Delivered November 5, 2006
by Pastor Marilyn Henderson
We heard earlier why the Israelites found themselves in exile. What is sometimes hard to remember is that Israelites-people were beginning to call them Jews now-had been going back to Judah, back to Jerusalem, for quite some time since the Babylonian Exile. There were about four major waves of Jews who went back to Judah to work at rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. When Ezra led the third group back to Jerusalem, it had been almost 130 years since Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the city. It was this group who was forced to quit rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem through the plotting and scheming of local officials in Judah. It was also their work on the walls of Jerusalem that was demolished. And King Artaxerxes had decreed the stoppage of work.
So what happened next?
In the time of the year when farmers are plowing and planting next year's crops of wheat and barley-November and December here - Nehemiah had a visit from his brother. Now this doesn't sound so unusual, except that Nehemiah's brother, Hanani, had traveled all the way from Judah in Palestine to Susa, in the south of the country of ancient Persia - today's Iran. Nehemiah was not only glad to see his brother, but to have news of those Jews who had escaped captivity and of the re-building project in Jerusalem.
Hanani had traveled with a group that had been thrown out of Jerusalem by local officials of the Persian empire. These local officials were the same men who had conspired with others to write the initial letter to King Artaxerxes, accusing the Jews of being seditionists and troublemakers. In their visit together, Hanani told Nehemiah of his group's treatment by the local "good ol' boys," as well as the fact that this was all approved by the king.
As he listened to Hanani describe his treatment at the hands of the Jews' enemies and the consequent demolition of the newly re-built walls - "The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire" - Nehemiah was moved to tears. This man - intellectually brilliant, successful in spite of captivity, handsome and also devoted to God and the city of God-wept for his people and the city of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah wept and mourned for his people, for all their losses. We have seen pictures of the destruction in Beirut and Baghdad and Kabul. I think the destruction of Jerusalem may have been similar to those images. And because Jerusalem was the Holy City, the City of God, it symbolized the Jews' relationship to God. Not only had they failed in their devotion to God, they had lost their homes and lands and many family members who had been killed or deported - they had lost their way of life. They had lost their way.
Nehemiah, as a devout Jew, was also well aware of his people's rebellion from God's commands. He spent the next four months fasting and praying and confessing the sins of his family, himself and his people. I imagine that, during those four months, Nehemiah spent a good bit of time in silence, listening.
Finally, Nehemiah petitions God: "O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments;"
"Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. "
"Both I and my family have sinned. We have offended you deeply by failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your servant Moses."
"Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name.'"
"They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name."
Nehemiah was in the midst of an extended time of deep soul - searching and this eloquently beautiful and heartfelt prayer was birthed in the midst of that difficult, perhaps painful time of seeking God. There is no recorded answer that God gave immediately. There is no commentary included in the passage. We only have the cry of Nehemiah's heart, his passionate petition to God as a representative for his people that God both remember God's promise and act on it.
Nehemiah acted on his immediate emotions of grief and loss and possibly fear by going to his Rock (Ps. 61.2b) and remaining there. He practiced the spiritual disciplines of mourning, prayer, fasting and confession in order to work through his grief with the only One who could understand. He made sure his relationship with God was right, and he unclogged and cleaned out his lines of communication with God.
Once there was a woman who went to her monthly spiritual direction meeting as scheduled. Usually there was something on her mind that she wanted to talk about, but this time she couldn't think of a thing. So the spiritual director suggested that, since it was a nice day, they spend the hour outside but in silence. If something came to her, they would talk, but otherwise they would sit quietly. Nothing came to her during that silent hour. Her thoughts would wander and she would reign them back in. She marveled at the beauty of trees and birdsong-and she listened.
It seemed like a very unfruitful hour. Nothing happened, god didn't zap her with new understanding or awareness, her spiritual director was calm and poised and seemed refreshed, But the woman was, to be truthful, frustrated.
Then, on her way home, as she pulled up to the last stop sign before getting home, God spoke to her spirit regarding her attitude about a job possibility that had fallen through for her. God told her that the job was not for her, that he had other plans for her. And she was able, after weeks of grieving over it, to let the experience go and move on.
That's what the disciplines are intended to do - to help us cut through life's distractions, our own attitudes and stuff - and tune in to God. It is in order to follow God more closely, more nearly, that we venture into what may be the unfamiliar territory of spiritual disciplines. And when we do take that step, we may feel like we're in a foreign land and speaking an unfamiliar language. But when we persevere, interesting and amazing things can happen.
Remember the phrase that Jesus repeated over and over throughout the parables we thought about last month? "Let anyone with ears listen!" Paying attention and understanding were the requirements for those who wanted to follow Jesus. God's intent was that once people understood Jesus' teachings, they would apply them to how they lived their lives. But first people have to be able to hear God and understand what God is saying before they can act on or apply their understanding to how they live their lives. All three steps must be present in order to follow God.
