Nehemiah 2:12-16 – Journaling life

Nehemiah knew that to be effective in restoring Jerusalem he had to know the degree of the damage. The ruin of the city was not just in the walls but also in the gates. After three days of rest, he went on a secret reconnaissance. He did not tell anyone what God had put in his heart to do. Wise move! Many a time plans are spoilt because of different views. The common saying that too many cooks can spoil the broth is true. Ever come across people that can only see the hole and not the dough in a doughnut. They make all the negative excuses when they have made up their minds not to be involved. It is always wiser to have an exact knowledge of the situation oneself before involving others. Nehemiah knew that only with an accurate appraisal of the situation, then would he be able to have a more accurate plan to present to others. So he went on a secret night mission alone to survey the torn-down walls and burnt gates of Jerusalem.   He had no one with him except the animal probably a mule or a donkey that he rode on.        

Many of the places were damaged and or burnt down. Nehemiah 2:13-14 describe his itinerary. In his own words, he said, “I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass.” We can tell how careful he was to inspect the different parts of the walls, gates, and even the well. When he came to the Fountain Gate and the King’s pool, where he could not ride through on his mule or donkey. So verse 15 said that he “went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. He also entered the Valley Gate again and returned.  Verse 16 reiterated that he did not let anyone know of his mission, “…the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.”

These verses point us to the need of making a careful appraisal of life. changes are not possible when there is no self-awareness. The first step to change is self-awareness. There can be no self-awareness when there is no honest appraisal. This is true for all aspects of life, especially in our spiritual journey. Every one of us wants to progress in our intimacy with God. We certainly can recall times when have had a fruitful devotion and we must have plenty of those times. But we must also identify times that we have not been so well connected with God. In self-examination, we identify where we have gone wrong so that we can make the needful correction and adjustments. We should not presume or pretend that everything is right.

One useful tool to identify areas in our life that need to change is a personal journal. You can do it in the morning before your activities for the day start or the night before you turn in to bed. If you do it in the morning, spend time to recall what happened the day before and record honestly, your feelings, your attitude, your rights, your wrongs, etc.  You can start with the record with, “Yesterday, …”   If you do it at night, recall what happened that day. One good way to start if you are recording your journal in the night would be, “this morning…” Know that the first step to change is self-awareness. A good tool for self-awareness is your journal. Try it and you will be amazed to discover your unconscious habits.  

Nehemiah 2:11 – Resting in the Lord

It is one thing to know the urgency of work but quite another to be careful to know where to begin. How to know where to begin if one does not know where to start. A wise move would be to survey and estimate the extent of the ruin before planning the strategy to cover the ground. This was what Nehemiah did in chapter 2 verses 11 onward.

He came to Jerusalem now and instead of rushing blindly into the work he had come to do, he first rested before he went out and survey the land. Verse 11 said, he rested for three days before he began his survey. The rest was needed after the journey. It is not about working hard but working smart. When a person is exhausted, his effort will not yield effective results. Rest is an essential part of preparing for effective service to the Lord. Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to rest in Him. He said, “ Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

A story was told of a lumberjack who went out to the forest with his saw to cut wood. After eight hours of doing so, he was exhausted. Besides, the saw that he was using to cut had lost its cutting edge. But he was still feverishly trying to cut more wood. A friend came by and realized how tired he was and the saw that had already lost its cutting edge. Realizing that he was wasting needless effort, so he told him to take a rest to sharpen his saw. But the former replies, “No, I can’t stop, there are a lot more woods to cut.”

The essence of the story is that we need to take time to rest and sharpen our jaded spirit. Besides like Nehemiah, we also need the time to consider and plan and know where to begin. The lesson from this one verse is that we need to pause and rest in the Lord. That’s the reason God included in the Ten Commandments the Sabbath rest. The rest allows us to sharpen our minds. It will also give us time to ponder and reflect and enable us to think more clearly and make better and more creative decisions. We will realize that we become more efficient and able to do more with less time. If you are exhausted, take time to rest in the Lord! Remember Matthew 11:28-20

Nehemiah 2:9-10 – Opposition to be expected in God’s work

Nehemiah now came to the governor of the provinces beyond the River, equipped with the letter he requested from Artaxerxes. Confidently, he must have presented the letters to the governors. Nehemiah 2:9 tells us that he did not travel alone. King Artaxerxes sent with him officers of the army and horsemen to travel with him. How many of them we are not told but the presence of the officers and horsemen must have brought him much security. So Nehemiah not only had the best protection of God, but he also had the king’s backing.  

