Nehemiah #1: Chapter 1, Rebuilding the Wall — Stephen Kaung

This is December 2nd, 1973 in Richmond, Virginia. The ministry is being given through Brother Stephen Kahn.

Nehemiah’s Prayer for Jerusalem’s Ruins

Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity of being together. I'd like to read from Nehemiah. Let's read the first book of Nehemiah, chapter 1. It tells of Nehemiah, the son of Hecaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleh in the twentieth year, as I was in Sushen, the fortress, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah.

And I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, Those who remain that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach.

And the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat and wept and mourned for days, and fasted and prayed before the God of the heavens, and said, I beseech thee, Jehovah God of the heavens, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and keep his commandments.

Let an ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, confessing the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee, both I and my father's house have sinned.

We have acted very perversely against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances that are commanded by servant Moses. Remember I beseech thee the word that thou commandest, thy servant Moses saying, If ye act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the people.

But if ye return to me, and keep my commandments, and do them, though they were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

And they are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, now let an ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name.

And prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was the king's cupbearer. Because of the unfaithfulness of the children of Israel, God allowed them to be taken captive to Babylon.

The city of Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple was destroyed, and the people were carried beyond the river Euphrates to Babylon. After seventy years, according to what God had promised them through Jeremiah, even before this thing happened, this thing was coming, God through the prophet Jeremiah prophesied, saying they would be in the land of captivity for seventy years.

And after the seventy years were fulfilled, God will look upon them and will bring them back to Jerusalem. And we know that when King Cyrus came to the throne, he made a proclamation saying that whosoever of the people of God may now return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple.

Cyrus and the Prophetic Promise of Restoration

A Gentile king. Because the Babylonian Empire at that time was already conquered by Medo-Persia. And Cyrus was the second king in the Persian Empire. A king who did not know God, and yet could issue such a decree.

Through his prophet Jeremiah. We will ask, how can this be? Of course, we should not forget that in the Persian court, very close to the king, there was a man, Daniel. Daniel was taken captive in the very early days.

He remained in captivity, but he was, by God's sovereignty, made prime minister, not only in the days of the Babylonian Empire, but he was prime minister when King Darius was on the throne. So evidently, this man, Daniel, was very close to the court, to the Persian court.

And most likely it was through Daniel that King Cyrus was informed of another prophecy by Isaiah, several hundred years ago. In the book of Isaiah, God prophesied through his servants, saying, God has chosen Cyrus.

He named his name. Cyrus, you are my chosen servant. Even though you do not know me, but I know you. Open all the nations to you. You will conquer all the nations. And you will do my will. You will rebuild my temple.

That's in Isaiah 45 and Isaiah 44. Evidently, Daniel must have shared this prophecy of Isaiah with King Cyrus. Sure enough, all the nations were conquered by him, and even though he did not know God. But when he was told, several hundreds of years ago, God had already prophesied about him and named his name.

He could not help but try to be God's servant. So most likely, because of this, he wanted to do God's will, to show his gratitude and appreciation, so the decree went forth. Indeed, this proclamation was not coming from King Cyrus.

King Cyrus was just an instrument in God's hand. This decree came from heaven, from God. Come out of Babylon, return to Jerusalem, and rebuild. But unfortunately, only bonded to God's call and return.

The rest of the children of Israel were so contented with their lives in the land of captivity that they had no desire to go back to Jerusalem. They had built their houses. They had established their businesses.

They prospered in the foreign land. They lived comfortably. They had their synagogues. They did not care to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Only a remnant. We know this remnant returned, and by the grace of God, they rebuilt after quite a number of years.

Babylon, Jerusalem, and the Call to Return

Now, brothers and sisters, we mention this history because Old Testament history is given to us for our... God does not give us the history of Israel just for our interest, for interest in reading. History is given to us because God has something to say to us today.

He that has ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches. ...agree today in Babylonian. ...people is today in, but by God's grace and mercy, there is a call. And the call is, come out of Babylon.

Return. Rebuild the house. Today at lunchtime, I was in Columbus, and a few brothers, we went out for lunch together in order to talk. And this was one of the things we talked. What is Babylon? Babylon came from the word Babel, and Babel means Confucian.

Babylon represents the world. The world is a great Confucian, is a Confucian. Babylon represents the religious world, because the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt, which represents the world, as it is.

