How's Jerusalem?
Ezra-Nehemiah • Sermon • Submitted
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· 1 viewMIT: A troubling report concerning the plight of the people of God and the walls of Jerusalem led Nehemiah to earnestly pray. MIS: When we see the evidence of brokenness around us, our hearts should cry out to God in compassionate prayer according to His revealed will in Scripture. Then, we seek opportunities to serve others for the sake of God's kingdom.
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Today, if you lock your keys in your car, you may call a locksmith who shows up with any number of tools to get the door unlocked and get you on your way. But, lock-smithing apparently used to be a different game. Some 150 years ago, if you'd lost the key to your lock, you'd call a locksmith who would show up with any number of rusty old keys, and one-by-one, he'd try them until one worked to unlock your safely secured treasure.
God's mercy, revealed in Scripture, proclaimed in promise, are much the same. I assure you, whatever it is that will grieve your heart, there is an answer to it in God's word. So, we make ourselves students of God's word and practitioners and proclaimers of His promises, moving forward in obedience and being particular about the practice of prayer, which indeed proves to be the key to unlock the promises we need.
This is Nehemiah's practice in Neh.1. A troubling report concerning the plight of the Jews and the walls of Jerusalem leads Nehemiah to revisit God's promises of old and to cry out in compassionate prayer.
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A City Left In Ruin
A City Left In Ruin
Who is Nehemiah?
Nehemiah is a post-exilic governor of Judah, and likely author of the book that bears his name. His character was sufficient for him to have been made a ruler in Jerusalem. His name means "YHWH comforts."
Where is Susa the citadel?
Susa was a city located in Persia, and was one of three royal cities of the Achaemenia kings. It is the setting for the book of Esther, and often the term "the citadel" is attached to it because it was strongly fortified.
Takes place 13 years after Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem, sometime between November and December. Susa the citadel (or capital or fortress) was one of the royal seats of the Persians.
Because Nehemiah writes from Susa the citadel, it is safe to assume he holds a position in the Persian court.
The report concerning the wall of Jerusalem could mean that the wall had not been rebuilt since the exiles returned to Jerusalem, or it could indicate that an attempt to rebuild the wall was thwarted, perhaps by Artaxerxes (see Ezra 4:20).
The city's original walls were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. For nearly half a century, the walls remained in ruins, making the city vulnerable to enemies.
Nehemiah initiating the question about Jerusalem shows a genuine concern for the Jewish people. His interest was clearly in the people as a whole, not just in himself and immediate family.
A Sinner Broken In Prayer
A Sinner Broken In Prayer
Nehemiah's response is similar to Ezra's show of brokenness when he finds out about the intermarriages. Nehemiah fasted before the God of heaven. This indicates his appeal is made to the One above the human world, the One who rules over the affairs of all people. His actions are pretty common, orthodox practices, but this does not diminish their sincerity.
Nehemiah is portrayed throughout the book as a man of "earnest prayer," and his commitment to prayer is seen in that he seems to instinctively turn to prayer when he receives news of the remnant in Jerusalem.
As Nehemiah prays, the reader is reminded that nothing better expresses our priorities than our prayer life. In prayer, the believer confesses complete dependence upon God, exercising true faith and demonstrating genuine love for neighbor. There are three aspects to Nehemiah’s prayer that are rather instructive to us in our prayer life: adoration, confession, and request. Let’s explore this prayer in a little more detail.
Adoration (v.5)
Adoration (v.5)
Nehemiah begins his prayer with adoration, declaring the greatness of God. The evidence of Nehemiah's faith is seen at the beginning of his prayer when he expresses a deep understanding of who God is, and in his knowledge of God's Word, evidenced throughout the prayer.
Nehemiah calls God by His covenant name, YHWH, and names Him as the God of heaven, showing YHWH to be the only true God. He further notes that God keeps covenant and steadfast love, key ideas that express God's faithfulness to Israel. Such faithful love beckons a response from Israel (see Deut. 6:5 - love God with all your heart...). Israel's faith would be evidenced in keeping God's law, making obedience the proper response to God's love, not a precondition of experiencing it.
One of the central descriptions of God's relationship to the Israelites is the Hebrew word chesed. This covenant and steadfast love emphasizes God's loyalty to His people, particularly those who love Him and keep His commandments. God's will is expressed in His commands, and His people are called to obey. The two idea combine together to remind us of both God's faithfulness and man's responsibility.
When we begin our prayers with adoration, it has two beautiful effects:
Dwelling on the character of God reminds us of how we don’t stack up.
