August 31
Reading: Nehemiah 2
1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king.
Now I had not been sad in his presence.
2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.”
Then I was very much afraid.
3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.”
6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?”
So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time.
7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.”
And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.
11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.”
18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me.
And they said, “Let us rise up and build.”
So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”
The first eight verses of Nehemiah 2 present a beautiful picture of the hand of God working on Nehemiah’s behalf. You must understand when reading these verses that the cupbearer to the king is a position of privileged servitude. The cupbearer was the person who brought all the king’s drink to him. He was to sip from the drink in the king’s presence so that, if anyone would try to poison the king, the cupbearer would die first and the king would be saved. The cupbearer was not allowed to be sad or sick in the presence of the king. This is the reason for Nehemiah’s fear in verse 2.
What is remarkable is that the king noticed Nehemiah’s sadness. This tells us something about the king and his relationship with Nehemiah. He cared about Nehemiah. That the king would ask for Nehemiah’s request is astounding. Nehemiah is his slave. Notice that Nehemiah prays first before he answers the king. Then Nehemiah’s request is incredibly bold! So, when, at the end of verse 8, Nehemiah tells us why the king granted his request, that God’s hand was on him is the only reasonable conclusion.
The reason for Nehemiah’s secret inspection of the Jerusalem walls by night is because of the local opposition of Sanballat and Tobiah. (vss. 9-16) Before Nehemiah speaks to the people of Israel, he wants to be informed about the real situation.
What has been lacking in the people of Israel that they have not repaired the walls? They are fearful rather than faithful. So, Nehemiah tells them the story of God’s work in the heart of the king of Persia. They begin trusting God. This leads to action. (vs. 18) The action leads to more opposition. (vs. 19) This causes Nehemiah to respond with more faith. (vs. 20)
Throughout this book, Nehemiah will be an example of faith-filled courage and obedience. How can you be like Nehemiah?