Verse 10 hinted that the work of God Nehemiah was about to do would not be smooth sailing. Opposition to what he would soon be doing was surfacing. They were seen in the person of Sanballat, the Horonite, and Tobiah, an Ammonite. What made it more difficult was that these were officials of the government. When they heard that Nehemiah was seeking the welfare of the children of Israel, they were displeased. Verse 11 said that they were not just irritated but “very displeased.” This is by way of saying that he would be facing opposition. People are usually threatened when we mean business in advancing God’s agenda.   

 

From these two verses, we learn that it is foolhardy for us to think that we will not face opposition in our service to God. Everyone who takes the work of God seriously will have to face people who would come against it. The logic is simple, the values of God are very opposite to man’s values. The world wants us to be conformed to its values, but God wants us to be transformed by His values. When we set our heart to please God we will have to adopt a different attitude in order not to be influenced by the world.  Be prepared to face opposition when we make up our minds to take God and His work seriously. It is a fact that God will not remove the opposition from us. Why? Because they are what will keep us relying on Him. Expect opposition in walking with and serving God. But when we face them courageously, we will be strengthened in our resolve to live to please Him.      

 

 

 

 

Nehemiah 2:4-8 – Key to finding favor with others

After four months of prayer and fasting, it did not come as a surprise that he should find favor both with God and with his boss, king Artaxerxes. The sadness shown on his face regarding the desolation of Jerusalem did not go unnoticed by the king who then asked what was affecting him. That provided an opportunity for him to reveal to the king his concerns. Instead of punishment, he found favor from the king who asked, what would you request?” In other words, what do you want me to do? What a turn of events! Quickly, Nehemiah sent a quick prayer to the LORD, before he responded.  

Seizing the opportunity, he asked the king for three things. Firstly that he would be given permission to return to Judah to Jerusalem to rebuild that ruined city. To this request, the king asked two pertinent questions. With his queen sitting beside him, he asked him how long his journey would be and how long he would be away? We are not told specifically how Nehemiah answered the king, but he did give him a definite period.

Secondly, he requested a letter to the governor of the province to facilitate his movement back home. He was asking for ease in custom clearance. This was needful so that his travel back home would not be needlessly hindered. Time was of the essence, and he did not want to be delayed.     

Thirdly, he requested a letter to Asaph, the forest keeper of the king to let him have beams so that he could repair “the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.” Without any resistance from the king, he was quickly granted all three requests.

Nehemiah was quick to attribute it to the favor of God. It is true that when God favors a man, it is easier to also find favor with man. So here in Nehemiah 2:4-8  Nehemiah proved that to be true. Every one of us wants to be accepted, approved, and appreciated by men. We would often try all means to try to get them. Here in these verses, we are given a key, i.e. to stay connected with God and obtain His favor first of all. Proverbs 16:7 assures us that “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” When we have the favor of God, man’s approval or acceptance would flow easily. 

Nehemiah 2:1-3 – Waiting for God’s critical moment

It is one thing to pray and quite another to wait for God’s moment. In chapter 1, we learned that Nehemiah prayed from the moment he heard of the plight of Jerusalem from Hanani in the month of Kislev. Four precious months had passed between Kislev, the ninth month in the Hebrew calendar, and Nisan, the first month. Here once again, we establish that while it is important to pray with urgency, we must also learn to wait on the Lord patiently as we offer our prayers. In prayer, we need to delight in the Lord, so that He will grant us the desires of our hearts. And between the time we bring our prayers to Him and the time He answers, we need to depend on Him. And in the meanwhile, we also allow Him to develop and get us ready for the movement to act. The duration varied with different ones. For Nehemiah, the moment came after four months.

The opportunity came four months later when he brought wine to the king. It is likely that this took place at a feast. Remember he was Artaxerxes cupbearer. For the past months when he was serving, he put up his best before the king. He did not appear sad. He did not allow his concern for Jerusalem to affect his duty to the king. In much the same way, our concern for God’s Kingdom should not affect our secular duties. If there is anything, we must give our best to our work to reflect the character of the kingdom's people. Disciples of Christ must always seek to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit. We must be seen to be people who are loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.    

On that occasion, Nehemiah’s concern overwhelmed him. It was reflected on his face and the king noticed it.  It was a dangerous thing, that’s why he was afraid. It could be misread by the king as a plot or an impending coup. For that, he could have been taken to task. However, his usual disposition must have mitigated the situation. Instead of being suspicious, the king showed understanding. That presented an opportunity for him to explain his concern. His opening words, “Let the king live forever” were calculated to assure the king that there was no plot against him. Then having assured the king he then explain why he was sad. His reason was, “Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?” He answered the king with a rhetorical question. As a concerned Jew, it was logical for him to be affected by what was happening to his homeland, especially the beloved Jerusalem.  

