Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

River Church Sermons


Sep 20, 2020

Renewal – Life Lessons From Nehemiah

Clarity – Neh. 2:1-8

By Louie Marsh, 9-20-2020

 

Intro. 5 Pictures

 

Nehemiah served the King of Persia. His name was Artaxerxes the First, but the name he was commonly know by is Longimanus (Long-Ja-Minus) and he ruled over Persia from 464 BC to 424 BC. As all the Persian rulers Longimanus was the absolute ruler and his word was law. No one could contradict him and live.

 

Nehemiah held a unique position in the court of Longimanus. He was cup-bearer to the King.  Yes, that means he served the King his drinks, but it means a whole lot more than that. The cup-bearer’s first duty was to taste the King’s wine (and everything he drank actually) to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. This of course was done at the risk of his life as poisoning people was one of the ancient’s favorite form of assassination. It was easily done and practically untraceable as well.

 

Nehemiah laid his life on the line for the King many times each day. Because of this cup-bearers developed close relationships with their Kings. They were allowed into the King’s presence when the Queen was present, something most people were not. They were often used as counselors and sounding boards as the King wrestled with various difficult issues.

 

So while Nehemiah was not a friend of the King and was always recognized as a commoner and slave to the King. He was never-the-less a trusted confident and regarded as the part of the King’s inner circle. He would have known the King and his moods very well, been wise about how to navigate them, and completely familiar with all the customs of the court.

 

This sounds strange to modern people as we have a hard time imagining being a slave at all, much less an honored slave who is – almost at any rate – considered part of the family. He is loved, trusted and relied upon while never losing his status as slave. While this may sound bizarre to you and I, it was common throughout most of human history and would have perfectly logical and normal to both Nehemiah and Longimanus.

 

Nehemiah is a great reminder that while human nature doesn’t change, human culture and customs do change, and radically at that. If you’re going to understand the people in the Bible, and in the Old Testament in particular, you’ve got to be willing to learn how to see the world through their eyes. This results in seeing things from a very different perspective indeed.

 

Nehemiah’s memoirs (that really what this book is) begins in the 20th year of Longimanus’ reign during the month of Chislev, which occurs during parts of November and December. In the ancient world they often marked time by the year of a King’s reign. For us the year is around 446 BC. All we know of Nehemiah’s past is his father’s name. Otherwise Nehemiah doesn’t waste anytime with genealogies he just jumps right into the story.

 

To Find Clarity I Need To…

 

1) Make sure I start by WAITING.

 

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev…In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.  Nehemiah 1:1, 2:1 (ESV)

SHOW PIC OF ARTAXERXES

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalms 27:14 (NIV)

 

Wait – root means to bind together by twisting

 

2) DEVELOP A VISION of what God is calling me to do.

 

I do this through…

 

  • PRAYER & FASTING

 

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.  Nehemiah 1:4 (ESV)

 

  • RESEARCH

 

Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?  Nehemiah 2:6-7 (NIV)

 

  • WHAT I’m doing

 

  • PLANNING

 

And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me. Nehemiah 2:8-9 (NIV)

 

  • WHAT I need.

 

  • WHO can help me.

 

 

3) ACT BOLDLY on what God calls me to do.

 

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before;  so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, Nehemiah 2:1-4 (NIV)

 

Nehemiah tells that he didn’t approach the King till the month of Nisan, which is three months after he received the news about Jerusalem. Three whole months? Why on earth would Nehemiah wait for so long to approach the King? Wasn’t the need pressing and the situation desperate?

 

Yes it was. But as the King’s Cup Bearer Nehemiah knew both the power and the moods of King Longimanus. He knew that if he didn’t handle this with the utmost skill he’d offend or upset the King and be dead mere moments afterwards. The King’s word was unquestioned law, and so he had to be approached in the right way at the right time with just the right words if Nehemiah was to succeed.

 

And so he waited. Nehemiah is a great example of the power of patience. No strategy can succeed without being patiently applied and that’s exactly what Nehemiah does in this situation. So what did he do during this time? He carefully planned out exactly what he would need from the King in order to successfully address the problems in Jerusalem. He knew better than to wing it so did his research and planned out and committed to memory exactly what he would ask the King for when the right moment came.

 

Finally the day came, and Nehemiah proceeded with his plan, once more laying his life on the line. But this time it wasn’t to protect Longimanus, it was to rescue his people and their battered capital Jerusalem. Here’s his description of how he approached the King.

 

 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. Nehemiah 2:1 (ESV)

 

Notice what Nehemiah does. He doesn’t say a word, he just looks sad in the presence of the King. Now you might not think this is a big deal but actually it was an incredibly brave thing for Nehemiah to do. Ancient Middle Eastern Kings were not always worshipped as gods but were treated as the next thing to them. The King was so exalted that if you were lucky enough to be in his presence you should be radiant with joy. To be sad when you were with the King would normally be considered an insult to his exalted presence and was punishable by death.

 

Here we can see Nehemiah reading the King’s mood and then relying on both his character and the relationship that had developed between himself and Longimanus. And it worked,