I didn’t really see why this must be the case when reading Ezra, but The Bible Project says that Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book. But now, having read Nehemiah straight afterwards, I have noticed all the references to ‘Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah the governor’, and how they had the same goals and values. That claim also makes sense to me now because the book of Nehemiah follows the same pattern of great hope followed by anticlimax.

The writing in this book sometimes reminds me of a diary entry, with the event followed by a more personal anecdote or plea to God. ‘This happened… and then don’t forget this God, that person was a right swine to me, don’t forget it!’.

Chapter 9 is a good summary of everything that has happened in the Bible to this point. When the history is told like that, I can see that this particular land has been contested, sought after, loved, hoped for, fought over, lived in, and thrived in for thousands of years. There must just be something about it that makes it both beautiful and troubled, and nothing has changed in that regard from when Nehemiah was written to today.

Similarly, there’s much in Nehemiah about building a wall. They needed to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, and that upset a lot of people even though it was the protection the Israelites needed. I wonder how this book speaks into the current climate?

My favourite verse is Nehemiah 8.10: And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Sophia fell asleep listening to this once.

With thanks to lecreusois on Pixabay for the photo.