God’s Servants

August 18, 2013

Lesson: Nehemiah 1:1–11

Key Verse: Nehemiah 1:10

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Introduction

Nehemiah, meaning, “Jehovah is comfort,” was appointed by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, to be the king’s cupbearer. As the one who tasted the king’s wine to see if it was poisoned, Nehemiah was close to the king and was able to ask and receive favors. The Sovereign Lord places His servants in positions to enable them to serve Him in the way He desires, which will certainly glorify His name and be a blessing to His people.

It was in the first month of the twenty-first year of Artaxerxes that Nehemiah was granted permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild its wall. Nehemiah carried letters from the king to the governors of Palestine and Syria, with a special request to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he would be given “timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city ….And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me” (Neh. 2:8).

Nehemiah, who was to be appointed governor of the province of Jerusalem, did not begin his journey to God’s city without first going to his Lord in prayer. All of the king’s credentials would be to no avail if there were not first the credentials the servant receives from his true Master. When Paul asked his Lord about what he should do, the Christ answered, “Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do” (Acts 22:10). There are things that are appointed for the Christian to do. Search the Scriptures and pray, and the Spirit will lead you in the way of Christ, to the glory of our Father.

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Nehemiah Weeps—Nehemiah 1:1–4

Nehemiah received a visit from his brother, Hanani, and others from Judah, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes. He asked them about those who “had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.” Nehemiah had a great compassion for his people, and an undying trust in Jehovah, who alone could deliver them from their distresses. The answer he received was, “The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” Nehemiah would go to Jerusalem, not only to repair the great gates, but to restore true government, instruction in God’s Law, moral living and right worship. This is the true meaning of a reformation

Nehemiah’s response, upon hearing the state of God’s children, both in burnt gates and great affliction, was to weep and pray. “When I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.”

The Christian may shed tears of thanksgiving when a friend tells about an answered prayer, of how God has comforted a soul in distress. What tears are to be shed when a Christian hears about a burden a friend is carrying? Nehemiah’s response to the word he received about the saints in Jerusalem helps us to see how the heart of God’s child responds to need. This response does not come from practice but from the very nature of the born again children of God. However, practice sharpens it. Nehemiah first takes time to let his heart feel the hurt, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; …Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Rom. 12:12, 15). For several days, Nehemiah mourned and fasted, concentrating upon the need, and also praying to God in heaven. It is good to wait upon the Lord, and, through His Word, hear Him speak. And through your responsive prayer, call upon Him to lead you in the way you can help. If you see a need for comfort, pray for Scriptures that you could share with a friend. If you see a need for finances, see if you have some funds to help. If you have food to feed the hungry, your prayers are fruitless if you pray that someone else should supply it.

Discussion: How should the Christian respond to reports of need?

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Nehemiah Prays—Nehemiah 1:5–11

Start this section with the reading of the Lord’s Prayer. Note the prayer of Nehemiah and how it corresponds to this prayer. Prayer, communication with God, is part of the nature of the saint redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. He seeks the will and glory of God for the blessing of the people of God.

Our Father who art in heaven… Nehemiah prays, saying, “I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, who keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments.” No child of God enters the Father’s throne room without fear and trembling, recognizing his or her position before God, who God is and how he sovereignly carries out His will on earth as He does in His spiritual realm. The King of kings, our Savior, reigns, keeping covenant with His people, showing His mercy upon those who belong to Him.

Nehemiah continues, “Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant.” Resting on God’s covenant promise, the servant of the Lord has full confidence that his Father in heaven will hear. The will of God is not some ambivalent general thought of God for this world. The will of God takes place within the people and around the people of this world. The servant of God prays that His work will be done in and through him according to His good pleasure.

Nehemiah’s prayer draws the people of God before their Lord. “Our” and “Us” are a necessary part of the Christian’s prayer. He prays for the children of Israel and their sins, “which we have sinned against thee; both I and my father’s house have sinned.” The nature of sin is expressed both in the knowledge that we have an evil nature, and that this evil nature expresses itself in outward acts of wickedness and disobedience; the results being punishment and abandonment. Forgive us our transgressions (debts) and deliver us from evil.

The mercy of our Lord claims for us our forgiveness. Repentance and faith from a redeemed heart reaches out and finds the Good Shepherd holding His own very close to His heart: “Yet I will gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.”

For Thine is the glory, honor, and praise! Nehemiah knows the grace of God. For he claims the truth that these are Jehovah’s people, whom God has redeemed through Christ by His great power and strong hand. Confidence prevails in the prayer of the saint for the saints who know His redemption.

Now Nehemiah could move to the particular need that the Lord, that He would hear his prayer and those who fear His name. Nehemiah prayed the prayer of the servant of God who can know with assurance that his prayer will be answered, and he would be granted mercy as he pleaded his case before the king of Persia.

Discussion: How do our prayers measure up to that of Nehemiah?

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Lessons are based on the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2013 by the Committee on the Uniform Series.