Biblical Theology Insights on Nehemiah From the creation of Adam in Genesis to the final page in Revelation, the Bible

tells us about God. The God it tells us about is a God who desires exclusive, intimate relationship and fellowship with His creation, primaril those of His creation who bear His image. The Bible also tells us that this God is a !ust and righteous God who disciplines His image"bearing creations because He loves them and is !ealous for them. #t reveals to us that He is a merciful and loving God who restores those of His image"bearing creations when the repent and call upon Him. The account found in the boo$ of %ehemiah is a culmination of these three themes in the &ld Testament' covenant, exile, and restoration. # sa culmination because it is the historical account of God fulfilling His prophesies to His image"bearing creations immediatel prior to the climax of His redemptive process' His son, (esus )hrist. #n %ehemiah, God*s covenant relationship with #srael is referred to three times in two different pra ers. The first time is in +', when %ehemiah had !ust received word about the state of his $insmen in (erusalem. He pra ed to God, almost verbatim, the words of -oses in .euteronom /'0, 1And # said, 2& 3&R. God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep His commandments4*5+ The second and third times God*s covenant relationship is referred to is in the pra er of repentance b the (ews in (erusalem after 67ra read to them the law. #n 0'8, the recall God*s covenant with Abraham 1to give to his offspring the land of the )anaanite, the Hittite, Amorite, the 9eri77ite, the (ebusite, and the Girgashite.5 And in 0':;, li$e %ehemiah, the people of (erusalem pra bac$ to God His .euteronom /'0 identit of $eeping covenant and steadfast love.

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#n all three instances, God*s faithfulness is recogni7ed and proclaimed which is the whole point of covenant' God is faithful in $eeping His covenants with us even when we are not. #n fact, human unfaithfulness also shows up as a theme through the Bible. For the (ews in (erusalem during the time of %ehemiah, the reali7ation of their own unfaithfulness is what caused them to mourn and weep after hearing the law read to them.; #n their pra er of repentance in chapter nine, the recited bac$ to God His faithfulness to their forefathers despite their forefathers* unfaithfulness. The referred to their forefathers* acts of unfaithfulness b sa ing 1the stiffened their nec$.5: <tephen*s sermon in Acts / is interesting because he also recited God*s faithfulness to tr and show the 9harisees and (ews of his time their own unfaithfulness despite God*s faithfulness. He even used similar terminolog B stiff"nec$ed.A This is the ver same terminolog used b God Himself in 6xodus :;'0 to describe the unfaithful and stubborn nature of His own covenant people. This theme of covenant and God*s faithfulness despite human unfaithfulness is found throughout the Bible and is best explained as 1#t is God*s covenant in that it is conceived, devised, determined, established, confirmed, and dispensed b God himself, who often sa s, 2# will establish m covenant with ou.*5, (ust li$e in %ehemiah, the rest of the Bible tells us that God is not onl proactive in His covenant relationship with us, but He is the pursuer and initiator also. #n Genesis ;, God created humanit , in Genesis : He pursued them after the sinned, and He established a covenant with them. #n Genesis C"0, God pursued %oah, called him, saved him and his famil , and established a covenant with him. )ontinuing with Abraham, -oses, and .avid, God pursued them, called them, saved them, and established covenants with them.
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%ehemiah records the same occurrences. God pursued %ehemiah via his brother D%ehemiah +'+" :G, He called him D+'A";'8G, saved him from ph sical harm and death DC'+"+AG, and in a wa God made a covenant with %ehemiah regarding the completion of the walls of (erusalem D;'+/";@G. The boo$ of %ehemiah can be split into two halves, each one mirroring the other. The first half of the boo$ D+"/'+"AG deals with %ehemiah and his own relationship with God, while the second half D/',"+:':@G deals with the (ews of (erusalem and their relationship as a whole with God. <o, !ust as we have seen God*s pursuing, calling, saving, and covenanting with %ehemiah, we also see the same with the (ews of (erusalem. God pursued them via %ehemiah and 67ra D8'+"8G, called them D8'0"+;G, saved them from their sins D0 and +:G, and renewed His covenant with them D0':8"+@':0G. Ta$ing a step bac$, we can put the account of %ehemiah in its proper place and context within the overall stor of God*s redemptive process recorded throughout the entire Bible. Ee must remember that %ehemiah is the last historical account of the &ld Testament. After it, chronologicall , comes the 1inter"testament5 period where historical events happened but it is the closing chapter of God*s pre")hrist covenants with #sraelF specificall the covenant He made with -oses when He gave #srael His law as their outward sign of being in covenant with Him. #n .euteronom /'C"++, -oses exhorts the tribes of #srael to remember their calling from God, His covenant with them, His laws to them, and His faithfulness among them. He also warns them that God 1will not be slac$ with one who hates Him. He will repa him to his face. Hou shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that # command ou toda .5C Ehat -oses was exhorting the people to was covenant"faithfulness and relationship with God. As #srael progressed through histor , we can observe that the were not faithful in their covenant or relationship with God. The boo$ of (udges records the legac of #srael*s
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unfaithfulness, God*s pursuit of them through the !udges, His call on them, their repentance, His deliverance and restoration, and their falling bac$ into unfaithfulness. #t is the same from the boo$s of <amuel through the end of <econd )hronicles. At first glance, it appears that God merel reacts to His peoples* sin, but we must consider that He was in fact setting the stage for His grand plan of ultimate covenant' (esus )hrist. This is made evident b the countless prophesies that He gave to His people throughout the Bible. 9rior to their exile, God sent prophets such as #saiah, (eremiah, and 67e$iel to pursue #srael and call them to repent of their unfaithfulness. 6ven in 3eviticus, some 8@@ ears before the exile, God prophesied and promised that although He would scatter His people 1among the nations5 as a result of their unfaithfulness, He would not 1abhor them so as to destro them utterl 5 and brea$ His covenant with them./ God also prophesied and promised that if His unfaithful people 1confess their iniIuit and the iniIuit of their fathers in their treacher that the committed against me, and also wal$ing contrar to me, so that # wal$ed contrar to them and brought them into the land of their enemiesJif then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and the ma$e amends for their iniIuit , then # will remember m covenant with (acob, and # will remember m covenant with #saac and m covenant with Abraham, and # will remember the land.58 #n light of that, it should not surprise us when we read in %ehemiah that %ehemiah himself and the people of (erusalem confess their own sins, the sins of their fathers and forefathers, and then call on God*s covenant"faithfulness. %ehemiah is the recorded account of God fulfilling His prophecies of exile and restoration, and again demonstrating His faithfulness

