The Man Who Changed the History of a Nation
Treasures
Our story takes place in the fifth century BC, during the time when Israel had been carried away into captivity as a result of their sin and rebellion against God (2 Chronicles 36:14–21). God did not abandon His people forever in exile, and after seventy years, they were allowed to return to their land as prophesied in Scripture (Jeremiah 25:9–13). In 537 BC, Cyrus of Persia allowed the Jewish people to return to Israel and begin rebuilding the city and temple.
During this time, Nehemiah was a servant in an honored position, that of royal cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. He spent most of his life in exile, but never wavered in his faith, and is a lasting testament of faithfulness to God and diligence in prayer.
When Nehemiah heard that Hanani and certain men of Judah had arrived from Jerusalem, a 700-mile journey, anxious for news about his people, he sent for them to come to the royal palace at Shushan. Hanani recounted the affliction, reproach, and suffering experienced by those who had returned from exile. The once great wall of the city was still broken down, the gates were burned with fire, yet no one had done anything to build it back (Nehemiah 1:1–3).
Upon hearing this, Nehemiah sat down and wept and mourned and continued fasting and praying before God for several days. He interceded for his people with heartfelt prayer: “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant that I now pray before You day and night” (Nehemiah 1:4–6).
Nehemiah went on to acknowledge that the plight of the people of Israel was due to their sin and reminded God of His promise to restore them: “Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make My name dwell there’” (Nehemiah 1:6–11).
The desire burned in Nehemiah’s heart to go to Jerusalem to help his people, and it became difficult for Nehemiah to hide his sorrow. When the king noticed the sadness of his normally cheerful servant, he asked, “What could it be that has caused you such sorrow of heart?” Nehemiah, in fear and trepidation, answered, “O king, how can I not be sad when I know that the city where my fathers are buried is in ruinous heaps, and my people are in great trouble?” (Nehemiah 2:1–3).
“Well then, how can I help you?” queried the king. Nehemiah sent up a quick prayer for wisdom. Taking the plunge, he requested that the king send him to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. The king thought for a moment, then responded, “How long will you be away?” And when Nehemiah gave him a specific time, the king granted his request, and his prayer was answered (Nehemiah 2:4–6).
Nehemiah’s diligence in serving the king for many years led Artaxerxes to consider his appeal with kindness and reward his faithfulness. Along with personal letters of recommendation, appointing Nehemiah as governor of Judah, the king authorized the keeper of the royal forest near Jerusalem to give him all the timber needed for construction of the gates of the fortress of the temple and the wall of the city, and for Nehemiah to build a house for himself. The king also sent along a small military escort for the long and hazardous journey (Nehemiah 2:7–9).
Arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah wisely inspected the wall under cover of night, as there were those in neighboring lands who would no doubt oppose any strengthening of Jerusalem’s defenses. Therefore, Nehemiah told no one of his intentions to fortify Jerusalen and rebuild the wall until he had a well-devised plan (Nehemiah 2:10–16).
Once he had devised a plan, Nehemiah called together the rulers, priests, and nobles of the city and told them how the “hand of God was upon him for good” to rebuild Jerusalem, and about the support he’d received from the king. And all the people shouted excitedly, “Let us rise up and build!” and so they began this good work (Nehemiah 2:17–18). Nehemiah’s faith and vision sparked a flame of new hope in the hearts of all who heard him. Before his arrival they had been downhearted and without direction, but now they came together to work toward a common goal.
However, there were enemies such as Sanballat the Horonite (a Samaritan) and Tobiah the Ammonite who were “greatly displeased that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel” (Nehemiah 2:10). Soon they launched a propaganda warfare to discredit Nehemiah’s leadership, accusing him of rebelling against the king by fortifying their defenses, an extremely serious charge.
