Nehemiah 2 (Part 1) Bible Study (Nehemiah Sent to Judah) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (5/8/26)

Let's turn together to the book of Nehemiah chapter two. I don't hear pages flipping, so it sounds like you're already there. And if that is the case, why don't we pray one more time? Let's ask God for his help. Father, we have so much to be thankful for.

We're so grateful that even in this busy season as a church, we still come to your word. We still come to study and to worship you through the scriptures. Lord, from the bottom of our hearts, we agree with the psalmist who said, whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you. If we can't say that with full confidence, lord, and only you know our hearts, satisfy us again.

Use every verse unleashed in this Bible study to remind us that you are the fountain of living waters, that every other cistern around us is broken, it's dirty, it's contaminated, it will never satiate. We pray instead that we would drink afresh, as we just heard, from the wells of salvation And we would be replenished in our worship, in our adoration, in our awareness of who you are. We ask these things in the name of Jesus, your son and our savior. Amen and amen. One of the greatest thrills of the Christian life is to know that the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ is a God who answers prayer.

Such an experience when genuinely realized will never fail to awaken your understanding and mine of just how personal the Lord is in his dealings with us. Answered prayer carries a unique force to our faith, to our courage, and to our worship among other things. It was the psalmist who was so moved by this reality that he penned these words in Psalm one sixteen verse one. I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my plea for mercy. Hear those words carefully.

I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my plea for mercy. What an astounding admission. And it becomes even more stunning when you are able to testify to it for yourself. Nehemiah is going to experience what the psalmist shared. And this is to our benefit because one of the ways that God encourages us to believe that he is a God who answers prayers is by providing us real accounts of his answering of prayers.

And that is what is before us in this chapter in our study of the book of Nehemiah. God heard his plea. God heard his voice. And we get to rejoice with him in it. Look quickly here at verse 11 of chapter one, the last verse of our previous text, and notice what Nehemiah prayed for.

Oh, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name and give success to your servant today and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. This man being the king of Persia whom Nehemiah served. God is about to grant that very mercy to this man of God. And I wanna let you know from the outset that we're gonna walk away from this bible study with more than just a reminder of God's faithfulness in hearing the petitions of his people. And the only way we will arrive there is if we take our time to walk through these verses and examine the details of this incredible testimony of Nehemiah's Psalm one sixteen verse one experience.

And the way we're gonna do that is by looking at the first eight verses of this chapter together. So let's begin in verse one of Nehemiah chapter two. 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. And the king said to me, why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick?

This is nothing but sadness of the heart. Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, let the king live forever. Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my father's graves, lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? Then the king said to me, what are you requesting?

So I pray to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, if it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my father's graves, that I may rebuild it. And the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, how long will you be gone, and when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, if it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province beyond the river, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.

And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. The chapter begins with a time stamp that we've already explored in our previous study. And it's an important detail because understanding when the answer came for Nehemiah lets us know how long he had been praying and fasting for. You know this already, I'm sure, that in the beginning of this book, we know when the news of Jerusalem's destitution came to Nehemiah. It was in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of the king.

And that corresponds to November, December. Now we come and we read in chapter two that it was in the month of Nisan where God came through for his servant. And that falls between March and April. So four months four months of depriving himself of food, four months of seeking desperately, four months of patiently waiting on the Lord. And it makes you wonder, maybe, like it did for me, why didn't God answer sooner?

There are many reasons why God does not answer our request right away. And Nehemiah's story here in this chapter gives us one other reason, a reason that we often don't think about. Lean in and listen to this. Sometimes there is divine delay to give us time to practically prepare. You see, if the Lord were to open the door that you so desperately want to open at your desired time, it's very possible that you and I would not even be ready to manage the provision.

We wouldn't even know what to do with it. In fact, should a door open at the time that we want, we may find ourselves causing delay because of a lack of preparation. And the Lord knows more than we do, And so many times, he makes us wait. Nehemiah on the other hand shows us that during these four months of fasting and praying, he was also thinking and strategizing. He was contemplating.

