Nehemiah 2: Sent By God
Built by God: The Book of Nehemiah • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Main Idea of the Text: Nehemiah can rely on God even in fearful circumstances, because God’s hand was upon him for good and the accomplishment of mission
Fallen Condition Focus: We fear men and fail in obedience because we don’t trust God
Redemptive Center: The Lord's hand is always upon us, and we never need to fear men
CPS: Lean on the Lord & go where He sends you
Q.
Move thru the text in 2 movements, and close with some additional application
I.
I.
1:11 - Nehemiah - cupbearer to the king
One of Artaxerxes’s closest advisers
Deepest trust - to ensure the king’s wine was safe to drink, not poisoned
When chapter 2 opens, four months have passed since the events of chapter 1.
Don’t know what’s happened except that Nehemiah has been fasting, praying, and planning.
Ancient emperors known for their parties (see Belshazzar in Daniel 5, the banquets in Esther 1, 5-7)
Cupbearer - a position to deepest trust. One of the king’s closest advisers. A political position within the King’s court
The King notices Nehemiah’s sadness, and in v2 we see that Artaxerxes is observant and perceptive. Nehemiah had more than one reason to be afraid - for one thing, it might displease the king to ruin the festivities - nobody likes a Debbie Downer. Just 40 years earlier, Esther 7 shows that the villain Haman met his end after angering King Ahasuerus in the middle of a drinking party.
But probably more than any personal fear, Nehemiah knew that today was an opportunity to tell the king his plans, and the king had the ability to put the kibosh on the whole thing.
In fact, what Nehemiah was about to ask was technically against Artaxerxes’s established policy.
Book of Ezra - tells story of the first Jews returning from exile, were given permission to rebuild the Temple, but were opposed for years by local adversaries. Ezra 4 - discouraged the people, bribed politicians, wrote formal accusations to the king. Just a few years before Nehemiah 2, they had convinced Artaxerxes that Jerusalem was a rebel city that must not be rebuilt. At that time, A said:
21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me.
So notice how personal Nehemiah’s response is: <<READ v3>>
He doesn’t mention Jerusalem or the necessary change of policy. He just answers the question: How could I be joyful when my heart is broken?
The king has some follow-up questions: What are you requesting? And when he tells him, he asks, “How long will you be gone?”
Imagine hearing those questions from the king.
Artaxerxes was both keenly observant and interested in his servant’s wellbeing. His questions sure sounded like things were going well.
Nehemiah’s request was very specific: SEND ME to this city that I’m not going to name, so I can DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU already said nobody was allowed to do.
Oh, and could you write letters to all the other governors to command them to let me through? Also, could you like, give me all the wood I’m going to need? Oh, and one more thing (this is what Nehemiah means when he asks for timber for his house) - can I be governor of Judah?”
ILLUST: This was like the most successful deployment of the PuppyDog Face that any child could imagine.
Kids, there’s a moment in life when you go up to your parents and you want to ask for something that you KNOW they’re going to say no to. They ALWAYS say no to it. Like, “Can we stay up till midnight and eat triple dessert?” But every once in a while, all the pieces seem to fall into place.
Parents, you know this moment when the kids leave the room and make a huddle. And then the youngest comes in with a beatific smile, like a cherub straight out of the Sistine Chapel.
And secretly, you already talked to your hubby and decided you guys were going to do something extra ridiculously unusual like take the kids to a sugar-loaded dinner at a pancake house and then ice cream and then go home for s’mores and then watch a movie.
No idea why you decided to do it, but whatever.
And that silly adorable kid puts on that cliched, absolutely see-through look with the wide eyes and the raised eyebrows.
When my kids did it, they always looked like they were trying not to smile, like smiling would ruin the game or something.
And they ask you the ridiculous question, thinking there’s no way.
And you say, “Sure, that sounds like a great idea.” And from the other room you hear the other kids go, “YES!” confirming your suspicions that this was a conspiracy.
