Nehemiah 1 - God's Character

After Nehemiah hears the news, he next expresses his understanding of God’s character in verse 5: “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands.”

Nehemiah called God “Lord.” He recognized the Lord as his master – in verse 6, he refers to himself as God’s servant. He then refers to His Lord as the “God of Heaven.” He acknowledged that his God was beyond the earthly realm and above all other gods. He next refers to Him as “great and awesome.” God deserves to be honored, revered and feared by all because of who He is. Finally, Nehemiah describes God as the one who “keeps His covenant of love.” God is truthful, faithful and can be trusted.

His boss, the king, was the greatest and mightiest on earth, but compared to God, Artaxerxes was nothing. Nehemiah was in Susa and his concern is in far off-Jerusalem, but both cities – one rich, the other poor, one strong the other weak, one proud, the other broken.

Because of his understanding of God’s character, Nehemiah knew that God was not only able, but also willing to respond to his prayer.

In biblical times, names were given to describe the person either by their occupation, personality, character and more. Names were like a label. God's name was first not spoken by the early biblical Hebrews in reverence to Him.

However, God has many names in the Bible that describe who He is and what His character is like, so that His people can know more about Him. Biblical characters, like Abraham, gave a name to God according to His character.

Studying these names of God gives us a better understanding of who God is. Discovering and understanding God's character helps us build a closer relationship with Him.

I have attached a link with the names of God. I hope this helps us all understand His character more deeply, as Nehemiah did. http://ldolphin.org/Names.html

Sources: e:how
Pontiac Bible Church