Nehemiah's Big Gamble

author: Ryan Hayden Take your Bibles with me and turn to Nehemiah 2. Nehemiah 2. We are going to be looking at just the first 8 verses today.

Let's go ahead and read them.

[!bible] Nehemiah 2:1-8 - KJV

1. And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
3. And 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?
4. 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.
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.
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;
8. 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. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

The last time we talked about Nehemiah, his brother got back from a trip to Jerusalem and told him how bad it was there. The walls were broken down. The people were taken advantage of. Everything was in shambles.

This broke Nehemiah's heart and he started praying that God would fix this situation and use him to do it.

From the last half of Nehemiah 1, we can see that Nehemiah was a man who had an active faith in God, he knew the scriptures and he was praying earnestly that god would keep His promises. He was also willing to do the work and be a part of it - he understood that his position as the King's cup bearer gave him a unique opportunity.

Well, here, in chapter 2, we see Nehemiah actually acting on all of that prayer and getting the king's permission to go back and rebuild the walls.

That's the million mile overview of these verses - but at ground level, there is a lot more going on here that I never understood.

First, you have to understand that Nehemiah has taken 4 months to pray. There is a month given for us in chapter 1 and a month given for us here, and they are four months apart. So this is a burden that Nehemiah has been living with for awhile, praying night and day for awhile that God would do something and open up a door.

The second little piece of information you need to understand doesn't come from Nehemiah at all. It actually comes from a part of Ezra we kind of skipped over.

So hold your finger here and go back with me to Ezra chapter 4.

If you remember, Ezra 4 is a kind of weird chapter, because it has this big historical parenthesis in it. There is this section of Ezra 4 that is about events that happen almost 100 years after the events most of the chapter is about.

Those events are really important to Nehemiah. So let's look at it. Look at verse 7:

[!bible] Ezra 4:7-8 - KJV 7. And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. 8. Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

This happens during the days of Artaxerxes. This is the king who Nehemiah served. This would have been almost a century after the story in the first part of Ezra.

What happens is these guys in Israel - these are Samaritans - are opposed to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and so they write the king a letter.

And the contents of the letter start in verse 12 and goes through verse 16.

[!bible] Ezra 4:12-16 - KJV 12. Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. 13. Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. 14. Now because we have maintenance from the king’s palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king; 15. That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed. 16. We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.

Ok, so let's break this down. These Samaritans are telling the king that:

• The jews are trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
• If they are succesful (and the walls are rebuilt) then you can basically kiss any chance of getting taxes from them goodbye.

So the king gets this letter and considers it and here is his response: (Starting in verse 18)

[!bible] Ezra 4:18-22 - KJV 18. The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me. 19. And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. 20. There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them. 21. Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me. 22. Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

So King Artaxerxes does his homework. He studies about Jerusalem and he decides - very clearly - they can't have walls. This city can't be allowed to rebuild. He puts a definitive stop to all building.

Now, back to Nehemiah 2. We don't know how long after that decree this was - but it is sometime after. Artaxerxes has been the king for 20 years. So this could have been five or ten years later.

But Nehemiah has a heart to see Jerusalem rebuilt, He is a personal servant for the most powerful man in the world, and that man not only knows about Jerusalem, but he is THE REASON the work has stopped.

And so when Nehemiah is working in the palace. He's had this on his heart for several months. There is some kind of event where both the king and queen are present and as he's doing his work, the king asks Nehemiah "Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing more than sorrow of heart."

Now, a couple of things to note here about the kings of Persia:

• These men were absolute dictators and control freaks. He could, if he wanted to, disappear Nehemiah really fast.
• Second, these kings were constantly afraid of coups and assasination attempts. Their biggest vulnerability was their servants - so they were always looking out.
• Third, it was against royal protocol for you to be sad in their presence. You had to look happy. All the time. (On top of just generally being a bummer to be around) Sad servants made the kings really nervous.

So when the king asked Nehemiah this - he was sore afraid.

This is the one moment in Nehemiah's life that could make or break him. How the king answered this one question could mean Nehemiah had his heart's desire or it could mean Nehemiah would join the baker and butler in Pharaoh's prison.

