114 SeSSion 9

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SESSION 9 RETURN TO PRAYER

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GET INTO THE STUDY

The Point

10 minutes

Move forward by retreating into prayer. GUIDE: Direct the group to look at the picture (see p. 114; PSG, p. 112).

The Bible Meets Life

DISCUSS: Question #1

Americans are praying people. Over 84 percent of Christians

(PSG, p. 112): How do you

pray at least once a day,* but what are we praying about? Most

typically respond to bad

prayers are tied to something we need or want, but what would

news?

happen if Christians began to pray and earnestly seek what God wants? God’s call to return to Him means we humble ourselves before Him and pray. The Old Testament leader Nehemiah gives us a great example of what it looks like to pray and fast. *(“U.S. News & Beliefnet Prayer Survey Results,” [cited 16 December 2014]. Available from the Internet: www.beliefnet.com.)

GUIDE: Direct attention to The Bible Meets Life (PSG, p. 113). Acknowledge that nobody enjoys receiving bad news. Some people try to avoid it. Some try to pretend it’s not there. Stress the reality that all of us have to face it at one time or another. The decision we must make is how we will face

The Passage

the bad news.

Nehemiah 1:3-10

GUIDE: Introduce The Point (PSG, p. 113): Move forward by retreating into prayer.

The Setting

SAY: “Whatever we face, we

Nearly a century and a half had lapsed since the Southern

should seek God and turn to

Kingdom of Judah had fallen to Babylon and God’s people

Him in prayer.”

ceased to be an independent nation. During that time, the Medes and Persians had taken control of Babylon and all its territory, Cyrus had permitted any Jews wishing to do so to return to Jerusalem, and a new temple had been constructed in Jerusalem. Yet, Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king,

GUIDE: Note that Nehemiah faced some devastating news. How he responded is a good model for us to follow.

learned the city itself remained unprotected.

© 2013 LifeWay

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THE POINT

Move forward by retreating into prayer.

STUDY THE BIBLE Nehemiah 1:3 10 minutes

Nehemiah 1:3 3 They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who

survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have

GUIDE: Remind the group of what they have studied so far: • “Return to God” (The Point:

been burned down.” KEY WORDS: Remnant (v. 3)—The Jews who survived the Babylonian

God’s call to return to Him

captivity and returned at the decree of Cyrus in 538 B.C. to reestablish life in

demands a response.)

Jerusalem and Judah.

• “Return to Your First Love” (The Point: Return to a love for Christ that permeates everything you do.) (ENHANCEMENT: Pack Item 6: “Awake.”)

GUIDE: Return the focus to today’s session. Use the information in The Setting (p. 115) to help set the historical context for this session. Call attention to the map on PSG page 115 to help the group understand the stages of the Jews’ return from exile to their homeland.

READ: Invite a volunteer to read Nehemiah 1:3.

Exile (v. 3)—In 586 B.C., the Southern Kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians and the Jews were deported to Babylon where they lived in exile.

We must acknowledge when trouble and distress come upon God’s people. The Book of Nehemiah covers events that took place from 455 B.C. to sometime after 433 B.C. The people of Judah had fallen into Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. Then in 539 B.C., Babylon fell to the Persians. Cyrus, the king of Persia, allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. They began the task of rebuilding a fallen city. Through the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, the Jews completed rebuilding the temple in 515 B.C., but by Nehemiah’s time they still had not rebuilt the wall surrounding Jerusalem, a huge problem for the defense of the city against its enemies. Nehemiah was a Jew who, in God’s providence, chose to remain in Babylon after the decree of Cyrus. He was a cupbearer for Artaxerxes, the king of Persia who ruled 465–424 B.C. The cupbearer did more than merely serve wine at the king’s table and protect him from poisoning. Because he was present regularly in the royal court, he often had the king’s ear and might well influence imperial decisions. This seems likely with Nehemiah. A delegation of Nehemiah’s people came from Jerusalem to ask him to use his influence with the king to relieve the sufferings of God’s people in the province of Judah. Notes

