A Lesson From the Exiles: part 2
Lessons From the Exiles • Sermon • Submitted
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The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 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.
In these uncertain times, it is easy to feel insecure and wonder exactly what will happen next.
It’s easy to begin doubting God’s goodness when everything around us seems to be falling apart.
The uproar over COVID19.
Social distancing.
How it affects our jobs.
Wondering whether or not to get the vaccine.
Could it harm us?
Is it even going to be effective?
The political situation.
But we are not the first people to ever go through hardship.
The Bible is filled with stories of how God’s people went through various trials and persecutions.
There were times when God’s people were cast out of their own country and made slaves and exiles in other lands.
Two weeks ago, we began looking at these exiles and how they dealt with their situations.
We especially looked at Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
How did they react to being made to serve someone who did not know or serve God?
How did they respond when they had to choose between obeying God vs obeying man?
Today, we want to look at another exile: Nehemiah.
Nehemiah was another Israelite who was taken from home to serve the Persian emperor Artaxerxes.
As we look at his journey, I believe we can learn a lot about how we should be responding to the world around us today.
An Attitude of Accountability
First of all, as we read this opening passage that is the first chapter of Nehemiah, we learn that Nehemiah had already been in captivity for 20 years when he got a report about the Jews that still lived in Jerusalem.
When he heard that the Jews at home suffered and were humiliated, and that Jerusalem’s walls were burned down, what was Nehemiah’s reaction?
Did he condemn the Persian captors?
Did he start a rebellion?
He prayed.
It is interesting to note that the first part of Nehemiah’s prayer is repentance on behalf of his people.
Nehemiah recognized that the only reason the Persians gained power is because God allowed it.
And God only allowed it because Israel had sinned against God.
They had started thinking they didn’t need God.
So God put them in a situation where only He could save them.
Sometimes bad things just happen.
We live in a fallen world, where disease exists.
People get hurt.
People die.
And it’s not really anyone’s fault.
But many of the situations we are in are the direct result of the choices we made.
And we have no one else to blame for our problems but ourselves.
Now Nehemiah was a godly man.
Did he sin against God? I doubt it.
But maybe he did in his early days, before he was captured.
Still, his people had definitely rebelled against God, and God had kept his promise to stop blessing them if they rejected Him.
So Nehemiah was accepting the responsibility as a Jew for his people’s sin.
He was holding himself and his people accountable before God.
When we look at our own situations, we want to find someone to blame, and we try to make it be anyone except ourselves who is at fault.
But I can’t be busy finding fault with others.
I need to be dealing with my own relationship with God.
Whatever is going on, I had a part to play in it. I need to be repenting of my part and sharing the blame before God so that He can bring reconciliation and transformation into my situation.
But Nehemiah’s prayer doesn’t end there.
In verse 8, Nehemiah remembers God’s promise to Moses to scatter the people, should they rebel.
In verse 9, he remembers God’s promise to gather them back to Himself if they repent.
So he basically tells God, “we repent; please bring us back to you.”
And he calls on God to help him have mercy in the sight of a certain man.
And then he casually states that he happens to work directly for the king.
Positioned for a Purpose
Isn’t it interesting that Nehemiah, who God is calling to deliver his people, happened to be the king’s cupbearer?
While this seems to be an insignificant position, it was actually very important.
This man was constantly in the king’s presence.
He made sure the cup was always filled and ready.
More than that, he tasted the wine.
He was making sure the wine was a good quality.
He was also checking for poison.
He HAD to be a person the king absolutely trusted.
So here Nehemiah is, the king’s highly trusted servant and constant companion.
Anyone else looking at Nehemiah would have only seen an insignificant slave, but he was actually very important to the king.
We live in a world where we are taught to make a name for ourselves.
We want to make things happen—shake things up.
In this world, not everyone can be a superstar.
We are constantly comparing ourselves to others to see how we measure up.
And it’s easy to feel unimportant, insignificant.
But in God’s kingdom, EVERYONE is a superstar!
We keep thinking we’ve missed the mark.
But if we are serving God, He is putting us exactly where He wants us.
Look at how God raised his servants up to accomplish great things.
