible, there is a pattern of Israel disobeying God and being punished, then repenting and being forgiven. In Nehemiah, we see in detail how the Israelites have a change of heart and become closer to God. (Nehemiah 5, 8, 9, 10 & 11). They purify themselves by exiling foreigners among them, striving to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and praising God. Their purification was not in vain; they saw the rewards of it in the peace and holiness of the nation after they purified themselves.
Nehemiah's spirituality. Nehemiah was a man that knew and obeyed the Word of God. At the end of the book, he asks God to remember all the good he has done for His name. However, the good Nehemiah does not serve himself, but God and others. The Israelites having a leader that knew and feared God was a step necessary for them to become a nation that knew and feared God. Without good role models, we are often left confused about right and wrong.
All glory to God. The Israelites knew they were not able to rebuild the wall using their own strength, so they praised and glorified God when the work was accomplished. As they purified themselves, they knew that it wasn't to make much of themselves but to make much of God. He had brought them out of captivity. He had done great things for them and now, it was time for them to praise Him and serve Him in return.
Unity. The Israelites wouldn't have been able to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem without being united under a common purpose. People would have disagreed on how to rebuild it, they would have lost motivation, or something of the like. They wouldn't have been able to purify themselves completely, either, without being united under a common purpose. Mark 3:25 says "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand." The Israelites needed to get rid of division to accomplish what they did in Nehemiah. They likely wouldn't have agreed to get rid of the foreigners among them (some of which were their wives and children) without unity.
Separation from foreign nations. One of the major steps Israel took in purifying themselves and making themselves a nation holy to the Lord was separating themselves from foreign nations. They exiled foreigners so the nation would not be led astray by them. Surely enough, the Israelites’ idols and worship of foreign gods were not as big of a problem after they separated themselves from foreign nations. God knew what He was doing when He told Israel long ago to separate themselves from the rest of the world.
Application to Christian life today
Many of the themes stressed in the book of Nehemiah are also stressed in the New Testament and are applicable to the Christian life.
Dependence on God. We can do nothing good without God. Absolutely nothing. Even if we do something 'good' apart from God, it will not have the right motives. We are not in control of our lives; God is. God is sovereign and powerful. He is our provider. Just as Nehemiah and Israel understood these truths and depended on God for provision and strength to build the wall, we need to depend on God for every task.
Purification. The nation of Israel made themselves holy before God by separating themselves from foreign nations and repenting of their sin. Today, we are sanctified by Christ's blood only, but we still need to repent to be washed clean. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.” What do you need to repent of? Jesus will forgive you!
Spirituality. Nehemiah knew the Word. Nehemiah followed the Word. He was a spiritual example for His people. We must also know and follow the Word, and we must know and follow Christ. We can become more like Jesus by reading His Word and learning about Him. Nehemiah was a great example of a God-fearing man, but Christ is the perfect example. We must seek to imitate Him.
All glory to God. The Israelites knew they weren't able to build the wall around Jerusalem because of their own might, so they praised God when they finished it. Likewise, we aren't able to accomplish things because of our strength, but because of God's strength and providence. We should give all glory to God when good things happen in our lives, for "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17).
Unity. God accomplished great things through Israel when they were united. In the same way, God can accomplish great things through His church when we are united. We all have a common purpose: to serve Christ. We all have a common love: love for Christ. This should be enough to bring us together so we can serve the Lord to the best of our ability. The church is divided. We shouldn't be. We weren't called to resemble this divided world, but Heaven.
Separation from the world. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). It is conveyed clearly in the New Testament that Christians are called to be set apart from the rest of the world. But if we are called to be different, if we are different, why do we act like the rest of the world sometimes? Our actions and speech should reflect Christ, not the world. The way we love others should reflect Christ, not the world. People should know what Christ is like by looking at his church. Do we represent Him well?
It may be harder to look for applicable truths in Old Testament books like Nehemiah, but the book is still extremely important. Nehemiah is God-breathed like the rest of Scripture. Are you doing well in the 6 areas mentioned in this post?
In the comments, tell me: have you read Nehemiah? If so, what have you learned from the book?