Nehemiah

Nehemiah is about physical reconstruction, spiritual reformation, and the restoration of Israel as a nation.
In Ezra, King Cyrus tells the people to return. In Nehemiah, the cupbearer asks King Artaxerxes if he may return. You can see both of these events in the lower corners of the two paintings. You also see Ezra in both pictures speaking to the people. In Ezra, the pages of his book read Law; in Nehemiah, they read Prophets.
At the base of the Second Chronicles painting, you can see the holy vessels that were taken from the temple. In the Ezra painting, some of those same vessels are shown being returned. At first, the altars are restored and sacrifices begin again.
Part of the preparation for returning to the temple involved the cleansing of mixed marriages. I represented the women and children standing apart, without the men, in the center right of Ezra and the center left of Nehemiah.
Nehemiah gave up a wealthy and influential position in order to take up the work of rebuilding Jerusalem. The task was difficult, and the workers faced hardship as well as the constant threat of attack. People had to work in teams, with one standing guard while another labored. Toward the upper right of the Nehemiah painting, you can see enemies lurking nearby. If you compare the walls in the two paintings, the walls in Nehemiah are actively being rebuilt, while the walls in Ezra are not.
After the walls were completed, the returned people were registered, Ezra read the Law to the nation, arrangements were made for worship and service, and the people pledged themselves to keep the commands that had been set before them.
To me, Nehemiah is a powerful example of prayer, persistence, and determination. It is not only a story about rebuilding a city, but also about reforming a people and restoring a nation.