On the one hand, the granary of the world, everything you need, everything that can satisfy the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, that's Egypt. But on the other hand, the tyranny of Pharaoh, not even the hope to live, that is what the world is.

And by the grace of God, he has delivered us out of the world as it is. Thank God. We are delivered out of the world. But one day, the children of Israel went into Babylon. Out of the world, and went back to the world.

But not Egypt. Babylon in the scripture represents the religious world. God's people today is in captivity, not only to the world as such, but even to the religious world. What a confusion. The complicity and the confusion that God's people are in today.

And God's word to his people is, come out of Babylon. But not just come out, that's negative. Return to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the city of peace. The city of peace. Can you have peace? In the book of James, we find the wisdom that is from above is first, then peace.

I feel that Jerusalem represents the principle of the simplicity that is in Christ. Oh, how simple. How pure. God wants us to come out of the complicity and confusion that is in the world, even in the religious world.

And God wants us to return to the simplicity, that pureness that is in Christ. You know, this is what Paul desired for the believers in Corinth. Paul said, I have betrothed you to Christ, for you that you may be deceived from the simplicity which is in Christ.

And brothers and sisters, this is God's call to us today. Return to the simplicity that is in Christ. Why return? Not for our own, but for God's sake. The children of Israel were concerned. They were quite comfortable in the land of captivity.

They not only prospered physically, materially, but they had invented this great invention of the system of synagogues. They could worship God, perfect and satisfying because without the temple there could be no sacrifice.

And without the shedding of the blood there is no remission of sin. There is no salvation. But they had enough religious activities to appease their conscience. People want to live for themselves. They could live on in Babylon all their lives.

To return to Jerusalem is to return to a city that lies in ruin. There was nothing there. They want to live for God. Why must the temple be rebuilt? That there might be a place where God's name. You know, during this period in the Old Testament history, God is never called the God of the heavens and of the earth.

During that period, as you read the Bible, you'll find God is called the God of the heavens. But he is never called the God of the heavens and of the earth. He has lost. The heavens is God's. It is his throne.

The earth, it is supposed to. The earth belonged to him. But during that period, when the children of God were in captivity, God had no testimony of himself. Who were the vessel of his testimony on this earth?

The children of Israel. The nations did not know him. The children of Israel who testified to his name. It was the temple where his name was set. It was Jerusalem, the place he chose to set his name. But now the children of Israel were in captivity.

The city lay in ruin. The temple was destroyed. God had no name on earth. God had no testimony on earth. He was the God of heavens, but not the God of heavens and of earth, but a remnant. They were willing to leave everything.

They were willing to go back to nothing because they want to rebuild the temple. They want to honor. They want to sacrifice. They want to worship God. They want to serve God. They want to sacrifice. Dear brothers and sisters, God's people today are in captivity.

The testimony of Jesus is almost unheard of. And the perplexing to the simplicity that is in Christ. Gather together unto his name. Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst.

To worship him. To offer spiritual sacrifices to him. Lord Jesus may have a name. This random return. And in great difficulties, my burden tonight, here was just an introduction. History of the children of Israel.

Rebuilding the Temple and the Wall

In going back to Jerusalem for the restoration of the testimony. It included not only the rebuilding of the temple. It included also the rebuilding of the city. The rebuilding. In other words, the restoration was not complete with the rebuilding of the temple.

To be completed after the wall was rebuilt and the city was in the restoration. You know that from the first return of the revenant under Zerubbabel, till the time that Nehemiah set the city in order.

It took about a hundred years before Jerusalem was rebuilt. And the city was set in order. However, the restoration had only begun, had not completed. And you know, during that period, there was a danger, or even what they had done, would be completely pointed out by the rebuilding of the temple.

And what is meant by the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem? You find that the rebuilding of the temple, in one sense, represents the recovery of the life of God's people with God. Because the temple is the house of God.

And in the temple, their relationship with God was restored. Let us say that in the rebuilding of the temple, it was the recovery of the life of God's people with God. How our relationship with God needs to be recovered.

Not only individually, but corporately. You know, sometimes our personal relationship with God needs to be recovered. But there is something bigger than your personal life with God. The corporate life of the church, the corporate life of God's people, with God needs to be recovered.

How we can be as God's house, being built together as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. It is more than just a personal restoration.