He was in a sense listening, planning, organizing, wondering the best way to approach this so that when the door would swing open, Nehemiah would be able to run through it. And we know that Nehemiah was preparing himself based on the verses that we just read. Maybe you miss it and that's okay. Look at verse six again of Nehemiah chapter two. And the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, how long will you be gone and when will you return?

So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. What does that tell you? Nehemiah knew how long it would take to get there. He thought about how long it would take to get the resources, how long it would take to build the walls, how long it would take for him to come back. He thought about this.

He didn't sit there and thinking, you know what, King? To be honest, I didn't even think that you were gonna ask me this. And so can you give me like a couple days to just circle back and think about this and talk to some of my friends and, you know, I have to send a few letters to to to... He didn't do any of that. Why?

Because he already did it. He was prepared, much more prepared than we think. Look at verse seven. And I said to the king, if it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province beyond the river that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah? And a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's Forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.

He's he's covering everything. He knows the name of the manager of the king's forest. He knows the permits that he needs from the government. He knows the materials that need to be used for the gate and for the wall and for the house that he shall occupy. He he has it all figured out.

Why? Because while he was praying, he was preparing. Those are not at odds against one another. They work together. In fact, let me add this.

When you and I prepare while we pray, that in itself is an act of faith. I am getting ready for God to answer this. And so you may be listening to this today, and you find yourself in the same predicament as this man of God. You are patiently and eagerly, consistently waiting on the Lord for something. And here's what I what I wanna ask you.

Have you ever considered how you are stewarding this time of waiting? Are you stewarding it well? So you may be asking the Lord for an opportunity to be in ministry. Let me say this in love. What are you doing to be prepared to be the minister?

You may be desperately seeking the Lord for a spouse, a husband or wife, and that's a great thing to ask God for. But may I ask what adjustments are you making in order for you to be more suitable for that responsibility? Nehemiah teaches us that any potential frustration that may come with waiting on the Lord can be turned into an investment that will enrich the answer when it finally comes. I think about this church and the season that we are in, that we are enjoying together. God answered our prayer.

But I can tell you this, from behind the scenes, we have been preparing. We have been to the best of our ability. Because as a church, we all believe that God was going to bring us to that next phase. And I can say again with great confidence that we are in a position where we believe that all these years of waiting has been a time that God allowed the cement of the foundation of this ministry to dry. So that that next chapter, when it comes, we can hit the floor running.

And we are running a lot. Some guys have back pain because they've been running so much. So we find here something so instrumental about waiting on the Lord. There's so many things that come with that. And one of the things that we need to be mindful of is that the Lord wants us to steward that time well and not waste it so that we can know the answer in a more fulfilling and effective manner.

Now as we come to verse two, I was struck by two emotions that are attributed to this man. Look at it again with me. And the King said to me, why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart. Then I was very much afraid.

Sadness and fear. Sadness and fear. Now let's look at these things separately. Why was why was Nehemiah sad? Well, we know, but what can we learn about it?

Many things. Let me just present one. Nehemiah's Nehemiah's sadness in this setting was actually very dangerous. It was dangerous because history tells us that there was a certain etiquette for the Persian court. And one of those things, those rules, was that you could not show yourself to be despondent.

You could not show yourself to be grieving because that may be a sign, a signal of disloyalty or dissatisfaction. If you served in the presence of the king, it was your job to make the king happy. You cannot afford to show what Nehemiah is showing here. You could be demoted, and depending on the mood of the king, you could even be killed for carrying a frown on your face. In fact, this rule actually shows up in the book of Esther.

It's a neighboring text to Nehemiah. Look at Esther chapter four with me just to confirm this and to understand just how serious Nehemiah's sadness is in this context. Esther chapter four. Look at verse one and two. When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the city and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.

He went up to the entrance of the king's gate for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth. You see? You can't come into the presence of the king with sadness. That can get you killed. And Nehemiah himself shows us.

He hints at the grave mistake. It would have been to appear grief stricken before Artaxerxes. And what he records at the end of verse one, what does he say at the end of verse one? Now I had not been sad in his presence. In other words, up to this moment, I had been consistent in concealing my true feelings.