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in covenant"relationship. The historical events during %ehemiah are also the springboard from which He will begin the next chapter of His process of redemption. The prophet -alachi was a contemporar of both 67ra and %ehemiah, and it is accepted b Bible scholars toda that he ministered to the people of (erusalem during the time when %ehemiah returned to <usa in 9ersia to give an account to $ing Artaxerxes. Keeping that in mind, -alachi ministered to (erusalem after the (ewish people had heard the law read to them b 67ra, which spar$ed a mass revival bac$ to covenant"faithfulness. -alachi*s boo$ starts out with God reminding the people of (erusalem of His exclusive love for them.0 #t then addresses the sins of the priests which was the offering of blemished animals to God in their sacrifices.+@ This sin is most li$el related to the sin that %ehemiah recorded in +:'A"/ when he returned from <usa and found the high priest engaged in corrupt dealings with a non"(ew. Through -alachi, God then rebu$es the priests for their failure to teach and instruct the people of (erusalem, and He charges them with being unfaithful to the covenant He made with their forefather 3evi.++ God then shifts His rebu$e to the whole remnant of (udah and charges them also with being unfaithful, and He warns them, 1<o guard ourselves in our spirit, and do not be faithless.5+; <$ipping ahead to the last part of -alachi, God rebu$es His remnant in (erusalem for robbing Him of their offerings and for their becoming disgruntled with covenant" obedience.+: These same things we find recorded in the last chapter of %ehemiah when he D%ehemiahG found that the people had not been giving their tithes and offerings, were not observing the <abbath, and were marr ing foreign women.+A

