Some historical background on Nehemiah's people.
By most measures, Nehemiah was a success. Let's considersome background. Nehemiah was a Jewish man living in a foreign land in 440 B.C. It’s hard to become a success in a place where people have a different language, beliefs, and customs than you do. Nehemiah’s native land was Israel, he was from the tribe of Judah, and his descendants lived in Jerusalem, thecity of God.
So how did Nehemiah end up hundreds of miles away from Jerusalem in a foreign land? Centuries earlier, Nehemiah’s ancestors had rebelled against God. They violated God’s holy law, broke God’s commandments, worshiped idols, married foreign women, and murdered God’s holy prophets (who were sent to warn them).
True to his holy and just character, God raised up the Assyrian empire to invade Israel. The Assyrians forced many of the Israelites to live in foreign lands. If you ever wonder why Jews hate Samaritans, it’s because Samaritans were from Samaria, and Samaria was the provincial capital of the evil Assyrian empire.
But true to his loving and merciful character, God preserved for himself a remnant, the nation of Judah. Some of the kings of Judah were good, but some were wicked. Sometimes the people of Judah obeyed God, but mostly they rebelled.
In time, the Assyrian empire weakened and was defeated by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonians were just as wicked as the Assyrians,and God used the Babylonians as an instrument of his wrath (Jeremiah 25:9-12) to punish Israel for her sins. In 586 B.C. the Babylonians destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and decimated God’s holy temple. The Babylonians exiled all the Jews living in Judah and Jerusalem except for the poorest, most destitute Jews. They were left behind because they were no threat to the Babylonians.
Through the prophets, God had graciously warned Israel that these things would happen. But they hardened their hearts and killed God’s prophets. So God scattered his people across foreign lands, to be chastened by the consequences of their rebellion.
King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Judah and Jerusalem.
But God had a plan for his people. In time, the Babylonian empire weakened and the Persian empire emerged, led by King Cyrus. King Cyrus graciously allowed the Jews to return to their homeland, Judah, and to Jerusalem. Some returned, but many did not.
Despite Samaritan hostilities, the first Jews who returned to Jerusalem began rebuilding the temple and their homes under the leadership of Ezra. But the temple lacked the grandeur of the original temple. It caused many to weep. The prophet Malachi railed against the residents of Jerusalem for being more concerned about building first-rate paneled houses for themselves while leaving the temple in disrepair. Malachi also rebuked themfor putting more financial priority on upping their lifestyles than for honoring God’s ministry in the temple with a tithe.
Judah and the city of Jerusalem had become a disgrace to God’s name— an utter mockery of God’s glory. The Jews did what many Christians do today. They gave God a second or third-rate effort. They begrudgingly gave God the leftovers of their time, talents, and wealth. They did just enough to get by, but then they would throw God’s holy name on their pathetic efforts, expecting God to somehow be impressed. He was not.
They didn’t give God their very best. They didn’t give God excellence. They didn’t give God their firstfruits. They didn’t offer their choice lambs for sacrifice on God’s altar. They gave God the blemished lamb, the sick, pathetic lamb. They gave what they could live without. They gave what didn’t cost them personally.
And the very last thing they were willing to do was to risk life or limb to make the city of God great again. If Jerusalem became great and the city walls were rebuilt, they feared becoming a target of Samaritan hostility, and they feared that their temple could be destroyed again. Besides, they had already tried to rebuild the walls once and were ordered by edict of the king to stop. So why take risks? Why stir things up? Why draw attention? Survival was their goal. Passivity, complacency, moral compromise, and appeasing God’s enemies became their means of survival.
Nehemiah hadn't yet returned to Jerusalem because he was a cupbearer to the king.
For whatever reason, Nehemiah hadn’t returned to Judah or Jerusalem. Nehemiah had become a success in Persia. He had achieved a level of prestige, influence, wealth, and comfort that men in his day could only dream of. Nehemiah was cupbearer to the great king of Persia, Artaxerxes!
Kings owed their lives to their cupbearers. The cupbearers would escort the kingto meals. They would taste all the king’s beverages for possible poison. They were close confidants. They bore the king’s signet ring that was used to stamp special communiqué. They often served as a king’s chief financial officer. And cupbearers were trusted to look over the king’s harem. For this reason, many of them were made eunuchs.
Cupbearers were handsome and charismatic. They were required to exude joy at all times. A man who stood that close to the king in public had to be handsome, cultured, knowledgeable in court procedures, and able to converse with the king and advise him if asked. Because he had access to the king, the cupbearer was a man of great influence. Andhe had to be extremely polished and graceful in the manner in whichhe handled the king’s wine. As one scholar noted,acupbearerwould wash the cup in the king’s presence, then pour intohis left hand a little of the wine, whichhe drank in the king’s presence. Then he handed the cup to the king, not grasped, but lightly held with the tips ofhis thumb and fingers.
