Nehemiah 2:11-20

“I went to Jerusalem…” are the first words of our passage for this week. Four words that carry so much promise and excitement, but no details are given are about his journey from Susa to Jerusalem.

Let’s envision Nehemiah on horseback together with thousands of Judean refugees traveling back to their ancestral home. Excitement is in the air, songs can be heard throughout the people, and children are darting in and out of all the traffic with worried mothers chasing behind. The timber from the king’s forest is on carts trailing the group, and the Persian King’s cavalry is protecting the entire group as they slowly make their way back to the Promised Land.

This journey would have been approximately 800-900 miles and would have taken 2-3 months to complete with ancient modes of travel. There were no hotels, restaurants, or rest stops along the way. Each night the entire group would camp out under the stars, the same stars under which God made His covenant promise to Abraham.

I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed… Genesis 26:4 NIV

Now these descendants were making their way back to the land promised to Abraham to rebuild their lives and the fortunes of their people. If they have any chance of success, it will take a person of great leadership to navigate the complexities of what lies ahead. Nehemiah is that man and the challenges he will face are possibly beyond what he is expecting.

But for now, let’s allow him to ride in silence, enjoy the company of his people, and dream of the days to come. Why borrow trouble before we must?

Questions to consider…
What are some possible difficulties this group could have faced on such a long journey?
What motivating factors would come into play to motivate this large group to undertake such a long difficult journey?