Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends all around the world.
When I say that, “friends all around the world”, I wonder what comes into your mind? Do you think of places like Tokyo or Mexico City or Berlin or Beirut or Jerusalem or Hong Kong or Paris or Dubai or Nairobi, or does it pass you by and you primarily think of your town, your country?
Depending on what news source you listen to or where your network of friends are or what sport and teams you follow, isn’t it true that our circle of awareness and interest can be very small as compared to our big world of 7.5 Billion people?
Have you also noticed we tend to focus on the present, the very recent past and the future as we live our lives, overlooking so much we have to learn from the distant past? Over the past several months I’ve been trying to stretch our awareness, leading us to actually step back in time and engage with some of the most fascinating people, places and times in the story of God interfacing with our world, as found in the Bible. Today, join me again, this time in the great palatial city of Susa in the Persian kingdom.
The most powerful man in the world in 445bc has his grand palace in this city Susa. Nearly 2500 years later, it’s known as the city of Shush, Iran with about 70,000 people. Time has a way of changing things doesn’t it? Two famous people in the Bible have their stories in Susa. One is Queen Esther, and we’ve already read her remarkable story and how God saved all Jews across the entire Persian kingdom in response to her faith, her prayers and her mobilizing of the people to pray for God’s miraculous intervention. The annual festival of Purim celebrates today what took place in Susa in 479bc with Queen Esther, King Xerxes, Mordecai and Haman.
About 35 years later, in 445bc, in the same palatial city of Susa, a new emperor Artaxerxes had been in power about 20 years and I’m sure he knew the story of Queen Esther and his predecessor king Xerxes very well. One of king Artaxerxes’ trusted palace employees was a man named Nehemiah. He actually safeguarded the king’s life everyday by checking to see that his food and beverage was safe from any contamination either accidental or intentional. I suspect he spent a great deal of time in the palace kitchens and Nehemiah must have known every chef, every baker, every winemaker personally. They knew their lives depended on the king’s health. An upset stomach, an allergic reaction to anything the king ate or drank could bring imprisonment or their execution! (Genesis 40) Have you ever had a case of what we call ‘food poisoning’? In Susa, in 445bc, that would not have simply been an inconvenience!
Nehemiah’s story is found in the Bible in the book which bears his name and is a record of his remarkable experiences with God. Have you ever thought about keeping a journal or some record of the remarkable experiences you have with God? I assure you that if you did, it will be one of the most valuable possessions you will someday pass to your descendants. Wouldn’t you love to have a record of your parents or grandparents’ spiritual experiences, written in their own hand, from many decades ago?
Nehemiah chapter 1 gives us a glimpse into this man’s character and personality which I find very challenging to me and I hope you’ll find challenging to you also. While living his normal life, evidently Nehemiah’s brother Hanani and some other men come to Susa, presumably on a business trip having just returned from a very long voyage. They’d come from Jerusalem, possibly a trip of almost 1000 miles depending on the route they took! I love Nehemiah’s inquisitive spirit. The record says: “I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that has survived the exile and also about Jerusalem.” (Nehemiah 1:2)
We have no reason to believe Nehemiah had ever been to Jerusalem, but we know he was Jewish and we presume well versed in the history of the Jews, their city Jerusalem, their exile in both the Babylonian and Persian empires, and the returns of large numbers of Jews from Babylon to rebuild their city Jerusalem and their Temple. Do you have an inquisitive spirit? Are you interested to know about what is happening around the world? Are you fascinated by the stories of the great work of God in the vast cities in China, South Korea, India, or the jungles of Indonesia, or what God has been doing across the great continents of Africa or South America or what God is doing in the Muslim nations of Central Asia and now even Europe?
What Nehemiah heard broke his heart: “They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire…” (Nehemiah 1:3) Nehemiah was not hearing a report of a fresh war, or a major earthquake. No, Nehemiah knew Jerusalem had been destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar in 586bc. More than 140 years, 6 generations, had passed by now and Nehemiah wanted a progress report. Was Jerusalem once again flourishing, rebuilt, vibrant… maybe even returned to the glory years of King Solomon? Well, yes, much rebuilding had taken place, including the Temple, and Ezra’s spiritual revival of 13 years before had brought spiritual renewal, but the city was both vulnerable and shamed by the rubble of the city walls and broken gates which had not been repaired in more than a century.
In closing today, look at Nehemiah’s response to this sad news: “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4) May I ask how do you respond when you hear heart breaking news from far away places, especially if it is news of Christians being persecuted, or churches destroyed, or missionaries killed? How do you respond as you watch the moral decline of the society in which you live? Do you see Nehemiah said he prayed, fasted, mourned ‘for some days’. Actually, it was four months from the month of Kislev in Nehemiah 1:1 to the month of Nisan in Nehemiah 2:1! That’s not just ‘some days’, that’s a prolonged vigil of focused prayer, seeking help from God! Do you have a heart like Nehemiah?
January 22nd, just a few days ago, was the 48th anniversary of a historical court decision in America, Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States, and has paved the way for abortion in many other countries who follow America’s lead. More than 60 million defenseless babies have been slaughtered since that day in America. Whenever you hear the word ‘abortion’ do you respond like Nehemiah did when he head heartbreaking news?
This statement was released in honor of the anniversary this year, by Nancy Pelosi, the high profile female leader of the House of Representatives in the US Congress, on January 22, just a few days ago:
“For 48 years, Roe v. Wade has been a cornerstone of health and equal rights for all American women. This landmark decision protects a woman’s fundamental right to make her own reproductive health decisions.”
“Nearly half a century later, Roe v. Wade is settled law. Yet, due to relentless Republican attacks in states across the country, it is hanging on by a thread, threatening to drag American women back to a dark, dangerous and deadly past. These harmful attacks challenge our nation’s bedrock values and significantly undermine women’s health and economic security, particularly women of color and those in low-income communities. But with the tireless voices and activism of women across the country, these Republican efforts must continue to fail.”
I wonder how your heart responds to that harsh, heartbreaking statement? Is God looking for Nehemiah’s today? Are we tender hearted men and women who go to our knees when heartbreaking news comes to our ears? And if such news is heartbreaking to us, what do you think it does to the heart of Holy God, as He watches abortion slaughter defenseless babies, and He listens to this kind of defense?
Here’s a quiet, reflective song about the Holiness of God that may help us pray today. . .
Today’s Scripture is Nehemiah 1.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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