Written by: David Rose
Nehemiah 1 v 1-4
These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, I, Nehemiah, was in the capital city of Susa. One of my brothers named Hanani came with some other men from Judah. I asked them about Jerusalem and the Jewish people who lived through the captivity. They answered me, “Those who are left from the captivity are back in Judah, but they are in much trouble and are full of shame. The wall around Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned.” When I heard these things, I sat down and cried for several days. I was sad and ate nothing. I prayed to the God of heaven,
Notes
Israel, the Northern of the two Jewish Kingdoms, had fallen to the Assyrians, and the people taken into exile and disbursement. Then, after about a hundred years, the Southern Kingdom, Judah, fell to the Babylonians and the people also taken into exile.
But all things pass, including empires, so just as Babylon succeeded Assyria, so Persia succeeded Babylon.
And under the Persians, the Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem.
The first group, under Zerubbabel rebuilt the Temple.
The second to return, under Ezra, restored the Law of God.
Then, about a hundred years after Zerubbabel’s return, we find Nehemiah, still in Exile, receiving news from Jerusalem.
And it all came as a bit of a shock.
Nehemiah had heard about the rebuilt Temple.
And, in his mind’s eye, he would have had a picture of Jerusalem.
The City of God, Temple, Walls and Gate.
A symbol of the Jewish identity.
But there were no walls, no gate.
And if there were no walls or gate, then those in Jerusalem, even the Temple itself, were at the mercy of anyone who did not want the Jewish people to return.
Nehemiah is shattered,
His worldview is destroyed,
His whole understanding of the order of things is wrong.
Each one of us has a worldview, a map that we carry round with us in our head; it helps us deal with the situations that confront us every day.
It may include a friend that you rely upon, the fact that McDonalds sells fries, that if you study you pass exams, that traffic travels on the left, and that there is a Church on the corner.
Then one day the map doesn’t work, someone moves the goal posts; it’s a new thing, time to learn …….
‘I prayed to the God of heaven’
Nehemiah 1 v 5-7
“LORD, God of heaven, you are the great God who is to be respected. You are loyal, and you keep your agreement with those who love you and obey your commands. Look and listen carefully. Hear the prayer that I, your servant, am praying to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we Israelites have done against you. My father’s family and I have sinned against you. We have been wicked toward you and have not obeyed the commands, rules, and laws you gave your servant Moses.
Notes
Nehemiah had received some unexpected news, news that shattered his understanding of the way the world worked.
Nehemiah mourned for the loss of his world, the one inside his head that he had related to.
For ‘several days’ he was transfixed by his horror at hearing that Jerusalem was defenceless against any that wished it harm.
Then Nehemiah prayed to the God of Heaven, he begins:
‘LORD, God of heaven’,
And then lists some of God’s attributes,
God is:
Respected
Loyal
Honest and Trustworthy
Loved and Obeyed
God’s attributes, his nature, is important, because the way God is, is the reason for praying, and why we pray in the way we do.
As you pray, begin by thinking of aspects of God’s nature that cause you to pray.
Nehemiah turns to confession,
The Israelites have:
sinned
been disobedient
not obeyed God’s commandments
Nehemiah confessed for himself, and for his whole people.
We often forget there is a community element to sin, and a need, therefore, to confess as and for a community.
It is too easy to blame racism, global warming or whatever, on ‘them’, forgetting that society includes ‘us’, our attitudes and actions contribute to making society the way it is.
At the turn of the year, it is important to look back, at the faults and failure, of ourselves, and the society which we are part of.
Think how, over the last year, you have made your community, your country, your world a worse place to live in;
And consider how many times you could have made things so much better, but didn’t.
Then ask God’s forgiveness, and for his help to do better in the year to come.
Trusting that he will both forgive and guide you in the future.
Nehemiah 1 v 8-11
“Remember what you taught your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands, I will gather your people from the far ends of the earth. And I will bring them from captivity to where I have chosen to be worshiped.’
“They are your servants and your people, whom you have saved with your great strength and power. Lord, listen carefully to the prayer of your servant and the prayers of your servants who love to honor you. Give me, your servant, success today; allow this king to show kindness to me.”
I was the one who served wine to the king.
Notes
Happy New Year, and A Happy New Millennium!
Nehemiah continues in Prayer,
Having addressed God, and confessed the sins of the Israelites, Nehemiah moves on to the heart of the prayer.
