The events recorded for us in this book are anchored in time and space. From secular history, we can place this scene to Nov/Dec 445BC when Artaxerxes I was king of the Persian empire.
In terns of the flow of OT history, the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon in about 587BC. Following the fall of that empire and the rise of the Persians, the first group returned to Jerusalem in 538BC. They worked on the temple and finished it in 516BC (Haggai, Zechariah).
Not everyone returned, however, and a further return was led by Ezra some 60 years later in 458BC. We read about that in the book of Ezra. That brings us to this scene in late 445BC.
At this time, Nehemiah (his name means 'the Lord comforts') was in Susa, the winter residence of the Persian kings. While there, he received a visit from Hanani, one of his brothers, a close relative, and some other men. The news they brought was to completely alter the course of Nehemiah's life.
We're going to look at what the news was and how Nehemiah responded to it, and looking to apply the lessons to our day.
1. Bad News: Great Trouble and Disgrace
The news Hanani and the others brought was extremely bad. They had come from Jerusalem and reported a great calamity to Nehemiah. The people "are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire" (v.3).
This news probably links to the situation described in Ezra 4 where the opponents of the Jews got official sanction for the rebuilding to stop and used their muscle to wreak havoc.
Although the church in our land doesn't stand on the verge of extinction, there is more than enough cause for concern. Numerically, the church is declining and where it isn't it is often a case of treading water.
The quality of our lives is a concern too. A recent survey of Christians after the General Election showed that moral issues were of no more concern than they had been to the public at large. And 1 in 4 agreed with the statement, 'There's no such thing as one truth for everyone. What's true for you need not be true for me too.' The tide really has gone out.
And if we widen the picture to consider other countries, the news can often be very distressing as believers are persecuted and the church harassed.
2. Response: Tears and Cries to God
Nehemiah's response to this news is one of shock and horror. One translation has it, "When I heard these things, I slumped down, crying and mourning for several days". His response was deep and profound and we're going to focus on that response.
As we do so, we need to bear in mind the news he received was not just a minor setback but very grave. And we must also bear in mind that he is clearly being prepared by the Lord for a specific ministry in that situation. That is seen in the strength of his response and the fact that up to now he had no plans to return.
Although we do not share his particular calling or context, there are still valuable lessons for us to learn here.
i) Concerned: for God's glory and God's people - The news Nehemiah heard shook him to the core because it carried great significance for God's honour and glory.
Hanani and the others reported that the people were in a state of disgrace. Their enemies had the upper hand and were gloating over them and maligning their God. The plight of the city and its people was desperate and in the eyes of a watching world it reflected badly on Israel's God.
This really mattered to Nehemiah. Notice how it was he who took the initiative to question Hanani and to find out the state of play. On hearing the news, he is struck down with grief and reacts with such intensity because of his very real and deep passion for God's glory.
Have we a similar passion for God's glory in the world? It should concern us that the church is in such general decline, because it reflects back on the Lord in the eyes of others. It is not something we should be indifferent about. Even if our own situation is promising and encouraging, the battle rages elsewhere and there are setbacks to be concerned about.
And a concern for God's glory should also mean a concern for God's people. Many of the people may have been personally unknown to Nehemiah and yet he feels deeply for them. They seem on the verge of extinction and he grieves with them and for them. The same thing is seen in Paul's ministry, that intense concern for believers he had never met.
How broad are our own concerns for the church of God? We can all too easily become narrow, either because of fine theological points or on the basis of geography.
Nehemiah's concern for God's glory and the well-being of his people is a great challenge to us. He was shaken to the core at the news he heard. We can't manufacture real concern, nor would we want to, but we can pray that God would move us by his Spirit and give us his concern for his glory and for his people, both here and in other lands.
ii) Intense Grief, Impassioned Prayer - As you probably know, Nehemiah is marked out as a man of action, a practical man. What would a man like him do at receiving such news? Not what we might expect! He didn't saddle his horse and organise a task force to go to Jerusalem. He sat down and wept and fasted and prayed. His response was to seek God in painful and passionate prayer.
Given his life situation in Susa he probably couldn't just set out. But this is more than simply the constraint of his position. He is marked out in the book as a man of prayer. On hearing the news, he instinctively turned to God.
And it wasn't just one time of prayer he had. The next date we're given in 2:1 is about 4 months later. His praying was prolonged. He wrestled before the Lord with this matter over the months. His concern for God's glory and the people's welfare wasn't a flash in the pan. It went deep.
His commitment to prayer is also evident here. Nehemiah fasted as he prayed, not for the duration, but to give himself time for prayer and to show the seriousness with which he viewed the situation and, as his prayer from v.5 makes clear, his sense of identity with his fellow Jews.
The most godly people of action in terms of God's Kingdom are also, first and foremost, people of real, committed, persevering prayer, who are genuinely concerned for God's glory and for the welfare of his people. They make it their business to know what's happening to the church in the world and they turn that news into committed prayer.
Don't we need to become more like Nehemiah? Let's ask God to give us a clearer view of his glory and how it is bound up with his church. And let's ask him to quicken us as we read his word, that he would help us to pray and to pray. Amen.