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Verse 3. The great trouble and disgrace reported to Nehemiah included the desperate conditions within the city as well as the scorn of their enemies occasioned by the Jews’ inability to defend themselves (see 2:17; 4:1-4). Jerusalem’s wall, now broken down, protected it from invading enemies and other marauders. The gates now burned down were the fortified entrances into the city. Enemies seeking entrance into the city usually focused their assault on these gates. Ezra, a contemporary of Nehemiah, had come to Jerusalem 13 years before Nehemiah’s arrival. Sometime after Ezra’s arrival, the Jews attempted to rebuild the wall and to repair the foundations of the city (Ezra 4:12). But Persian officials with oversight of that region interpreted the Jews’ actions as rebellion. When the work was reported to King Artaxerxes as rebellion, he issued a decree to stop rebuilding the city and to begin anew only at his decree (v. 21). Rehum and his cohorts probably did further damage to the city and its wall as they forcibly caused the work to cease (v. 23). Clearly, one of the most important lessons in the Book of Nehemiah is the cupbearer’s response to the tragic news he heard about Jerusalem. Notice things he did not do. First, Nehemiah did not blame God for the condition of Jerusalem, its walls, or its gates. Second, he did not conclude God was incapable of doing anything about it. Third, Nehemiah did not give up in despair, doubting God was willing to deal with this horrible problem. Fourth, he did not take matters into his own hands and try to figure out how he could fix the situation on his own. None of these would be responses of faith.

DISCUSS: Note that God’s people in Jerusalem were “in great trouble and disgrace.” Question #2 (PSG, p. 114): What are some examples of great trouble and disgrace among God’s people today? (Alternate: What is the spiritual equivalent of a broken down wall and a burned gate?)

GUIDE: Stress that we can deceive ourselves into thinking our spiritual lives are fine even though we have no intimate walk with Jesus, no fellowship with others, and no sense of being on mission with Jesus to make disciples. God will sometimes allow trouble—even devastation— to come into our lives because

Nehemiah 1:4-6a

He knows that will bring us to desperation for Him.

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned

for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

TRANSITION: Comment that we must realize and

5 I said, “Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and awe-

acknowledge our need.

inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those

Nehemiah realized the

who love Him and keep His commands,

desperate need of God’s people, and this moved him to desperately seek God.

Notes

© 2013 LifeWay

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THE POINT

Move forward by retreating into prayer. 6a let Your eyes be open and Your ears be attentive to hear

STUDY THE BIBLE Nehemiah 1:4-6a 10 minutes READ: Invite a volunteer to read verse 4.

GUIDE: Note Nehemiah’s first reaction to the crisis situation. Emphasize his brokenness before God. Encourage group members to note that Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed.

SAY: “Nehemiah’s first reaction was not to go off immediately and try to fix things himself. He did just the opposite by retreating into prayer and fasting.”

DISCUSS: Question #3 (PSG, p. 118): Nehemiah responded with mourning, praying, and fasting. When should we incorporate these

Your servant’s prayer that I now pray to You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. We are to respond to troubles by turning to God in prayer. The Book of Nehemiah tells us of 11 times Nehemiah prayed (1:4; 2:4; 4:4-5,9; 5:19; 6:9,14; 13:14,22,29,31). Nehemiah’s prayer in this passage for the Israelites fell into three sections: praise (1:5); confession of sin (vv. 6-7); and petition (vv. 8-11). Verse 4. Nehemiah responded to the distressing news he received by seeking God through prayer and fasting. Upon hearing the devastating news, he gave himself to thoughtful, prayerful consideration of what he had learned. At first, Nehemiah sat down and wept. Then for … days he mourned while also fasting and praying. As Nehemiah interceded for his afflicted people, he must have been thinking about the role God would have him to play. Some of his mourning may have been due to his sensing God would have him risk his life before the king in the effort to relieve the suffering of his people and to rebuild the city. Verse 5. Nehemiah didn’t begin his prayer by addressing the need, but by honoring the Person who could meet the need. Nehemiah praised God for who He is and what He does for His people. He began by addressing God as Yahweh, the personal name by which God had revealed Himself. The name probably means “the One who causes to be.” By proclaiming Him to be Yahweh, the God of heaven, Nehemiah affirmed God’s universal sovereignty. Nehemiah’s prayer revealed both the depth of his fervor and the depth of his relationship with the living God. Nehemiah acknowledged God’s character. The God he worshiped was great and awe-inspiring, the sovereign Lord of the universe. The Hebrew word translated keeps also means “watch” or “guard.” Nehemiah knew he could count on God to honor the terms of His covenant with Israel, for God kept His promises with perfect faithfulness (Mic. 7:20). Believers today also have the assurance of God’s

practices in our lives?