And Nehemiah answers with boldness.

[!bible] Nehemiah 2:3 - KJV 3. And 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?

These are very careful words - but they are also very bold words.

• "Oh king live for ever" - Nehemiah was saying "I'm not out to get you king. I'm on your side."
• But then he gives an honest answer "Why should not my countenance be sad" - that's almost cheeky.
• "when the city" - notice he doesn't say Jerusalem by name.
• "the place of my father's sepulchres... gates consumed with fire" - Artaxerxes religion had two sore spots, graves of ancestors and fire.

So everything about Nehemiah's reply here is bold and carefully thought out. He must have pondered this and prayed about this.

What is going to happen? Is it going to be "off with your head?"

No, the king says "For what dost thou make request?"

The king is saying "What do you want Nehemiah. Name it."

Then there is this little aside. This little insertion. "So I prayed to the God of heaven."

Let me ask you something: do you think Nehemiah stopped there in front of the king and said "Hold on a second, let me have a quick prayer meeting?" No! Of course not. This had to be almost an instantaneous thing.

Nehemiah probably just said in his heart "God help me and give me wisdom and boldness" but that prayer counted and it was effectual.

Then Nehemiah gave his answer "Send me to Judah - to build it."

Now, this is the moment where everything hangs in the balance. The king could send him to prison. "It could be off with his head." He could be denoted to chief toilet scrubber.

• I mean, don't miss this - Nehemiah is asking Artaxerxes to go against what he has said. To reverse his decision.
• Nehemiah is asking Artaxerxes to release him. One of his servants to lead the expedition. (That wasn't typically done.)
• Nehemiah is asking that Artaxerxes give provide everything needed to build city walls. (Like a billion dollars in today's money.)

There are a million ways this could have gone bad. What is going to happen??

The rest of the verse tells us "it pleased the king to send me."

So Nehemiah struck while the iron was hot. He "set a time."

The king asked "When will you return" and Nehemiah had an answer. He also asked for letters both for the leaders in Israel and for the keeper of the king's forest.

This wasn't some spur of the moment thing. This is something Nehemiah had been preparing for and praying for for months - and Nehemiah was ready.

That's the story. What can we make of it in terms of application?

I think the key here is opposition. Nehemiah was up against all kinds of opposition. So let me give you three quick thoughts and I'm done:

First

1. Opposition is always present.

I read a quip from J. Sidlow Baxter's writing on Nehemiah that I want to read to you.

There is no winning without working and warring. There is no opportunity without opposition. There is no "open door" set before us without there being many "adversaries" to obstruct our entering it. Whenever the saints say "Let us arise and build" the enemy says "let us arise and oppose." There is not triumph without trouble. No victory without vigilance. There is a cross in the way to every crown worth wearing.

I want you to think about all of the opposition that Nehemiah was up against here:

• There was the opposition of the hostile Samaritans.
• There was the opposition of the king's previous position.
• There was the opposition of the risk of asking to be released from his position.
• There was the opposition of the expense of what it would cost.

This was a huge ask. A very bold request. A giant gamble.

And yet, none of that opposition stopped the work of God. None of it stopped Nehemiah from succeeding.

What I'm afraid happens to most of us is we see opposition in the way and so we don't even try.

• We are so afraid of being shot down that we don't even ask.
• We are so afraid of striking out that we don't even step up to the plate.

But nothing for God ever happens without opposition.

But I want you to notice a second thing:

2. God can defeat any opposition.

Look at the very last phrase of verse 8:

the good hand of my God upon me.

• The same good hand of God that took Israel out of Egypt.
• The same good hand of God that gave them the land.
• The same good hand of God that delivered Israel time and again in Judges.
• The same good hand of God that helped David defeat Goliath.
• It was with Nehemiah and against the opposition.

At the end of the day, if God be for us, who can be against us? The most powerful king in the world is no match for the God of heaven.

You know, sometimes we do this thing where we write out the pros and cons. Maybe you take a piece of paper and on one side you write pro, and on another you write con.

Think of all the cons Nehemiah could write:

• The people haven't done it yet - they are lazy.
• The Samaritans are against it
• The King has already signed a decree against this.
• I have a good job and a family to provide for
• This could ruin my reputation.
• I can't do anything for God if I'm dead.

