NEH 1-4Sophy. Who was Nehemiah?
Mamma. He was a captive of the children of Israel, and held the office of cup-bearer to the king of Persia. Nehemiah lived in the king's palace which was called Shushan. One day some men of Judah came with his brother Hanani to see Nehemiah, and he asked them all about the captives who had gone back to their own land in the time of Ezra.
S. How long was it since Ezra went up to Jerusalem.
M. It was only eleven years since Ezra and his company had gone up, but it was nearly eighty years since the first decree of Cyrus was given to build the temple at Jerusalem. You may remember they were stopped by fear of their enemies, and nothing was finished until Ezra came in the reign of this same Artaxerxes. Ezra connected the people with God, and insisted on holiness and separation from evil, He made them put away all their strange wives, and he appointed priests and Levites to take charge of the house of the Lord.
But these people who came to see Nehemiah gave him a very sad account. They said that the remnant that were left were in great affliction and reproach; and the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, and the gates were burned with fire. When Nehemiah heard this he wept and fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
S. Why did he say God of heaven?
M. Because the Lords glory had no dwelling-place on earth. Besides it was the day of the Gentiles' power, and it is the God of heaven who rules over the Gentiles in His sovereignty. They had defiled His holy place, and the city where He had put His great name. So now God's servant cried: Oh, Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God! Then he confessed the sin of the children of Israel, and reminded God of His promise to hear them if they cried to Him; and now he begged for mercy in the sight of the king of Persia. For he was the king's cup-bearer.
S. What was a-cup-bearer?
M. One who handed the king his cup or goblet of wine at his feasts. You remember Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had his chief butler—one who had charge of the king's wine. Soon after this Nehemiah had to take the king's cup of wine and hand it to him, and he looked very sad, for he had been crying before the Lord. Then the king said to him, Why are you sad? You are not ill. You must be unhappy. And Nehemiah felt afraid. And he said: How could he help being sad when Jerusalem was waste, and the gates were burned? The king replied: For what do you make request? And Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven.
S. I suppose he thought God would make him say the right thing?
M. Yes; he was but a slave to the conqueror of his nation, so no wonder he felt afraid. The queen was sitting by the king and perhaps she pitied the sorrowful cup-bearer, for when he made his request to go up to build Jerusalem, the king said, How long will you be away? and when will you come back? Nehemiah told the king, and then he begged him to give him letters to the governors to desire them to help him on his journey, and to give him wood from the forests for his work.
God made the king kind to him, so that he granted Nehemiah's request. The king sent some of his soldiers with Nehemiah to take care of him; for his enemies were very angry that any one should go up to Jerusalem to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
S. Were the children of Israel glad to see him come?
M. They did not know who he was at first, for he did not tell any one for three days, but he used to go out at night to see exactly what was wanted to be done. At length he said to the priests and the nobles and the rulers, and the workmen, that it was very sad to see the city lying waste and the wall broken down; but that God had made the king kind to him, and now he wished to set to work. So they all said, Let us rise up and build! Their enemies laughed and mocked; but Nehemiah said, The God of heaven will prosper us; we are His servants, but you have no portion in Jerusalem. For Sanballat was a Horonite, Tobiah was an Ammonite, and Gesham was an Arabian. Now all the people went to work. Of one it is recorded that his daughters also worked; of another, that he worked earnestly; but the nobles did not put their necks to the work of the Lord.
S. Why is so much said about walls, and locks, and bars?
M. Because they were surrounded by enemies. The walls shut them in as a separated people. In days of evil the people of God have no strength, except in separation. If the wall is broken down, an enemy can get in. It is the same now; if a Christian leaves a place unguarded by the Spirit of God, evil may steal in and he may suffer. But when we say to people who laugh at us, as the Ammonite laughed at Nehemiah, we are servants of a heavenly Master, and we wish to be quite separate from you, our enemies feel that there is a great wall between us. Tobiah pretended to despise their wall; he said that even a fox would jump over it; but he could not get over it himself. As long as the people prayed to God and had a mind to work, not all the armies of their enemies could stop them.
S. Did all the children of Israel in Jerusalem trust God as Nehemiah did?
M. Those who builded with him did, but there were some who complained that their strength was gone and there was much rubbish to be cleared away; and the Jews ten times over declared that their enemies were coming upon them. But Nehemiah set a guard to watch night and day. And he gave all the people swords and spears, and he said, Do not be afraid; remember the Lord is great and terrible, and He will fight for you. And they carried their burdens in one hand and held a sword in the other. And each of the builders had a sword girded by his side. And he that sounded the trumpet stood by Nehemiah.
S. Why did one sound a trumpet?
M. To gather the people if an enemy came; because they were not all working close together; so Nehemiah told them to come when they heard the trumpet and that God would fight for them. These workmen were not in a hurry to stop at night, for they worked from the early morning until the stars shone out at night. They all lodged inside Jerusalem at night. But Nehemiah and his brethren and his servants and the men of the guard which followed him never undressed at all, that they might be always ready if an enemy appeared!