{"id":26161,"date":"2020-11-06T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T13:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2021\/01\/14\/preaching-on-nehemiah\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T16:15:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T16:15:47","slug":"preaching-on-nehemiah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-on-nehemiah\/","title":{"rendered":"Preaching on Nehemiah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Historical Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nehemiah is the last historical book of the Old Testament. Although the Book of Esther appears after Nehemiah in the canon, the events in Esther occurred in the time period between Ezra 6 and 7, between the first and second returns of the people to Israel. The prophet Malachi was a contemporary of Nehemiah. Ezra was also Nehemiah\u2019s contemporary. Some believe that the two books were originally a single unit, and that Ezra wrote both accounts. The use of the first-person in Nehemiah favors identifying him as the author. It is also possible that Ezra used Nehemiah\u2019s diary, quoting directly from it, in compiling the books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story of Nehemiah occurs around 446 BC. Although God\u2019s people had lived in the Promised Land for centuries, Judah was no longer in the land by the time Nehemiah was born. Because of the nation\u2019s disobedience, God allowed the Babylonians to conquer Judah in 586 BC. The enemy empire destroyed the city of Jerusalem, captured most of the citizens, and took them 1,000 miles away to Babylon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 140 years between the destruction of Jerusalem and the story of Nehemiah, the events in the books of Daniel and Esther took place. The Babylonian Empire itself was conquered by the Persians. Some Jews were allowed to return and try to fix up the temple and the city of Jerusalem. That\u2019s where Nehemiah\u2019s story begins. He has grown up as a captive in an enemy kingdom. He lived in the royal city of Susa, under the rule of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. He has a position of responsibility and trust as the cupbearer to the king. When one of Nehemiah\u2019s brothers and some friends return from a trip to the homeland, Nehemiah asks about the condition of Jerusalem. He wanted to hear about the success of the group who had returned to restore and rebuild. But the news was not good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chart: Preaching Through Nehemiah<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We know the weekly grind of sermon prep is hard, whether you are in the midst of series or planning a new series. Trying to find key verses you need to highlight in your sermon, finding the historical background to the book, discovering the flow\/structure of book, and even figuring out what is the theme of each section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why we created this chart! This chart is designed to\u00a0save you time<\/strong>\u00a0as you prepare to preach a new sermon series from the Book of Nehemiah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will find a quick visual overview of the movement of the Book of Nehemiah. It will help orient you and your hearers as you preach through the entire book or sections of the book. It provides, at a glance, one way to divide the book into pericopes. The chart includes key verses in the book, an overarching title for the book, the overall message of the book, and some historical background. It is color-coded to highlight certain defining aspects of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chart could be used as a slide in your church service. It could serve as an introduction to a new series or a weekly check-in before you begin preaching. It could even be printed out and given to the members of your church, as a resource to help them grasp the message of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/span>
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Sermon Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my doctoral project on the hermeneutics of Hebrew narrative, I note the danger of forcing a methodology on narrative material that is better suited for other genres. Narrative demands unique treatment; a method that is not necessarily linear or syllogistic. Several common mistakes made by preachers include: obscuring the story with embellishments, suppositions, and unnecessary conjecture; inappropriate emphasis on a minor detail, character, or theme; and failing to select enough text. The failure to select enough text often gives birth to the other mistakes. It fragments the story and leads to wrong assumptions of the point of the story. While chapter divisions do not always follow narrative flow perfectly, they are frequently a good guide to scene and subject changes. With that in mind, these outline examples largely reflect Nehemiah\u2019s 13 chapter divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example A<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Text: Nehemiah 1:1-11<\/h2>\n\n\n\n