Nehemiah 02: 01-10
Nehemiah 02 (New International Version)
Nehemiah 2
Artaxerxes Sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem
1 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; 2 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, 3 but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 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 fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
6 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.
7 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? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, 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 upon me, the king granted my requests. 9 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.
10 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.
I. Core Message
Content:
1) King Artaxerxes noticed Nehemiah’s sad face and asked him why he is sad. (v1-2)
2) Nehemiah explained to King Artaxerxes and request to go back home to rebuild the gates. The King gave him the permission (v3-6)
3) Nehemiah also asked for safe-conduct and material supports from King, and the King permitted. (v7-8)
4) Nehemiah also gain extra helps from the King- the king had also sent army officers and cavalry with him (v9)
5) Voice against this appears (v10)
Theme: Wonderful works of God
1) Stay still and wait, then grab for the chance.
2) Prepare well, and complete the strange sights.
II. Who are God, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit?
1) God who listens to the prayer (v4)
2) God who is with his people (v8)
III. What does the passage teach us (about commands, promises, examples, exhortations, and warnings?)
1) Sights that Are Rooted in Mind
1 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; 2 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." (v1-2)
Even though there are four months between the month of Kis lev and the month of Nisan, the time did not wash away the sights Nehemiah had received from God. In another word, the sadness coming from the sights of Jerusalem burying and lying in ruins still sustained in Nehemiah’s mind. The sadness was not only in his mind, it also showed by his face. One day in April, his king noticed his sadness on face. From Nehemiah, we could see that his sadness and depression were really coming from his heart. This also told us the sights were rooted in his mind.
Reflection: Does time wash away the sights we received from god? Or do they rooted in our heart and strengthen our faith?
2) Life with Prayers
4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?" (v4-5a)
Nehemiah always prayed. He not only prayed often in his daily life. He prayed even harder when he encounters big events in life. No matter what happened, he always prayed first. According to the bible, when the king noticed his sad face and asked, he still first prayed to God, then he responded. This tells us that Nehemiah had a life with prayers.
Reflection: How is my prayer life? Am I like Nehemiah who always pray?
3) Waiting For God’s Time
3 but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire? 4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 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 fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it. (v3-6a)
Nehemiah was grief because Jerusalem is buried and lying in ruins. It is understandable that he is worried. However, he still continued praying and waited for God’s time. Finally, one day is April, his sadness was being noticed by the King. This was the opportunity given by God, and this was the right time God arranged.
Reflection: Do I understand and be able to wait for God’s time? Or do I do everything according to my own will?
4) Prepare Well
7 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? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, 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 upon me, the king granted my requests. (v7-8)
Nehemiah had taken the responsibility of rebuilding the city wall. He understood that he needed safe-conducts when he returned to his home; and he needed materials to reconstruct the city wall. Thus, he asked the King for them. He asked the king for the letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so they will provide him safe-conduct until he arrive at Juadah. He also asked for anyother letter to Asaph so he will give him timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for residence he will occupy. Nehemiah said, “Since God is with him, the King will give him all he asked for.” This also shows that Nehemiah believed in God’s help by praying non-stoply On the other hand, it also shows that he is ready to go back to rebuild the city.
Reflection: Do I prepare well when I am serving God? Or do I just do them in the last minutes?
5) The blessings Beyond
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. (v9)
Through prayer and waiting, Nehemiah experienced God’s guidance and supply. The king not only gave Nehemiah safe-conduct and materials, he also gave him more things. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with Nehemiah so they could arrive Jerusalem safe. This is the extra blessing God gave.
God is the ruler of all. He can use anyone as his instrument to complete his work. In this event, people who please him, who follow his heart, who help him complete his plan, who are influential are mostly foreigners, including King Darius and the officials of Shethar-Bozenai. They become God’s instrument. Therefore, they become God’s servants who come along to complete God’s plan
Reflection: Do I experience extra blessings from God?
6) The Voices Against
10 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. (v10)
Nehemiah going back to Jerusalem to reconstruct was God’s will. Meanwhile, God had been helping. However, Satan at the same time was doing work too. He was trying to find opportunity to stop this. This gave a good reminder: Even though we are doing what pleased God and receiving God’s help at meantime, Satan will still come and attack.
Reflection: Have I experienced Satan’s attack when I am serving God?
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