Nehemiah Pt. 2 The Good Hand of God on display to get His good work done.
At the end of Nehemiah 1, his time of prayer and fasting is over and Nehemiah committed all that was on his heart into the Lord's hand. Nehemiah resumed his duties as the cupbearer and he noted that previously he was generally cheerful before King Artaxerxes.
On this day, however, Nehemiah was saddened by the plight of the Jews in Jerusalem. He was miserable and vexed because things were hard for Jewish people in their homeland.
Artaxerxes was an attentive ruler and he knew that something was amiss. He asked Nehemiah why he was sad and could see that it was "sorrow of the heart." Not only was Nehemiah sad for the Jewish people, he also knew that he lived or died at the pleasure of the King and therefore he was afraid for his life. Yet, Nehemiah had prayed to Jehovah and was given boldness enough to clearly state the reasons why he was sad. He spoke of the poor condition of Jerusalem with pertinent details.
Nehemiah 2:1-3 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. 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?
King Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah what his request was. This was the hand of God moving the king to be favorable toward Nehemiah. Nehemiah remained in the spirit of prayer and prayed to His God before making his request of the king. He did not make a rash request of the king. Instead he prayed and sought the Lord's will in making his needs known to the king.
Nehemiah 2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Notice the request that Nehemiah made to King Artaxerxes. It was to the point and succinct. He did not make a long list of grievances and demands, instead he asked that if it pleased his king, to be allowed to rebuild Jerusalem.
It is helpful to recall that King Artaxerxes was married to Queen Esther and that she was a Jewish girl who rescued all the Jews from execution by the evil plan of Haman. Artaxerxes is called Ahasuerus in the book of Esther. This account is contained in the book of Esther. This is the queen who sat beside Artaxerxes.
The king asked Nehemiah how long he would be gone and when he would return. He did not want to be without his loyal cupbearer very long. Nehemiah set a time for his return and it was the king's good pleasure to send Nehemiah to Jerusalem to finish the work.
Nehemiah 2:5-6 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. 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 asked the king for an official letter that would give him legal authority to have Jerusalem rebuilt. He also secured grants for building materials like timber and stone from the king. In addition, we will see that Artaxerxes sent a full military escort with Nehemiah to Jerusalem. Notice again the phrase "according to the good hand of my God upon me."
God is still working in our lives today. When something goes well for us in this life, may we be quick to give God the honor and glory for what He has done. Too often we forget to thank and praise Him.
Nehemiah 2:7-8 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.
Tatnai is not mentioned in the book of Nehemiah but there are new enemies (Tatnai is one of these enemies) who were grieved that Nehemiah would come seeking the welfare of Jerusalem and the Jewish people.
Nehemiah 2:9-10 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and
gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the
army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
The name Sanballat means "strength" and the Horites were a people of war and conquest. It is the idea of facing a strong enemy. The name "Tobiah" means the "goodness of Jehovah". However, he is an Ammonite, which were perpetual enemies of Israel.
The word "grieved" means to break, shatter, to hurt or do evil or to do wickedly. It is like an adult version of an out of control child's temper tantrum. The word "exceedingly" means that the temper tantrum is exponentially greater than that of a child.
It took Nehemiah 3 days to get his bearings and get settled in his living arrangements after he arrived in Jerusalem. We previously studied the 10 Gates of Jerusalem where we saw that Nehemiah was the primary mover of that great undertaking and I won't dwell on those portions as we study Nehemiah.
What Nehemiah did next is both remarkable and insightful. He took a few trustworthy men with him and surveyed the damaged gates and walls of the city. He did not share what the Lord had laid on his heart to do and most people were unaware of his intentions.
Nehemiah got right into the thick of things so that he could have a realistic assessment of the work required to rebuild the city. It was daunting project to be sure but after he saw everything, he became settled in his heart as to what needed to be done.
Some have said that Nehemiah was a very practical minded man who exerted himself to complete whatever tasks he was responsible for. A good way to think about him in this context is that he acted like a project manager coming up with a list of tasks, the order that the tasks needed to be completed, the manpower needed to get the job done and the materials he would have to procure.
On this day, however, Nehemiah was saddened by the plight of the Jews in Jerusalem. He was miserable and vexed because things were hard for Jewish people in their homeland.
Artaxerxes was an attentive ruler and he knew that something was amiss. He asked Nehemiah why he was sad and could see that it was "sorrow of the heart." Not only was Nehemiah sad for the Jewish people, he also knew that he lived or died at the pleasure of the King and therefore he was afraid for his life. Yet, Nehemiah had prayed to Jehovah and was given boldness enough to clearly state the reasons why he was sad. He spoke of the poor condition of Jerusalem with pertinent details.
Nehemiah 2:1-3 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. 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?
King Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah what his request was. This was the hand of God moving the king to be favorable toward Nehemiah. Nehemiah remained in the spirit of prayer and prayed to His God before making his request of the king. He did not make a rash request of the king. Instead he prayed and sought the Lord's will in making his needs known to the king.
Nehemiah 2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Notice the request that Nehemiah made to King Artaxerxes. It was to the point and succinct. He did not make a long list of grievances and demands, instead he asked that if it pleased his king, to be allowed to rebuild Jerusalem.
It is helpful to recall that King Artaxerxes was married to Queen Esther and that she was a Jewish girl who rescued all the Jews from execution by the evil plan of Haman. Artaxerxes is called Ahasuerus in the book of Esther. This account is contained in the book of Esther. This is the queen who sat beside Artaxerxes.
The king asked Nehemiah how long he would be gone and when he would return. He did not want to be without his loyal cupbearer very long. Nehemiah set a time for his return and it was the king's good pleasure to send Nehemiah to Jerusalem to finish the work.
Nehemiah 2:5-6 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. 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 asked the king for an official letter that would give him legal authority to have Jerusalem rebuilt. He also secured grants for building materials like timber and stone from the king. In addition, we will see that Artaxerxes sent a full military escort with Nehemiah to Jerusalem. Notice again the phrase "according to the good hand of my God upon me."
God is still working in our lives today. When something goes well for us in this life, may we be quick to give God the honor and glory for what He has done. Too often we forget to thank and praise Him.
Nehemiah 2:7-8 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.
Tatnai is not mentioned in the book of Nehemiah but there are new enemies (Tatnai is one of these enemies) who were grieved that Nehemiah would come seeking the welfare of Jerusalem and the Jewish people.
Nehemiah 2:9-10 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and
gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the
army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
The name Sanballat means "strength" and the Horites were a people of war and conquest. It is the idea of facing a strong enemy. The name "Tobiah" means the "goodness of Jehovah". However, he is an Ammonite, which were perpetual enemies of Israel.
The word "grieved" means to break, shatter, to hurt or do evil or to do wickedly. It is like an adult version of an out of control child's temper tantrum. The word "exceedingly" means that the temper tantrum is exponentially greater than that of a child.
It took Nehemiah 3 days to get his bearings and get settled in his living arrangements after he arrived in Jerusalem. We previously studied the 10 Gates of Jerusalem where we saw that Nehemiah was the primary mover of that great undertaking and I won't dwell on those portions as we study Nehemiah.
What Nehemiah did next is both remarkable and insightful. He took a few trustworthy men with him and surveyed the damaged gates and walls of the city. He did not share what the Lord had laid on his heart to do and most people were unaware of his intentions.
Nehemiah got right into the thick of things so that he could have a realistic assessment of the work required to rebuild the city. It was daunting project to be sure but after he saw everything, he became settled in his heart as to what needed to be done.
Some have said that Nehemiah was a very practical minded man who exerted himself to complete whatever tasks he was responsible for. A good way to think about him in this context is that he acted like a project manager coming up with a list of tasks, the order that the tasks needed to be completed, the manpower needed to get the job done and the materials he would have to procure.
Nehemiah 2: 11-16 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
Now we arrive in the text where Nehemiah addresses the rulers. He lays out an accurate picture of their dire situation. The city is full of waste and rubble from when the Babylonians destroyed it. The gates were burned and useless.
Then, Nehemiah got right to the main point. "Let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we be no more a reproach." He shared with the people all that God had been doing in his life to complete this massive rebuilding project.
How did the people respond? They said "Let us rise up and build." The words "rise up" means to rise up with power, energy and to be fixed or determined to do something, in this case to build. The word "strengthen" means to be hard, made strong and resolute.
What united the people to get working on the walls and gates? The good hand of God upon them and the good work of rebuilding the Holy City of Jehovah. The word "good" in both cases means morally good, happy, excellent and esteemed valuable.
Nehemiah 2: 17-18 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
Points to Ponder.....
- The LORD our God is good in every circumstance of life.
- God is good when we pray to Him seeking His direction and will.
- God is good in helping us when we honor Him by waiting on Him rather than rashly running out to do something.
- God is good in raising up believing leaders to rally people to the work of God.
- God is good in working in the hearts of rulers to grant an opportunity to do the work of God.
- God is good in helping us see the challenges that we face and to see what the solution might be.
- God is good in stirring the hearts of His sheep to perform the good work of God.
Nehemiah is the right man for this task because he is very task focused and results driven. He is practical in his approaches to problem solving and yet in alignment with what God wishes to accomplish. He is a man of Godly passion and full of energy to do what God has called him to do.
May we seek to have a spirit like Nehemiah's as we live our lives during our earthly pilgrimage.
Bob
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