I came to work with a smile every single day. I was able to hide it, but on this particular day, the the sorrow was too severe. It was it was bubbling over and he exposed himself. His face told on him. And the cultural background to this text help...

Helps us understand why Nehemiah was so afraid when the king began to question his countenance. He understood the risk now. And when I was meditating on this the other night, something struck me. It struck me so deep, it caused me to rejoice over my bible. Unlike Artaxerxes, I serve a king who gives me permission to enter into his presence just as I am.

If I'm discouraged, I can go to him. If I'm worried, I can go to him. If I'm angry, I can go to him. If I'm broken, I can go to him. If I'm confused, I can go to him.

If I failed, I can go to him. And I never have to worry if he will be angry with me going to him just as I am. I never have to worry if He will demote me. I never have to think if He will kill me. In fact, Hebrews tells us something so wonderful about our priestly King.

He sympathizes with our weaknesses. So more than the Lord Jesus being willing to hear us in the state of our heart, He actually feels for us in our frailties. And that's why in the same passage where we learn that in Hebrews four sixteen, we are told, let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace. You know that word confidence in your translation, it might read boldness, but in the original, it's something so applicable to our study. That word confidence actually means freedom of speech.

Unreservedness in speech. In other words, go to your king and speak your mind. Open your heart before him. Not only is your Lord infinitely more powerful than Artaxerxes, He's also incomparably compassionate and more approachable than He is. See, Nehemiah needed permission to speak about what was in his heart.

You don't need permission. You can go freely. You can go whenever and how many times you need to go. You know, sometimes we we have these understandings, these theological understandings of who God is and they're wonderful, but they're limited unless you really meditate. Jesus Christ is King.

We hear that and that causes something to stir within us. Yes, amen. He has authority. He's sovereign. But listen, what kind of king is he?

That makes all the difference. He's unlike any other king that history has ever known. And we see it even here. We don't have to cower. We don't have to be sheepish.

We can come with boldness before him. In all his majesty and royalty and splendor, we have freedom to speak to him. And he welcomes us. He he he doesn't judge us. He sympathizes with us because he came and took on flesh and he experienced temptation.

So he knows where we're coming from. This is something so wonderful. We see even Christ being contrasted here to our benefit. Now although Artaxerxes is so inferior to our Jesus, there is something pleasantly surprising about what he does here in our main text. Because in verse two we read that he notices that Nehemiah is sad and so he asks about it.

Now his inquiry into Nehemiah's dejection is not only something for us to consider concerning his discernment. Right? He knew that this was a matter of the heart. Nehemiah is not sick. He's heartsick.

But there's debate if the king is doing this because he is suspicious or if he is caring, and it could be a mixture of both. And the sympathy that the king is showing here is unusual, if it is sympathy. Again, I believe that it's a mixture. I think that there's different things going on in Artaxerxes' mind. He's wondering why does he look different?

Nehemiah is about to give him or he gave him wine. Is there something going on here that I don't know about? I'm sure that's part of the the thinking. But at the same time, there might be this conflict because he knows Nehemiah. We're about to find out that he really admires Nehemiah.

And so perhaps he's also wondering, is there something going on? This is intriguing, but it's also instructive because we're not... We're barely two chapters into our study of the book of Nehemiah. And already we're learning. We're seeing something being emphasized by the Holy Spirit that there is wonderful, God glorifying testimonies that can unfold with this one practice.

Inquiring about somebody in their pain. You see, how does this story begin? Nehemiah feels for the shame of his brethren back in Jerusalem and that feeling, that sympathy is gonna lead to a revival in Jerusalem. And now you have the king. What is the king doing?

He is showing somewhat of a concern for his own servant, Nehemiah, and that is gonna lead to the launch of this whole thing. And so even with the king, we have inspiration. Do not underestimate the power of leaning into somebody's brokenness and showing Christ like care. Because there is a ripple effect that can ensue, a ripple effect of blessing. Do you remember what Joseph did?

