A man who had come to promote the welfare (1)

[Nehemiah 2:1-5]

In his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey says this about “creating a ‘pause button’: There is ‘freedom of choice’ between ‘stimulus’ and ‘response’, but too many people often act reactively. Rather, hit the ‘pause button’ and give yourself time to think. During the ‘freedom of choice’ time, think ‘How will I respond to this stimulus?’, act according to principles and values rather than depending on feelings and circumstances. That is the first habit of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”: “Be Proactive” [Definition: ‘The ability to act on principles and values rather than reacting on emotions and circumstances’ (Covey). However, it seems that we are more likely to be ‘reactive’ than proactive. In other words, when we are stimulated, we often act based on situations and emotions. Of course, even proactive people are influenced by external stimuli, be they physical, social or psychological. However, they show choices or reactions based on principles and values.

If we look at Nehemiah 2:1-5, we see how Nehemiah, who was motivated by hearing about the Jews who remained in Judah and the situation in Jerusalem, took the initiative in attempting great things for the glory of the great God. Nehemiah, who prayed to God, is now demonstrating a life of faith in order to actively promote God's work in order to take responsibility for his prayers. Nehemiah, who knew that rebuilding God's people, the Jews, and the city of Jerusalem, the city of God, was more valuable than his personal success, wealth, and fame, and now he chooses to do God's work.

I would like to think about Nehemiah's inner world, that is, his mind, as the cause of his choice, in two ways under the title of “A man who had come to promote the welfare (1)” centered on Nehemiah 2:1-5.

First, there was sadness in Nehemiah's heart.

Look at Nehemiah 2:2 – “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.” What was the cause of Nehemiah's sadness? Look at verse 3: “but I said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’” After the man of prayer, Nehemiah, prayed to God for four months, there was wine in front of King Artaxerxes, and he took it and offered it to the king. And the king saw Nehemiah’s face looked sad (vv. 1-2). Also, King Artaxerxes knew that Nehemiah's facial expression was not due to a physical illness. So, he asked if Nehemiah had any sorrow in his heart. At that time, in fear, Nehemiah confessed to King Artaxerxes the reason why his face was being sad. The reason is because Nehemiah heard that the land of Judah was desolate (1:3). From that time on, for four months, Nehemiah's heart was troubled. There was sadness on his face because he was concerned, not because of personal problems, but because of the fact that the community of Israel had become miserable.

Here we have to think about two kinds of sadness. Look at 2 Corinthians 7:10 – “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Based on this word, when we think about it, there are two kinds of sorrow: “God’s sorrow” and “worldly sorrow.” The cares of the world cease to be endless sorrows and eventually lead to death and regret. But spiritual sorrow according to the will of God leads to salvation through repentance. When Nehemiah heard of the condition of the people of Judah and the city of Jerusalem that remained in Judah, he felt spiritual sorrow. We can think of three lessons that this Nehemiah's spiritual sorrow gives us:

It teaches us about human weakness.

Pastor Dong-won Lee said: ‘You don't know how comforting Nehemiah's sorrow in his heart is. He prayed and believed that God would work. Nonetheless, he was sad. If the Bible says that Nehemiah was not sad at all after praying, then we would think of Nehemiah as a person who is too far removed from our reality or as an inhuman and mythical figure’ (Lee).

It reminds us of the lessons of the wise.

Look at Ecclesiastes 7:3 – “Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.” This sorrow in Nehemiah's heart actually benefited him because it made him seek God more and more. For Nehemiah, a man of prayer who waited in anticipation of an answer to his prayer, the four-month period was a period that further fueled the vision of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah's sorrow in his heart gave him an opportunity.

What opportunity? It is an opportunity to receive grace in front of King Artaxerxes (1:11). Seeing the sadness on his face, the king asked Nehemiah, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill?” (2:2). Now, Nehemiah was given the opportunity to tell King Artaxerxes the desire of his heart why he was sad. But what we must point out here is that the sadness on Nehemiah's face could have meant death to him. That is why Nehemiah was “very much afraid” (v. 2). The reason was because the Persian law at the time stipulated that if those who served in front of the king or all the servants who worked with the king showed sadness, they would be deprived of their positions from that moment on (Lee). He could have been not only stripped of his title, but killed if the king had angered him. However, God was answering Nehemiah's prayer through the sorrow of his heart that could not be hidden.

Second, there was a desire in Nehemiah's heart.

Look at Nehemiah 2:4-5: “The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 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 fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.’” King Artaxerxes saw the sadness on Nehemiah's face and the sorrow in his heart (v. 2). Nevertheless, God heard Nehemiah's prayer and was working in the heart of King Artaxerxes. How can we know that? He could have killed Nehemiah, who had a sad look on his face, but we can see that he was interested in him (vv. 2, 4). It is a very interesting work of God. God, who showed the interest in King Artaxerxes' heart through Nehemiah's sorrow, heard Nehemiah's prayer and was moving the king's heart. So, King Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah, “What is it you want?” (v. 4). In order to know more about the fact that God was moving the heart of King Artaxerxes in this way, we can understand it by considering two difficulties in moving his heart:

King Artaxerxes was a very stubborn man who hardly listened to others.

It was almost impossible for Nehemiah to go to such a king and ask him to do his favor. He said such a thing, and if he made a mistake, he would not only lose his position, but also threatened his life (Lee).

King Artaxerxes was a person who was always displeased with the construction of the city of Jerusalem (Lee).

Look at Ezra 4:11-13, the accusation handed down to him, and Ezra 4:18-21, King Artaxerxes' reply:

(accusation) “(This is a copy of the letter they sent him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men of Trans-Euphrates: The king should know that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations. Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and the royal revenues will suffer” (vv. 11-13).

(reply) “The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order” (vv. 18-21).

Before Nehemiah rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, there was already a movement to build the city of Jerusalem among those who had returned to Jerusalem first. However, King Artaxerxes, who heard this news, stopped the work of building the city by force. The reason was because if the city was built, all the people of Jerusalem would unite and rebel against Medo-Persia, which had the greatest influence in the world at the time.

But Nehemiah wanted to ask King Artaxerxes for permission to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. So, when the king asked, "What is it you want?" Nehemiah first prayed to God (v. 4). He didn’t habitually close his eyes and prayed, ‘God who created the heavens and the earth and all things…. ‘ He was living a life of prayer to God. It must have been a prayer to know how to answer the king. When we are in the middle of a conversation with people, we must open our eyes and talk to them. As we do so, we must have a good habit of praying to God with our hearts. I think the habit of praying, ‘God give me wisdom on how to speak at this moment’ while praying, is a good habit. Then Nehemiah told King Artaxerxes his heart's desire. Look at verse 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 fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.’” Here we can see the connection with the prayer that Nehemiah had already offered to God in Nehemiah 1:11b: “… Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man. ….” The connection is that God was answering Nehemiah's prayer to be favored by King Artaxerxes. So, Nehemiah knew this and told the king his heart's desire in response to the king's question, "What is it you want?”

God grants the heart's desire of the righteous. Look at these Bible verses: “… what the righteous desire will be granted” (Prov. 10:24b), “The desire of the righteous ends only in good …” (11:23a), “He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them” (Ps. 145:19). When we give all our heart's sadness and desires to God in prayer, God hears and answers our prayers. Therefore, God enables us to handle God's work. May this grace of God be upon you and me.