God is Loyal, and keeps his agreements; So Nehemiah reminds God of his great saving act in rescuing Israel from slavery in Egypt.
Nehemiah believed that God had saved Israel in the past, and that he could save Israel in the future.
But he had more than just a set of beliefs, Nehemiah had faith.
He was prepared to put his beliefs into action, to act as if his beliefs were true, that God would save.
But more than that – Nehemiah did not just pray to God, then sit back and expect God to do the miracle bit – No – He prayed, then he became God’s co-worker, God’s agent of salvation.
To be that, Nehemiah must gain favour with the King, Nehemiah asks for God’s help.
The World is a mess, floods, global warming, pollution …… you add your own favourite examples of disaster to the List!
Now we could – should – lift this lot up to God in prayer.
But what we should NOT do is sit back and wait for God to do the miracle bit and sort it all out for us.
Like Nehemiah, we should be co-workers with God; we should be prepared to change our lives to fit God’s will.
Pray about Global Warming, but use less fuel, walk more, or use public transport.
Pray about the exploitation of workers in the third world, but also purchase more fair traded goods, and NOT insist on the latest fashion/sports shoes without first finding out about how they are made.
Faith is active, not passive, and God expects our lives to reflect HIS concerns for Justice, Peace and the Environment.
Nehemiah 2 v 1-3
It was the month of Nisan in the twentieth year Artaxerxes was king. He wanted some wine, so I took some and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before. So the king said, “Why does your face look sad even though you are not sick? Your heart must be sad.”
Then I was very afraid. I said to the king, “May the king live forever! My face is sad because the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”
Notes
Nehemiah served wine to the king, which meant that he was a man of power and status. He made sure no-one poisoned the king, and was trusted not to do the dastardly deed himself!
Nehemiah spent a long time in prayer before he chose to act.
As cupbearer to the king, Nehemiah would have had a ‘professional’ face, similar to the mac-flame-grilled ‘have-a-nice-day’ of today, and with as much meaning.
Nehemiah chose not to use it, he let his sadness show, he needed the king to open the conversation, to ask the questions that would lead to Nehemiah’s request.
We must not underestimate Nehemiah’s bravery, there had been a new wall and gate, constructed after the rebuilding of the Temple, but it had been destroyed, probably on the instructions of the self same king that Nehemiah was about to approach for help.
Rulers do not like to be criticized – ever – and Artaxerxes was no exception.
As Nehemiah said, ‘then I was afraid’ – yet still he pushed forward, hesitantly at first, not sure how the king would react.
Not many people would claim to have a complete and total understanding of God’s will, and I would not trust anyone who said they did!
We have inklings, ideas that ‘seem right’, but may be wrong! They form as we study the Bible, pray, talk to others ……
But are they from God?
In our uncertainty we move forward, gently, slowly, testing the spirit.
Maybe a bit afraid.
Like Nehemiah we need to move forward, always asking:
‘Is this God’s will?’
As you pray, ask God for courage to make those first hesitant steps as you seek his will,
But always ask for wisdom to recognise when he is confirming your action, and when he is strongly suggesting that you about face and go back!
Nehemiah 2 v 4-6
Then the king said to me, “What do you want?” First I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I answered the king, “If you are willing and if I have pleased you, send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so I can rebuild it.” The queen was sitting next to the king. He asked me, “How long will your trip take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me, so I set a time.
Notes
Artaxerxes was the king, he had asked the question – ‘why are you sad?’ and had been told.
Now the conversation could have stopped there, would have stopped there, if Artaxerxes had not taken it forward.
‘What do you want?’
and Nehemiah prayed.
This is an important reminder; the interchange was not just between the king and Nehemiah. There was a third party present, and he was an active participant. The fact that the king didn’t have a clue about God’s presence made no difference at all to that reality.
Nehemiah was still testing the water of God’s will, and the King’s question must have seemed like confirmation that he had got it right.
So he was bolder.
‘If you are willing, I will go and sort things out.’
The request is granted, and Nehemiah is sure that he had understood God’s will correctly.
The ‘How long will you need?’ is answered with confidence, not ‘how long will you allow me?’ but ‘I set the time’.
The power may still have been with the king, but Nehemiah was beginning to take the initiative.