Joseph's story had a turning point when he was the manager of that prison and he asked why the faces of the baker and the cupbearer to Pharaoh were hanging low. And that would change the trajectory of his own life. And so the king asked, why are you why are you sad? What is happening here? And these are just some of the things that we can learn about Nehemiah's sadness, but what about his fear?

We've already discussed the contextual reason for his sudden dismay. Right? He understands that I can be I can be killed right here, right now if the king does not have favor towards me. But there's more to learn about his trouble. Was Nehemiah a man of God?

Absolutely. Did he know the law? He did. Read his prayer. He quoted scripture.

Was his heart in tune with God's desires? Absolutely. Did he have a high view of God? You better believe it. One of his favorite titles for God is the God of heaven.

He repeats that. The God of heaven. The... You're above everything. In fact, when he was praying to the God of heaven in chapter one, he saw this same king as just a man, this man, this man.

And yet with all of those praiseworthy qualities, Nehemiah is being honest. He experienced real fear, reminding us that any of us can be surprised by temptation. That even the greatest heroes of the faith can know the things that you and I experience on a regular basis, filled with fear. And you wonder, is this a man of faith or what? He is a man of faith, but he's he's a man and so are you.

And at the same time, Nehemiah admitting here that he was fearful encourages us how necessary it is to be prepared for the things that we do not suspect to visit us. As much as Nehemiah is visited by this terror, I argue he was ready to face it. Do you know why he was ready to face it? Do you know why he manages so well? Do you know why that he was able to dig his heels into the ground and face the king?

Because he'd been praying for months. He'd been seeking God about this very opportunity that was before him. And so understand how Nehemiah is perceiving this. He understands here that this this is an open door. And though initially he was startled by the question and he understands the risks behind this potentially, he also knew that this is it.

I'm seeing the door open right before me and he seized it. Please listen very carefully. There is a preparatory grace that comes with prayer. That even though you are not praying about something in the immediate sense, even though you don't know how God is gonna answer the very thing you're praying for, because you are praying for it, you are investing in your future strength and wisdom and grace. Because Nehemiah had been saturating himself in the presence of the God of heaven, he was able to stand before the king in all his intimidation.

So prayer in many ways prepares us. And because this man had been praying, he was ready to squash this fear and actually speak up and take advantage of this moment. And this is exactly what he will do. Look at verse three again. Before we look at Nehemiah answers the king, you need to be mindful of another factor that makes the situation a little bit more complicated for him.

When we studied Ezra, we learned in chapter four verse twenty one and twenty two that Artaxerxes had already made a decree that he is not interested in seeing the city or the walls of Jerusalem being rebuilt. That is the last thing that we know about Artaxerxes and his relationship to the idea of Jerusalem being restored. And Nehemiah was aware of this. So you understand, you understand why he is fearful here. Not just because of the protocol of being a servant in the presence of the king, but also because of Artaxerxes personal opinion about the idea of rebuilding the walls.

So Nehemiah here not only has to explain his sadness and justify it, but he also has to challenge Artaxerxes' original decree. That's gonna be difficult to do. But he thought to himself, I have no other choice. And that's why he's gonna speak with wisdom. Look again at verse three.

I said to the king, let the king live forever. Why should not my face be sad when the city, the place of my father's graves, lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? So when Nehemiah was speaking to the Lord about Artaxerxes, he called him a man. Grant me mercy in the sight of this man. But when Nehemiah spoke directly to Artaxerxes, he did so with dignity and honor.

Let the king live forever. He was courageous, but he was respectful. And if... This is just basic social skills. If you and I want our request to be heard, do it with respect, especially with people in positions of authority.

And added to that, if if we do not know how to control our emotions, remember he he's knowing sadness and fear all at the same time. If if we can't subdue our emotions in certain settings, we may actually hurt our cause instead of helping it. There's a time to be emotional. There's a time when being emotional actually will help you and there are times when you need to reign it in and speak clearly and directly for the sake of the cause that you're trying to advocate for. So this man speaks with great respect, but secondly, he makes the situation personal to try to get the king to relate to his distress.