We have no record of what Nehemiah actually did as he practiced the disciplines. We don't know how he did it, but we know he did it. Nehemiah was in a position of influence, with a built-in opportunity to speak to the king as his cupbearer. But he may have been apprehensive about how Artaxerxes would respond to his concerns. After all, the king had written a decree that all reconstruction of Jerusalem should cease. There was no indication that he would welcome any kind of suggestion that he consider reversing his decision. And what if Artaxerxes was in a bad mood when Nehemiah approached him and decided to dismiss his cupbearer or worse?
And so Nehemiah prayed and fasted for an extended period of time, seeking God's will and provision. Nehemiah knew God would act. He was preparing for it and he was expecting it. And he continued to keep that spiritual hot line in good repair so that he would be ready to do his part when God acted.
Then one day, when the situation in Judah felt heavier than usual for Nehemiah, the king himself opened the subject. He actually noticed that Nehemiah looked sad and asked, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of heart." And Nehemiah, the Bible says, had the good sense to be "very much afraid." He carefully responded, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors' graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" It's interesting to note that Nehemiah was careful not to mention the name of the city where his family graves were, only said that his home city had been destroyed. And so the king again opened the way for Nehemiah. Before he answered, Nehemiah prayed "to the God of heaven," perhaps giving the situation once more into God's hand. Then he was ready with an answer.
After Nehemiah asked Artaxerxes to allow him to go home to rebuild "the city of my ancestors' graves," the king continued to be open to Nehemiah and to his request. "How long will you be gone, and when will you return?" It was as if the king was primed and ready to do what needed to be done to send Nehemiah back to Judah. And he was, wasn't he? I believe God had been at work in the mind and heart of Artaxerxes, honoring Nehemiah's praying and fasting and confessing by hearing and acting. Somehow Artaxerxes was ready and willing to listen to Nehemiah and to give him all he needed for his task. This was truly a miracle, for dealing with the capricious wills of royalty was never a sure thing.
So Nehemiah was spiritually and mentally ready for the opportunity to speak to the king because of the time and intensity he had put into seeking God. Equally important was that Nehemiah had also used that time to formulate a plan. Although it was a tense time when the king was opening up the opportunity for Nehemiah's request, he was strategically ready. He had decided not to mention Jerusalem since that name may have been connected with rebellion in the king's mind. His God - inspired strategy worked and the king moved right on to the next question, "What do you request?"
The king asked, so Nehemiah was going to tell him. But he wasn't arrogant enough to think the king would grant his request on the strength of their relationship alone. This project could take him from the king's court for months, possibly years. It would require some financing from the king, for Nehemiah didn't have the resources it would take. This was a huge thing he was asking - at least Nehemiah thought so! And so before he answered, Nehemiah prayed again to "the God of heaven," connecting once more with his true Source. In the presence of Artaxerxes, ruler of a large part of the known world at that time, Nehemiah silently acknowledges God, the Creator, as the "God of heaven."
And only then does he ask Artaxerxes to allow him to rebuild the city of his ancestors' graves. After a few pertinent questions from the king and permission for the required documents for safe passage and building supplies, Nehemiah said, "And the king granted me what I asked, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me." From be ginning to end, Nehemiah both knew and acknowledged the reality that God would supply what was needed to rebuild Jerusalem.
Two crucial things happened for Nehemiah during those four months of intense spiritual disciplines. The first was that he nurtured his relationship with God in an intentional and purposeful way, persevering in faith until he discovered what God had in mind. Nehemiah was a spiritually sensitive man who loved God and his people, the Jews. He responded to the news about Jerusalem in a way that leaves no doubt that he was responding to God's heart tug. And Nehemiah was persistent in continuing to seek God's will, even though nothing seemed to be happening. Nehemiah believed that God would act.
During those four months Nehemiah sought God's will for himself and the Jews. Nehemiah also sought for God's plan for them-in particular, the immediate need to rebuild both Jerusalem and the temple. At the same time that Nehemiah was forging new bonds with his God he was also forming a strategy with which to approach the king as well as a plan for rebuilding the walls. He was researching the people he would need to deal with, both in traveling to and from Judah. He was checking out those people from whom he would need to get building materials.
It would be fascinating to hear how all this evolved during those four months - how God led Nehemiah through the process of discovering how to go about planning the project. Since we can't, our task now is to discern what instruction this text has for us in the 21st century in Atlantic Canada in Petitcodiac.
As we forge ahead in our interim work together, I believe that what we've heard today can be instructive. We, too, are seeking God's will and God's plan for PMC. In 2 weeks we will meet together to begin our formal interim work as a large group. As we think about this meeting and the meetings ahead, I invite you to prayerfully consider Nehemiah's example of practicing spiritual disciplines and what spiritual discipline God might be calling you to practice during this special time of individual and community discernment and planning. I also invite you to hold PMC before God in prayer, expecting God to reveal his plan for us. And write or record somehow those things God brings to mind.
Nehemiah cried out for God's mercy and understanding and help in a humanly impossible situation, knowing that God would hear and answer even as he prepared to act when that answer came. Nehemiah was ready and waiting. Are we?
Petitcodiac Mennonite Church