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THE KING’S BUSINESS Nehemiah’s Prayer NOVEMBER 11, 1917. LESSON VI. Nehemiah 1:1-11. (Memorize v. 11). G olden T ex t : “Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his command ments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”—1 John 3:22.
DAILY BIBLE READINGS Mon., Nov. S—Neh. 1:1-11. (The Lesson).
Tues., Nov. 6—Num. 14:11-19. Wed., Nov. 7—2 Sam. 7:18-29. Thurs., Nov. 8—2 Chron. 20:5-13. Fri., Nov. 9—Isaiah 37:14-20. Sat., Nov. 10—Dan. 9:4-19.' Sun., Nov. 11—Psalm 132:1-10.
EXPOSITION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
vs. 1-3. “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah (Hacaliah). And (now) it came to pass in the month Chisleu (Chislev), in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men (add, out) of Judah; and I asked them con cerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire." Nehemiah was one of the purest hearted patriots the world has ever known. Though born and reared in a foreign land, a high favorite at the for eign court and possessing everything in the way of wealth and position that heart could desire, still his whole thought was for his people in their misfortune and hu miliation, in their attempt to .rebuild the city of their fathers. The fact that he was greatly prospered was not sufficient to bring him contentment in the least degree so long as Jerusalem, the city of his people and the city of God, was in dishonor, and as long as the people whom he knew to be also the people of God, were in distress. The foundation of his patriotism was relig ious. It was devotion to Jehovah the God of Israel, that made the interests of his
people so dear to his heart. It was not merely that they were his people, but that they were God’s people. The foundation of all true and lasting patriotism is religious. God had promised “They shall prosper that love Jerusalem” (Ps. 122:6-8), and this promise was fulfilled in the personal expe rience of Nehemiah. In the midst of his prosperity, one day, Nehemiah met, on the streets of Jerusalem, Hanani and other men who had come out of Judah, and at once Nehemiah shows his keen interest in the attempt of the people of God to rebuild Jerusalem by putting to them the'question as to how things were going concerning the Jews that had gone to Jerusalem and con cerning Jerusalem itself. Doubtless he expected to receive good news, but the answer that he received was most disheart ening, ‘“The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great afflction and reproach: the wall of Jeru salem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” This answer was in exact accordance with the prophecies made to the Jews in the days of their pros perity and pride (1 Kings 9:7; Jer. 24:9; 29:18). All God’s words are sure, both his words of threatening and his words of promise. We love to believe in the certainty of the words of promise, but we are loathe to believe in the certainty of his words of
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