•THE KING’S BUSINESS
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please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city'of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.” There are many things that Nehemiah might have asked, and that the king doubt less would have granted him, but he used his influence with the king entirely in thé interests of his people and .not at all in his own interests. He was in a position of comfort and honor and large compensation, yet he requests the king to send him from this present place so comfortable and hon orable and lucrative to -the hardships and conflicts of Jerusalem. His object in desir ing to get to Jerusalem, was not that he might obtain prestige and power, but sim ply that he might build the city. Nehemiah made a wise choice, as it turned out, even from a worldly standpoint. It is true it meant temporary privation, but it also meant eternal honor. Because of his unselfish and patriotic choice, Nehemiah has become one of the best known men of history. Very, very few names have come down to us from that long ago time, and among the few that have come down Nehemiah’s name stands out pre-eminent in glory. In the form of his address, Nehemiah proved that he not only had patriotism and devo tion to God qnd his people, but that he also possessed great tact and courtesy. Nehe miah had “found favor and good under standing in the sight of the king and men” by meeting, the conditions upon which God promises them (cf. Prov. 3:1-4). v. 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 pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.” Nehemiah’ notes the fact that the queen was sitting by the king. This queen was not Esther. Esther was the wife of Xerxes who was the father of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who was the king whom Nehemiah was here addressing. God moved upon the heart of the king in answer to Nehemiah’s prayer (cf. Prov. 21:1), and the king granted his cup-bearer’s request. Nehemiah set a time
pleasantness of his own surroundings and the excellence of his own position, were in Nehemiah’s eyes no compensation at all for the sad position of the people of God. He cared little or nothing at all for his own prosperity as long as his people did not prosper. Nehemiah lived 446 years before Christ and yet what an example he affords us of devotion to God and his honor, of disregard for self and consuming love for the people of God. Nehemiah is one of the noblest characters of all history. The study of his life in just these days' is particularly timely when we are all con fronted by the question of God fearing' patriotism. v. 4. "Then the king said unto me, For. what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.’’ Nehemiah’s words produced the desired effect. Thé sympathies of the king were elicited and he asked Nehemiah what he desired him to do in the interests of his people. It is a great thing to have the king say to one, “For what dost thou make request?” (cf. Esther 5:3, 6 ; 7:2), but One infinitely greater than any earthly king is saying to us in all our troubles, “For what dost thou make request?” (Ps. 50:15; cf. 1 Kings 3:5; Mark 10:51; 1 John 3:22; 5:14, 15). Before making any request to the king, Nehemiah made request to the King of Kings, in order that He might give him wisdom as to what to ask of this earthly king. Here again was a revelation of Nehemiah’s heart and character; he put no dependence upon his own wisdom. In this great moment of crisis and opportunity he sought wisdom where wisdom alone caff be found, that is, of God (cf. James 1:5 ; 2 Sam. 15:31; Prov. 3:3; Phil. 4:6). Nehe miah was a man,of prayer: in every emer gency he always betook himself to prayer (cf ch. 1:4, 11). Here we find the secret of Nehemiah’s being the wisest statesman and most successful patriot of his day. Nehemiah not only prayed, he prayed to the right person, the true God, the “God of heaven.” v. 5. "4nd I said to the king, I f it
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