Nehemiah 1:1-2:8
“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.
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” (Neheniah 1:1-3)
Thirteen years before, Ezra had gone to Jerusalem to bring sacrifices and offerings from Artaxerxes and the Babylonian Government. When he arrived he had found that during the thirty six years following the completion of the Temple, the Jews were dabbling with the religions of surrounding peoples and ignoring the civil and moral laws. For thirteen years Ezra had worked to get them back to serving God.
Late in November or early December of Artaxerxes’ twentieth year as king, Nehemiah held a trusted position in Artaxerxes’ administration. Verse 11 states, “For I was the king's cupbearer.” As such he was effectively head of the Secret Service and met most of the people who came to the king as part of his job.
He was concerned about what was happening in Judah, and when a group from Jerusalem came to Babylon on business, he inquired as the conditions in Jerusalem. They reported that the walls of Jerusalem had still not been repaired and there was a lot of unrest and conflict, and that things were not going very well.
“And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. ” (Nehemiah 1:4-10)
Learning that Judah was still struggling, Nehemiah was concerned that God still wasn’t blessing them as fully as he had promised. The city was still exposed to attack by her enemies because the wall had not been rebuilt, and it was considered easy pickings for raiders. He reminded God that he had promised to restore their blessings if they turned to him and asked that God would forgive them for their sin and remember his promise not to completely forget them but to protect them as he had done before.
“O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.” (Nehemiah 1:11)
As cupbearer, Nehemiah was responsible for protecting the king from attempts to kill him by using poisons or kitchen utensils. He had to be present to fulfill his obligations and could not just leave the responsibility to somebody else. He prayed that God would cause Artaxerxes to allow him and others who wanted to obey God the chance to do something to help the Jews.
"And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” (Nehemiah 2:1-2a)
Four months later, about Passover time, Nehemiah was thinking about Judah while performing his duties. Because he normally seemed happy, the king notices his sadness and asked what was bothering him.
“Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?” (Nehemiah 2:2b-3)
Terrified about how the king might respond, Nehemiah offered the customary compliments, asking how he could be expected to be happy when his home city was in ruins and the people were exposed to any group who chose to attack them. He knew Artaxerxes might well consider his statement a reflection on his administration and take offense.
“Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request?
So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.” (Nehemiah 2:4-5)
Instead of taking offense, the king asked what he thought they should do about it. Saying a quick prayer, Nehemiah asked that he be allowed to go to Judah and build the wall so they would be protected.
“And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?
So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. “ (Nehemiah 2:6)
Artaxerxes’ only question was how long he expected to be gone and how far he was planning to go. Obviously he was willing to let him go, so Nehemiah gave him an estimate as to how long it would take.
“Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.” (Nehemiah 2:7-8)
Knowing the anti-Jewish sentiment by other groups, Nehemiah seized the opportunity to request official papers requiring that other governors along the way to provide safe travel till he got to Judah. He also asked permission to cut the trees for the lumber to build the gates and whatever else they needed. Artaxerxes willingly signed the requests, as God inspired him to.
“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.
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” (Neheniah 1:1-3)
Thirteen years before, Ezra had gone to Jerusalem to bring sacrifices and offerings from Artaxerxes and the Babylonian Government. When he arrived he had found that during the thirty six years following the completion of the Temple, the Jews were dabbling with the religions of surrounding peoples and ignoring the civil and moral laws. For thirteen years Ezra had worked to get them back to serving God.
Late in November or early December of Artaxerxes’ twentieth year as king, Nehemiah held a trusted position in Artaxerxes’ administration. Verse 11 states, “For I was the king's cupbearer.” As such he was effectively head of the Secret Service and met most of the people who came to the king as part of his job.
He was concerned about what was happening in Judah, and when a group from Jerusalem came to Babylon on business, he inquired as the conditions in Jerusalem. They reported that the walls of Jerusalem had still not been repaired and there was a lot of unrest and conflict, and that things were not going very well.
“And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. ” (Nehemiah 1:4-10)
Learning that Judah was still struggling, Nehemiah was concerned that God still wasn’t blessing them as fully as he had promised. The city was still exposed to attack by her enemies because the wall had not been rebuilt, and it was considered easy pickings for raiders. He reminded God that he had promised to restore their blessings if they turned to him and asked that God would forgive them for their sin and remember his promise not to completely forget them but to protect them as he had done before.
“O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.” (Nehemiah 1:11)
As cupbearer, Nehemiah was responsible for protecting the king from attempts to kill him by using poisons or kitchen utensils. He had to be present to fulfill his obligations and could not just leave the responsibility to somebody else. He prayed that God would cause Artaxerxes to allow him and others who wanted to obey God the chance to do something to help the Jews.
"And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” (Nehemiah 2:1-2a)
Four months later, about Passover time, Nehemiah was thinking about Judah while performing his duties. Because he normally seemed happy, the king notices his sadness and asked what was bothering him.
“Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?” (Nehemiah 2:2b-3)
Terrified about how the king might respond, Nehemiah offered the customary compliments, asking how he could be expected to be happy when his home city was in ruins and the people were exposed to any group who chose to attack them. He knew Artaxerxes might well consider his statement a reflection on his administration and take offense.
“Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request?
So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.” (Nehemiah 2:4-5)
Instead of taking offense, the king asked what he thought they should do about it. Saying a quick prayer, Nehemiah asked that he be allowed to go to Judah and build the wall so they would be protected.
“And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?
So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. “ (Nehemiah 2:6)
Artaxerxes’ only question was how long he expected to be gone and how far he was planning to go. Obviously he was willing to let him go, so Nehemiah gave him an estimate as to how long it would take.
“Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.” (Nehemiah 2:7-8)
Knowing the anti-Jewish sentiment by other groups, Nehemiah seized the opportunity to request official papers requiring that other governors along the way to provide safe travel till he got to Judah. He also asked permission to cut the trees for the lumber to build the gates and whatever else they needed. Artaxerxes willingly signed the requests, as God inspired him to.
It is amazing how God uses pagan people to fulfil His purposes, and also how He positions His people in pagan settings to do the same. Thanks as always for the enlightening exposition of Scripture.
ReplyDeleteGod bless,
Laurie
It sure makes a person think about what we could accomplish if we really trusted God, doesn't it?
ReplyDelete