Scripture: Nehemiah2:1-10, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Throughout the two books that our series is based
upon, we read of several Persian kings – Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, to
mention a few. Ezra had led a contingent
of Jews back to the Promised Land 50-75 years before Nehemiah began his
journey. In those days, kings didn’t
always hold the throne very long, due to internal changes and opposition, as
well as external attacks and conquest by foreign armies.
In our own country, we’re used to having changes in
our Presidency every 4 to 8 years, so a constant turnover may not seem so
strange. But in the days of Nehemiah and
Ezra, changes in leadership were due to violent actions, from both external as
well as internal sources. But for Nehemiah and Ezra, they had another Leader
who never changed – their Almighty God Jehovah.
They were captives in a far away land, so they were forced to also
acknowledge the authority that the worldly king had over them. Life wasn’t all that great, but depending on
the position that was assigned to you, it could have some advantages.
But in both of these books, God was still working to
their benefit through their worldly masters.
The Lord doesn’t bring praises and glory to the worldly, but He will use
them to help His people through a crises, or to fulfill His own plans for the
people who believe and trust in Him. And
so it will be in today’s message. The
Persian kings get no praise or other benefit for their own actions. But God’s
plan to rebuild His people and their nation came to fruition because the
Persians did as He told them.
Read Nehemiah 2:1-5
Nehemiah takes a risk during a huge state dinner,
and asks the king for permission to return home to begin a restoration
project. At these royal banquets, it was,
upon occasion, a tradition for the king to grant a few requests from his
guests, but it is doubtful that his servants were blessed to receive the king’s
generosity. But we should also note that
Nehemiah doesn’t mention the name of his city, as the king had received a
letter from the governors and commanders of that region, complaining that the
people of Judah were a rebellious lot, and that their troublesome nature was
the reason that the city had been destroyed in the first place! (Ezra 4:6-24)
But for Nehemiah, the king grants his request to
return home to provide restoration for the city and the people. We should also note that our man never
stopped praying to the righteous and true King in his life. When we stay close to the ways and desires of
the Lord, He will see that even the pagans will refrain from throwing up road blocks that prevent the Divine’s
plans from being carried out.
But what happens to those ungodly plans to oppose
God’s people? As we know all too well, and as the people of Jerusalem were finding out, the world’s opposition
and hostility never ends, even as the Lord continues to make a way for His will
to be carried out. Even as persecution
and oppression continue to plague the faithful, God will not be deterred when
the completion of His ways is important for the plan that points us toward eternity.
Read Nehemiah 2:6-10
King Artaxerxes asks for a time schedule for this
proposal, and without actually disclosing the answer for us, Nehemiah gives the
king a date, and receives permission to
go. Then, several additional requests
are offered, which the king also grants.
Letters of safe passage, signed and sealed by the king, would ensure
that the journey goes smoothly, and that there would be no restrictions or
other opposition raised up against the travelers.
A second letter is requested to provide for supply
of construction materials in the rebuilding of the gates and residences. But does Nehemiah rejoice that he has been
able to persuade the king to be so generous?
No – he freely acknowledges that the generosity came solely from God,
and that it was the Lord who inspired the king to provide all that was
necessary for the project to be completed safely and successfully!
Interestingly, even the temple is now mentioned,
which would have given the king a hint as to which city it was that would soon
be rebuilt! But even with the
availability of that information, Artaxerxes never withdraws his
permission or provisions. We don’t
always see the ways that God works, or understand the means that are applied to
potential opposition that allows God’s people to continue and thrive. But we can always trust that He is at
work for our good.
Twice during Nehemiah’s conversation with
Artaxerxes, he makes the comment “If it pleases the king …”! On the surface, it would appear that he is
leaving the decision up to the human king, but I think that we all can
understand that it is the pleasure and desire of the King of heaven and earth
that Nehemiah is working to please!
After all, shouldn’t it always be the pleasure of our Almighty God
that we should be working for?
Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Paul begins this passage by reminding each of us just
how insignificant we were before we responded to Christ’s call on our
life! Even from a human perspective, we
were ignorant, and ineffectual, and worthless while looking to the world’s ways
to give us purpose and position! The
problem with the world’s standards is that it is always hierarchical! Think about the appearance of a pyramid for a
moment. It is broad at the base, showing
that the base is the support for all that appears above, while as the structure
extends ever higher, it gets narrower and narrower. The world’s wisdom and elevated positions are
never distributed evenly among its people. But in Jesus’ parable of the workers (Matthew 20:1-16), each received
the same wage, regardless of their contribution, because Jesus made them
equal. And so He does for us.
The Lord has chosen us, even as our worldliness is
completely contrary to His ways. But by surrendering
our human desires and plans, and accepting the divine offering that comes from
the way of Jesus, we have the best of all that God has to give. He gives wisdom to build us up, He gives
glory to provide us with hope, He gives presence where there once was nothing, He
has, by faith, become our victory where once there was only death, and where we
once had failure, He has now given “righteousness, holiness and redemption”!
Nehemiah had taken a huge step to move beyond what
he could only do by himself, and through prayer, allowed the Lord to take
the lead in his life. This is what
following the Lord is all about – accepting a secondary position to Him, and
not trying to govern our own life. In John 5:30, we read Jesus’ words “By myself I can do
nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I
seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” The Lord’s servant Nehemiah knew his own
limitations, and gave all that he had to please his Lord God Jehovah. Sometimes, our gift to God involves the type
of risk that would never gain the world’s accolades, but then, how important
could the world’s opinion ever be for our life?
May our life’s choices always be made with our
Lord’s pleasure being foremost in our heart and mind and soul. May every day be our heavenly Father’s Day!
