A Servant Who Leads God's Way
Rebuilding: The Book of Nehemiah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewGod uses the humble and broken hearted to accomplish His will.
Notes
Transcript
Pastoral Prayer for the congregation and the pastor.
Reading of the Scriptures:
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year—and I was in Susa the capitol—
that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and remain from the captivity, and about Jerusalem.
They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who remain from the captivity are in great calamity and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.”
Now it happened that when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
I said, “I beseech You, O Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and fearsome God, who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,
let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your slave which I am praying before You today, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your slaves, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned.
“We have worked in utter destruction against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments which You commanded Your servant Moses.
“Remember the word which 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 those of you who have been banished were at the ends of the sky, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’
“They are Your slaves and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.
“O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your slave and the prayer of Your slaves who delight to fear Your name, and make Your slave successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
The current state of affairs for the world, much like in the year 445 BC, shows that there is much to do for the faithful servants of the LORD. Here are the circumstances that work as the setting for the servant we will see in the Scriptures over this series:
The King, Ahasuerus I, a.k.a. Artaxerxes I, is near the end of his reign, while spending the Winter in his palace in the city of Susa.
The province of Egypt led a rebellion for five years, 460-455 BC.
The province across the Euphrates river has rebelled against the King and there is lack of trustworthy leaders, 448 BC.
Jerusalem was destroyed in 587/6 BC, and the attempts to rebuild the city defenses have fallen short of their aim to re-establish the gates and its walls. (Ezra 4:8-23)
What does God do in order to accomplish His purposes? He places a servant in the right time, at the right place, with the right intentions to lead the people in a manner that honors and worships Him—YHWH.
The Servant, His Heart, and His Concern.
The Servant, His Heart, and His Concern.
As we read through the text today we discover just how God has been working in the heart of the man named “Nehemiah.” The scriptures show us who he is, what is the integrity of his heart, and what is his ultimate concern.
The Servant: Nehemiah
The Servant: Nehemiah
Nehemiah is not in the palace by accident. God has been long at work in his life and the lives of those before him to get him to where he serves as a key advisor to the King of one of the most influential empires in human history. Here are some aspects of Nehemiah’s life that point to God’s sovereignty:
He comes from a family that once resided in Jerusalem, which means that his family was of some influence in the old kingdom of Judah.
His family is shown to have a deep trust in God as the names in his family have meanings eluding to character and power:
Nehemiah—God is my comfort.
Hacaliah—Wait on God
Hanani—God is Gracious
Because God is constantly at work in the matters of humanity and history, we can see and testify to the power of YHWH to set Nehemiah in places where his presence, giftedness, and service can lead to more than meets the reader’s eyes.
God appointed Nehemiah to be a close servant to King Artaxerxes I. This may have to do with his heart, as well as his giftedness and upbringing.
His Heart: The People of God
His Heart: The People of God
The Scriptures testify that Nehemiah’s first act when meeting his brother and those with him from Judah was to ask about the wellbeing of the city. Here are a few items to take into consideration:
Jerusalem is meant to be the seat of power for the King’s of God’s Chosen people, including the One True King who is to rule over an everlasting kingdom—The Messiah—Jesus Christ.
After King Zedekiah and Hezekiah’s final rule and rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar in 587/6, the city was pillaged, the walls torn down and the gates were burned. The once mighty capital of David was left as nothing more than a provincial village in the Judean countryside.
The once magnificent temple torn stone by stone and its bronze, silver, and gold items were taken to Babylon.
For Nehemiah the people are not a people if there is no safety to safeguard the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and there is no safety is there is no worship to YHWH on the temple mount.
Nehemiah is not moved by any other facts, but by the wellbeing of his ancestral city and the state of his people being exposed to the world. And yet, there is something far more important to him as we see from his response.
His Concern: God’s Renown
His Concern: God’s Renown
Nehemiah does care for the people, the city, and what it means to those promised to return to what will be the seat of power for the Risen Savior. Nehemiah is concerned by God’s renown among the peoples of the world.
He refers to the people as a remnant and as a people who are left as a testimony to God’s mercy, grace, and providence over those who are called by His name.
The text could make it clear if Nehemiah’s aim was mere political power, or economic wellbeing for him, his family, or his people. No, the text testifies to the core of his heart, where God is the center of his life and the focus of his actions.
What is our response when facing insurmountable odds? Do you set off to flight? Do you step off to fight? Or do you simple quiet down and pray? Which response comes naturally to you and me?
The Servant’s Response
The Servant’s Response
No doubt some among us have been taught that when we face different situations we must respond in certain ways. When dealing with someone in charge over you or someone who is older you are to use your manners and avoid making personable remarks. If you were raised with siblings no doubt you were taught to look out for one another and help each other in case of trouble. Yet, for others among us, we were taught to defend young ladies and women at all costs, even if meant having to resort to violence, if absolutely necessary (particularly if the women in question were our mother, sisters, close family members, our sweetheart, or wife).
For Nehemiah there was but one right response to what he heard.
Nehemiah Prayed Before Anything Else
Nehemiah Prayed Before Anything Else
The verses that follow the introduction shows Nehemiah prays deeply in the following ways: Nehemiah...
Acknowledged God.
Makes a Petition to be Heard.
Confesses the People’s (and His) Sins.
Entreats God to Hear Because of Who He is.
Recalling the Commandments, Laws, and Decrees of God.
Confesses God’s Faithfulness Toward His People.
Asks For Success Before the King (“This Man”)
Nehemiah’ actions resemble the way Jesus approached life and ministry. Before anything, even the beginning of a new day, prayer was the first and last actions that kept him in close relationship with God, The Father.
Nehemiah’s prayer gives readers a keen insight into what trust and total dependence on who God declares Himself to be and who God is for us. Because God is the sovereign of the universe and is the sole authority for the events in human history, it should be no surprise that Nehemiah is one of Artaxerxes I’s closest advisors.
The Servant’s Place
The Servant’s Place
We might be tempted to think that Nehemiah was a simple waiter to the King. The reality is that Nehemiah is far more important we might realize:
He was a constant companion to the King, serving as a confidant and advisor on personal and state matters.
He would be in charge of the personal vintage for the King’s wine for every occasion.
Nehemiah served as a personal body guard, tasting the king’s wine as a measure to keep him safe.
In addition to the King’s personal wine vintage, He would have done other duties for the state, such as being a secretary to the King’s records, a treasurer, and or head of the king’s household.
In God’s fashion, at the right time in history he orchestrated to have the right king on the throne, the right man to serve him, at the right time and in the right location have the perfect circumstance to have Nehemiah lead the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and to set its doors in place in due time.
Readers today benefit from this great text in Scripture because it speaks to the character of God and to the hope for humanity before such a great Lord and King as YHWH.
So What?
So What?
God is never far off when His people suffer.
God allows situations and circumstances to prepare us for the works He has also prepared for us to do for His glory.
What we may see as a position of service, is really a position of leadership when it comes to serving others to glorify God.
This resembles the truth of Scripture found in Philippians 2:5-8
Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
As we serve one another in sharing of the Gospel, and lead others to the feet of Jesus Christ, we must lead off with prayer in the sure hope of God’s presence with us, leading us see His glory.
Pastoral Prayer closing the sermon.