Nehemiah 2
The long journey to Jerusalem was safely made by Nehemiah and his helpers and guards. But Nehemiah did not tell anyone at first that he had come to help build up the city; he wanted first to find out for himself how badly the big stone walls were broken.
So at night he took a few servants and started to ride around the outside of the city wall. Perhaps it was moonlight, for he viewed the broken walls and saw there were no gates. At one place his horse, or mule, could not get any farther so he turned hack and came into the city.
We do not know how far it was around the walls; since that time they have again been broken down and changed; but there must then have been several miles of walls, which had once been great and strong.
Nehemiah had found there was much work needed to repair the holes in the walls, and to clear away the heaps of rubbish, which had been left so many years, and which must have made disorder in the streets. But he was not discouraged, instead, he told the men of the city his plan to rebuild those walls and gates, saying to them, “Come, let us build up the walls of Jerusalem that we be no more reproach”, which meant no more a dishonor to God. The men were very willing to start the work then, for you know it is much easier to work when someone says, “Come, let us help!”
We now can read how well they built, for this work was so important that Nehemiah made a careful record, and God has kept it in the Bible.
What kings had built much of the strong walls of Jerusalem? (See 1 Kings 9:1515And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. (1 Kings 9:15); 2 Chronicles 32:55Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance. (2 Chronicles 32:5), and 33:14).
When had the walls and city been so badly destroyed? (See 2 Chron. 36:17-2017Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 18And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. 19And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 20And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: (2 Chronicles 36:17‑20)).
ML 12/17/1939