Does Nehemiah bring up Jerusalem by name? He doesn't. Do you know what he does instead? He speaks of the city as the place of my father's graves. He does it twice.

Look at verse five. It's right there. That you may send me to Judah to the city of my father's graves. What's going on here? Nehemiah is going to meet Artaxerxes at his level.

He understands that this ruler has his own perspective, an unfavorable one about the history and reputation of Jerusalem. Let me remind you just what the king thought. I'm gonna read to you from Ezra four the decree that the same king made about Jerusalem. Listen carefully in Ezra four verse 19. Artaxerxes says, and I made a decree and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.

So you understand that Tardig Xerxes' Jerusalem is synonymous with rebellion and treason. Nehemiah knows this. So what does he do? He emphasizes the personal aspect of the situation to help the king see it from his own eyes, from his own perspective. This is where my father's graves are being desecrated.

We're open and vulnerable to our enemies. The king could relate to the respect that we should give to the dead. Now, there is a fine line between wisdom and compromise, especially in how we speak to the unsaved. Nehemiah is not being disingenuous here. He's not being cunning and devious.

Right? He's not trying to manipulate the king. He's being helpful. And there's a distinction that needs to be made. If Nehemiah really wanted to twist the king's arm, if you really want to play games with him, then I suppose that he would speak about what most concerned the king relating to Jerusalem.

What was the main concern? When when he was told about the rebuilding back in Ezra four, his officials said, hey, listen. If they rebuild these walls, you're gonna miss out on tolls, on taxes. They're not gonna respect you and they're gonna gain strength and perhaps get the idea of actually rebel. And no king wants that.

But you know what Nehemiah doesn't do when he asked for permission to go back and rebuild the city? King, listen, I gotta tell you something. If you allow this to happen, it's gonna boost up your tourism. I'm telling you, it's gonna be wonderful. You're gonna get more political points.

You're gonna be popular. People are gonna love you. He doesn't he doesn't say anything of the sort. He is so plain. He's so direct.

He's actually very honest. The king says, what do you want? I wanna go back and rebuild the city. That's it. I wanna restore its honor.

And because of the directness, because of how obvious and clear this is, Nehemiah understands that he's gonna need a fresh dose of boldness. So what does he do after verse three? You know it very well, but let's look at it again. Then the king said to me, what are you requesting? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

I don't know about you. To me, this is one of the most powerful passages in all the Bible about prayer. So I prayed to the God of heaven. How? Where?

Here are a few reasons why this is so profound. First of all, the location of Nehemiah's praying. I don't know how close he was to the king. He was definitely standing before him. And yet, because of this hidden inner cry, Nehemiah, in a split second, was transported before the throne of grace.

Nehemiah didn't have time to retreat to a room and to ask for a little bit more time to seek God for courage, So he prays right there and then. And it shows us that God hearing us is not dependent upon designated rooms or holy sites. You can seek him wherever you are. And that's precisely what he does here. It's his reflex.

But secondly, we also realize that there is the volume of his prayer and the brevity of it. So So yes, Nehemiah prays before the king that doesn't dismiss the importance of meeting with the Lord for private fellowship, but it also reminds us that we can have fellowship with him anywhere. But consider the volume of this prayer. Consider how swift it is. It would be hard to imagine that Nehemiah, when asked by the king, what are you requesting?

That he closed his eyes and bent his head and murmured beneath his breath. In fact, you get the opposite impression that the king didn't even take notice of anything. He didn't squint his eyes. He didn't do anything. It was totally internal.

Listen to this. Nehemiah's praying was slipped between the king's request and his response. He was able to tuck it in there. And so in total silence in the inner parts of his soul, he seeks the Lord and it's it's spontaneous and brief yet warm and sincere. And this reflex shows us one of the greatest illustrations of the Bible of what Paul commands us to do and that is to pray without ceasing.

This is it. You want an illustration of what that looks like? It's this. Before you walk into that appointment, you you pray, Lord, give me peace. Give me grace.