Nehemiah was close to God, he prayed long and he prayed in detail.
He took his woes and he took his plans to God.
He also prayed on the hoof, asking for help and advice as things went along. His reliance upon God gave him confidence and the ability to move forward into dangerous territory.
BUT Nehemiah didn’t have the arrogance to assume that he knew God’s will without first testing things out.
He was aware that he could be wrong, and that awareness is reflected in his conversations with Artaxerxes.
As we seek to do God’s will, we need to remember to tread the fine line between confidence in God, and arrogance in our own
judgement.
Nehemiah 2 v 7-10
I also said to him, “If you are willing, give me letters for the governors of Trans-Euphrates. Tell them to let me pass safely through their lands on my way to Judah. And may I have a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, telling him to give me timber? I will need it to make boards for the gates of the palace, which is by the Temple, and for the city wall, and for the house in which I will live.” So the king gave me the letters, because God was showing kindness to me. Then I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and soldiers on horses with me.
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite officer heard about this, they were upset that someone had come to help the Israelites.
Notes
Nehemiah had moved a long way.
From a state of complete collapse, to being able to make demands upon the king.
‘Give me letters for a safe passage’
‘Give me letters to requisition wood to make repairs’
Then off Nehemiah went.
Nehemiah’s status is again emphasised, he was a man of standing, entitled to a military escort, so he got one.
Some Christians are loathed to be associated with what can be described as ‘the secular authorities’. They take the line that if its not being done by Christians (or even ‘ real Christians’ – that means ones just like me), it must be somehow inferior, or even evil.
Nehemiah would have had no time for such an idea, he was on a Mission From God, and any help he could get from king or army was just fine by him.
It’s a fine line to tread, the one between being in but not of the world and being totally worldly, but to tread it successfully means avoiding blanket condemnations or thoughtless approval purely on the basis of a concept or action’s place of origin.
Of course, as Christians we cannot separate a journey’s end from the road travelled to get there, for us the end never justifies the means.
But even non-believers can be used by God to further his ends, whilst believers can very easily get in the way.
This was what was happening in the case of Nehemiah, he was getting help from the king and army, but opposition from Sanballat the Horonite, who was himself a worshipper of Yahweh.
Pray to God for an open mind, ask for the wisdom to see what advances the Kingdom of God, and what stands in the way, look at what’s real, rather than the label something, or someone is wearing.
Nehemiah 2 v 11-16
I went to Jerusalem and stayed there three days. Then at night I started out with a few men. I had not told anyone what God had caused me to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me except the one I was riding.
I went out at night through the Valley Gate. I rode toward the Dragon Well and the Trash Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire. Then I rode on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for the animal I was riding to pass through. So I went up the valley at night, inspecting the wall. Finally, I turned and went back in through the Valley Gate. The guards did not know where I had gone or what I was doing. I had not yet said anything to the Jewish people, the priests, the important men, the officers, or any of the others who would do the work.
Notes
Q. How many Anglicans does it take to Change a light bulb?
A. Change!!!! What’s wrong with the one we’ve got?
Anyway we tried that twenty years ago – and it didn’t work!
Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem.
For three days he ‘stayed’, getting the feel of the place.
Then one night he moves out to examine the ground, inspecting the walls and gate, assessing the exact size of the task before him.
All of this in secret, or at least Nehemiah wasn’t totally open about the reasons for his actions.
Nehemiah had not told anyone about his ‘Mission From God’, not even the priests, important men, officers or any of the others who would do the work.
Imagine, the residents of Jerusalem had been there a while; they would have had a sense of achievement because of the rebuilt Temple and restored religious life, failure because of the state of the walls and gates.
But maybe a feeling of ‘why bother - we tried that it didn’t work’.
Any attempt to get build ‘new walls’ would be met with everything from indifference to hostility, all backed up with arguments based on an experience that this newcomer could not understand.
Nehemiah did his homework. He reconnoitred the area; he saw the size of the problem, prepared his plans well before he said anything to the Jewish people.
Anyone trying to get the Church to change will need to do the same thing.
Work out your arguments, try and foresee arguments and problems that will confront you before you go and talk to the priests, important men and officers.
God gives visions, he gives a mission, he gives the power to do his will, but he also expects us to plan properly, prepare the groundwork, and not rush in, all enthusiasm and energy but no clue.
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version
(Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes