Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah 2:9-20

We have here, 1. Nehemiah’s Saduce taken notice of by the king, his enquiries into the cause, and the commission given him, ver. 1—8. 2. His journey to Jerusalem, ver. 9—11. 3. His faeces in engaging the people to rebuild the walls, ver. 12—18. 4. The opposition he met with, ver. 19, 20.

1. AND it came to pass in the month Nifan, in the twentieth year of ‘Araxerxes the king, that wine tear before him: and ‘I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been before time fad in his presence. 2. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance fad, seeing thou art not sick? ’this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very fore afraid, 3. And said unto the king, ‘Let the king live for ever: ‘why should not my countenance be fad, when the city, the place of my fathers sepulchres, limb waffe, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? 4. Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5. And I said unto the king, If it pleases the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me unto Judah, unto the city of my father’s sepulchres, that I may build it. 6. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleaded the king to send me, and I set him a time. 7. Moreover, I said unto the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over, till I come into Judah; 8. And a letter unto Alaph, the keeper of the king’s fourth, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

VOL. I.

9. 1—8. Four months in secret Nehemiah lamented and prayed over his afflicted country, and now his turn in waiting probably being come, he is called to attend the king as his cup-bearer, where we find.

10. His Saduce. The grief of his heart afflicted his countenance; and, though a courtier, he could not, or perhaps fought not, to dissuade his sorrow.

11. The king immediately observed, as he presented the cup, the unusual fallers which appeared visible in his aspect, and kindly enquired after the cause, as he perceived it was not sickness, but some inward sorrow that depicted him. Note, (1.) A kind solicitude for those who serve us, becomes every matter towards his servants. (2.) There is a butterness of heart that changes the countenance more than sickness; and a burden of sin and sorrow, more heavy to be borne than that of pain or disease.

12. He, with great respect, informs the king of the cause of his grief. He owns he was afraid at the king’s enquiry, either, lest he should be angry at him for appearing sad in his presence, or refuse him the request he was about to make. He therefore wickly prefaced his apology with dutiful wishes for the king’s prosperity, then owns the desistations of Jerusalem lay heavy on his mind, and hopes the king would not think his sorrows unreasonable, whilst the afflictions of his native land, where slept his pious ancestors, could not but forget in his heart tender sympathy. Note, (1.) Inordinate fear of man is apt to overtake us. (2.) When we take in hand God’s work, we cannot but be deeply concerned for the faecest. (3.) The afflictions of God’s church and people draw forth the sympathetic tear from every friend of Zion. (4.) In our passage through this mortal vale, the best of men must expect to meet dark and gloomy days. (5.) There is a King who minutes our sorrows, and will not suffer us to mourn long, without a word of kind confolation.

13. The king perceiving the meaning of these sorrows, and his fear to ask, kindly bids him make his request. Note, Christ our king hath given us an unlimited promise, and shall we be backward to make our requests known unto him?

14. Encouraged by this confecution, he lifts up his heart to God for power to speak atight, and a blessing on his request; a warm ejaculation fled to the throne of grace, and God strengthened and prospered him. He begs permission to rebuild his native city, a convoy to guard him fast, and an order upon the governors to supply him with necessities for the work. Note, (1.) Whatever we set about, let prayer prepare the way. (2.) Frequent ejaculations tend to preserve the spirituality of our temper. (3.) Nothing is too much to ask when we come to Jesus, who will do for us exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.

15. The king consented he should go; but, unwilling to part with him long, engages him to return within a stipulated time. The queen, who providentially was now present, probably stood his friend, and he had peculiar reason that day in acknowledged the good hand of God in his faecest. Note, (1.) The prayer of faith never returns in vain. (2.) Providential help in often given, which we little expected; and friends raided up of God in our difficulties, unknown to us before. (3.) Whatever mercy we receive, let God’s good hand be acknowledged with thankfulness.

16. ¶ Then I came to the governors beyond the river: and gave them the king’s letters. (Now the king had sent captains of the army, and horsemen with me. 10. When Sashallah the Hommite, and Tohiah the servant the Ammonite, heard of it, ‘it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. 11. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. 12. ¶ And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me, neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. 13. And I went out by night, by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon-well, and to the dung-port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. 14. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. 15. Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. 16. And the rulers knew not whether I went, or what I did, neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. 17. ¶ Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem hath wafted, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come and let us build up

6 M the Before Chill the wall of Jerusalem, that we be ’no more a reproach. 18. Then I told them of ’the hand of my God which was good upon me; and also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. 19. But when Sanbattus the Honnites, and Totain ’the servant the Amnonite, and Getham the Arabian heard it, ’they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? ‘will ye rebel against the king? 20. Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but you have no portion, nor right,’ nor memorial in Jerusalem. The king having permitted Nehemiah to go, and given him an order upon the governors, grants him verbal an honourable effort to protect him. Note, Each child of God, whom the king of heaven delights to honour, is attended with mightier angelic guards. We have here. 1. The vexation of Tobiah and Sanbattus, the enemies of the Jews, on hearing of Nehemiah’s journey, and the design of it. Note, Every favour shown the servants of God, awakens the envy, and provokes the rage of a wicked world. 2. The farcey Nehemiah took of the flats of the walls. He refled on his arrival three days, and by night, with a few select persons for ferret, that the design he was forming might not be known, or counteracted, went round the walls to observe the breaches, and what repairs would be needed. Note, (1) Secrets and silence are very necessary, when our enemies are foready to take the alarm. The wisdom of the Serpent is useful, when joined to the innocence of the door. (2) A well-fettled plan of procedure is the way to ensure success in every enterprise. 3. The discovery he made to the rulers, of his commission. He assembled them, intimated the ruinous state of the city, and the reproach which their deforcements are brought on them from their wicked neighbours; then informed them of God’s good providence in advancing him at court, giving him favour with the king, and produced his commission for repairing their defolations, encouraging them hereupon to sit about the work. Quickened by such an exhortation, they captive foes: the opportunity, and strengthen each other immediately to arise and build the wall. Note, (1) A good minister, or magistrate, that is active and zealous, will find many ready to second his labours, who themselves had not courage to lead. (2) They who would work heartily for God, must begin out of hand. Delays are dangerous. 4. The opposition the work met. Their old and sworn foes derided their attempts, and maligned their intentions; but Nehemiah, undimayed, and confident in God’s blessing, despised their sowns, and perfided in the work; nor would suffer these Samaritans to have any portion or lot among them. Note, (1) Every arrow of inventoried malice, derision, slander, and thwaitting, will be shot against God’s faints; but they are clad in armour weapon-proof. (2) Instead of being discouraged, we should be quickened by opposition: if God prosper us, we need not fear.