Life for Nehemiah was great. He was comfortable. He was hundreds of miles from the ruin, hardships, and disgrace of Jerusalem. Out of sight, out of mind. He had bigger matters to tend to in the king’s court. He had to give sound counsel, administrate, serve, and protect the king. What could possibly be more important? And this was a king with a favorable disposition toward the Jews— the kind of king a Jew should want to help!
We can relate to Nehemiah in our daily lives.
Who among us can’t relate to Nehemiah? Nehemiah wasn’t a priest! He wasn’t a prophet. He wasn’t a minister, an elder, a deacon, or a youth pastor. And so it is with you. You have your job, your family, your friends, your career, your business, and your sports. You're not a God worker. You have bigger fish to fry. You’re too busy to be bothered with God’s affairs. You fly too high. You’re making big bucks.You've got your own business to build! You’re with another king, tending to another kingdom— your own!
Are you kidding me?! The King of kings is being disgraced and you don’t think it’s any of your business?!! You think your kingdom is more important than God’s? You think making a name for yourself is more urgent than making God’s name famous? You’re satisfied with people mocking God, andwith offering God leftovers and loose change instead of choice lambs? You don’t care that God’s house lies in ruins as you upgrade your lifestyle? You want someone else to serve God, while you continue serving yourself! Are you for real? My Persia or God’s Jerusalem. You cannot serve two kings.
Some of Nehemiah’s brethren returned from Jerusalem to Persia. According to Jewish tradition, Nehemiah overheard them talking about Jerusalem near the king’s palace. Nehemiah could have pretended not to have heard them talking,but he didn’t. Ignorance is bliss, right? You know that game, "If I don’t know, I don’t have to get involved."
But in Nehemiah 1:2-3 (NIV) Nehemiah writes, "I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the (Babylonian) exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, 'Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.' "
It takes courage to ask, you know! What’s really going on? How’s their marriage, really? Who is paying attention to that teenager? Who is teaching the word of God to our children? Why isn’t anyone serving in that vital ministry?
The reason we don’t ask is because we don’t want to responsible. But you cannot ignore God. It doesn’t matter if you're two hundred miles away. God isn’t bound by geography. No matter where you find yourself, you exist to serve the living God and the King of all kings, and you’ll never find satisfaction until you do. You were born for God’s kingdom, not another.
You can be teeing off on the finest golf course built by man, reeling in a world record bass,scoring the winning touchdown at the SuperBowl, standing on the largest stage with all the world adoring you,sitting in a plush office with that dream salary,or retiring witha six or seven figure portfolio. If you are serving the wrong kingdom, God will shake you from your comfortable place.
God can shakeyou from your comfortable place.
Nehemiah 1:4 (NIV) says, "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
You can tell a lot about a person by what makeshim laugh or cry. What causes you to sit down and weep? What causes you to mourn or to grieve? For what will you deny yourself? For what do you to cry out to the King of kings?
God’s holy name is being disgraced by an unholy people. Do you care? God’s people are not willing to make sacrifices of their time, or money, or talents, or choice lamb for God’s kingdom. Do you care? God’s people are scattered and refuse to assemble for worshipeven once a week, sometimes not for months. Doyou care?People have fallen out of love with God’s word, and are using his name in vain, and are following the cravings of their sinful natures. Do you care? Hearts are hardened. The Holy Spirit is being grieved. We're passive, we're compromised, we're lukewarm, and we're appeasing the enemies of God.
If none of this raises your pulse, you may be lost.Nehemiah asked. He became responsible. He couldn’t stand the thought of God being disgraced in any way, so he sat down and wept. He mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:5-11 (NIV) tells us that Nehemiah said, "Then I prayed: 'O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands,let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.' I was cupbearer to the king."
There wasn’t anything heroic about Nehemiah except this;he was a man of faith. Nothing delighted him more than the thought of God’s name being revered once again.He was willing to acknowledge the countless ways he himself had disgraced the holy name of God.He was willing to take responsibility and become a servant of the King above all kings, even unto death.He was willing to trust in God’s promises and holy character no matter what.He was willing to give up his Persia for God’s glory in Jerusalem.
What’s your Persia? Where’s your Jerusalem? What did Jesus say in Acts 1:8 (NIV)? "...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."Jerusalem must always be first. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 (NIV), "But seek firsthis (God's) kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will begiven to you as well."