Nehemiah rebuilds the wall of Jerusalem

INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE

By Maike Byrd

IMAGINE this: Your hometown has been destroyed by war. Most of the people are gone. And those who are left are in great trouble and despair. This was the situation in Jerusalem. The holy city in the land of Judah was in shambles. Its wall had been torn down by the Babylonians, and many of the Hebrew people were living in captivity.

Nehemiah was one of them. He had a high position in the royal court as cupbearer for the Persian King Artaxerxes. When Nehemiah received news of the problems in Jerusalem, he was very sad. With all his heart he prayed to God to help his people. Nehemiah knew that the wall of the city needed to be repaired so that Jerusalem and its people could become strong again. But how could he help? And would the king ever let him go? The book of Nehemiah in the Bible tells us what happened.

Before Nehemiah took any steps to help his people in Jerusalem, he prayed. Later when King Artaxerxes noticed that Nehemiah looked sad, he wanted to know why. Nehemiah told him about Jerusalem. Then, after he had prayed to God, he asked the king for permission to go to Jerusalem and build up its walls. The king kindly permitted him to go and even appointed him governor of Judah.

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