There needs to be a collective expression that our life with God may be. This must be done first. But together with that, you find there is another recovery that must be. If you do not have that other restoration, the first restoration may again end up in nothing.

And that was the rebuilding of the wall. Because without the wall, the temple was exposed to the attack. Now what is represented by the recovery, restoration of the wall? I personally feel that the rebuilding of the temple represents the restoration of the life of God's people with God.

The rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem is the recovery of the life of God's people with one another. Because a city, number of people, dwelling together as one unit, living together as one is represented.

That surrounds dear brothers and sisters, I do believe that in these last days, God is much interested, very much concerned, that His people should be restored to Him. Restored to one another. Behold how good and how pleasant.

For the brethren to dwell together in unity. I think that's represented by the rebuilding of the wall. Not only a collective life with God, but a corporate life, the body life. God first created man and did a garden, a beautiful garden.

You may have visited many beautiful gardens, but I don't think any can be compared with the garden of Eden that are good to look at and good for food. God put man in that garden, to the garden, and sometimes I wonder, why did not God build a wall around that garden?

If God would only build a wall around that garden, then Satan would have never had a chance to slip in and deceive man. No wall. A beautiful garden without a wall. Enemy came in and destroyed man and the garden.

Why no wall? Because God told man, you are the wall. God can plant a garden, but God cannot build a wall by Himself. Why? Because He built the wall with man. But man did not cooperate with God. Man was careless, was not watchful, and the result was, not only man built the garden, but you read the last two chapters of the Bible, the holy city, the New Jerusalem.

So when you see the holy city, the New Jerusalem, brothers and sisters, what did you see? You see the wall. It was the first thing that would attract you. The holy city, the New Jerusalem, is a garden.

It's a garden city. Why? Because the tree of life is everywhere, is everywhere. But this garden city is walled. The state of Jasper, as the glory of God, Revelation chapter four, you'll find when John saw in a vision the glory of God on the throne, he looks like the Jasper.

Dear brothers and sisters, what is that wall? How is it made and built? Those who have received the life of Christ in there, those who yield themselves to Christ, those who allow the Holy Spirit in their lives, to incorporate, to organize Christ in there.

And as the Holy Spirit patiently works Christ in us, in us, in us, you'll find the wall begins to rise. It is your knowledge of Christ, living knowledge, experimental knowledge, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to you, to you He is incorporated within you.

And this becomes, a wall is a separation, all that are outside, and a wall will include all who are within the city. It's a separation. Dear brothers and sisters, separation of God's people from the world today.

Separation from the World and Unity in Christ

You cannot distinguish the world and the church today. There is no wall. But how do you build a wall? Not by laying down rules and regulations, saying that if you are Christian don't go here, don't go there, don't do this, don't go there, don't wear this, don't wear that.

Even if you don't do this, don't do that, don't go there, don't go here, or don't wear this, or don't wear that, you think you are out of the world, but you will discover one day the world is in you. It doesn't work.

The separation. The separation is the living knowledge of Christ. The more you know Christ, the more you are separate. Reach to heaven. The wall represents separation. It is separation. It is protection.

It keeps intact all that is behind. Dear brothers and sisters, if we are more separated from the world, we will be more united in Christ. Separation is a condition. It sounds strange. It may sound contradictory, but that's the truth.

Separated from one another will bring unity. From the world will bring us in one. Why God's people are so divided is because they are not separated from the world. Too much world. Only the world will be excluded.

And only Christ remains. Is Christ divided? Because of the wall. Those people who live behind the wall, they are one. All them together. That they may dwell together. How the lives of God's people. We need to be separated from the world.

That we may be united on the mountain. Here in this country, you do not see a wall city anywhere. I think. I haven't seen any. But back in China, you come to a city, the first thing you see is a wall.

Always remember, my home is in Shanghai. There is no more wall in Shanghai. But I study in Sichuan. And every time I travel on the train, going to school. The first thing that attracts my eyesight is the wall.

I see the wall. And I know. I'm right. Jesus is based on our life with God. Life with God is right. Then the testimony of Jesus is established. That is true. But the testimony of Jesus to the world must be more than that.

God's people must dwell together in unity. You remember our Lord Jesus in John chapter 17 said, Oh that they may be one. As I and my Father are one. Oh that they may be perfected in one. Why? That the world may know thou hast me.