Notes (Alternate: How would you describe the relationship between fasting and prayer?) 118

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perfect faithfulness to His promises (2 Cor. 1:20). When we know God’s character and power, we gain confidence to bring our requests to Him. After all, the God who runs the universe certainly can deal with our petitions (Isa. 40:27-31). The Hebrew word translated gracious (Heb. chesed [CHEH sed]) is a rich theological word. It denotes at various times God’s loyalty, faithfulness, grace, lovingkindness, and covenant love. The words those who love Him and keep His commands call to mind Exodus 20:6, where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. We may reasonably suppose Nehemiah’s words referred to the covenant God ratified with Israel at Mount Sinai. By invoking God’s own words, Nehemiah was reminding himself of God’s past faithfulness while he was seeking God’s faithfulness in the present. Remembering God’s past times of blessing also can encourage believers today to trust Him for new days of blessing in the present and future. Verse 6a. Then, Nehemiah pleaded for God to turn His attention to His people. During the Babylonian exile, God had turned His face away from His people (Isa. 54:8). Now, however, Nehemiah called on the Lord to listen to and look at His people once again. Nehemiah’s prayer was not a one-time petition; rather, he offered his prayer to God day and night. What great works would you and your church like to see God do? Are you willing to pray day and night to see them happen? After all, we are God’s covenant people too, and God wants us to pray and has promised to hear us. The request Nehemiah brought before the Lord was based on sure and certain promises God Himself had made. Nehemiah was confident God is utterly true to His Word. He is faithful. He is truthful. If God promised He would bring His people back to their land if they repented and turned again to Him, then God would do this, for God is faithful to His Word. Some hold that God cannot know the future in its entirety; because of this, God may predict future events He simply cannot bring about. But clearly, this was not Nehemiah’s view, nor is it an accurate description of the God of the Bible. Rather, Nehemiah believed if God said it, God would do it. Even if stubborn people inhabited the land of Israel and were oppressing Jerusalem, God was able to accomplish His will and fulfill His promise. On this solid ground of the faithfulness of God and His Word, Nehemiah staked his hope.

SAY: “Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.”

READ: Invite a volunteer to read verses 5-6a.

SUMMARIZE: Retreating into prayer is actually the way to move forward. As he prayed, Nehemiah fixed his heart on who God is (v. 5). Nehemiah prayed in faith that, based on who God is, He would listen to his prayer and respond in compassion. Our hope for moving forward spiritually is based on the simple fact of who God is. When we find ourselves in devastating and desperate situations, we need to consider the character of God and surrender to Him. This is the path to spiritual renewal and awakening.

TRANSITION: Explain that turning to God in prayer caused Nehemiah to realize what else was happening in this situation and what needed

Notes

to be done. He and the people needed to repent of their sin.

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THE POINT

Move forward by retreating into prayer.

STUDY THE BIBLE Nehemiah 1:6b-10 10 minutes

Nehemiah 1:6b-10 6b I confess the sins we have committed against You. Both I

and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted corruptly toward You and have not kept the

READ: Invite a volunteer to read verses 6b-10.

commands, statutes, and ordinances You gave Your servant Moses. 8 Please remember what You commanded Your servant

SUMMARIZE: Emphasize that Nehemiah did not seek to

Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the

blame others only. He looked

peoples.

at himself as well. When he

9 But if you return to Me and carefully observe My

did, he found himself and his

commands, even though your exiles were banished to the

family guilty also. But Nehemiah also recalled the promise spoken through

ends of the earth, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have My name dwell.”

Moses: if God’s people would

10 They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed

return to Him and observe

them by Your great power and strong hand.”

His commands, He would bring them back to the place He had chosen (Deut. 30:1-5). Nehemiah sought restoration for his fellow Jews, but he began with himself.

SAY: “Our own individual confession and repentance can be the spark that fires a great spiritual awakening whether in ourselves, our church, or our nation.”

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KEY WORD: Redeemed (v. 10)—To redeem involves paying a price to release a person from slavery. The reference here may denote God’s bringing His people out of slavery in Egypt during the time of Moses but also the return of the Jews to Judah following the Babylonian exile.

Verse 6b. Nehemiah also confessed his and the people’s sins. The words both I and my father’s house confirm Nehemiah’s confession of his personal sins. We see no selfrighteousness here. Some in the prophet Ezekiel’s days suggested the exile occurred because of Israel’s ancestors’ sins (Ezek. 18:2), but Nehemiah knew each generation bore some responsibility for the exile. No one was without sin! Notes

