Nehemiah is a righteous man, when he
hears this news he weeps, fasts and prays. He seeks God because only the Lord
can do something and only God knows what must be done. Is that all?
By no means.
Nehemiah does what he does because he
knows the physical state of Jerusalem
- He begins by addressing God from a position of reverence and‘fear’
- He petitions the Lord for a hearing
- He acknowledges there is a judgement and it relates to sin.
- He identifies the sins and also includes his father’s household and himself
- He reminds the Lord of His relationship with
- He pleads for merciful intervention
- He asks for success with ‘this man’ Artaxerxes
Nehemiah might be a cupbearer but he is
far from being an ordinary one. How many people in his situation
would do what he did? What would it say about you or I if we did the same?
When things are bad do we acknowledge
there may be a God involvement or do we close our eyes and wail hoping the Lord
will reach down and make everything right? It would be easy for Nehemiah
to cry out all the while ignoring that the current circumstances are as a
result of sin. It would be easy for him to play the innocent, it would be
easy for him invoke promises and expect the Lord to be apologetic. He
could have done these things and more but he doesn’t.
Nehemah does something that should help
us understand how to respond when there is a disaster and where God is likely
to be found in such a circumstance. Doesn’t it say in scripture that the
prayers of the righteous availeth much. If you don’t really know what
that means or what it looks like Nehemiah is your example. This righteous
man prayed and as you read through the book you are left in no doubt that it
led to a great outcome. Why?
God hears the prayers and the petitions
of the righteous. What makes them righteous? Well it isn’t being
able to quote chapter and verse. It isn’t even piety or religiosity or
christianity. What makes him righteous is his recognition that sin was at
the heart of the problem and that the sin was everyone’s problem regardless of
whether individually you are not living a sinful life.
To kick start a chain of positive
events someone must stand in the place of repentance. Someone must be
willing to accept that things are not right with God. Someone must be
aware of the standards of God, his Laws and Statutes. Even in the 21st
century we must be willing to see things in line with the Laws and Statutes of
God. If we think that these are no longer relevant we are being lured
into a false sense of security and ultimately into error and judgement.
Jesus explained he did not come to abolish the Law. He said that
not one jot of an ‘I’ or cross of a ‘T’ would pass away. If that is true
and Jesus speaks the word of God then we can’t ignore the Law, it will judge us
and by it we will be condemned just as Israel
Am I talking of the Law of the
Pharisees? No. They lived up to their name, they saw only so far
and judged the Law as far as they were able to see it - which in the end wasn’t
very far at all. There are so many references to the Law in the New Testament
spoken by Jesus yet we seem to think we can ignore it. How can that be
when Jesus says the Laws of God that pronounced judgement on Sodom
and Gomorrah
What does this have to do with
Nehemiah? Nehemiah is righteous in God’s eyes because he knows the Law,
observes the Law and is able to see that the nation has transgressed the Law
all of which is seen in their captivity no matter whether they are free to live
and work without fear of danger.
Nehemiah knows that Jeremiah spoke
truth as did Isaiah and Ezekiel. All three warned Israel
Nehemiah must have recognised or
perhaps remembered a prophecy concerning the walls and gates of the city that
explained they would stand as a testament to Israel having fallen away from the
Lord and be a sign to other nations of this fact. So the first chapter
sets out what it’s all about - the sin of Israel
How was it possible that the people God set apart for himself could end up where they were physically or
spiritually? Arrogance, pride, ignorance, lack of knowledge - all might explain
it. We could look at Israel
Nehemiah Chapter One shows a man who knows not
only the Law but the God of the Law and is humble enough to know only God can
do something but that nothing will be done if there is no-one willing to
confess the sin of the people and seek God’s intervention, not because Israel is
great but because God chooses to intervene, for his own name sake and for his
own Glory. Nehemiah knows God wants a witness and a testimony. He
also knows his God well enough to know what is required during difficult times.
Isaiah 55:6-7 says . "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him
while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and
the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will
have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon".
Nehemiah is seeking a pardon because he
knows that is required. It’s so important to know scripture not just a
few scattered verses. Nehemiah shows us that we must listen to the words
of the prophets who come in God’s name today. We may dislike their message but
they are only the messengers. The Lord has given them the words and they
have no freedom to change the words because it is not their message but the
Lords.
If we don’t listen we may end up as the
people of Israel
We have a lesson to learn about
humility and intercession for that is what is happening here. One man stands in the gap, petitions, confesses the sins of his ancestors, weeps and intercedes for a nation. Doesn’t that remind you of Jesus.... because it’s the
clearest picture of him I’ve ever seen.
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