CHAPTER 1

1. He grieved because Jerusalem was in ruins.
2. He was the cup bearer to the king.

1. King Artaxerxes was king at that time.
2. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem.

1. To attack Jerusalem, cause confusion, and kill the builders.
2. Half kept watch while the other half worked. Some who worked also carried a weapon in one hand to protect themselves and worked with the other hand.

1. a. They were charging their brethren interest and taking their possessions when payment was not made. b. He pointed out to the people the unlawfulness of thier actions and had them restore everything to their brethren.

1. They threatened to tell the king that the Jews are rebelling against him and Nehemiah would be their king.
2. He knew that Shemaiah was hired by the adversaries to do him harm. Shemaiah was trying to cause him to sin by going into the temple. No lay person was allowed in the temple. This would have discredited Nehemiah among the Israelites.

1. a. Ezra the scribe. b. Ezra read from morning until midday from a platform above the people. c. Ezra read to give sense and meaning to the people of the statutes of God.
2. The people knew they were in sin and had not been doing any of the provisions of the law.
3. They made booths to live in for the Feast of Tabernacles.

1. a. They read for a fourth of the day. b. The prayed, confessed and worshiped for another fourth of the day.
2. They vowed to be servants of God again.

1. They were able to commit to a third of a shekel yearly. This was down from the original half shekel of the law (Ex. 30:13).
2. They cast lots yearly among the priests and the people.
3. This was done yearly.
4. The Levites received a tithe of all that was produced from the land.
5. They were to give a tithe (1/10) of what they received to the house of the Lord. The rest was for their own consumption.

1. The leaders dwelt at Jerusalem already. The rest of the poeple cast lots to choose one person out of ten to dwell in the city of Jerusalem.
2. Two large groups of singers and music makers (thanksgiving choirs) were stationed along two walls to give praise and thanks to God for their current blessings.

1. All the foreign people living among the Israelites were separated from them.
2. There would be no buying or selling with any people on the Sabbath.
3. He threatened to lay hands on them (do them harm).
4. He pronounced a curse on them, stuck some of them, and even pulled out the hair of some making them swear by God not to ever take any foreign wives.