Nehemiah, Cupbearer to the King

Dei Break

Nehemiah 1:1-3:32

Zerubbabel returned to Jerusalem first. Years later Ezra followed, to begin to restore the Law. About fourteen years later, Nehemiah returned. The temple had long been rebuilt, but the city walls were rubble. The people had stopped working on the city's restoration. When Nehemiah arrived about 444 B.C. he intended to change that.

Nehemiah was probably born in the Persian Empire, and had never seen Jerusalem. As Royal Cupbearer to the Persian king (vs.11), his character and trustworthiness were beyond question.

Though separated from his fellow Jews, Nehemiah's compassion for them was extraordinary. The cupbearer earnestly prayed for his kinsmen, asking God to guide the Persian king's favor.

No matter what the concern, God tells us to pray to Him continually. We don't know how our prayers can affect situations, but God says that they do. He does respond.

Nehemiah was afraid when the king questioned his mood (2:2). He had asked God to grant him an audience with the king, so why be afraid? Perhaps he realized that God was really going to use him, and that can be scary for anyone, or it may be that Nehemiah feared the king. The king's servants were under constant scrutiny and a change in mood could indicate anger with the king, or a mind plotting rebellion.

It appears that Nehemiah had a plan (2:5-6), or it may be that he was so used to dealing with similar situations that knowing how such interviews were conducted, his request came suddenly and naturally. Obviously, God was also inspiring Nehemiah with a plan for Jerusalem's reconstruction.

Just getting the residents of Jerusalem to listen to his message would be challenging, but another roadblock arose before Nehemiah even arrived in the city. Sanballat (2:10, 19-20) is an interesting person. His name is listed in the "Elephantine papyri". There we learn that about 37 years after Nehemiah's arrival, Sanballat was governor of Samaria and five of his descendants also ruled the area. Some think that his sons' names indicate that he was a worshipper of God. If so, he did not recognize God's will for the nation. Over a hundred years later, Alexander the Great knew of his dynasty. Knowing this about Sanballat, we can surmise that his anger at Nehemiah may indicate a ruined hope to rule a weakened Judah himself.

Map of Jerusalem at the time of Nehemiah-- http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/jeruneh.html

Next time: Nehemiah Challenged