When you experience a wonderful testimony or when somebody brings you a delightful news of some sort, you... In that moment, you just... You turn your gaze to the Lord with the eyes of your heart and you thank him for it. This is what it looks like to be in constant fellowship with Christ, Which brings me to the final thought about his praying and that's the practice of it. What you'll find from this moment on in our study of Nehemiah is that he will pray just like this on many occasions.

In fact, there's a total of a dozen times, just around a dozen times where Nehemiah is recorded seeking the Lord. And most of those times are what? Short breaths of prayer. One sentence prayers. Thanking the Lord, asking the Lord for remembrance, asking the Lord for grace, for for mercy in a moment.

And the reason why he does this, you know why? It's because he believed it was effective. And you and I have to believe the same. You may not think that that whisper of prayer can be heard by God, but every single sigh is heard by God. In fact, if you wanna do a fascinating bible study for yourself, don't study the long prayers, the recorded prayers, the known prayers in the bible.

Look for these kind of prayers. The spontaneous, awkward placed, in the moment seekings of God. Do you remember Eleazar, Abraham's servant, when he was sent by Abraham to find a wife for Isaac? Go back to the region of my relatives. So he does.

He's at the well outside of the city. The ladies come. And what does he do? The same thing Nehemiah does. He prays.

God, you're gonna have to help me here. And he's got camels around him and he's got ladies approaching him and he's tired after a long journey, but he knows how to lift up his heart to the Lord in a moment. And God heard that very prayer. Come on. Do you talk to the Lord throughout the day?

Why not? Why not? Let me challenge you. If we have unending, unbroken access to the mercy seat, why not visit it frequently? Why not take everything to the Lord?

From the car to the building, talk to him. From the grocery aisles to the cashier, talk to him. In any place, in every place, speak to the Lord. But I will say this, in order for these short spontaneous prayers to be effective, it has to be based on intentional time with the Lord in in private in many ways. This should encourage us that we can pray short prayers at any time, but that should never substitute intentional focus time with Christ.

In the same way, no spouse would allow for somebody to remain in contact with them in brief text only. Those texts with your husband throughout the day are nice. They can be sweet and they can keep you connected, but that should never replace eye to eye, face to face relationship. Nehemiah chapter one sought God, spent time with God, and I make the case that that is what made these moments of prayer more effective. So he seeks the Lord.

And what happens? An interesting detail is added in verse six, and the king said to me, look at what's in parenthesis here, the queen sitting beside him. Why does that matter? This is the only time the queen appears in this narrative. And for whatever reason, the Holy Spirit through Nehemiah wants to let us know that when he was interacting with the king, the queen was sitting beside the king.

One possible reason for the mention is that Nehemiah observed something as he engaged with the king, that the king's openness to Nehemiah perhaps was influenced by the presence of the queen. If a man is humble enough, the presence of a woman that he loves can make him tender, at least a little bit more tender, especially with others who are in pain. Women have a more compassionate wiring than men do. And I think what Nehemiah is doing here is that he's signaling to us that he recognizes a providential grace in this very moment, that God so set this stage that he even identifies the presence of the queen right there, right now as a gift from God. Nehemiah was able to perceive God's providence in the things that the average person would miss.

So I read that and I think to myself, Lord, I wanna be able to see that your fingerprints in as many places as possible. He was able to see that. The queen is sitting beside him. That clearly is a key piece to this whole thing unfolding. And by the end of this section, you read it, he knows that it's all God.

But that doesn't mean that the king did not have a positive opinion about Nehemiah. Read again his question in verse six. How long will you be gone, and when will you return? So there's an openness now. The king is actually entertaining this.

But you know what moves me about this question? The king wants Nehemiah to come back. I'm willing to let you go, but I wanna know when can you come back to your post. What does that say about Nehemiah? It says something about his integrity.

It says something about his competence. This king who had the resources of the world saw the value of this one man and he didn't wanna lose him. He didn't want him to travel indefinitely. I need to know that this is all planned out, and I'm gonna see you again. You know, as much as the New Testament prepares Christians to be hated by the world because of our faith, our character, our work ethic, our trustworthiness should make people despising us a lot more difficult.

