THE MEANING OF THE STORY
335. When a man has been prominent in a great undertaking it is very interesting to have his own account of it. General Grant was persuaded by friends to write a story of his own campaigns. It was called "Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant," the word "memoirs" meaning his own recollections of the events. Perhaps the first man who ever wrote such a personal story was the Governor of Judah, 2,300 years ago. The story we study here might be called "Personal Memoirs of Nehemiah."
336. Nehemiah was a great patriot. It is easy to be a patriot when it simply means shouting for a great, prosperous country. But this man had never seen his own land. His great-grandparents had been taken away as prisoners, and the family had been one hundred and fifty years in the foreign land. But they had never forgotten their own beloved country. Nehemiah was rich, and in a high office in Persia, but he loved Jerusalem and longed to be able to serve her. Read (and learn) Ps. 137:5, 6, and you will see how the patriotic Jews in the East felt about their fatherland. Let us read this personal story of the patriot and see what he did.
337 (§90A). Look at the map of the Semitic world and find Persia in the East. Find Susa, which is the same as Shushan. It is a long way from Jerusalem. But one day some of the Jews came from Jerusalem to the palace of the Persian king to tell the story of the sad condition of their city. What did they tell Nehemiah? How did the story affect him? What office did he hold? Look up the description of this office that we had some time ago (62).
338 (§90B). Oriental kings are very arbitrary and the courtiers have to be most careful not to offend them. Note how cleverly Nehemiah managed, so that he obtained all that he wanted from the king. What did he obtain?
339 (§90C). Look again at the map. What is the river that Nehemiah mentions? Recall the first journey that we followed from the East to Palestine (§§3, 5). Note that the Governor traveled with a body guard. What did he do first in Jerusalem?
340 (§90D). The people who had lived so long in the ruined city were discouraged. How did Nehemiah cheer them? How did they respond?
341 (§91A). There were jealous enemies all around Judah, so Nehemiah soon found himself in difficulties. First they despised his efforts. How did he meet this ridicule?
342 (§91B). When the enemies could not stop him by laughing at him, what did they try? How did Nehemiah plan his work so as not to be surprised?
343 (§91C). What plots did the enemies devise? How did Nehemiah meet the plots?
344 (§92A). In the old times, cities had to have walls all around them to prevent attacks. How long did it take this vigorous governor to repair the fortifications? How did he plan to guard the city?
345 (§92B). What help did Nehemiah feel that he had in all his work? "Dedication" means an offering to God. They gave the city to God. Tell the story of this joyful patriotic service. Learn the song that they sang.