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We also should acknowledge and accept responsibility for our roles in the guilt of corporate sin. We may or may not be more sinful than others, but the Bible teaches that all of us sin and fall short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). In fact, comparing ourselves with others rather than with God’s holy, righteous standard may lead to a false sense of assurance or even pride. Nehemiah’s confession made no rationalizations or excuses. It admitted fully and honestly the condition of Israel’s relationship with God. Here are marks of real confession as God sees it: lasting realization of wrongdoing, absence of selfrighteousness or of one’s own goodness, and an admission of wrongdoing that is devoid of excuses. Verse 7. Nehemiah identified their sin as having acted corruptly toward God. The word translated acted corruptly carries the idea of ruining or causing pain. This phrase emphasizes a strong defiance of God’s commands that He gave through His servant Moses—the Ten Commandments. These commands provide fundamental and abiding principles for living. God’s statutes and ordinances would be the additional laws that provided specific applications of the Ten Commandments to certain areas of life. God gave His laws as an act of grace to point to a better way of life and to steer from hurtful behavior. In disobeying these laws, the Israelites brought ruin to themselves and to their city. They also ruined God’s witness through them to the world by failing to show others the value of living according to God’s standards. Nehemiah mourned, wept, and fasted for days over Jerusalem’s situation. As he did, God was preparing him for a wonderful service opportunity. Nehemiah did not offer a single prayer, and then turn his thoughts to other matters. Likewise, believers today should make prayer a persistent, repeated process of intercession and humility before God. Verse 8. In this petition, Nehemiah paraphrased God’s promises through Moses to His people Israel in passages such as Leviticus 26:3-45. God promised blessings for obedience and chastisements for disobedience. God had warned that the people’s unfaithful attitudes and actions would lead to their exile among the peoples. God also had warned the Israelites of this danger during the time of Moses, prior to their taking the land of Canaan (Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:63-64). Verse 9. However, the Lord also held out hope. Return to Me would mean doing what God had commanded. The

DISCUSS: Question #4 (PSG, p. 120): What role should confession play in a Christian’s life? (Alternate: Why was Nehemiah confessing his own sin when other people were in trouble?)

GUIDE: IN ADVANCE, obtain a box of matches. Strike the match and show the burning flame to the group. (TIP: Follow all safety concerns. After a moment, extinguish the flame and place the burned match in a safe place. OPTION: Instead of striking a match, use a lighter.) Note the spark that ignites the match. Large fires can result from one simple spark. Nehemiah was the spark that led to restoration for the Jews in their homeland. Invite the group to consider what God could do if His people in our church and community, like Nehemiah, mourned, fasted, prayed, confessed our sins, and sought Him like never before.

Notes

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THE POINT

Move forward by retreating into prayer.

SAY: “It just might be the spark to ignite another spiritual awakening.”

DISCUSS: Question #5 (PSG, p. 121): What’s one step you could take to improve your prayer life?

DO: Invite volunteers to share their responses to “Persevering Prayer” (PSG, p. 121).

Hebrew word translated return also can mean “repent,” and would involve turning to a life of obedience from such sins as marrying pagans and following pagan gods (Ezra 9:1-3). God told His people to carefully observe His commands because obedience provided the clearest evidence of genuine repentance. The New Testament holds up repentance and obedience as important actions of the Christian life (Rom. 2:4; Heb. 6:1; Jas. 2:18). How better to testify to our faith in God? God’s power to save and restore His people did not depend on how far away His exiles were banished. He would go to the ends of the earth (literally “to the end of the skies”) to gather them. The expression the place where I chose to have My name dwell designates Jerusalem, God’s holy city and Israel’s capital. God told the Hebrews He would choose a place in the promised land where they would worship Him and offer sacrifice (Deut. 12:10-11). During the days of David and Solomon, God established Jerusalem as that place. Despite Jerusalem’s current desperate situation, Nehemiah understood the possibility of restoration and prayed to God to honor His earlier promise. God had promised forgiveness and restoration even from exile if His people would humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from evil (2 Chron. 7:14). Verse 10. Nehemiah asked God to remember that the Israelites now destitute in Judah were His own people whom God had redeemed from Egypt to serve Him. The words Your servants and Your people designate the Israelites and again emphasize God’s covenant relationship with them. The reference to God’s redeeming His people by His great power and strong hand may denote the exodus during the time of Moses (Deut. 4:34) as well as the returns under Cyrus in 538 B.C. and Ezra in 458 B.C. Perhaps Nehemiah was hoping Ezra’s return already had yielded good results. At any rate, each work of God revealed His deep care and concern for His people. Nehemiah knew God still cared for them, though their circumstances were desperate. Nehemiah’s prayer ends with an interesting and important twist. Notice, he did not merely call on God to “be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to that of Your servants who delight to revere Your name” (Neh. 1:11a); but, he added, Notes

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“Give Your servant success today, and have compassion on him in the presence of this man ” (v. 11). Let’s not miss this: Nehemiah shifted from simply thinking in terms of what God (alone) would do to fulfill this promise to how God might use Nehemiah as part of the answer to his own prayer. This was faith in action. Nehemiah pictured for us not just confident faith in God, but also the desire and willingness for God to empower and use him in the fulfillment of the very request he brought before the Lord. What an example of dependence and determination, of trust and travail, of confidence and courage!