There are some Christians who believe they are being persecuted because of their relationship with Christ, when in reality, they're just unpleasant to be around. They show up to work late all the time. They murmur and complain like there wasn't a god sitting in a throne in heaven. For whatever reason, they're rude and demanding. And they think they're being persecuted, and that's not really what's happening.

That should not be. Nehemiah inspires us. This king who didn't worship his god, who had his own agenda, his own interests, who, like many other kings, believed he was the king of the universe, liked being around Nehemiah. And there's there's something about Nehemiah's... Again, his character, there's something about his his convictions, there's something about his behavior, there's something about his attitude that made him an asset.

Believer, listen. No matter what setting you find yourself in, by the power of the Holy Spirit, by the things that we know from this book, we should be an added blessing, not a burden. We we should give people a reason to rejoice even if they disagree with you. And they may hate you no matter what, that's fine. But let them hate you because of what you believe, not because of how you behave.

It was Peter who told the believers, let your conduct, in first Peter two twelve, let your conduct be honorable in the sight of the Gentiles so that in seeing your deeds, they may glorify God in the day of visitation. In seeing your deeds, not hearing your arguments for why Christianity is the true faith. I'm not saying that you can't do that. We need to do that. We need to preach the gospel with words.

Absolutely. But Peter shows us a part that we sometimes miss. People watch. They watch. They see.

The king worked with Nehemiah long enough to know, when when are you coming back if I let you go? That's a wonderful thing to have. That's a wonderful testimony that we should strive for. And it requires practical Christianity. It requires real life day to day efforts and intentionality with how we engage and how we respond and what we do with what we've been entrusted with.

All of that matters if we really wanna be ambassadors of Christ. Again, our goal is not to be liked by everybody. I wear the badge of Christ, and so do you. And so I I want to be like this man in that. Should I leave a place, people will feel it because the fragrance of Christ is upon me and upon you.

Nehemiah gives him a time. We don't know how long he said he would be gone for, but Nehemiah is gonna take advantage of this. He realizes the king is for me. So what does he do in verse seven? And I said to the king, if it pleases the king, let letters be given to the governors of the province beyond the river that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah.

And the letter to Asa, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple and the wall. You can tell that he's been balling all this up inside. Right? It just... It spills out.

I need it all. And I love how this section ends. And the king granted me what I asked for the good hand of my God was upon me. You know, Nehemiah wants to make sure that none of us conclude that he was successful and received a favorable response because of his cleverness, because he didn't mention Jerusalem. He was sensitive.

It wasn't because of that. He didn't highlight the king's generosity. He didn't even emphasize about the queen's presence for that matter. Right away in the same breath where he tells us that the king granted them what he asked, he points us to the God who made it happen. At the same time, you cannot dismiss that God's hand moved upon the king's heart because Nehemiah had been on his knees.

He had been seeking God. Prayer can move the hearts of kings. The power of prayer is seen in that it unraveled all the slander that had been made against Jerusalem and convinced Artaxerxes, it dismantled that. Think about it this way. One man's private praying changed a royal decree.

There's power here. Real power. So why are we hesitant to pray? And I'm sure that we can collect all our reasons if we're honest enough. But all of those excuses shatter under the weight of this truth.

God can move the hearts of kings on behalf of his people, especially praying people. So as you know, I not only study and meditate for Friday nights in the book of Nehemiah, at least in this season, but we're in the book of Revelation. And I stumbled upon something in Revelation 17, the very text that we're looking at this Sunday, although not the verses that I'm about to show you. And it's amazing how sometimes you study one thing and you think it's totally unrelated, and then God just reminds you how every part of his word is married to each other. Look at Revelation 17.

It really puts an exclamation point to this thought. In Revelation 17, which is our final text tonight, Notice what John says about a whole different thing, about prophecy, about kings to come, about the end of the world. But one truth remains the same. Revelation 17 verse 16, And the 10 horns that you saw... This is John receiving explanation for the vision that he had received.

And the 10 horns that you saw... What horns? Literal horns? No. Earlier, we read that the horns represent kings.

10 kings. And the 10 horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. You might be wondering what what is going on here. Just wait till Sunday.

