#613 Come The Doing

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls

11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal[a] Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.

They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”

20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no sharein Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.” Nehemiah 2 NIV

A cup bearer is the last wall of protection to the king, his body guard and scapegoat. Well the Lord spoke, when He said, "let this cup pass from me." It was meant for us, and He understood what was in it. I find it strange that any king would choose from those whom he has conquered. Where is his fear of revenge, or does this speak so much to what must be very obvious about Nehemiah's integrity? You may see him as expendable, but there would have to be so much trust here. His role has put him before the king, his character has placed him between the king and death. 

Do not move an ancient boundary stone which your fathers have set. 29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men. Proverbs 22:28-29

Now the two are not strangers to each other, and maybe the king has learned that there is still one more wall of protection, his own awareness. He is familiar with Nehemiah and ask why his face is down cast. Keep in mind this is some four months after Nehemiah learned of the plight of his brothers on the other side of  the river. This burden has not left him and he has been praying all this time, what can I do, what do You want me to do? He has probably thought this out a million ways. From where he sits he has had time to learn the ways of the courts, projects of the king, and met with dignitaries from other lands. He is just a cup bearer, you say, but his is probably the best seat in the house, like Joseph, Daniel, Ester, learning the business, living righteously before the world, then using their influence to help others. 

"I was very much afraid," and the more I think about those words, they are truly not a bad start. It is honest, like "Lord I believe, help me with my unbelief." It is the start of some of the best relationships, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. I remember having decided never to marry, because I could not see far enough down the road. It was a scary prospect, that someone could be given so much power to hurt me. When I did decide to marry my wife, it wasn't that I had come to some belief that she would not hurt me, but rather that she was worth that hurt to me. I would forgive her in advance, and she has scared me since, but I trust God and I tell her that I love her anyway, but she assures me that it's she who loves me beside myself. It is okay to be afraid, but don't be paralyzed in it. Don't wait around for a crystal ball, for someone at your church who thinks he or she is a prophet, seek the will of God, on your knees, in your closet, and in His word. Nehemiah is like Bilbo Baggins, just a Hobbit, a cup bearer, ready to embark upon a wonderful journey. 

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead,fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.…Matthew 10:27-29

Nehemiah goes, and he was a wise planner though, this was not a house built upon sand. He had prayed and thought for 4 months, so when the king asked what he wanted, he prayed again quickly, then blurted it out. It is at this stage, the doing, that he knew the enemies of Jerusalem would appear, but he was ready with letters from the king. I have probably told the story too many times, but it is worth it even if I am only talking to myself. I was just newly married and my wife was only a recent convert. We were invited by a friend to attend his church, which according to him was like no other, and the pastor was a "special sort", to say the least. He came out onto a stage, and they had a lot of people who were very gifted musically, that they prepared long hours for, practiced. When it came to the sermon however, he hadn't studied, he said there was no need. God gives him the message usually sometime before the service, but not today, God was running a little behind schedule, and then out of nowhere, like the kind of stomp you would see Hulk Hogan do on pro wrestling, boom, he had it. He had it, and it still made no sense, whatever it was. Nehemiah thought long and hard about this, was able to detail his plan, anticipate resistance, tools, accommodations and materials. He went to God to move the king, to meditate on God's word, even praying God's promises. Some people claim a faith based ministry, but faith is not without reason, without study, as Paul commands his young student Timothy to do. Faith is not telling an audience that God has showed you that this person should give this much and so on, but maybe if people planned, read, studied God's word and prayed, they would know to do what my wife did as a baby Christian, she went to the car. I realized later on, as parents, we are the cup bearers for our children. They should expect the world to act like the world and not be astonished by it, but the church is the body of Christ, and the expectation should be that though broken as we are, we want to honor and respect Him. I am not just afraid of the king, but I am more afraid of disappointing God in front of the king, of poor representation of the gospel, of letting Christ down.   

“You will often find it best not to commit your plans to others. If you want to serve God, go and do it, and then let other people find it out afterwards. You have no need to tell what you are going to do, and, I may add, there is no need for you retelling what you have done, for very, very frequently God withdraws himself when we boast of what is being done.” (Spurgeon).

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:28-33