The History Behind Nehemiah

When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, Judah lost its political independence, and many citizens were taken into exile. The holy city lay in ruins with the temple plundered and burned. But the exiles could have been treated worse. In Babylon, they were able to keep their Jewish identity, worship their God, and sometimes even own homes and businesses.

King Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 BC, and Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the empire in 539 BC. He decreed that the exiles could return home and rebuild the temple. However, the project remained unfinished until Darius came to the throne. His grandson, Artaxerxes, sent Ezra to Jerusalem to repair the temple that had already fallen into disrepair because he believed a strong Jewish community in Israel would serve as a buffer from Greek invaders that threatened. But when he made a treaty with Greece and a buffer was no longer crucial, he stopped favoring the Jewish relocation.

The wall around Jerusalem was in worse shape than the temple when Nehemiah comes to our attention. As the king's cupbearer, he had the ear of the king and asked permission to repair the walls around Jerusalem. Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem about 75 years after the temple rededication and 13 years after Ezra began his ministry there. Nehemiah had Artaxerexes' permission to rebuild the walls and serve as governor, but he found stiff opposition from Sanballet, the governor of Samaria, and others. Amidst growing hostility and attacks, Nehemiah still managed to rebuild the wall in just 52 days. He remained in Jerusalem for 12 years before returning to Artaxerxes as promised. He became governor of Jerusalem one more time and brought significant reforms to the city during his two administrations. God is faithful to those who seek Him.

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