By the year 445 B.C. the Persian Empire ruled the known world. This powerful nation was much more tolerant in its view of the Jews than the previous empire had been. The previous Babylonian empire had forced the Jews into exile from their promised land and into captivity within their great cities. It had destroyed the holy city of Jerusalem and the temple. Babylon fell to Persia in 539 B.C and in 535 B.C. Persian Emperor, Cyrus the Great, signed a decree allowing Jews to return home to Jerusalem. However, many Jews decided to stay put. They began to freely establish themselves in the cities their ancestors were once forced to live in. Many Jews held important positions within the Persian Empire.
In 445 B.C., in the Persian capital city of Susa, lived a Jew named Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. This position was one of danger and required loyalty and trust to the king. A cupbearer would test food and drink before the king to ensure it was safe and not poisonous. One day Nehemiah’s brother Hanani came with men from Judah to inform him on the condition of Jerusalem. They spoke of the danger their people were in back home because the walls of the city still lay in rubble. Nehemiah’s heart broke the moment he heard the news. For weeks he cried out to God in fasting and prayer and submitted himself to God’s will for the sake of his people. (Nehemiah 1:1-11) God heard Nehemiah’s prayer and provided an opportunity for Nehemiah. When the king noticed Nehemiah’s sadness he asked him what was wrong. Nehemiah told the king of Jerusalem’s troubles and the condition that its walls were in. The king, who had favor for Nehemiah, asked what Nehemiah wanted him to do about it. Nehemiah was prepared for this moment and told the king that he wished to leave with men, supplies and money to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The King granted this request and Nehemiah traveled back to the Promised Land. Once there he rallied all of the Jews there to work together for the reconstruction of the walls. This was possible because of Nehemiah’s optimistic view of the future, honest assessment of resources and positive attitude about change. Nehemiah had a specific plan of action and didn’t allow any distractions to deter it. (Hindson 2003, p. 199) Even with outside opposition, rumors and threats, all of the people worked together under Nehemiah’s leadership to rebuild the walls in just 52 days! The city was safe, the people’s hearts turned back toward God through repentance, and the people celebrated as the nation of Judah was reborn. (Hindson 2003, p. 202)
I feel as though my life parallels this story in a couple of ways. First, over the past few years I have become more aware of the destruction caused by sin. God has opened my eyes to see people more as He does. He has worked through situations in my life, such as my parent’s divorce, to help me realize our need for mercy, grace and restoration. Second, the Holy Spirit has refocused my mind to see opportunities for discipling and sharing God’s love. He has done this through His word and through people in my life, such as my discipleship pastor and friends at my local church. Nehemiah’s heart broke when he heard about the walls of Jerusalem. His heart broke at the thought of God’s people in danger. My heart breaks when I see the brokenness of the world because of the destruction of sin. My soul weeps when I think of the bondage so many people walk in until death. God has shown me freedom through His son and now I want to follow Him, completely. I want to help people see truth so that they may experience His mercy and grace and so that they may experience restoration in a relationship with their Creator. Whatever it takes, whatever His means for me to do so, I want to follow Him and make disciples as I go.
The story of Nehemiah is a motivation to me in this season of life. Nehemiah shows me that I must continue to pray for God to fulfill his work through my life. I can’t just sit back and wait for everything to fall into my lap. Like Nehemiah, I realize the vision. Now I must keep an optimistic view of the future and a positive attitude about change. Finally, like Nehemiah, I should commit to a specific plan of action. And once I do, I can’t be distracted by outside influences like the good causes that take my time away from God’s true work, or the negative influences that are only seeking to delay and discourage me.
Bibliography
The Journaling Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2006. Print.
Hindson, Edward E. Courageous Faith: Life Lessons from Old Testament Heroes. Chattanooga, TN: AMG, 2003. Print.