In a week of such tragedy, it can seem just a little obscure to turn to a book all about an ancient people and their struggles in an ancient city. But what we're looking at in Nehemiah is very relevant and timely, and not just in the most obvious sense of a city being rebuilt.
George Bush described the awful events of last Tuesday (9/11) as a conflict between good and evil. Those words are central to this whole chapter and are its defining marks. It doesn't always come out in our translations but the Hebrew words for good and evil keep recurring here:
Good/ Evil
Pleased (vv.6,7)/Sad (vv.1-3)
Good hand of God (vv.8,18)/Trouble (v.18)
Good work (v.18)/Displeased (v.10)
Welfare (v.10)
Here is God's perspective on the history. A cosmic battle is being waged, between good and evil, and the events of the book of Nehemiah are a part of that.
So George Bush is right, Tuesday's events are part of the struggle between good and evil. But not in the sense that the US or the rest of the so-called Free World can be equated with what is good. Rather, what we saw was massively evil and is the very reason why the gospel is so needed in this world and why we must proclaim the good news about a good God to people lost in their sin and suffering under the reign of evil.
So to turn to a passage like this at a time like this is not being obscure, nor are we burying our heads in the sand. Here is God's view on life in this world, here is the record of the Lord acting in and for his world and how we believers are to live in it.
1. Nehemiah: A Man of Prayer and Position
The last words of ch.1 told us that Nehemiah was cupbearer to the King. That was a fairly menial task that had been elevated in significance. Cupbearers served wine to the King, making sure it wasn't poisoned. And they were often close confidants of those they served.
Nehemiah was a man of prayer but also of position. And he is going to use that position for God's glory and the good of his people, as he has opportunity to do so.
We'll come to the details of that soon but let's stop to remind ourselves of what Jesus taught about using unrighteous mammon for the sake of God's Kingdom. As God's people we need to be alert to opportunities to serve him and his kingdom through the life situations that he has placed us in.
Very few of us will have the ear of the king but we must try to do what we can. Someone once said we should 'Think globally and act locally'. It wasn't said in a Christian context but it is a helpful perspective to have: to think globally, having God's kingdom at heart, and to act locally, as we have opportunity. We should ask, 'What can I do where I am?'
2. Nehemiah: A Man of Courage & Gumption
But although Nehemiah enjoyed a position of some intimacy with the king, it was not necessarily going to be plain sailing. Kings like Artaxerxes were notorious for acting on impulse and held the life of their servants in their hands. And if you look back at Ezra ch.4, you'll see that this king had fairly recently ordered the work on Jerusalem to stop.
To approach the king hoping to intercede for Jerusalem, as Nehemiah did here, required a fair amount of courage.
But isn't that always so when we seek to serve the Lord? Most forms of service are costly and involve courage on our part. Nehemiah was a man just like us; his only secret was to trust in the Lord. That's the solution to our fear too. "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Eph. 6:10).
And as well as being a man of courage, Nehemiah also shows a fair amount of gumption too. His approach is quite careful and measured. He doesn't mention Jerusalem by name and doesn't make it political matter but stresses the personal.
Our Lord has called us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" and it's that combination we see in Nehemiah. In our own places of service, with opportunities to do good for the sake of the gospel, we must display those virtues too.
3. Nehemiah: A Man of Faith
Yes, Nehemiah was in a position to do good, he had the courage and the gumption to seek to do so, but there is something else here. He didn't rely on having the ear of the king; he sought the ear of the King of Kings! When the door seemed to be opening for Nehemiah, he shot a quick prayer to God for help and grace (v.4).
This 'arrow prayer' of Nehemiah's is famous for its brevity but we need to remember that it was preceded by, and grew out of, a life of constant, persevering prayer. Those who walk in close communion with their Lord, holding his Kingdom in high regard, will also be those who seek God's help moment by moment as the needs arise.
Having been encouraged by the King's initial response, and lifting his heart to God, Nehemiah asks for more. He asks for supplies of wood and a letter of safe conduct. His months of praying have clearly been months of planning too; he knows what is needed for the job.
Believing prayer and detailed preparation are not opposed to each other. When James condemns people for their plans it is because they assume their plans will work out come what may, without God's blessing. Nehemiah knows nothing of that kind of attitude; his praying and planning have gone hand in hand. It is right to dream dreams for the sake of the gospel and to pray that the Lord might bring them about, according to his will.
4. The Good Hand of God
And the faith and prayers of Nehemiah are not in vain, for the Lord is pleased to act for his glory's sake and so for the good of his people. As the king responds favourably to his requests, Nehemiah recognises that it is because "the gracious hand of my God was upon me" (v.8).
Here is a man quick to give God the glory. The plan has so far worked not because of his courage, his gumption or even his faithful praying. The plan moves forward and hope grows for the people of Jerusalem because of the grace and goodness of the Lord. Whatever gains we may see for God's kingdom, whatever growth, whatever blessing, it will only be because God is good. It won't be because of us. He is sovereign!
5. The Evil Hand of Men
But, as we've seen, this world is a theatre of conflict between good and evil. And when Nehemiah gives his letter to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, they are "very much disturbed". This is the first indication that things will not necessarily go smoothly. A healthy does of realism!
Having God's good hand upon us does not mean we will not suffer opposition. We will. It is inevitable. But this passage encourages us to believe that God is in heaven and overrules life on earth, for his glory and the advance of the gospel. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, just as it was when Jesus was crucified. So the triumph of the gospel is assured.
