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Good morning to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Have you ever had the opportunity to make an ‘outrageous or courageous ASK’? By this I mean you were given an opportunity to make a request from someone who had almost unlimited resources and therefore they might fulfill your ‘ask’ beyond your wildest imagination!
Come with me back to Susa, the capital of the vast Persian kingdom, in the spring of 445bc. Yesterday I left you in the royal throne room of the king’s palace. The servant ‘cupbearer’ Nehemiah has just heard King Artaxerxes say to him “What is it you want?” (Nehemiah 2:4) No doubt the past four months as Nehemiah has been preparing for this moment, he had thought and prayed about the remote possibility that the king might just ask this question. So, Nehemiah said: “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in your sight, let the king send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” (Nehemiah 2:5)
The city Nehemiah is referring to is, of course, Jerusalem, but remember Nehemiah’s job requires him to be available to the king every day whenever the king wants to eat or drink something. But somehow King Artaxerxes is open to at least consider Nehemiah’s request and that is undoubtedly evidence of God at work in his heart. So, the king asked: “How long will your journey take and when will you get back?” (Nehemiah 2:6)
Nehemiah knew the king well enough that this question indicated the king’s willingness to release Nehemiah for a time and already the king was contemplating a plan for Nehemiah’s absence! Nehemiah’s response is another clear indication that he had thoroughly prayed through all the possible options and sought God’s guidance on how he should respond to the king’s questions. While the text does not say so, it seems to me Nehemiah was again praying in this moment, asking the Holy Spirit of God to guide his every word, and also to tenderize the king’s heart to another outrageous request from Nehemiah.
Nehemiah spoke words he had perhaps never heard in this king’s throne room: “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of the Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe passage until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, and for the city wall, and for the residence I will occupy?” (Nehemiah 2:7.8) Wow, now that’s quite a courageous request of the king, isn’t it? Safety and supplies! Because Nehemiah tells us the Queen was sitting next to the King (Nehemiah 2:6) I wonder if they talked it over? Did the king seek counsel from his other advisors? How long did Nehemiah wait for an answer?
I don’t know the answers to those questions, but Nehemiah gives us this analysis of what he saw happening in the throne room at that moment: “Because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.” (Nehemiah 2:8) What is required of a man or woman to recognize the involvement of God in the very practical things in our lives? There was no visible evidence that God was IN that throne room, yet what transpired in this moment was clear evidence to Nehemiah that the Almighty, Majestic God was moving in the heart and mind of King Artaxerxes and making the unreasonable become possible which would propel Nehemiah on the greatest adventure of his lifetime! The only other Bible author who uses this phrase: “…the gracious hand of my God was upon me…” repeatedly is Ezra, and that tells me Ezra and Nehemiah not only knew each other but stimulated each other in their spiritual dynamic. WHO in your life and mine stimulates our spirituality to vibrancy?
There’s a gap of time between verse 8 and 9 in chapter 2 of Nehemiah’s account. During that time, I imagine Nehemiah was training his replacement as “cupbearer” to the king; as well as packing and preparing for his several weeklong journey, and the amazing task awaiting him upon arrival in Jerusalem.
Weeks later Nehemiah arrived, and he made this important notation for us: “So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.” (Nehemiah 2:9) It had been 13 years since Ezra had made his long journey from Babylon to Jerusalem and you may recall Ezra had NOT requested a military escort, even though the road would pass through many areas infested with renegades and bandits. (Ezra 8:22)
Perhaps piracy along those roads had increased in those subsequent years or maybe King Artaxerxes was more concerned about the safety of his trusted ‘cupbearer’ so that the king sent an armed escort with Nehemiah! More probably, King Artaxerxes knew the governors and satraps who were in positions of great authority in that part of his Persian kingdom. The king knew the presence of that armed escort would give greater legitimacy and if needed support to the king-written letters Nehemiah presented to the governors of the Trans-Euphrates region!
Nehemiah was coming into that part of the middle east which was amazingly similar to how it is today. For many decades, since the Assyrians had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem, returning Jews were opposed both in their attempted return to their ancient homeland as well as any permanent structures they attempted to build, like the Temple in Jerusalem. Sometimes that opposition was vicious and fatal! Nehemiah was confronted by high ranking officials who were, from the moment of Nehemiah’s’ arrival, totally opposed to Nehemiah’s presence and anything he attempted to do. Nehemiah describes them with these words: “When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.” (Nehemiah 2:10)
Research shows me that Sanballat was the highly regarded governor of the Samaria region immediately to the north of Jerusalem at that time and Tobiah was governor of the region immediately to the east and south of Jerusalem. These men, and others who would join them, viewed Nehemiah as an unwelcome intrusion into their authority over all things in the region, especially Jerusalem and the efforts of returning Jews to rebuild their city. So, we need to pause right here and consider how similar Nehemiah’s situation was to those like America trying to help Israel in our day.
Perhaps you are facing opposition to your efforts to help a situation in need of God’s help? Let’s pray about that and tomorrow we’ll see what God did. I wonder if this song is what Nehemiah might have been singing those first days back in Jerusalem? Is it your song too?
Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 2:4-10.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“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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