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>nfortunatel , within the 7oomed"in events pertaining to %ehemiah we see the same t pical #srael. .espite God returning them from exile, pursuing them and calling them via %ehemiah and 67ra, bringing them to repentance and revival, and renewing His covenant with them, the people of (erusalem fell once again into unfaithfulness. But God, maintaining His own faithfulness, closed His final chapter of pre"(esus covenant"relationship with a pursuit and a calling. Through -alachi, God once again prophesied and promised' 1Behold, # send m messenger, and he will prepare the wa before me L(ohn the Bapti7erM. And the 3ord whom ou see$ will suddenl come to His templeF and the messenger of the covenant in whom ou delight L(esusM, behold, He is coming45+, This was God promising to et again, pursue His people. &nl this time, He would pursue them as one of their ownF a man of flesh and blood. Before we move forward to see how %ehemiah ties into the %ew Testament, let us loo$ at some smaller details within %ehemiah and -alachi to see !ust how detailed God was in setting His stage. #n %ehemiah, God called the people of (erusalem to a revival of the law He had given to #srael through -oses. >p to this point in their histor , the people of #srael had been unfaithful in that the did not consistentl obe the law. This is especiall apparent in regards to the Feast of Booths, which %ehemiah said the had not observed since the da s of (oshua son of %un.+C .uring (esus* ministr , His biggest opponents were the 9harisees who were so caught up in observing the law of -oses that the completel missed the point of the law. Also in %ehemiah, we read how God rebu$ed the people of (erusalem for marr ing non"(ews, and for associating and dealing with non"(ews.+/ .uring (esus* ministr , the (ews were extremel ethnocentric. Again in %ehemiah, God rebu$ed the people of (erusalem for not $eeping the <abbath.+8 &n more than one occasion, (esus and His disciples were accused of brea$ing the <abbath. Finall ,
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from -alachi, God propheticall curses the priesthood' 1But ou have turned aside from the wa . Hou have caused man to stumble b our instruction. Hou have corrupted the covenant of

3evi, sa s the 3&R. of hosts, and so # ma$e ou despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as ou do not $eep m wa s but show partialit in our instruction.5+0 .uring (esus* ministr , the 9harisees were exceedingl partial in their instructions and as a result were in a love?hate regard b the ma!orit of both (ewish and gentile societies. Thus, we see that in %ehemiah*s time the priesthood was reprimanded because the perverted the law b neglecting it. #n (esus* time, the 9harisees perverted the law b becoming self"righteous in regards to it. This again shows man*s unfaithfulness to God*s covenant and inabilit to uphold it of our own power. To full understand how %ehemiah ties into the %ew Testament other than historicall , which we have alread seen, and how it is relevant for us toda , we need to $eep in mind God*s word to the (ews in (erusalem during %ehemiah*s time' 1# the 3&R. do not change.5;@ This means that His covenant"love of pursuit, calling, saving, and restoring do not change either. 9rior to (esus* earthl ministr , God pursued #srael via (ohn the bapti7er. Through his ministr and b the power of the Hol <pirit, God called His people to repentance in preparation for His new and final covenant. His new covenant fulfills all the obligations of His previous covenants through the life, death, and resurrection of His son (esus. As in %ehemiah, God pursues, calls, saves, and restores us through (esus and b the power of the Hol <pirit. <adl , as in %ehemiah and the rest of the Bible, we are so often unfaithful after experiencing God*s covenant"love. This is where the gospel and epistles come into pla . The gospel serves as the law did in %ehemiah in that it

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reveals to us our unfaithfulness. However, unli$e the law, the gospel also reveals to us our salvation and restoration. All the while, the epistles serve as the prophets and priests in that the explain to us the relevanc and applicabilit of the gospel in our ever da lives. (ust as God wor$ed through %ehemiah and 67ra using the law to lead the people of (erusalem to spiritual revival, so does He wor$ through (esus b the Hol <pirit using the gospel of His new covenant to lead us to spiritual revival. He also uses men, !ust as in %ehemiah 8'/"0a, to go among us and read from God*s word 1clearl 5 to give us the 1sense5 of it so that we might understand it.;+ All the while God is also protecting us from spiritual harm while we labor for His $ingdom !ust as He protected %ehemiah and the people of (erusalem while the labored.;; 3i$e in %ehemiah, when we fall into unfaithfulness, we can trust that God will pursue us and call us to repentance, after which He will deliver us from our state of unfaithfulness and restore us bac$ to Himself. Finall , unli$e %ehemiah, we do not wait for God*s 1messenger of the covenant5;: because He has alread come and fulfilled His earthl ministr of fulfilling God*s law and bringing God*s exclusive covenant"love to us that we might proclaim it to those around us.

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