We find Nehemiah’s prayer right away in chapter one. Nehemiah made his attempt thirteen years later. Chapters 7-10 then chronicle Ezra’s second attempt in 458 B.C. Zarubbabel and Joshua made the first attempt in Ezra 1-6 after their release from captivity. This was the third attempt to rebuild the city walls. This placed Nehemiah in the perfect position to lead the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls which had been destroyed under the Babylonians. The king fully trusted him, which makes sense since he had to trust his cupbearer with his life. Like Joseph and Daniel, Nehemiah attained great significance within the king’s palace by becoming the king’s closest confidant. (Fun fact: King Artexerxes’ stepmother was Queen Esther.) That was in his early days under King Artaxerxes and about 40 years after the Persian empire defeated the Babylonians. It was his job to taste the wine to make sure it wasn’t poisoned before allowing the king to drink it. ![]() Nehemiah is most often referred to as a cupbearer (though later he was appointed governor of Jerusalem for two terms). ![]() Because of his privilege, Ezra was able to detail Nehemiah’s activities based on the royal archives as well as Nehemiah’s personal diaries. He had rare access to the royal archives of the Persia empire at that time, which is evidenced several times in the book of Ezra. It’s very believable that Ezra wrote the book of Nehemiah because Ezra was a priest-scribe. In fact, the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate both call it “Second Ezra.” Though it’s written in first person, both Jewish and Christian traditions say Ezra was its author. Yes, there is a book called Nehemiah, and it comes right after the book of Ezra in the Old Testament. Who was Nehemiah, though? What was he praying about? How can we know his way of praying is effective for us today? Let’s go back into the Old Testament and discover who this remarkable man was and the example he left for us all. But, have you heard of Nehemiah’s prayer? Much like the Lord’s Prayer, Nehemiah’s prayer is structured in a particular way, but his prayer has much more depth and certain elements. If you’ve ever been to church, you probably know the Lord’s Prayer. Help us cling to You, not to the idols and other gods of this world.“O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant.” Nehemiah 1:11 Your mercy and grace abounds, even when hope seems lost. ![]() Thank you Lord for your faithfulness to us sinners, to the “exiled” among us. Lord, help us to encourage others to pick up their Bible, open it, and read it so that they may come to full knowledge of you. Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit continue His work through us, to encourage us to revisit Exodus and all of Sacred Scripture beyond Bible study so that we may come to understand You more and more. Through Exodus, Lord, we witness the history of our ancestors, enlightening us to how You always work through Your people for Your greater purpose. Thank you for this Bible study and bringing us here together to engross ourselves in Sacred Scripture. Here’s what I came up with alongside guidance from the Holy Spirit (Who deserves all the credit): I volunteered – like a bonehead – to give the closing prayer for tonight’s Exodus Bible study.
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