Nehemiah 2:4-5 “Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. [5] And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.”
God is all-powerful and capable of changing our circumstances in a moment’s time, as we have just seen illustrated by the events recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8. When we choose to yield to Him in life and accept His timetable, He is able to work mightily in and through our lives.
However, we often fail to realize that God is also working when we are going through seasons of preparation which to us seem long and tedious. These times of preparation, though not enjoyable, are essential in helping us accomplish the work that God has for us to do in life.
With this in mind, we will consider how Nehemiah was a man, whom God specifically prepared for the work He had in store for him.
The Importance of Preparation
In life, the amount of preparation that precedes our endeavors often determines how successful those endeavors become. It has been said that “greatness is not found in the performance of a task, but in the preparation for the task.”
Many people become excited when a project begins to take shape and when tangible results are seen as things come together, but few are willing to share the same excitement over the work of preparation that must be done in advance. However, it is often the unseen and overlooked details of preparation that ensure the project’s ultimate and lasting success.
For example, in construction - the excavation work and the pouring of the foundation often require the most time to accomplish. When compared to the framing and roofing (which can usually be done in a day or two), the site work and foundation preparation take considerably longer to complete, with fewer visible results.
However, any seasoned builder will tell you that the foundation work, though often unseen, is the most important part of the structure; for if it is not done correctly, it will create problems in every other area of the building moving forward.
With this in mind, we should take note of the many ways in which Nehemiah prepared himself for the work which God had for him to accomplish. Nehemiah knew what it meant to “build below the baseline.”
Long before Nehemiah ever led the Jews in clearing the rubble or rebuilding the wall, he had already begun laying a spiritual foundation upon which the Lord could build.
Even while he was still serving as the Persian king’s cupbearer in Shushan, he was allowing the Lord to prepare him for the work that would soon take place in Jerusalem.
The Importance of Spiritual Preparation
As we have seen in the previous chapter, Nehemiah’s first form of preparation was spiritual. Certainly, this is above all else, the most important area of preparation when we seek to do a work for the Lord.
From reading the law and the prophets, Nehemiah would have known that the “arm of flesh” will fail us every time, but that the LORD “never fails.”
Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm…” Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us that “the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
No doubt these and other passages of Old Testament Scripture that were available to him gave Nehemiah the strength he needed as he sought the Lord’s will regarding the condition of his people and the future of his homeland.
Nehemiah’s spiritual preparation, as we have seen, involved four months of intense prayer to the Lord for his people, accompanied by seasons of fasting. As Nehemiah continually yielded his heart to the Lord in prayer while going about his duties in the Persian palace, the Lord began to work in ways that Nehemiah could never have imagined possible!
In chapter 2:1-2 we are told that as Nehemiah served King Artaxerxes in his capacity as the king’s cupbearer, his inwardly burdened heart began to show through outwardly.
The king, who knew Nehemiah well, noticed the change in his demeanor and asked him in verse 2, “Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.”
The end of verse 2 tells us that Nehemiah was “sore afraid” for he had never before been “sad” in the king’s presence (an offense which Persian history informs us was often fatal to someone in the king’s court in those days). However, knowing Nehemiah as we do from later accounts in the Scriptures, I believe his fear was not as much for his own life as it was for the welfare of his people.
Nehemiah had been praying and fasting for his people for several months, and now – suddenly – he was given an opportunity to bring their situation before the Persian monarch who had the temporal power to do something about it!
The king’s question no doubt surprised Nehemiah, and as he was put on the spot, he momentarily became fearful of whether or not to bring his petition before the king. Thankfully, he proceeded to do so.
Displaying both courage and faith in God, Nehemiah addressed the king respectfully, but also directly and to the point. Nehemiah 2:3 “And [Nehemiah] said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?”
Those who were present in the court that day were most certainly taken aback by Nehemiah’s concise reply to the king’s question. To state that a people and land, who were then under the rule of the Persian empire, were anything less than happy and content was a dangerous sentiment to express anywhere in the Persian court, let alone in direct conversation with the king. Yet, these were the words that God directed Nehemiah to say to Artaxerxes; and as we shall soon see, the “king’s heart” was then, as it is today, “in the hand of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:1).
To the amazement of all, the king took Nehemiah’s response to heart and asked him an incredible question in verse 4 – “For what dost thou make request?” In essence, the Persian monarch was asking Nehemiah, “What do you want? What do you need? What is your request?” This was an astounding question to be asked by the king – for all of the wealth, riches, and power of the mightiest empire in the world at that time were being made available to Nehemiah.
