Nehemiah - Chapter 1

The book of Nehemiah begins 15 years after the book of Ezra ends; 100 years after the first captives returned to Judah; and 150 years after Jerusalem was destroyed.  Nehemiah was in the capital city of the Persians, 800 miles from Jerusalem.  

However, although he was separated by distance and time, Nehemiah knew that Jerusalem was special to God, and it was therefore special to him:

"They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."

In Luke 19 we see Jesus, too, weeping over Jerusalem:

"As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.’"