Joseph went from spoiled brat to slave, to prisoner, to the second most powerful man in Egypt.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all became trusted advisors to the rulers of the Persian empire.
By remaining faithful to God in the midst of their situations, these exiles found God’s favor and blessing.
It takes character to be faithful.
And that character shows through to others.
Sure, people make fun of you for your faith.
But when they have a problem, who do they go to for prayer?
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
When we put our trust in God to obey Him, He will put us where He wants us, and He will use us.
If God has given you something to do, it IS important and worth doing.
Finding Favor
We know that Nehemiah wanted to talk to the king about Jerusalem.
But how was he doing to do that?
He may be the king’s trusted servant, always in his presence, but he was still just a servant.
Servants don’t just say, “Excuse me, your majesty. There’s something I need to ask you.”
Nehemiah had asked God to provide the way to make this conversation happen.
He asked to have favor in the king’s eyes.
I’m sure he didn’t even know what that would look like when he prayed it.
But he did find favor!
Have you ever had someone important notice you?
Here’s Nehemiah, simply doing his duty serving wine to the king, and the king notices that Nehemiah seems sad.
Then the king does something out of character:
He asks his servant what is wrong.
Nehemiah is terrified that the king might be upset with him and have him beaten or killed for looking anything less than a happy servant eager to please his master.
But the king is genuinely concerned for Nehemiah!
Nehemiah had definitely found favor with the king.
When God has a task for you, he will send you helpers
Sometimes from the most unlikely places.
When Pharoah finally released Moses and the Israelites to leave Egypt, God provided all their traveling supplies through the Egyptian people.
The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
The very people who had enslaved the Israelites and treated them so horribly suddenly were eager to give them silver, gold, and anything else they asked for!
When I was a kid, there was this other kid, Jeff, who was basically my nemesis from first grade to graduation.
He picked on me for being fat.
He made fun of my name.
He tried to prove he was better than I.
It took everything within me not to hate him.
We were both in the high school band, and we had a parade down in Cape Girardeau at the SEMO campus.
While we were there, I got separated from my group, and ended up surrounded by kids from another school. They started bullying me for no reason. It looked bad, and I started praying.
Guess who God sends to rescue me?
Jeff, and a bunch of his buddies.
God will stir the hearts of others to be there for you when you need it.
The king asks Nehemiah what’s wrong.
Even though he’s scared, Nehemiah figures this must be the opportunity he asked God for, and so he tells the king why he’s upset.
My home is in ruins.
The walls are destroyed, making the city vulnerable.
Then the king asks what Nehemiah wants from him.
(BIG BREATH) Would you mind letting me go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city?
The king’s response: “How long do you think it’s gonna take?”
Nehemiah gives him some estimation of time, and the king AGREES!
So Nehemiah gets bolder
I should probably have some documentation proving that I have your permission to travel and do all this.
Oh, and could you set me up with the royal lumber yard to provide what I need to rebuild… EVERYTHING?
The last part of Nehemiah 2:8 says
… And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
You don’t have to worry about trying to impress people or making yourself seem important.
You just worry about serving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
He will provide everything you need.
We will continue this next week, but I want to ask you now.
Do you feel like you are in a crisis?
Do you feel like nobody notices your situation or cares what you are going through?
God sees you, and He cares.
In the midst of your situation, are you more focused on your problems, or on your Creator?
The Psalmist said
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
These exiles we are looking at were taken away against their will to a foreign land where they didn’t speak the language.
They were made to be slaves.
They watched their homes be burned to the ground.
They were separated from their families for the rest of their lives.
And yet, they didn’t lose faith that God was taking care of them.
If they can have that kind of faith, so can we.
Say with me:
Dear God, I know how my situation looks.
But I also know that you are greater than my situation.
Today, I choose to trust you completely.
Please forgive me for doubting your goodness.
I ask that you give me favor with those around me.
Whatever the reason is that I am here right now in this situation, I believe you can use me right here.
Help me know what it is you are calling me to do.
Help me to trust you and do what you ask of me.
No matter how scary it seems, help me stand strong for you and obey you.
And I know you will receive the glory.
Now thank the Lord for all He’s done for you, and what he is doing right now.