5 ways to get ready for Nehemiah
How to get ready for Nehemiah?
The Bible is a gift God has given us. However, opening this gift is difficult and overwhelming for a lot of reasons. We all need a little help getting into the Bible and especially parts of the Bible that we are not familiar with, like Nehemiah.
So as we start this new book, I wanted to give you 5 ways to make our study of Nehemiah more fruitful.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at joshwatt@redemptionaz.com
1 | READ IT
Read through Nehemiah 1-2 times.
Try to read it in one setting to get a fly over look at the book.
I recommend using the ESV (what we use on Sundays), New Living Translation (the easiest to read translation in my opinion) or The Message (a very helpful paraphrase of the Bible in common language).
2 | SEE IT
Watch the Bible Project video – Nehemiah. This is a short, helpful video that will give you an overview of this part of the Bible.
3 | LIVE IN IT
The book of Nehemiah is set in a different context than today. Here are a few resources that might help you see how Nehemiah fits into history and how it fits into the overall story of the Bible.
What is the Persian Empire? This is a helpful page from the History Channel on Persia, which is the ruling empire in the book of Nehemiah.
How does Persia fit in with other empires? This is a short YouTube video showing you the changing empires and how Persia fits.
How does Nehemiah fit into the whole Bible? This is a helpful resource that gives you a picture of how the different books of the Old Testament fit.
4 | STUDY IT
Here is a more in-depth study guide that accompanies the book of Nehemiah. If you plan on spending an extended time in this book on your own, this would be a helpful resource.
Nehemiah Study Guide - The Gospel Coalition
5 | MEDITATE ON IT
Pick a verse to memorize and meditate on this summer as we enter the story of God’s people in the days of Nehemiah. Here are a few examples...
“As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4, ESV)
“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.” (Nehemiah 1:11, ESV)
“And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” (Nehemiah 8:5–6, ESV)
“And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” (Nehemiah 4:9, ESV)