Veritas Card #16 (Green) - Nehemiah and the Jewish Return - Nehemiah
Nehemiah was one of the highest ranking officials in the Medo-Persian court. He was also cupbearer to the king. He led another expedition of the Israelites back to Israel. This took place ten years after the initial return of the exiles that were under Ezra. Also, it is possible that the queen of Nehemiah 1 is Esther, to whom Nehemiah was advisor.
Nehemiah had a strong desire to go back to Israel, his homeland. He had been away for a while during the exile. He had heard about the plight of the Jews that had already gone back to Jerusalem, and this caused him to want to return as well. But Nehemiah was very concerned about how King Artaxerxes would respond to his request, should he ask him. Would the king be favorable or would he become angry or indifferent? Would Artaxerxes support his intentions or would it be a waste of time for Nehemiah to ask him? So, Nehemiah went to the Lord in prayer about this and asked God to give him favor with the king. God did grant his request and not only did the king agree to allow him to return to Jerusalem, but he also funded the whole event! When Nehemiah did return, he and his fellow Jews worked very hard to build a wall around the city, and they got it done in 52 days!
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