Synopsis: This book, along with the companion book, Ezra, records the return of the Jews to their land and the rebuilding of the wall and the Temple in the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was employed as a high servant of King Artaxerxes who gave him time off from his duties to return to Jerusalem and help the returning Jews rebuild their city. He faced many challenges including treacherous individuals who had a political agenda and who wanted to harm him so that the construction project would not be completed. He was a very intelligent man who used the law to accomplish his goals. He was also a man who understood mankind’s nature and who understood his enemies.
Chapters 1-2 records Nehemiah’s commission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and his return to Judah.
Chapters 3-6 is about the opposition Nehemiah faced, how he overcame it, and the completion of the work he went to supervise.
Chapters 7-13 is about reorganizing government and setting up protective measures against offenders desiring to stop the occupation of the land by the Jewish people.
Key Verse: …Be not ye afraid of them: remember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. Nehemiah 4:14