With the gravity of the situation fully understood by Nehemiah, verse 4 tells us that he quickly prayed once again to the LORD for guidance. This silent prayer, made on the spot, was answered by the Lord because it had been preceded by months of intense prayer and fervent supplication.
How wonderful it is to realize that before Nehemiah ever made his request known before the throne of Artaxerxes, he had already spent months kneeling before the throne of God in Heaven making his requests known there, as all believers are today encouraged to do. In contrast to the human king, whose throne could only be approached with an invitation, the throne of God can be approached at any time by those who have placed their trust in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Thankfully for the Jewish people in that day, there was a man whom God had placed in the Persian king’s court who was spiritually prepared when the time came for the LORD to work on their behalf. But Nehemiah was also prepared in other ways as well.
The Importance of Practical Preparation
In addition to Nehemiah’s spiritual preparation, we also see a degree of practical preparation that he undertook in the days between his interaction with his brother, Hanani, and his audience with King Artaxerxes.
When the king asked Nehemiah about what could be done for the Jewish people in verse 4, it soon became apparent by his answers in verses 5 through 8 that this was not the first time Nehemiah had thought about the situation.
During the four months in which Nehemiah prayed for his people to be restored and for the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt, he also spent time planning out what needed to happen in order for these things to be accomplished. Nehemiah had the faith to believe that God could do the impossible, but he also had the forethought to plan, as best he knew how for the time when God would answer his prayers.
Great things can be accomplished for the glory of God when faith-filled praying is coupled with diligent preparation!
We are reminded here of the story about the farmers who committed to pray together for rain during a particularly severe drought. It was said that all of the farmers prayed, but the one man who possessed the greatest faith could be seen rising early in the morning to plow and prepare his fields. He was “praying like it all depended upon God,” while at the same time “working like it all depended upon him.” These are the kinds of individuals whom the Lord delights to bless.
Nehemiah’s practical preparation can be seen in several ways.
First, Nehemiah had a specific request to ask of the king. Nehemiah 2:5 “And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.”
Nehemiah was specific in his request to the king. He had prayed for his people for months; and through his time spent in prayer to the Lord, he knew what needed to be done. Therefore, he requested permission to return to Judea and rebuild the broken-down city of his forefathers. He was respectful, while at the same time forthright in his request to the king.
Secondly, Nehemiah had a definite timeline of how long he thought the job would take. Nehemiah 2:6 “And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.”
Nehemiah had already determined what needed to be done and had even estimated how long he believed it would take to accomplish the task.
Although we do not know how long of a time Nehemiah proposed to the king, we learn later on (in Nehemiah 6:15) that the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem was completed in only 52 days!
Certainly, this was due to the miraculous working of the Lord on behalf of His people, but there is no doubt that the Lord also blessed the careful planning and detailed preparations of His servant, Nehemiah.
Thirdly, Nehemiah knew what materials would be needed to complete the task. Nehemiah 2:8a “And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.”
Nehemiah had thought far enough ahead in his planning to know what materials would be needed in order to accomplish the rebuilding of the walls. He also knew where these materials could be obtained and who needed to be contacted so that this could be cared for. He was thus able to answer the king intelligently about the matter.
He asked for a letter from the king which he could present to “Asaph,” the king’s chief forester, in order to secure the needed timbers for the gates of the city and for the beams of the palace and houses that would need to be constructed.
Fourthly, Nehemiah asked for letters of authority which he would need in order to accomplish his goals. Nehemiah 2:7 “Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah…”
In addition to the letter for Asaph, the king’s forester, Nehemiah also wisely requested letters of authority from the king addressed to the “governors beyond the river” that would validate his right to lead the Jewish people in rebuilding their city.
These letters would also serve as a means of protection from the hostile nations that surrounded Judea and would not look favorably upon anyone who sought to improve the situation of the Jewish remnant living in the land. Sadly, both then and today, there are those who hate God and actively seek to oppose God’s people.
Nehemiah’s thorough preparation and forethought must have impressed the king and assured him that this was no wishful dream on Nehemiah’s part; but rather, it was something that was well thought out, for in verse 8 we learn that the king “granted” all of Nehemiah’s requests.
When Nehemiah saw that he had found favor with King Artaxerxes that day, he was quick to attribute this sudden change of events to the One Who he knew had brought it about. At the end of verse 8, Nehemiah stated that the king granted his requests “according to the good hand of my God upon me.”
This is the testimony of all believers who choose to walk by faith in the service of their King – as they travel along their journey, they are constantly amazed at the “good hand” of the Lord upon their lives as well.
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