Nehemiah 1:1 – 11 Nehemiah’s Prayer (2 Kings 25:8-17; Jeremiah 52:12-23)
“These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites.
I confess the sins we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.
Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to Me to keep and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’
They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power and mighty hand. O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
(At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
Pastor Travis D. Smith gives the following outline of events: King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Judah in 606 B.C., and in 586 B.C. Babylon’s army had destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem. Seventy years after Judah was first conquered, the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled when Cyrus, king of Persia, issued an edict in 536 B.C. giving the Jews liberty to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1).
Under the leadership of the prophet Zerubbabel, the Jews began to rebuild the Temple (Ezra 1-6). Opposed by their enemies, and discouraged, the building of the Temple languished for many years as the Jews neglected construction on the LORD’S house, and turned to building their homes and planting crops. The Temple was completed around 458 B.C. (Ezra 6).
Some sixty years later, the LORD moved on the heart of a scribe named Ezra, who led a second group of Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 7). Ezra’s task was to teach God’s Law and Commandments, call the people to repent of their sins, and renew worship and sacrifices in the Temple.
The Book of Nehemiah gives us a history of how the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt and the challenges and difficulties Nehemiah and the people encountered. The year is around 446 B.C., and Artaxerxes is king of Persia (Nehemiah 1:1). (Nehemiah: More Than a Cupbearer (Nehemiah 1-4) – “From The Heart of A Shepherd” by Pastor Travis D. Smith)
Ezra the scribe and teacher of the Law returned to Jerusalem in 458 B.C. Now thirteen years have elapsed. Although Ezra has done well, there is still a great deal left to do. Back in Babylon, Nehemiah is serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Pastor Smith says this regarding the role of cupbearer: “Living in the king’s palace, Nehemiah’s life was one of wealth and privilege. He was more than his title implies; the role of the cupbearer was that of a king’s closest aid; his confidant, and counselor. Artaxerxes, king of Persia, trusted Nehemiah with his life. As the king’s cupbearer, he was charged with guarding the king from assassination attempts, being the first to taste the king’s food and sipping his wine.”
Confidant to one of the most powerful monarchs in the world! That is Nehemiah’s position. Artaxerxes is obviously a great judge of character. There are men from hundreds of nationalities settled in Babylon; yet, Artaxerxes has chosen a Jewish exile to occupy this key position. Obviously, there is something about Nehemiah that Artaxerxes finds both attractive and trustworthy. It’s likely that Artaxerxes has had Nehemiah’s background carefully investigated prior to elevating him to this key position. Evidently, Nehemiah has passed the character test and continues to prove his worth daily.
The news from Jerusalem is horrible. ““The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” For those of us who have never lived in walled cities, this statement might seem meaningless, but for Nehemiah, this is terrible news. Without walls, Jerusalem is open to attack at any point; and without gates, there are no means of controlling those who enter and exit the city. When ancient conquerors wished to humble a city, they would destroy the walls and the gates as a sign that the city had lost its identity and power.
Immediately upon receiving this news, Nehemiah mourns for days, fasting and praying earnestly, confessing the sins of the Jews, and reminding God of His promises to restore Judah and Jerusalem. Nehemiah ends his prayer by asking God to grant him success and to give him mercy in the sight of King Artaxerxes. Why does Nehemiah need to ask for mercy? In ancient times, nobody was allowed to exhibit any sadness or grief in the presence of a king. Nehemiah is certain that King Artaxerxes may have noticed that he has not been as cheerful as usual. Now Nehemiah is worried that his grief may result in his being relieved of his duties as cupbearer or even in his death, should King Artaxerxes be sufficiently displeased.
APPLICATION: There are many people who must have envied Nehemiah in his position as cupbearer; there were undoubtedly even some who plotted against him so that they could take his place. After all, the cupbearer was closer to the king than practically anybody else. What a great opportunity for influencing the king to favor the cupbearer’s family members or to carry out cherished plans suggested by the cupbearer. Artaxerxes trusted Nehemiah precisely because Nehemiah could help protect him from such schemers. Well-connected in the Jewish community, Nehemiah may have had friends in several places who could quietly feed him information that would help the king make decisions.
There are many noteworthy intercessory prayers in the Bible. We have previously examined Ezra’s prayer and now Nehemiah prays in a similar manner. Note that Nehemiah includes himself when he is praying for his people.
“Both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.”
1 John 1:8 – 9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” None of us is free from sin; therefore, prayers of intercession must begin with confession of sin. Only after we have made confession can we proceed with our requests. Nehemiah bases his requests on God’s Word and God’s promises.
There are enormous amounts written on successful methods of prayer. But effective prayer must begin with respect for God and a sense of one’s own unworthiness. In Luke 18:10 – 14 Jesus tells the story of two men who went up to the temple to pray. One man is a Pharisee, a professional religious man, who stands in a place of prominence and LOUDLY recites all his virtuous acts as if God were not already aware of them. Back in a corner out of sight, a tax collector has slipped into the temple. Now the tax collector stands there with his head bowed, beating his chest, and repeating, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Jesus tells us that it is the humble tax collector who goes away forgiven and made upright, rather than the Pharisee. That Pharisee has all sorts of failings that need confessing; however, he is blind to his own shortcomings because he has dedicated his life to searching out the faults of others.
When Jesus was being crucified, one of the thieves who was dying alongside him taunted him, saying that if Jesus was really the Son of God, he should come down off the cross and save himself and the two thieves. But the other thief recognized Jesus as the Son of God and rebuked his fellow thief, stating that they were only receiving the just reward for their sins while Jesus was sinless. Then that thief begged Jesus to remember him when Jesus came into his kingdom. Jesus promised that criminal, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Notice that man had never met Jesus before occupying a cross next to his; neither had that man raised his hand in a meeting or prayed prayers of confession. But just like the tax collector in the corner of the temple, God heard and answered that thief’s prayer. (Luke 23:39 -43)
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have sinned in our thoughts, in the things we have done, and the words that we have spoken. You know our failings better than we do ourselves. Lord, forgive us and help us to change so that we will reflect Your holiness and Your glory. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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