THE KING’S BUSINESS.
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for his absence from his position at court. Probably the time he sët was a compara tively brief time, but his real absence was prolonged, as he was twelve years gover nor of the Jews at Jerusalem (ch. 5:14), but he was not at Jerusalem all the time (ch. 13 : 6 ). vs. 7, 8 . “Moreover I said unto the king, I f it please : t]le king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, and they may let me over (pass through) till I come into (unto) Judah. And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace ( castle) which appertained (appertaineth) 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 goôd hand of my God upon me.” The king’s ready grant ing of his first request emboldened Nehe- miah to ask still larger things of him. Just so the fact that God answers our prayers should encourage us to make still larger prayers. Evidently Nehemiah was not only a successful courtier, but also a far sighted man, of rare business sense. Too many who are regarded as exception ally pious, have frequently but little sense in the ordinary business affairs of every day life. Nehemiah was not a.man of that type. How splendidly thé depth and reality of Nehemiah’s piety comes out in these very verses. He recognizes the fact that his prayers were answered, not because of his own abiilty to plead with the king, but because God moved the king to grant them (cf:.v. 18; Gen. 3:28; Ezra 6:22; 7:6, 9, 27, 28; Acts 7:10). vs. 9-11. “Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sekt (add, with me) captains of the army and horsemen
with me (omit, with me), When (And when) Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, (add, for) that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.’’ Hère again is a revelation of the character of Nehemiah. He was a man of promptitude and energy. As soon as the request of the king was granted, he made no delay in carrying out his purpose. He was a man 6 f prompt and energetic action as well as a man of patriotism, prayer and deep piety. •He appeared on the scene at Jerusalem without announcement and before the enemies of the Jews had been warned of his arrival. It was an occasion of great annoyance and grief and discouragement to the enemies of God’s people when they learned that a man of such influence with the king “was come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.” They were filled with dismay. The enemies of God’s earthly people are always filled with dismay when someone rises up to take their part. Some day One far mightier than Nehemiah or any earthly king is coming to take the part of Israel and fill their enemies with dismay and confusion (Zech. 14:1-9; Rom. 11:2S, 26), and in the meantime a special blessing is pronounced upon those who seek the peace of Jerusalem (Psa. 122:6-9). The reason why Sanballat and Tobiah were grieved that one was come to seek the Welfare of the children of Israel was because of their envy of God’s people. God’s people are always hated and envied by the world (cf. Prov. 27:4; Ez. 25:6-9; Micah 7:8-10, 16, 17; John 15:19, 20; Acts 4:2, 3; 5:24; 13:45). But the envy and hatred of the world amounts to nothing, because God is for us (Rom. 8:31). OUTLINE / When the king was merry, was it seem ing that the courtier should be sad? Esther 4:2. ( 2 ) A rtax erx e* ’ S ym pathy, v. 2.
LESSON
( 1 ) N ehem iah’« Sadness, v. 1. Was it a merry hour with the King? ▼ . 2 . What had Nehemiah to do with the King’s wine drinking? v. 1.
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