Why is it the testimony of Jesus suffers today? Why is it the world cannot see the Lord Jesus? Why? Because God's people are not one. God's people are divided. God's people are in the world. And the world is in God's people.

There is no separation. And because of that, there is no wall. And as long as there is no wall, there is no public temple. Dear brothers and sisters, for this reason, the recovery must not only be the rebuilding of the temple, but it must be the rebuilding of the world.

Must be as a people. Underline it. Not only individually. Some people may have very sweet fellowship alive with God. Individually. But is there a corporate expression? You may be a very living stone. You build with other living stones to be a house.

Alive with God. And then alive with one another. I do believe in these days, exercising the heart of His people in these two areas. Open the book of Nehemiah. So far as time wise is concerned, it is 80 or 90 years after the first return.

Nehemiah’s Burden as the King’s Cupbearer

First return of the remnant under Zerubbabel. The cupbearer. The cupbearer to the king. Now today, we may think a cupbearer is a waiter. There is nobody. These days, the cupbearer is one of the highest officials in the court.

Why? Because in those days, those kings were tyrants. And tyrants were always afraid that people would murder them. Before they drink from the cup, the cupbearer would drink it first. And then hand it.

Must be such closeness between the cupbearer and the king. The cupbearer was the confidante of the king. A close friend of the king. The king, as it were, trusted his life to the cupbearer. And the cupbearer was willing to give up his life for the king.

Because if there was poison, he died. He died for the king. So there must be such intimate relationship between the king and the cupbearer. A trusted friend. A bosom friend. And Nehemiah was the cupbearer.

At that time, he was the highest court in the world. Because the Persian empire, it was the time of the Persian empire. And to be in the Persian court, and to occupy such a high position almost next to the king.

A life of comfort and luxury. There was no want whatsoever. He was a Jew. He was occupying such a position. And he was enjoying all that the Persian empire could offer. To be in Jerusalem, how can I prove it?

Because his brother Hananiah was in Jerusalem. Because he was the cupbearer. He was not free to go. He had to get permission from the king to go. But his heart, he was like Daniel. Even though Daniel was in Babylon, and yet his heart was in Jerusalem.

Every day, he opened a window towards Jerusalem and prayed three times. Dear brothers and sisters, where is your heart? You may be providentially placed somewhere else. But where is your heart? To be where you should be.

Jerusalem for the testimony of God. This is the place where... In Israel, Nehemiah couldn't go. But his heart, he was concerned with the conditions of the remnant. His brother Hananiah and some came back from Jerusalem for a visit.

And they brought back news to Nehemiah. Nehemiah was anxious to hear the news. What happened? Jerusalem, you remember, the temple was already built for 50 years or 55 years. But evidently, they were in such affliction and reproach because the city lay in ruin.

There was no wall. The gates were burned. There was no protection. They were surrounded by enemies. Even though there was the temple and yet it was exposed. And because of that, many who returned probably at that time had come back.

Because if you read carefully, Nehemiah said those who escaped and remained, probably many who at first went to Jerusalem to be where God wanted them to be. And then it became so difficult they got so discouraged so they packed up and returned to Babylon.

But thank God there were still some hanging in much affliction. But they hung on. They were where they should be. Where else could they go? But they were in great difficulty. With much affliction, no protection.

Nehemiah Waits on God Before Acting

When Nehemiah heard this, he prayed for days, for nights, went to the Lord. Not because he was in Persian court. He was well protected. He was the favorite of the king. Therefore he forgot his brethren.

His heart was there. When he grew up, he refused to be called the son of the daughter of Pharaoh. He would rather suffer with the reproach of Christ as more precious than all the riches of Egypt. Because he had seen, brothers and sisters, this was Nehemiah.

Put himself in a different tarp as one with the suffering. Confess. You do not care. Those who want to maintain the testimony of Jesus it is difficult. Much affliction. On the verge of annihilation. Give yourself to prayer.

Do you plead with God on their behalf? And if you do, I believe the burden of the Lord will come upon you. Lives of God's people together needs to be rebuilt. Nehemiah received a burden from the Lord.

Let me be found found favor. And that man is the king. Nehemiah knew the Lord called him to go back. To rebuild the wall. But he did not move on his own. He waited upon God. A few months passed. You know sometimes if we feel the son from God immediately we move out.

