# Nehemiah's Builds a Wall - The Book of Nehemiah

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 30 Jan 2024, 12 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/8fbacea4-d281-42ee-982a-b4d60187ee1d/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 142. Nehemiah, a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia, learns that Jerusalem's walls are in ruins and prays for God's help. The king allows Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem, where he secretly inspects the walls and inspires the people to rebuild them. Despite mockery and threats from their enemies, Nehemiah leads the Jews with courage and faith, organizing security and motivating the builders. In just 52 days, the walls and gates are completed, showcasing God's protection and the power of unity and perseverance. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Then I answered them and said to them, The God
[0:04] Speaker 1: of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will
[0:08] Speaker 1: arise and build. Nehemiah 2.20 Dear God, thank you that
[0:14] Speaker 1: you are always with us. You honor us when we
[0:18] Speaker 1: honor you, and you protect us when we obey you.
[0:21] Speaker 1: You are always faithful, always good, always loving. Thank you
[0:27] Speaker 1: for fixing all the problems we can't on our own.
[0:31] Speaker 1: Please teach us more about who you are in today's story.
[0:34] Speaker 1: Thank you for loving us so much. We love you too.
[0:39] Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen.
[0:42] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:45] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:49] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[0:53] Speaker 2: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests. With hands-on crafts and
[0:57] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more. All with a
[1:01] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more.
[1:07] Speaker 2: And save 20% with code blessed.
[1:16] Speaker 3: Nehemiah builds a wall. In this story, the walls of Jerusalem.
[1:21] Speaker 1: Were badly broken.
[1:23] Speaker 3: And so Nehemiah was given favor from Artaxerxes to go
[1:27] Speaker 3: to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall, as inspired by Nehemiah.
[1:35] Speaker 1: Hi again, it's Julianne Thompson, guest hosting for Julia Jeffress
[1:39] Speaker 1: Sadler with the Kids Bible in Ear podcast. I'm so
[1:43] Speaker 1: excited you're here with us today. Today we're going to
[1:45] Speaker 1: hear a story about a man who chose to be
[1:48] Speaker 1: a brave problem fixer, even when his problems kept getting worse.
[1:53] Speaker 1: bigger and bigger. It's such a good story. So let's
[1:56] Speaker 1: dive in.
[2:00] Speaker 3: Nehemiah was a Jewish man positioned as a cupbearer to
[2:04] Speaker 3: King Artaxerxes of Persia. That meant he served the king
[2:08] Speaker 3: directly and tested all the king's food for safety precautions.
[2:13] Speaker 3: This was a position that earned the king's trust. One day,
[2:17] Speaker 3: he received bad news from his people in Judah. The
[2:20] Speaker 3: walls of Jerusalem were broken, and the gates were set
[2:24] Speaker 3: on fire. Jerusalem was no longer protected and could be
[2:27] Speaker 3: destroyed any minute. Nehemiah was so distressed and cried for days.
[2:33] Speaker 3: He prayed to God for help. King Artaxerxes never saw
[2:37] Speaker 3: Nehemiah this sad before. He asked him, What's wrong? Is
[2:42] Speaker 3: there anything I can do to help? Nehemiah prayed to God,
[2:46] Speaker 3: who told him to go back to Jerusalem. He told
[2:49] Speaker 3: the king about what happened in Jerusalem. Then he said,
[2:53] Speaker 3: If I have found favor in your eyes, please let
[2:56] Speaker 3: me go to Jerusalem and grant permission to help my
[2:59] Speaker 3: people rebuild the wall. The king granted his request by
[3:03] Speaker 3: letting him go to Jerusalem and sending letters to approve
[3:07] Speaker 3: Nehemiah's project. Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem, keeping his plans
[3:12] Speaker 3: a secret. He spent three days inspecting the wall. The
[3:15] Speaker 3: walls had broken down and the gates were destroyed by
[3:19] Speaker 3: the fires. He gathered Jerusalem's leaders to tell them God's instruction.
[3:24] Speaker 3: He told them, God has been so good to me
[3:26] Speaker 3: by bringing me here to encourage you to rebuild the wall.
[3:30] Speaker 3: King Artaxerxes has granted permission and we must keep Jerusalem protected.