SHARING THE GOOD NEWS The most important prayer we can pray is a prayer for salvation. We can ask Jesus to forgive our sins, accept His death on the cross on our behalf, and trust Him to give us a new life. Each week, make yourself available either before or after

territories currently found in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Russia, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The Persian Empire stretched across deserts and mountains with a variety of climatic and geographical extremes. ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO

Generally speaking, the Persian Empire began with the victories

The gate of all nations stands in the northwest corner of the terrace of Persepolis.

The following excerpt is from “The Persian Empire” (Win. 2006-07).

who wants to know more about becoming a Christian. See the article, “Leading Someone to the Greatest Decision of All,“ on page 2 for guidance in leading a person to Christ. Remind group members that

and ended with defeats to the

page 2 in the PSG offers

Greeks under Alexander the Great

guidance in how to become a

(356-323 B.C.).”

Christian. Encourage believers to consider using this article

Previous articles, “Nehemiah: A

as they have opportunities to

Historical Setting” (Spr. 2009), and

lead others to Christ.

“Nehemiah’s Life in the Palace” (Spr. 2009), can be purchased at

‘Persia’ referred to a country laying

www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator.

to the east of modern-day Iraq,

Look for Bundles: Bible Studies

in the region of Iran. The Persian

for Life.

Empire covered a vast area from

Subscribe to Biblical Illustrator at www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator, or call 1-800-458-2772.

India and into central Asia. At the

with anyone in your group

of Cyrus II over Babylon in 539 B.C.

“In the Old Testament world,

the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to

the session to speak privately

height of power, Persia included

© 2013 LifeWay

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THE POINT

Move forward by retreating into prayer.

LIVE IT OUT 5 minutes DO: Review The Point: Move forward by retreating into prayer. GUIDE: Review Live It Out (PSG, p. 122; see text to the right). Acknowledge that most seniors are doers. Give us a job, and we’ll get it done. Stress that prayer is not a passive activity. It’s one of the toughest jobs of our spiritual journey with Christ. Encourage group members to choose an application that fits best with their spiritual condition today.

Wrap It Up

LIVE IT OUT Many of us were brought up to be self-sufficient. We want to take action immediately. But don’t think of prayer as passive. Nothing is more active in advancing God’s kingdom than prayer. How is God leading you to respond this week?

>> Make prayer your first response. If you tend to pray

only as a last resort, try this. Start each day by letting God know of your desire to turn to Him first as you deal with challenges. Confess your tendency to depend on yourself more than Him. Ask for strength to make prayer your first priority when you face challenges. >> Schedule time for uninterrupted prayer. Reserve at least 15-30 minutes each day for prayer. Use the time to focus on God as you seek revival for yourself, your family, your church, and your community. Don’t spend the entire time speaking. Quiet yourself for a few minutes at a time to be open to the Spirit’s guidance. >> Fast. Fasting takes your prayer life to a whole new level. Ask two or three friends to fast with you on a particular day. Instead of concerning yourself with food that day, focus on prayer for revival or a particular need in your group or community. CAUTION: Consult with your physician. If you have a medical condition that would react adversely to fasting, do NOT fast.

GUIDE: Emphasize that God does not expect us to pray and do nothing else. There is plenty of work to do. But starting out with God in prayer is the best way to move forward as we seek to restore and rebuild our lives, churches, and communities for His glory. PRAY: “Lord, thank you for calling us to return to you when we stray. Amen.”

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My Thoughts

My Group's Prayer Requests

Additional suggestions for specific groups (women, men, boomers, and singles) are available at BibleStudiesForLife.com/blog. And for free online training on how to lead a group visit MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesForLife.

Jehovah-Nissi Can you imagine yourself on a hilltop watching your loved ones doing battle with the kingdom of darkness? For that is what was going on. Amalek, father of the Amalekites, was a grandson of Esau, who had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. He represents all of our struggles against flesh, against sin in our lives. This battle, in a sense, is a picture of the battle of the kingdom of darkness against the kingdom of light, the battle we face every day.

To continue reading “Jehovah-Nissi” from Mature Living magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles, and enter the article title in the search bar. Or use your smartphone to access the article directly by scanning the QR code.

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