There is hope for those who have wandered from God

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. Yet, you can read in the Old Testament that they consistently disobeyed God and went after the gods of other nations. They left God and began to do as the heathen nations did. This resulted in a separation of God from His people. 

God will not stay with a people who purposely pursue other gods and do those very things that they have been instructed not to do. 

Nehemiah 1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 

Nehemiah 1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

Rejected

In the text, we see the people of God after they rejected God and suffered at the hands of oppressors. What is it that they desired to do? They desired to return to God and to their homeland. 

Sadly, at that time, Jerusalem was in a state of disrepair and disgrace. The protective barriers and points of entry were vulnerable to the enemy. Unfortunately, when a people forget God and turn their backs on Him, it will always result in devastation. 

Amidst all of that bad news, know that when God is involved, He will make a way whereby you may be restored. 

That is what happened concerning the remnant of men who were left in Jerusalem, and they were able to communicate their concerns to Nehemiah. 

Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer. 

Nehemiah remained faithful to God and the king. 

Nehemiah was therefore a trustworthy person to be used of God for the restoration of Jerusalem.  

 Nehemiah was the son of Hachaliah. His father’s name means “Jehovah is hidden”. The name Nehemiah means “Jehovah hath consoled”. What a consolation indeed. 

Even when God is hidden in one generation it is possible that God will be revealed and show up in the next generation. 

Consolation

Not only that, but also recognize that God was going to use Nehemiah to bring about consolation, or comfort, or relief. 

Nehemiah 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.

Jerusalem would be rebuilt. An honourable Nehemiah would lead Jerusalem through the process of restoration. 

The remnant of Israelites hails from the tribe of Judah. Judah means praise. 

Sadly, they had lost their praise. They had lost their zeal and their hope. Whenever a people lose their ability to praise, then the result will be broken fellowship with God. Hence, spiritual walls had been broken down. 

The state of the walls and the gates of Jerusalem are a perfect picture of the state of the relationship between God and His people, the Israelites. It is also the state of the relationship between God and many people today. The walls are broken down. There is danger of total destruction. 

Yet, the text lets us know that God will always have Nehemiah-types, who can step in, intercede, and give instructions, which will result in restoration. As long as there are men and women of God who are faithful servants, then there will be hope for those who had wandered far from God. RESPICE FINEM.