[3:36] Speaker 3: This will honor God and dignify Jerusalem. The leaders agreed
[3:41] Speaker 3: to start the project. They partnered with Jewish families to
[3:45] Speaker 3: divide responsibilities so that many people could help build. The
[3:50] Speaker 3: non-Jewish people living in Jerusalem were not happy about this project.
[3:54] Speaker 3: They insulted the builders and tried to discourage. They said,
[3:58] Speaker 3: that wall will be weak. A fox climbing the wall
[4:01] Speaker 3: will make it collapse. The builders were so determined God
[4:05] Speaker 3: was on their side that they kept building and ignored them.
[4:09] Speaker 3: When the wall was almost finished, their enemies were determined
[4:12] Speaker 3: to stop the construction and threatened to kill the builders.
[4:17] Speaker 3: The Jews were afraid. They told Nehemiah, We cannot build
[4:21] Speaker 3: for our enemies are everywhere ready to attack. Nehemiah gathered
[4:26] Speaker 3: security to protect the builders. God was with them to
[4:30] Speaker 3: stop the enemies from attacking. There was a system set
[4:33] Speaker 3: up where alerts were given in case any section of
[4:36] Speaker 3: the wall was attacked. Nehemiah encouraged them and said, Be
[4:41] Speaker 3: ready in case our enemies try to attack.
[4:44] Speaker 1: God is with us.
[4:46] Speaker 3: They built until the walls were finished. All that was
[4:49] Speaker 3: needed were the gates. The enemies of the Jews plotted
[4:53] Speaker 3: to stop the project by killing Nehemiah. They tried to
[4:57] Speaker 3: take Nehemiah away from Jerusalem by asking him to meet
[5:01] Speaker 3: in another town. Nehemiah rejected their request each time. They
[5:06] Speaker 3: told him, meet with us or else we will tell
[5:09] Speaker 3: the king that you are building this wall to take
[5:12] Speaker 3: over the kingdom. If you still do not listen to us,
[5:15] Speaker 3: we will tell the king of Persia about your rebellion.
[5:19] Speaker 3: Nehemiah did not pay attention to his threats and stayed
[5:22] Speaker 3: in Jerusalem until the walls and gates were completed. This
[5:26] Speaker 3: project took 52 days, and Jerusalem was finally secured. The
[5:32] Speaker 3: Jews praised God for his protection. The prophet Ezra read
[5:36] Speaker 3: aloud God's commandments so that they can obey God and
[5:40] Speaker 3: dedicate their life serving him. More Jews lived in Jerusalem.
[5:45] Speaker 3: For one out of ten families living nearby agreed to move.
[5:49] Speaker 3: God was faithful to his people. Everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish,
[5:55] Speaker 3: acknowledged the power of God.
[6:04] Speaker 1: Whoa. bullies, bravery, and a beautiful ending. This story has
[6:09] Speaker 1: it all and is just one more example of how
[6:12] Speaker 1: God blesses those who honor him. Let's look again at
[6:16] Speaker 1: what happened today. It's been about 140 years since King
[6:21] Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jewish people to Babylon.
[6:26] Speaker 1: Although many returned home when King Cyrus said they could,
[6:30] Speaker 1: not everyone went back to Judah. For example, Esther and
[6:35] Speaker 1: Mordecai were among those who stayed, and so was Nehemiah.
[6:39] Speaker 1: They loved the Lord, but since they had grown up
[6:42] Speaker 1: in Persia, they still lived there, far from the land
[6:45] Speaker 1: God had promised the Jews. Nehemiah worked in the court
[6:49] Speaker 1: of the Persian king, Artaxerxes. Just like Daniel, Nehemiah was
[6:54] Speaker 1: a man of God who earns the respect of the
[6:56] Speaker 1: most powerful world leader of his day. The king trusted
[7:00] Speaker 1: him very, very much. But when Nehemiah found out that
[7:04] Speaker 1: his people, God's people, living back in Judah were defenseless
[7:08] Speaker 1: because Jerusalem had no wall, it broke his heart. He
[7:13] Speaker 1: knew he had to leave his important position in Persia
[7:16] Speaker 1: and help them. He saw a problem, so he asked
[7:20] Speaker 1: God how he could be a problem fixer. Did you
[7:23] Speaker 1: know that God loves it when you're a problem fixer?
