Nehemiah Builds the Wall

Nehemiah was a Jew who was also the trusted cupbearer of Persian King Artaxerxes II. A remnant had returned to Jerusalem more than a hundred years earlier but the city walls were still not finished and the situation was bleak. Artaxerxes offered to help by sending Nehemiah with soldiers and letters of credit to supervise the rebuilding.

He inspected the broken walls and divided the project into 29 parts with a work crew being assigned to each section. Three regional Persian governors did not want to see Jerusalem restored and threatened the use of military force.

Nehemiah’s primary weapon was prayer, but he also armed his workers against their adversaries. In this way they were able to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah had a strong zeal for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was faithful in leadership, knowing that the same God which had called him to service would also see him through to the end.