Nehemiah 2:1-8
In the month of Nisan in the
twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the
wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the
king asked me, “Why
does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but
sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, but I
said to the king, “May
the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my
ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of
heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor
in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried
so that I can rebuild it.”
Then the king, with the queen
sitting beside him, asked me, “How
long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send
me; so I set a time.
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I
have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me
safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, 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?” And
because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.
Sometime during week before Father’s Day my wife said to me, “How do you want to spend Father’s
Day? Is there anything you want or need?” I knew from our years together that she was asking what I
wanted for a family meal after church that Sunday, and if I could give her any
ideas for what I might like to receive as Father’s Day gifts.
I don’t
know about you, but I always find the question, “What do you want?”
to be very difficult to answer! I mean, do you ask for what you have a
reasonable chance of getting, like a new shirt or two, or do you ask for what
you really want, like a new car?
At that particular moment, I chose wisely and asked for a couple
of new clothing items, but I’m already thinking hard about next year!
At the moment of Nehemiah’s greatest risk, when he has revealed
the source of his deep sadness, the King asks a question I’m not sure
Nehemiah fully expected to hear.
The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of
heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor
in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are
buried so that I can rebuild it.”
There are several things to point out in this part of Nehemiah’s
conversation with King Artaxerxes. First, notice that after four months of
prayer and fasting, and after the King asks him what he wants, Nehemiah prays
again.
Was Nehemiah thanking God that the King had not been offended by
his show of emotion? Was he thanking God for the question the King had just
asked? Was he seeking God’s wisdom in asking for just the right things in
just the right way? Or, may he have been asking for courage to make a bold
request that might yet offend or enrage King Artaxerxes?
I think it’s possible that Nehemiah prayed all these things
and maybe more. But what is both interesting and inspiring to me is that
Nehemiah pauses to pray in the middle of a conversation! This tells me that
prayer was such a natural and constant part of his life that Nehemiah is able
to direct his thoughts and heart to God while simultaneously engaging the King.
What about you? Most of us pray when we find ourselves in crisis
or in need of help. But is prayer such a part of your life that you look to the
God of heaven before, after or even during the events of your day? Do you pray
in preparation for a sales call? Before a business meeting? During a conversation
with your son or daughter?
We know from the rest of his story that Nehemiah was an extremely
intelligent, shrewd and dynamic leader. But despite his many gifts and
abilities he sought the direction and blessing of God each step of the way.
As one writer put it, “Only
after speaking with the King of Kings was Nehemiah prepared to speak to the
King of Persia.”
Second, we notice that Nehemiah responds to the King’s
question with both great boldness and great wisdom. On the one hand he asks for
the whole enchilada; he wants to rebuild the city. That’s a big
deal!
On the other hand, he is very careful in how he phrases his
desire. He does not mention either Jerusalem or its wall directly; rather, he
refers to the “city in
Judah where my ancestors are buried.”
This is because Nehemiah remembers that it was Artaxerxes himself
who had stopped the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem some years earlier.
After all, Jerusalem was a territory under Persian control and to rebuild the
wall of a city that could be a potential rival made no political sense.
This is part of why Nehemiah was afraid; it is part of why he
prays to God before speaking to the King; and it is why he is very careful in
the manner in which he makes his request.
He refers to Jerusalem as the “city in Judah where my ancestors are buried.” This is very intentional
because of the significance given to ancestral burial grounds in the ancient
world. Nehemiah is giving the King every reason to agree to his request.
What can we learn from Nehemiah? We learn to be bold in our
pursuit of God’s purposes. We learn to be wise and respectful in the manner in
which we conduct ourselves. And, above all else, we learn to be people of
prayer.
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