[7:26] Speaker 1: That's part of why he made you. He knew that
[7:30] Speaker 1: because of sin... This world can make people feel sad
[7:34] Speaker 1: and tired and helpless. And that's a big problem. But
[7:39] Speaker 1: God doesn't want anyone to feel that way. And he's
[7:42] Speaker 1: the best problem fixer of all. So he sends helpers
[7:47] Speaker 1: like you and Nehemiah to help fix people's sad, tired,
[7:52] Speaker 1: helpless hearts. Nehemiah wanted to honor the Lord. So what
[7:56] Speaker 1: did he do? He asked the king if he could
[7:59] Speaker 1: protect his people. by going to Judah and rebuilding Jerusalem's wall.
[8:04] Speaker 1: And because Nehemiah had earned the king's respect, he said yes. Woohoo!
[8:10] Speaker 1: Nehemiah was on his way to fixing Jerusalem's wall problem.
[8:14] Speaker 1: But when he got there, his problem got bigger. The
[8:18] Speaker 1: city didn't need a small wall. It needed a huge wall,
[8:22] Speaker 1: long enough to go all the way around it and
[8:26] Speaker 1: high enough for no one to climb it. Nehemiah still
[8:30] Speaker 1: wanted to honor the Lord. So what did he do?
[8:33] Speaker 1: He asked all the other Jews living in Judah to
[8:36] Speaker 1: be problem fixers with him. And because he earned their respect,
[8:40] Speaker 1: they said yes. Every Jewish family sent someone to help
[8:44] Speaker 1: Nehemiah work on the wall. Everyone, short and tall, big
[8:49] Speaker 1: and small, strong and weak, brave and meek, worked together.
[8:55] Speaker 1: They were on their way to fixing Jerusalem's wall problem.
[8:58] Speaker 1: But then the problem got even bigger. There were bullies
[9:02] Speaker 1: in Jerusalem and they did not want a wall around Jerusalem. First,
[9:07] Speaker 1: they tried to discourage the workers by laughing at them.
[9:10] Speaker 1: Then they tried threatening them. Then they said they would
[9:13] Speaker 1: tattle to the king on them. But Nehemiah was determined
[9:17] Speaker 1: to honor the Lord. So what did he do? He
[9:21] Speaker 1: told the Jews, don't be afraid of them. Remember the
[9:25] Speaker 1: Lord who is great and awesome. Nehemiah knew this was
[9:35] Speaker 1: God's land and the bullies didn't belong. So he asked
[9:39] Speaker 1: the workers to be brave and keep working. And because
[9:42] Speaker 1: he earned their respect, they said yes. The workers split
[9:47] Speaker 1: into two groups. One did construction while the other half
[9:51] Speaker 1: stood guard. They held their tools in one hand and
[9:55] Speaker 1: their weapons in the other And woohoo! In less than
[9:58] Speaker 1: two months, they fixed Jerusalem's wall problem. It was finished.
[10:05] Speaker 1: After that, every Jew and Judah, short and tall, big
[10:08] Speaker 1: and small, strong and weak, brave and meek, came together
[10:13] Speaker 1: to worship the Lord and to thank him for helping
[10:16] Speaker 1: fix their problem. It was beautiful. I am so glad
[10:21] Speaker 1: you joined me for today's story. As I said, God
[10:24] Speaker 1: is the best problem fixer of all. And when you
[10:27] Speaker 1: come back next time, you'll hear how God made a
[10:30] Speaker 1: plan to fix the biggest problem you and I ever had. Remember,
[10:35] Speaker 1: the Bible is the best story ever told. It's God's
[10:38] Speaker 1: story to you. And it's all true. Had a blast
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[10:45] Speaker 1: and help us reach more kids and parents. Thank you
[10:49] Speaker 1: for listening to Pray.com Kids Bible in a Year. For
[10:52] Speaker 1: more inspiring stories and wisdom to last a lifetime, download
[10:56] Speaker 1: the Pray.com app for free today. See you next time.
[11:08] Speaker 4: Thanks for listening to Kids Bible in a Year. I
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