Charles Spurgeon Commentary Nehemiah 1:1-2

"The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem." — Nehemiah 1:1-2 (ASV)

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

This good man was, of course, one of the banished Jews, but he had greatly prospered. He had risen in the empire of Ahasucrus until he had become great—even one of the chamberlains of the empire; but his heart was towards his poor people—his brethren—who were in poverty.

Now, whenever God exalts a Christian man in a temporal position, he should not disown his poor brethren, but his heart should go out to them to see what he can do for them. It is a shame for any man to forget his country. Does not the Pole still say, "No, Poland, you shall never perish"? And we admire such patriotism. But a similar feeling should be in every Christian heart.

We should love the church of God just as Nehemiah loved the chosen race, from which he had descended. So when he met with Hanani, the conversation was all about the poor brethren who remained at Jerusalem.

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month, Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

Nehemiah was in a high office in Shushan the palace of King Artaxerxes, but his heart was at Jerusalem. He therefore remembered the very date, "in the month Chisleu," when some of his brothers came from Judah to visit him, for he was more interested in their coming than in any transaction of the court in which he was temporarily employed. Observe the subject of this good man's conversation: I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

Whenever Christian people meet together, they should make the subject of their mutual discourse an enquiry about the progress of the Kingdom of God in the place where they respectively live.

If you have come up from the country, we want you to tell us about the work of God in your village, or in the town to which you belong; are there many conversions there? We also will tell you about the work in London. Thus should Christian brothers commune with one another, and ask about Christ's kingdom among people, and the progress that His gospel is making.