Elul 25 – The wall was completed…

September 28, 2024

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Elul 25, 5784; from sunset September 27, 2024, to sunset September 28, 2024

(The twenty-fifth day of the sixth month)

This is an image of a portion of the wall rebuilt by Nehemiah and company.

Nehemiah Finishes the Wall

In addition to being the traditional first day of creation, today has a literal call-out in the Bible. Let’s review the events leading up to “Today in the Bible.”

Nehemiah was living in exile in Shushan (aka Susa), the winter capital of the Persian kings. He was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Last winter, in the month of Kislev (around December), men from Jerusalem arrived in Shushan. They bore tales of the great distress being experienced by those dwelling in Jerusalem. The walls of the city and the gates were broken down, leaving them defenseless. At their words, Nehemiah went into a great mourning. He fasted and prayed for many days before confessing his sins, those of his father’s house, and all of Israel. (cf. Nehemiah 1)

The state of Jerusalem’s living conditions gnawed at Nehemiah all winter. About four months later, in the month of Nisan (around April), he finally mustered the nerve to go before the king. He requested the right to return to Jerusalem in order to repair its walls and gates. He also asked the king to provide the supplies needed to make the repairs. God was with Nehemiah and the king readily agreed to his requests. Artaxerxes also sent captains of the army and horsemen to accompany him. (cf. Nehemiah 2)

After a journey of about three months, Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, probably sometime in the month of Tammuz (around July). There he made his secret nighttime ride around the city to inspect its walls and gates. A few days later, he met with the leaders of the city and revealed to them what God had set in his heart to do. By early Av (around August), the people of Jerusalem began making the needed repairs. Though their enemies threatened them, they worked on together with weapons by their side and watchmen looking for signs of trouble.

Today in the Bible, roughly nine months after the LORD first laid it upon Nehemiah’s heart, the wall was completed after fifty-two days of labor.

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. – Nehemiah 6:15-16 (NIV)

“…this work had been done with the help of our God…”

Just a reminder that it’s tradition to read Psalm 27 daily through the Feast of Tabernacles. You can find it by clicking on the link.

To read all of our posts on Nehemiah, click on the image above.