That’s what happens here for Nehemiah. Verse 8 ends,
"And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. (Neh. 2:8 ESV)
Nehemiah’s words tell us that the king’s actions were a direct result of God answering Nehemiah’s prayers. Remember how his prayer in chapter 1 ended:
11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.
Right in the middle of the dinner, in verse 4, when old Arty said, “What are you requesting?”, Nehemiah prayed again.
And the king’s answer was proof that God was at work.
1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
APPLICATION:
Before we move on to Nehemiah’s trip to Jerusalem, a quick point of application:
Notice that Nehemiah is faithfully fulfilling his responsibility as a cupbearer, and now he’ll do the same thing as a governor. He’s respectful of his king, his words “Let the king live forever” in v3 is a common expression desiring the welfare of the king.
But notice that Nehemiah is also using his position within Persia as an instrument for God’s mission. Praying for an opening for months, praying for mission-success in the middle of his cupbearing shift. And then, when the opening comes, he’s afraid. But God’s mission is exactly why he’s cupbearer to begin with.
Last week, we saw how Nehemiah was empowered by God for his mission, and he was heartbroken for the trouble & shame of Jerusalem.
We called upon the Lord together for those that we know need the Gospel.
Right now, you have a mission to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to a perishing world under the judgment of God.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, or a doctor, or retired, or a high school student, or a high school teacher, you have a calling and a sphere of influence that no one else has.
Take Nehemiah’s pre-shift prayer in 1:11 and his mid-shift prayer in 2:4 as your example, and in the morning, start praying like Nehemiah.
“LORD, give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” That’s a prayer for a mission opening. Consider whose sight you’ll be in this week.
Think of the wildest Gospel opportunity that might come your way. Maybe you won’t be serving wine to a king, but maybe you know you’ll be at dinner with your kids. “LORD, give success to your servant today, and open my mouth with Gospel-drenched words.”
Maybe you have a boss that needs Jesus, and the idea of being the one sent to him terrifies you. Pray for an opening anyway.
Take note of the craziness of Nehemiah’s situation. But God gave him success.
I promise you, your dad or daughter or boss or uncle is not too tough for Jesus to crack.
We often miss Gospel openings because we forget that every job we have and every role we have is part of God’s mission for us. The more you pray for Gospel opportunities, the more you’ll see them. And when you see them, pray again and you’ll be more likely to take them!
<<RETURN to “God’s hand” in application>>
II.
II.
Now, in verse 9, we have a scene change. Before Nehemiah makes it to Jerusalem, he has to pass through a large province divided up into multiple governorships, and somewhere along the way, word gets to two men, Sanballat and Tobiah. Verse 10 says they were very unhappy that “someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.” This is what you call foreshadowing.
But Nehemiah makes it to Jerusalem. Verse 12 says,
12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode.
And Nehemiah makes a midnight survey of the city he’s come to rebuild.
At one point, the rubble is so bad that his donkey couldn’t make it between the great toppled stones. Archaeologists tell us that this part of Jerusalem had been built in terraces, and Nebuchadnezzar’s armies literally pushed the houses and the wall down the hill. It was bad enough that Nehemiah abandoned that area when he rebuilt the city.
After surveying the city,
16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.
Nehemiah picked his moment. Now he had eyes-on data to go with the report he received in chapter 1 and the mission he knew God had sent him on.
But now the time had come. And Nehemiah gathered everyone together and gave turned his mission into our mission.
Jerusalem’s trouble is our trouble. Come, let us rebuild the wall.
He tells them about the way God had answered his prayers, and he tells them about the king’s support for the mission.
He said, “Let us build,” and they responded, “Let us build.” And they stood up and got ready to serve.
Sometimes, what you need to get people excited about God’s work is to tell them what He’s already done.
A few weeks ago, I told the story of the first time I ever baptized someone. It was my best friend, Donovan.
What I didn’t tell you at the time was the way God used something super simple to bring Donovan to the Lord.
It was hospitality.
Donovan’s home life was an absolute mess. It wasn’t long after he started coming home after school to play guitar that he started staying for two or three nights at a time. My parents were simultaneously annoyed and thrilled out of their minds.
