Hanani came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1:2, NLT)
In 586 BCE, ancient Babylon invaded Judah and Jerusalem and carried away a large number of the youngest, smartest, and most vibrant citizens. Later, in 539 BCE, the Persian Empire defeated the Babylonians at the Battle of Opis. There was a new sheriff in town, and the out-of-place Jewish refugees were told to go home and rebuild their lives in Judah.
Nehemiah was a cupbearer to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, and therefore close to the power and influence of the Persian kingdom. His life was probably easy, but he still felt a concern or responsibility for his people who had returned home. “How are things going?” he asked the Jews who had returned from Judah, perhaps to visit their friends and relatives still in Persia or to flee the chaos of their homeland.
Nehemiah lived in the opulence of Artaxerxes’ palace and may have had resources or access to power that made him uniquely prepared to intervene for his people. One day, while serving Artaxerxes wine, Nehemiah asked for permission to go home to help with the rebuilding. Granted by the King and with letters of support, Nehemiah made his way back to Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was prepared for the task by his passion for the project, the kingly aid he was given, and a plan for accomplishing it. And it worked. Systematically, the wall was repaired to half its height, thanks to Nehemiah’s preparation. From securing permission from King Artaxerxes to an exploratory trip around the city walls to organizing the residents for the big task, Nehemiah made the wall-building happen.
What transpired in Jerusalem is not unlike Paul’s exhortation in 2 Timothy 2:15 to “…work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.” Nehemiah and his fellow Jerusalem residents worked hard and got the job underway.
Nehemiah is a good Lenten reminder of what happens when passion and resolve combine to cause good work on behalf of God. Absent these good qualities, Nehemiah would just have said, “Learn to live with the holes in the wall.”
Prayer: Dear God, the faith and preparation of Nehemiah are extraordinary and serve as powerful inspiration to us today. Help us to be the sort of people who work to bring good to others with Your help. In Jesus’ name. Amen.