Right belief leads to right obedience…orthodoxy to orthopraxy.
Confession (v.6-7)
Confession (v.6-7)
Whereas Nehemiah has already confessed how the Jews should have lived (in obedient response to God's covenant faithfulness), vs.6 is a confession of their failure to do so.
As Nehemiah addresses God, he petitions not only that God would listen, but that He would also respond. (How often do we simply assume God is listening and that He will respond?) He then moves into confession, identifying with the sins of the Jews, though naming no particular sin. In this sense, it seems he is confessing man's tendency toward disobedient rebellion. As a leader, Nehemiah teaches an important concept: association (this is what Jocko Willink would call "extreme ownership." Leaders cannot "pass the buck;" they must take responsibility.) When Nehemiah prays let Your ear be attentive...to hear the prayer, it is not that he doubts God will listen. Instead, he is pleading that God would listen with the intention to act.
Nehemiah seems to have the whole of the law in view when he confesses we have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules. He indicts himself and the whole of the people for a breach in the commands of Moses. They have not kept the commands, the intent of the commands, nor the spirit of the commands.
Nehemiah addresses the people's offense before God, going straight to the heart of the matter. Because God knows and decrees what is best for His people, His commands are not the whimsical musings of an unstable character. While there are many ethical difficulties in the 21st century, we would do well to not further complicate the matter by considering God's revealed will optional.
Request (v.8-11)
Request (v.8-11)
Nehemiah brings to mind Moses' warning in Dt.4; 28 before summarizing God's promise through Moses in Dt.30, essentially noting that repentance would bring God's restoration. Here, repentance is not stated so much as it is described by the phrase return to me. The picture is that of turning away from sin and back to God.
Nehemiah's petition for God to remember has more to do with recalling what YHWH had promised than it does with thinking that God could forget. The remembrance of repentance and the blessings that would accompany it seems to hint that Nehemiah believes this return is already under way, given the fact that the temple was rebuilt and Ezra was instructing the people according to the Law.
While Nehemiah enters into God's presence completely by grace alone, he does not come empty-handed. Rather, much of his prayer is based on Deuteronomy, even borrowing many phrases near-verbatim. Nehemiah realizes God's justice in having punished Israel, but also remembers this very situation was foreseen in Deut.4:25-31. In this passage, God had promised mercy, faithfulness, and forgiveness. Further, while much of God's promise of restoration had taken place (Deut.30:1-10), surely the people's current situation meant that not all had been fulfilled. In this prayer, Nehemiah shows a great awareness of God's promises, and demonstrates true faith asking God to act according to His Word. This proves to be a good challenge for believers today, inviting them to pray based on an awareness of God's purposes as they are found in His word. And, repentance is always the path back to restoration if we come humbly again to God.
Moses pleaded to God on behalf of the people -- Ex.32:11 -- and Nehemiah similarly pleads before God, reminding YHWH that the Jews were His servants, people, and had been redeemed by Him. Because God is faithful to His promise, Nehemiah could confidently ask for YHWH to intervene on behalf of His people.
Nehemiah's laboring prayer has come to a moment of action: something must be done. Earlier, in Ezra 4:21, Artaxerxes had decreed that work in Jerusalem would stop. Now, Nehemiah comes "asking great things of a great God and attempting great things in reliance upon him." His decision to petition the king was a request contrary to Persian policy, something that could even carry dire consequences. Still, Nehemiah musters the necessary bravery to go before this man, someone still not as great the God Nehemiah served. While the world would have held Artaxerxes in great regard, there is a vast difference between Nehemiah's attitude toward him and his attitude toward YHWH. (Nehemiah knew Artaxerxes' power, therefore he asks God for favor before him.) Concerning the difference between the earthly realm and the heavenly realm however, Artaxerxes was just a man like anyone else.
Making an appearance before Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was well aware that in order to have any success, a previous decree would need to be overturned (Ezra 4:21). Making a request like this could prove dangerous to Nehemiah, and the Persians were notorious for not revoking their laws (see Dan.6:8, 12, 15 -- CSBSB). Still, something had to be done. The matter was resolved in Nehemiah’s heart.
Experience
What is our response when we see brokenness around us? What do we do when we are faced with a difficult circumstance? Where do we turn when we hear of brothers and sisters suffering? When the ways of this world seem to overwhelm YHWH's people? Nehemiah 1 reminds us that our hearts should cry out to God. Armed with a knowledge of God's will, as it is revealed in Scripture, we should compassionately cry out to God and look for opportunities to serve Christ.