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What can we do to rebuild when God calls us to do so?

May 11, 2008
Background Scripture: Nehemiah 1:1—2:20
Devotional Reading: Psalms 137:1-7; 138:1-5

Nehemiah was one of the Jewish exiles living under Persian rule in Susa, the winter residence of the Persian kings. In 444 B.C. he received a visit from Hanani, a kinsman from faraway Jerusalem.
The news of home that Hanani brought was devastating. “The survivors there in the province who escaped exile are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire” (Neh. 1:3). 

Nehemiah was plunged into despair: “When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days; and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (1:4). Jerusalem, we need to remember, was not just the city from which many were sent into captivity, but it was also the place of the Temple – the focus of  Jewish religious piety.

What can Nehemiah do? He can pray. Yet, for all the anguish and shock Nehemiah experienced, his prayer is not a wailing complaint, but a working-through of the devastating news.

He begins with a statement of faith that is unbroken by his anguish: “O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (1:5). He may not know how God can help his people in this crisis, but he is unshaken in his faith that God can, and will.

Return to the Lord

He can also confess the sins of himself and his people: “We have acted very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments which thou didst command they servant Moses …” (1:6b,7).

Although God keeps His covenant, the people of Israel have not. So, his prayer is not based upon the people deserving the help of God, but despite the fact that they do not. They return to the Lord in deep awareness and repentance of their sins.

Nehemiah can also use the resources which are available to him. He is the cupbearer to the Persian king, Artaxerxes. His is one of most prestigious and important roles in the kingdom. He is responsible for procuring, testing and serving the king’s wine and making certain it is not poisoned. He is also the chief steward of the king’s apartment, a position of utmost trust.

A prime qualification for intimate royal servants was a pleasing personal appearance and personality. So, we can understand the significance of the king’s question: “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing else but sadness of the heart” (2:2). Whether or not he wore a sad face to get the king’s attention, we do not know. But the king’s awareness of his sadness is the opportunity to speak of his distress.

Nehemiah seized the opportunity: “Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchers lies waste and its gates have been destroyed by fire” (2:3). (Note: Nehemiah may have mentioned “sepulchers” because tombs were of great importance in the Middle East culture and the king was in the process of building his own grand mausoleum).

So, Nehemiah was sent back to Jerusalem, not only with the king’s agreement, but also with his authority.

Our trouble

Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah displayed great qualities of leadership. First, he made a thorough inspection of the broken walls of the city, making a complete circuit of them and seeing for himself what needed to be done.

Second, he was able to challenge the Jews to take up the task that God had given him: “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” And the people responded: “Let us rise up and build,” (2:17,18).

The challenges with which God confronts us today are no less urgent and no less possible. Nehemiah alone could not get the wall of Jerusalem rebuilt. But, because he was a man of prayer, of contrition and imagination, he felt the call of God and committed himself to doing his best. God asks no more – nor less – of us.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Rev. Althouse may write to him in care of this publication.

5/7/2008