You'll know that this is not about an actual prostitute. That's a symbol for something else. We're talking about systems in the world. We're talking about institutions. 10 kings turn on the prostitute, which represents something very powerful in the last days, but notice why they turned on her.

Verse 17, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over the royal power to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. Why did they do this? Because God put it in their hearts. There's no mention of prayer here, but we go to Nehemiah and we learn something, that Nehemiah praying to God moved God to put something in Artaxerxes' heart. And more than that, here's a different emphasis in Revelation, the very text that we just read.

God put it into the hearts of how many kings? 10. When? At the same time. Any king at any time, no matter the amount, God can do something in their hearts for his purpose and for the good of his people.

So why do we hesitate to pray? Here's how I'm gonna end. Very simply, very, very, very applicably. What obstacle stands before you today? What difficult person is a challenge to what you wanna see God do?

Is it a spouse? Is it a Christian friend? Is it a godless employer? Do you believe that God can touch their hearts? If not, what do you do with this?

And I think the reason why we don't see God do what he can do in prayer is because we don't invest in prayer enough for him to do it. We give up way too easily. And yet, God in his kindness uses bible studies like this to get us back to our knees, to seek him until he does something. You know what? So many things move me about this man.

So many things. One of the things that stir me is that four months pass and his sorrow is not depleting, it's getting stronger. Do you see that? For months, he was able to hide it, but at the four month mark, he could no longer hide it. It showed up showing...

It it was intensifying. That is not the pattern when it comes to our concern for the things of God. But I look at this and I choose to be among those who interpret the Bible in the following way. Lord, if you did it in this man, Nehemiah, who is flesh and blood just like me, he knows fear, he knows temptation, so do I. I'm not just gonna relate to him in his temptation, I wanna relate to him in his victory.

Listen, so many Christians study the Bible with that one dimensional view. Let me come to the Bible to see that even people in the Bible failed like I failed. Okay. That's great. But what about their successes?

So many Bible studies are just us comforting ourselves and patting ourselves on the back saying, you know, David failed, so we failed and God is merciful. That's wonderful. But David was a worship man. David was a man who knew how to give God his complete heart. Why don't we emphasize that as much?

Nehemiah, he was a man who had great fear. Yes. He had man who... He was a man with great weaknesses, but he was also a praying man. Why don't we emphasize the fact that he prayed?

So I should be able to pray just as much. That's a good place to end, I think, to allow these truths to engage our faith and to move us until we say, lord, I wanna choose to believe this and ask you to do it in me, and he's able to do it. So what stands before you today? Do you have enough faith tonight to give God a breath? Say, Lord, I choose to believe you with all of me that you can do something about this.

And I just offer it here because you're being stirred emotionally, but to take it home with you and say, I have nothing to lose. I have nothing to lose. I'm gonna give this to the Lord until he comes through, and I'm gonna plan for it while I wait. And you might have your own Psalm one sixteen verse one experience. I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my plea for mercy.

But we thank you that you're a God who hears prayers. You know what is burdening us, But, lord, you are so kind to remind us the kind of god that you are. And, lord, tonight, we remember that you are not like Artaxerxes. We don't have to wonder what kind of mood you are in today. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

And so, lord, we come to you. We believe that you are and that you reward those who diligently seek you. So we come to you as a church, and, lord, we ask that you make us a praying church. May the prayer meeting of NBC never die. And, Lord, may our own prayer lives come back to life again.

May we know the beauty of praying in private, but also praying throughout the day, inviting you into everything, remaining in contact with you, and reaping all the benefits that come with that. So Lord, if there's anything that's gonna be reinforced as a result of this study, may it be how we seek you in all things. We love you, Lord. And we honor you tonight. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Listen. If this if this touched you in a certain way where you wanna speak to the Lord, stay seated. Talk to the Lord. Commune with him.

Just offer yourself to him. If you wanna stand and sing and rejoice over the truths that you heard, you can do that as well. But let's engage with the Lord. At least engage with the Lord. If you wanna stand, you can do that.

If you wanna sit, you can do that as well.