But after Donovan died, my mom told me a secret: They knew that Donovan was experiencing something in our home that he never got anywhere else: Family.
Favorite thing to do - feed ppl (Chicken piccatta - “it’s so lemony”)
It was through the simple experience of being a home shaped by Jesus that Donovan came to know Jesus.
And your home can be that kind of place, too.
What if your kids’ best friends just need to see the love of Jesus and His Word actually working in a family?
But I’m going to tell you an even more exciting story of something God has done.
Two years ago, Heather and I went up to a place in Wisconsin called Camp Timber Lee to spend a weekend praying and seeking the Lord together. He had started doing something in our hearts, we didn’t know what it was. We sat in the dining hall and in our little cabin, praying, walking in the woods, and writing down what we thought the LORD was calling us to do.
The list we produced said
Senior Pastor
Multi-generational church
In a college town of about 100k people
West. In my mind, I said, “Texas or Colorado.”
And this very specific thing. It had to be hard. We’d walked through church splits, we’d been through the ringer.
Here’s the reality. We didn’t want to leave Winnetka Bible Church. Nobody wanted us to leave. We were all in a good place.
I was not applying to churches. But when I saw Bethel Baptist Church, something clicked.
This is really personal
When I asked Bill Edwards about the recent history of this church, and he told me about the pain Bethel had been through, he asked me, “How does that change how you feel about Bethel?”
I think he probably expected it would make any sane person a little weirded out.
But stepping into crisis was exactly what God had called us to. And God’s hand was upon us in so many ways to bring us here.
And this is the mission that made the Adams family leave a church they loved, to move across the country - in a land beyond the South Platte River. To rebuild in Jesus’ Name and to make God’s Word echo throughout our community.
Bethel will be a family who brings the lost in to hear the Word and share in our hospitality. And we will go out on mission. To rise up and build together, with God’s power at work in us.
I share this story with you for one reason: God has already proven that His intention is to get His glory through this Church spreading the Good News.
Nehemiah’s words to the people of Jerusalem were just the prologue to what God was going to do in Jerusalem. Twenty years later, looking back on the events of his life, that crazy conversation with Artaxerxes was just the catalyst. But it got people on their feet.
And they strengthened their hands for the good work.
The prologue is just what propelled them for mission.
When Sanballat and Tobiah jeered at them, Nehemiah said in verse 20, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will rise up and build.”
And that’s just what they did.
So that’s what you and I are going to do. Because the good hand of our God has been upon us.
III. APPLICATION
III. APPLICATION
We started last week with prayer. Prayer for an opening with Artaxerxes. And God gave it.
Today, I want you to take your prayers to the LORD not just for the salvation of the loved ones we mentioned last week, but for daily, purposeful opportunities to share the Gospel and the love of Jesus in the normal rhythms of your life.
And pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen your hand for the work.
GOSPEL:
I want to end with a reflection on the idea of God’s hand upon us. Nehemiah says in verse 8 that the reason he had success was that “the good hand of my God was upon me.”
For Nehemiah, and for David, and Elisha, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, when they say the hand of God was upon them, they meant that God directed them, strengthened them, kept them from evil, or gave them words to say at just the right time.
It’s often a synonym for the anointing work of the Holy Spirit.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Later in Luke’s Gospel, we’re told that Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem. Like Nehemiah, Jesus knew that his mission was there. He knew exactly what He faced there, because it was His plan.
Some of you here today need to hear about Jesus’s mission because you don’t know Him. Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to rebuild it, but Jesus went to Jerusalem to do something much greater.
He went there to die.
As Jesus said in Luke 13:
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
Herod, Pilate, the chief priests, their plans to kill Jesus were no surprise to Him.
1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
And it was the Lord Jesus’s will to enter the city, and be crucified by the hands of sinners, just like you and me.
Because the only way for us to be reconciled to God is through the perfect life, the sin-bearing death, and the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The good hand of God was nailed to the tree so that the good hand of God could be upon you and me.
If you don’t know Jesus as your savior,