Who protects you from danger—like thieves that might break in at night? The police and your parents do. Alarms help too. And, of course, the walls, windows, and doors of your home keep the wrong people out, right? After some of the Jews returned from exile and the temple was rebuilt, they realized the walls, which were falling apart, could not protect them. They wanted Jerusalem safe from their enemies. They wanted a safe place to rebuild their houses and worship God.

God raised up Nehemiah to lead this important building project. He gathered the Jewish leaders and came up with a plan, and all the people got to work right away. But their enemies got to work too. They opposed them, threatened to hurt them, and even made fun of them. But the wall kept going up, for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah was a smart leader. He prayed for God’s help. That’s smart. He set a guard to watch over the city day and night. That’s smart too. Sadly, there aren’t too many leaders in the Old Testament that we should want to be like. But Nehemiah was one. He was organized, hardworking, and courageous. He ruled with wisdom and justice. He helped the poor and was generous with his wealth. Be like Ne!

After about two difficult months, God’s people, with God’s help, finished the wall. To celebrate, they gathered at the town square to worship. They worshiped God like we should worship God: God’s people gathered together to hear from God’s word. Ezra, the scribe, stood behind a big platform, opened the “Book of the Law” (Neh. 8:3), and read from it. When he was done, the people lifted their hands, said “Amen, Amen” (8:6), and bowed before the Lord. The people were so hungry to hear and understand the Bible that they spent all morning listening to it read and explained. The people cried when the word was read, because they hadn’t heard it read in years and years. And when they heard it read, they realized how sinful they were. But their joy was greater, because they were back in relationship with God, worshiping in the holy city. Nehemiah declared the day a holy day. What a great day in Israel’s history!