But Nehemiah would not be intimidated. Instead, he replied with faith and conviction, “The God of heaven will give us success. We His servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it” (Nehemiah 2:19–20). At once Nehemiah organized the workforce by allotting a portion of the wall for each family to rebuild, confident that their goal would be reached, “for the people had a mind to work,” and they worked on it with all their heart (Nehemiah 4:6).
When Nehemiah’s enemies from the surrounding lands saw that the repairing of the walls was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they grew very angry and plotted together to fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion. Sanballat jeered at the Jews and in the presence of his brothers and the army of Samaria said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves?” (Nehemiah 4:1–2).
When Nehemiah heard of their intentions, instead of cowering, he called out to God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. He then took decisive action, arming the workers with swords, bows, and spears, and posting a 24-hour guard. “Do not be afraid of them,” he shouted. “Remember the Lord, your God, who is great and awesome—and fight for your people, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” (Nehemiah 4:7–14).
From then on, the workers did their work with their swords at their sides, and those who fetched building materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. So dedicated and vigilant was Nehemiah that he and his men even slept with their clothes on in case of any trouble (Nehemiah 4:15–23).
When it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah that the wall and the gates were nearly complete, they conspired against Nehemiah and dispatched a special envoy, saying, “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the Plain of Ono.” But Nehemiah knew that this invitation to talk peace was a trap to harm him. “I am doing a great work,” he replied, “and I cannot come down! Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:1–3).
Their enemy sent four more messages, but when Nehemiah still refused to meet them, they sent an open letter stating that “reliable sources” had informed them of his plans to rebel against the king, which was the real reason why he had fortified Jerusalem. If Nehemiah refused to negotiate with them, they threatened to report his “treasonous conduct” to the king.
Nehemiah perceived that this was a conspiracy to frighten them to stop work on the wall. Yet he remained steadfast in his faith and focused on his work, praying, “God, they’re trying to frighten us, thinking we are weakened by all our labor. But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” He then responded to them by saying, “No such things as you say have been done—you are inventing them out of your own mind” (Nehemiah 6:8–9).
True, the people had grown weary with building and the burden of moving all the rubble, coupled with the barrage of threats and misinformation of their enemies. But Nehemiah’s undaunted faith and perseverance held the men together. His secret was that he knew that this work was God’s work, and He would work on their behalf to complete this monumental project, upon which the future of Israel depended (Nehemiah 4:20).
Soon the seemingly impossible job of rebuilding the wall was completed—and in only 52 days! What utter jubilation filled the city when the gigantic wood and iron gates were finally mounted and shut. The same people who had been weary, discouraged, and without hope were now singing in the streets for joy that the work was finally done. “When all of the surrounding nations heard about this,” Nehemiah wrote, “they were afraid and lost their self-confidence, realizing that this work was done with the help of our God” (Nehemiah 6:15–16).
Because of Nehemiah’s faith and the obedience of the people, God poured out His Spirit upon the people in a tremendous spiritual awakening. The whole nation united together while the priests taught them from God’s Word. “And they read aloud from the Word of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read” (Nehemiah 8:8).
For seven days all the people spent each morning listening to God’s written Law and confessing their sins, making right their relationship with God. Everyone praised the Lord and counted the many blessings God had given them, despite their past sins and straying from His ways. But as they came to understand what God had intended for them and how they had strayed from His ways, they began to weep and lament for their past failures.
At this time, Nehemiah stood up before the great congregation and encouraged their hearts, saying, “Do not mourn or weep! Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks and give some to the poor who have nothing. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10). We read later in the book of Nehemiah that as the people committed to walk in God’s way, He made them to rejoice with such great joy that the rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away (Nehemiah 12:43).
This is an amazing true account of how one man’s faith changed the history of an entire nation, as he acted in prayer and faithfulness to fulfill God’s purposes. His determination not only preserved his people in his day, but more importantly, it preserved them as a nation for the coming of Jesus Christ a few hundred years later, when He would sacrifice His life for our eternal salvation and reconciliation with God. For “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished April 2025.
