In Nehemiah, we learned how the Israelites rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem. We also learned how to rebuild our broken spiritual wall by using Nehemiah’s blueprints. Each chapter was part of the whole blueprint.

Chapter 1: "Good Grief" Prayer and Repentance Dating back to the history of the Israelites, Nehemiah is in the time and place where God plans to use him. He calls Nehemiah by putting Jerusalem on his heart, just as Jesus had a heart for Jerusalem. When Nehemiah heard, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire,” he sat down and wept. Nehemiah had it on his heart to restore the wall around the Jerusalem and end the reproach of their enemies. His first order of business was prayer.

Chapter 2: "On the Move" Nehemiah’s journey takes him to Jerusalem’s burned gates and the broken wall of reproach. Just as Nehemiah assessed the wall, we are encouraged to assess our spiritual wall to see if it needs repair. Plus when Nehemiah explained his plan to restore the wall, the nobles and leaders and priests were all for it. “So they said, 'Let us rise up and build.’ Then they set their hands to this good work.”

Chapter 3: "God's Assignments"  Just as the work begins, opposition is right on the heels of rebuilding. Opposition means we must be on the right track if the enemy is worried. Nehemiah handed out work assignments and one of the first things finished was the Sheep Gate which the High Priest consecrated. Impressive that Jesus went through this gate on His way to Golgotha.

Chapter 4: "Healing" Rubble, Rubbish, and Trash threaten to slow down the project. Enemies and conspiracies on every side. Verses 19-20 are my all-time favorites, the ones I refer to as my miracle verses. “Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, ‘The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.’” God is with us.

Chapter 5: "When the Gate Breaks" One conspiracy after another. If I were Nehemiah, I’d be pulling out my hair. The workers are overworked, and now this: And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. Nehemiah sympathized with the people and was angry they had been oppressed by their own countrymen. He declared the Year of Jubilee.

Chapter 6: "The Great Conspiracy" The Wall is finished, but the enemy isn’t. Verse 9 is a great verse to remember when you feel knocked down. ”They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’ But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’” 

Chapter 7: "Neighborhood Watch" Halfway there. We switch gears to prepare for the dedication and Feast of the Tabernacles. “Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return . . .” And why was genealogy so important to the Israelites?

Chapter 8: "Jesus Came Down" The Feast of the Tabernacles has the people weeping after Ezra the Scribe reads the Book of the Law of Moses. They know they’ve disappointed God. Nehemiah tells them “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep . . . The joy of the LORD is our strength.”  The people have repaired the physical wall; now God is preparing them to restore their spiritual wall.

Chapter 9: "Jesus Between the Lines" The Levites’ Psalm is a beautiful narrative about the relationship and connection between the Israelites and the LORD. If the Israelites are repeat offenders, then God is the repeat defender. The Spirit referred to in the Old Testament is the same Spirit of truth that Jesus promised to send to teach us. In Vs. 20, the Levites praised God for sending His Spirit. 

“You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them . . .”

Chapter 10: "The New Covenant" We learn about church leadership and management which is summed up in one sentence. “And we will not neglect the house of our God.” (Neh. 10:39) The Israelites sign a new covenant promising to clean up their act and follow God’s law. When people make and sign a new covenant, it’s only a matter of time before they break it. When God makes a covenant, He keeps it. Jesus is the New Covenant.

Chapter 11: "The Dwellers" A good lesson on blessing each other. The Outside Dwellers become Indwellers in order to re-populate Jerusalem, “And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.” Be a blessing.

Chapter 12: "Come Together" Worship is re-established by Nehemiah with the help of his friends. “Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps.” The dedication ceremony is heard far away, thanks to two choirs and many instruments in keeping with King David’s command.

Chapter 13: "An Enemy Comes A-Courtin’" Nehemiah stands up for God when he discovers the Israelites had let things go in his absence. Nehemiah restores the temple, and really shakes up things. “Remember me, O My God for good!”