If we know God he waited upon God patiently. Every day every day the burden gets heavier. Maybe after a few months if you don't have faith you will wonder whether you will ever go. And during all those months as he served the cup before the king he had to put up a joyful face.

His heart was crying but he must smile until a few months passed and one day as he lifted the cup to the king the king noticed his face was sad. And the king said why? Everyone can appear before the king with a sad face.

Especially the cup bearer. Why? Because if the cup bearer should appear before the king with a sad face the king immediately becomes suspicious and say well what are you thinking? It was a capital crime.

For him it couldn't happen. After a few months he just couldn't restrain himself anymore. So he lifted his heart to God before he answered the king. And God gave him that heart. He said oh king how can I be glad when my father's throne of the Lord needs to wait upon the Lord.

And if we wait upon the Lord he will open a way for us. Rebuild the unity. In secular history it was Artaxerxes Longinus in the twentieth year of his reign he gave a decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Dear brothers and sisters so far as Nehemiah was concerned he was only concerned with the immediate need of the escape.

That was his concern. To go back and rebuild the city. That was all. But do you know without his knowing this marked the beginning of a much much greater. Daniel chapter 9. King Darius. Daniel learned from the book of Jeremiah that the seventy years were about to fulfill because Darius was on the throne only two years.

So after two years King Cyrus will come to the throne and the seventy years will fulfill. So when Daniel read from the book of Jeremiah that only two years were left for the seventy years what did he do?

Did he sit back and say Lord only two years? No. He actively cooperated with God. He gave himself to prayer that God's promise should be fulfilled. And as he was praying towards the evening oblation you find God sent Gabriel to him.

And let's read from verse 23. At the beginning of thy supplication the word went forth and I am come to declare it for thou art one greatly beloved therefore consider the word and have understanding in the vision.

Now remember Daniel was concerned only with the return of the children of Israel to Jerusalem. The fulfillment of the seventy years. But when God gave him the vision God gave him a vision of the entire plan of God for the full and final restoration of the nation of Israel.

Not only just go back but even to clean, cleanse them from their sins and to bring in the righteousness and to seal up the prophets. In other words God will bring the nation of Israel to its final and full restoration.

Daniel’s Seventy Sevens and the Restoration of Israel

And what did he say? He said this seventy weeks the word weeks in the original is seven. Because seven is a week therefore the translator just used seventy weeks. But in the original is seventy sevens.

Seventy sevens are a portion out upon thy people and upon thy holy city. God cut out seventy sevens out of time. And God cut out seventy sevens in time to do something. For his people and for the holy city.

And what was he going to do? To close the transgression. To make an end of sins. To make expiation for iniquity. To bring in the righteousness of the ages and prophets. To anoint the holy of holies. And you know this is more than just the return of the remnant to Jerusalem after seventy years.

It was the full restoration of the nation of Israel at the return of Christ. Seventy sevens. Know therefore and understand from the going forth of the world to restore and to build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince are seven sevens and sixty two sevens.

Now when did the seventy sevens begin in history? In time. It began with the word to restore and to build Jerusalem. The decree of King Cyrus was only to rebuild the temple. Not to rebuild Jerusalem. But the decree of Artaxerxes Longinus to Nehemiah was to rebuild the city.

So God's divine plan with Israel began with and from that to the time of Messiah will be seven sevens and sixty two sevens. And in history it is exactly so. In computation we have to allow some margin because even when we say year number one well people are arguing that Christ actually was born in 4 BC and they made a mistake in the computation so we have to allow these things but from the beginning of the decree to Nehemiah to rebuild the wall, to rebuild the city until the coming of the Messiah seven sevens and sixty two sevens.

Some people say from the time the decree given to rebuild the wall to Malachi and from Malachi to Christ sixty two sevens. But then suddenly the Messiah was violently and then one seven was left. But in between the sixty nine seven and the last seven there was a period unknown to the Old Testament because this is the mystery than one day the last seven.

So brothers and sisters you know this is a tremendous thing what Nehemiah did something in God's mind way beyond he ever asked or dreamed God answered him exceedingly abundantly more than he can ever ask or think isn't that right?

Dear brothers and sisters I often wonder if we are faithful in the little that we know you do not know how much God may be working. Of many Nehemiah people whose hearts are in Jerusalem with a suffering remnant who are willing to offer themselves for the rebuilding of the wall to bring thy people together that thy people may dwell hear the cry of many a great God.