Examining The Scripture LXVII: Restoration & Renewal

I will now summarize the narrative of how Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in Nehemiah Chapters 1 & 2. What we find through his narrative is the poor condition of Jerusalem. We also see how Nehemiah reacted to it as a devoted man of God. We could learn quite a bit from Nehemiah's reaction to the condition or Jerusalem and see how we should properly react when presented with the deteriorating condition of our churches and the condition of our faith as present in our country. Our hearts should be downcast about the current condition of many houses of worship and we should be compelled to want to correct and rectify things. We will see how King Artaxerxes finds about the matter and how he treats a trusted servant that he knows will be loyal to him. It is an example of a response from a worldly person (Artaxerxes), who sees in a believer, laudable and praiseworthy traits that we all aspire to as humans. Because of the affections and love this worldly person has for Nehemiah, he admires and befriends him through (common grace) and Nehemiah as a believer is blessed and rewarded. This blessing of Nehemiah subsequently blesses the entire nation of Israel because they now have what amounts to administrative leadership to plan and begin the task of rebuilding. Finally we we see what Nehemiah says to the king that will sway his heart and allow Nehemiah to depart under agreement and begin the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls which will set the stage for the rebirth of a nation like the Phoenix rising from ashes.

Nehemiah cup bearer for King Artazerxes gets a report from his “brother” that the walls of Jerusalem have been knocked down and the gates burned. Nehemiah mourns the destruction and loss. This must have been a secondary destruction because the walls had begun to be rebuilt (Ezra 4:12) and because the actual sacking of Jerusalem and initial Babylonian exile happened 140 years before (Boice 13-15). The lack of walls continually made Jerusalem susceptible to attack and defenseless against enemies. After receiving such a horrible report of his beloved city and knowing he could do nothing on his own to affect the problem, Nehemiah prayed to God and praised God’s greatness and pleaded with Him “day and night”. He confesses Israel’s sins including his own and request God’s help. The remainder if Nehemiah 1 is basically a reiteration by Nehemiah of the covenant and the fact that if Israel would return to Him, He would restore them.

We then move to the human side of this equation after the divine portion of prayer, repentance, praise and worship We find that King Artaxerxes years before had issued a decree to stop construction in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:21). Now it was going to be up to Artaxerxes to reverse that order. At first he notices that his cupbearer’s countenance was different. He then inquires and Nehemiah informs him that, “Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” What happens next, as narrated in Scripture is very interesting. During the king’s confusion over his statement as indicated by Artaxerxes secondary question, “What are you requesting?" ...Nehemiah appears to quickly say a tactical prayer in the interim rather answer in fear. To the king I imagine this would’ve appeared as a conscious pause that looked like he was in deep reflection adding to the gravity of the situation and its effect. This seems a good strategy for the answering of any question and most Christians would be well advised to practice it. Pray before answering. Not surprisingly, as a believer I find myself doing this often and I call them microburst prayers. They are intense, they are quick and they are precise. This pause between question and answer couldn’t have been more than a few seconds a minute at most. Nehemiah continues to request that the king send Nehemiah to Judah the “city of my father’s graves” so that he can rebuild it. In a testament to the close relationship and trust between King Artaxerxes and Nehemiah, it pleased the king to send Nehemiah to Jerusalem after he had given the king a duration of his intended absence. Nehemiah also requested the required “paperwork” to get him through safely to Judah. He also boldly asks for resources such as timber for supports for the gates, walls of the city. All Nehemiah’s requests were granted by Artaxerxes because God hand was at work here. Nehemiah then departs for Jerusalem.

Boice, James Montgomery. Nehemiah (Expositional Commentary). Pbk. Ed ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2006. Print.

Getz, Gene , John Walvoord, and Roy Zuck. "The Rebuilding of The Walls." Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Bible Knowledge). Acambaro: Victor, 1985. 674-676. Print.