Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month

of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2

Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men,

and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the

exile, and also about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Those who

survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble

and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates

have been burned with fire.” - (NIV84)

Ezra 9:8 “But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the

Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has

given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes

and granted us some relief from our slavery. 9 For we were slaves,

but in his unfailing love our God did not abandon us in our slavery.

Instead, he caused the kings of Persia to treat us favorably. He revived

us so we could rebuild the Temple of our God and repair its ruins. He

has given us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

Yearning to remove disgrace from Zion

1. God planted the desire to act into Nehemiah’s heart

2. The calamity of broken walls destroyed God’s work

3. Nehemiah motivated his people to start building

4. Focus and vision was required to defeat opposition

5. Ezra’s call for repentance and declaration of grace