God has a schedule and plan for His people. He will make all things beautiful in His time. God’s delay should not be interpreted as His denial. Remember the delight, dependent and developmental factors. We must delight ourselves in the Lord and He will grant us the desires of our hearts. We must depend on Him more and more to build trust in Him. And we must allow Him to develop in us the character and be ready for the moment. In the interim, we must continue to do and be our best for His glory.      

 

 

 

Nehemiah 1:7-11 – The challenge to participate in Kingdom building

In his prayer, Nehemiah began by invoking God and acknowledging Him as the great, awesome, and faithful God. He was confident that He, the preserver of covenant and lovingkindness to those who  would love and keep His commandments would hear HIs prayer. Nehemiah further invoked that He be attentive to the prayer that he was bro9nging before Him day and night. Turing from invocation to petition, Nehemiah first identified with the sin of the nation. He did not only confess the sin of his forefathers but also those he could identify with himself.  

In Nehemiah 1:7-11, he confessed on the behalf of the nation for their corruption.  He confessed that they did not keep the commandment or the ordinances that God had commanded through His servant Moses. He recalled that in the commandments, God had specified that if they, his people would become unfaithful, He would banish and scatter them from the land. And when they returned to Him and keep and obey His commandments, even if they scattered into the remotest parts of the world, He would gather and bring them back to Jerusalem. For this was the place that God Himself had chosen to make HIs name to dwell.  

In verse 10, Nehemiah called God’s attention to His people, the Jews in Jerusalem. He reminded God that they were His servants and people He had redeemed by His great power and mighty hand. Turning to pray for himself in verse 11, he voiced his personal and the people of Israel’s desire for God. Their one delight was to revere His name. Nehemiah asked for God to grant him, and His people favor with Artaxerxes whom he was serving as a cupbearer. And in his  position as cupbearer, he needed the king’s understanding and compassion so that he could do something for God’s beloved city.   Remember Artaxerxes in Ezra 4 was the king whom the opposers of Israel had written a letter to complain about their rebuilding program in Jerusalem. It was therefore needful that Nehemiah and his people receive his approval to restore the ruin of Jerusalem.  

From the life of Nehemiah, we learn that sin and disobedience against God will always bring dire consequences. However, we have a great, awesome, and faithful God who would hear the petition of His repentant people. We learn also that no matter our position in life, like Nehemiah we can decide to help in kingdom building.  All it takes is a heart of passion for God and a willingness to be involved. We also learn that prayer must be offered to God if we want to be effective participants in the Kingdom’s work. The urgency we bring to pray for the work of God may require us to fast as well.  Are we serious about advancing God’s Kingdom? Let’s adopt Nehemiah’s attitude and concern for God’s name and Kingdom.   

 

Nehemiah 1:5-6 – God is great, awesome, and faithful

On hearing the reports of the plight of Jerusalem, Nehemiah was greatly affected. He could not remain uninterested in what was happening back home. Immediately, we are told that he was overtaken by a deep emotion. He sat down and mourned and wept for days. His response to what he heard reveals how earnest and passionate he was for Jerusalem. He could not let the city that God had chosen to bear His name remain in ruin. He could no longer sit idly by and not do a thing. So he went before the God of heaven in fasting and prayer for days. Nehemiah 1:5-11 describe his earnest prayer.

Verses 5-6 describe his invocation to God. He said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned.”  

Firstly, Nehemiah describes the God of heaven as the great and awesome God. And truly He is. There is simply no one like Him. And there are simply not enough words to describe His greatness.  This God has no equal. He is the source of divine greatness and is simply awesome. Secondly, Nehemiah tells us that God is also faithful. He keeps His word and preserves the covenant He has made with His people. In other words, He never forgets His promise. Thirdly, He is also merciful, and He keeps His promises, especially to those who keep His word. From praise, Nehemiah then transited into a petition. He knew that God would hear his petition. So he asked the faithful God to be attentive to his prayer on the behalf of his people. Here Nehemiah also identified with the sin of the people and confessed them not only for the nation but also for himself.

God’s love must not be taken for granted. It must be reciprocated. His lovingkindness must elicit from us a willing response to the overtures of His love. No matter how trying the circumstances we face may be, we can always turn to God.  He is not only great and awesome but also faithful. He will hear the prayers we bring before Him in contrition. What Nehemiah did reminds us of what Paul tells us to do in Philippians 4:6. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” No matter what our struggles may be today, why don’t we turn to the great and awesome, and faithful God? He will hear the answer prayers of those who keep His Word.