I'm sure there are lots of things he could put in the con column. But what about the pro column?

God is in this.

You know what? Case closed. Let's be done with this exercise. Because nothing can match up to God.

Whatever we are up against is no problem if God is for us, if we are in God's will.

Now, don't take my word for it. Let me read you some scriptures.

[!bible] Psalms 27:1 - KJV

1. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

[!bible] Psalms 118:6 - KJV 6. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

[!bible] Isaiah 54:17 - KJV 17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

How about a few from the New Testament:

[!bible] Romans 8:31-32 - KJV 31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

[!bible] 1 John 4:4 - KJV 4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

It doesn't matter what opposition we are up against if we have God on our side.

So that brings me to my last point from these verses:

3. We must face opposition with prayer, patience, preparation and pluck.

Nehemiah faced this opposition with four weapons:

Prayer

Not just in the moment, but months before, Nehemiah was praying. He was boldly persisting in prayer. I think by this point he knew God was behind him.

We have to meet our opposition with the same kind of prayer.

Jesus said "without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5b) but we try to do everything without prayer. We need to pray. When we face opposition, we need to pray. When it gets hard, we need to pray. When it seems impossible, we need to pray.

God can do it and prayer opens our eyes to that.

I'm reminded of the story of Elisha. In 2 Kings 6 when the enemies were around the city Elisha was in with a huge army, Elisha's servant was flipping out.

He went to Elisha and said "What shall we do?" And Elisha just said 'those that are with us are more than those that are with them' then he prayed that God would open his servants eyes and his servant saw a great host of angels on chariots of fire around them, ready to protect them.

God can do it, but God wants us to pray. Pray to make sure we are in God's will. Pray and trust His power.

The second of Nehemiah's weapons was...

Patience

Nehemiah waited four months for the right opportunity. He prayed for four months. He didn't jump up right away and go to the king. He didn't get discouraged. He prayed and waited for God to give him the right opportunity.

I started reading a wonderful little book last night called "How Sweet the Sound" it is about John Newton and William Cowper.

You know, Newton was a sea captain who got saved. He was a very studious man and a very gifted speaker and he had a desire to pastor. But the church of England said no. You didn't go to university. He kept praying. He kept studying. He tried again. No.

He tried to get ordained for six years and got rejected. John Wesley tried to help and he still got rejected.

Finally, after six years, someone read his testimony and got in front of the right person, and that led to his ordination and position in Onley, where God used him greatly.

You aren't going to do much for God without patience. You have to keep going. You have to endure.

Around 30 times in the New Testament it tells us we need patience. This isn't a sprint. God's timing isn't our timing. We need to endure for Him.

So Nehemiah had prayer, he had patience. Third, he had...

Preparation

When Nehemiah's opportunity finally came, he was incredibly prepared. He had an answer ready for the kings questions and knew he needed letters and knew what materials he needed. He wasn't just praying, he was planning.

The racing legend Bobby Unser said that "success is when preparation meets opportunity."

If God wants you to do something, and the opportunity isn't there right now - you can still prepare.

Think about the men God used in the Bible and the long periods of preparation they went through:

• Joseph
• Moses spending years in Middian
• What we are studying about David now

If you cannot do, then prepare to do. This story of Nehemiah is a great example of that.

So Nehemiah faced opposition with:

• Prayer
• Patience
• Preparation

One more thing, and just to keep it with the Ps. Nehemiah faced opposition with

Pluck

Nehemiah took advantage of the opportunity God gave him with boldness. He had to have courage.

Does God ever command us to have courage?

Of course He does. The phrase "fear not" shows up 63 times in the Bible.

[!bible] Psalms 31:24 - KJV 24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 16:13 - KJV 13. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

[!bible] 2 Timothy 1:7 - KJV 7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Man, if the story of Nehemiah teaches us nothing it teaches us this:

• God wants to do something, and wants to do it through us - there will always be adversaries - and we must meet them with courage and faith in God.

Now, I don't know what God has for us here. But I do know this - He wants us to face it with prayer, with patience, with preparation and with pluck.

Let's stand together.