least a great one. It reveals to us that God wishes to work by us more than our own wish to work. Nehemiah, beside being a man of prayer, was a practical man; he did not move to build, before seeking from the king messages that would support him to start and consummate the work 2: 7, 8.. 1- Nehemiah sets forth to work 1 - 3 2- Nehemiah’s “arrow prayer” 4 3- Nehemiah’s work plan 5 - 8 4- Nehemiah’s practical execution of his plan 9 5- The opposition of the enemy 10 6- Nehemiah explores the situation 11 - 16 7- Nehemiah calls for a collective work 17 - 18 8- The enemies laughed at the Jews and despised them 19 – 20 1- NEHEMIAH SETS FORTH TO WORK: “And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before” (1) The month of Nisan covers a part of March and another of April. The duration between hearing the sad news of Jerusalem in the month of ‘Chislev’, and standing here before the king in the month of Nisan, was about https://coptic-treasures.com/ four months. Nehemiah did not hasten to put the matter before the king, despite being sure of that the later trusted in him; ubtil he gets a divine strength and support. He probably also waited until his turn comes to carry out his job as the king’s cup-bearer. “Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart; So I became dreadfully afraid” (2) The workers in the royal court were committed to appear before the king, with a cheerful countenance, under all circumstances. But it was not possible for Nehemiah to conceal the bitterness that filled his soul because of the miserable conditions reached by Jerusalem and its inhabitants.. Having trust in Nehemiah, king Artaxerxes inquired from him the reason for his depression; for he used to see him always exultant, which always reflected in gladness in the king’s heart. Nehemiah’s peace of heart was most probably different from the gladness that the others show; for Nehemiah received his gladness from the Lord, and did not pretend to be to please the king. It was not possible for Nehemiah who had a broken heart for the sake of his people, to hide his grief; according to the words of the wise Solomon: “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3: 4).. The true believer knows when to rejoice and when to mourn. + As laughing is sometimes worthy of commendation, and other times of rebuke; weeping should be seen in the same way. …. Most probably in the covetous life, the one who laughs sets himself a god. ……Some count their belly a god, and other their riches, and still others may laugh in an attempt to show off a sense of humor. Anyway those who weep a lot for the sake of repentance, would reach the true God according to the following words: “You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in great measure” (Psalm 80: 5). https://coptic-treasures.com/ According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, the godly believer grieves by his body, and dances by his spirit; the way David’s soul did and exulted before the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6: 14-17) The most prominent element for the believer is to use every convenient chance to work…… When the king inquired from Nehemiah about the reason for his grief, “he became dreadfully afraid”; but raising his heart up to God, he was encouraged to reply to the king with openness and wisdom; that a prior royal decree has put an end to any attempts to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem (Ezra 4: 6-24) . Nehemiah was not ashamed to admit his fear, but did not let it keep him from doing the work to which the Lord has called him. …..So did Esther, and in her prayer, she sought from God to save her from her fear. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + One may fear of being scourged, which is the fear of slaves; or of loosing his wages, which is the fear of a hired hand; but fear of committing sin, is the fear of the righteous. (St. (Mar) Philoxinus) + I am not afraid of my enemies, but I dreadfully fear the death as a judgment by your Word. (St. Athanasius the apostolic) + Why do you fear, O Christians? ……… When Christ Himself says: “Be of good cheer; It is I, do not be afraid” (Matthew 14: 27) ….. He told you beforehand that those things are going to happen. …… Having recognized Him, his disciples exulted, and consented to have Him in the boat; and they they instantly came to their destination (Matthew 14: 34) (St. Augustine) “and I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” (3) “May the king live forever” the way the kings were addressed at the time (1 kings 1: 31; 2: 4; 3: 9). Wisely, Nehemiah did not mention the name of the city “Jerusalem”, but called it “the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs”. On one aspect https://coptic-treasures.com/ he did not want to stir up the king’s anger, by requesting the revival of a city that was destroyed by Babylon, and that an old decree issued by the king stopped the repair of the city and its walls. And on another aspect he intended to please him, because the Persian kings used to have reverence for the tombs; and the dead.. At the beginning of his reign the king did not feel comfortable to allow a fortified city in Judah, which would most probably encourage movements of revolt against the kingdom of Persia. But now, even though the situation greatly stabilized; beside that the king had trust in Nehemiah and his loyalty to him; yet Nehemiah refrained from mentioning the name of the city, to avoid stirring up the old feelings of the king; that reforming Jerusalem was analogous to having a revolt against the Persian throne. When he talked to God, Nehemiah, likewise, did not mention the name of the city; for he was not preoccupied, like a bigot, with the city itself, he therefore called it by the name beloved by God, namely “the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My name” (1: 9; Deuteronomy 30: 1-5). 2- NAHMIEH’S ARROW PRAYER: Together with our wish to use every chance to work, we need to pray, to perceive what is God’s will in every work we do. … Nehemiah was well aware that a king’s cup-bearer was not allowed to suggest anything to the king, nor seek anything from him. But having raised his heart to God, the Lord instructed him to go ahead and talk openly to the king. “Then the king said to me, “What do you request; So I prayed to the God of heaven” (4) Nehemiah felt while standing before the king, that he was in the presence of the God of heaven, who is able to direct the king’s heart according to His will; https://coptic-treasures.com/ ….who; alone, can hear the silent words of the heart; ……..and who grants him the wise response to the king’s question, and to find favor in his eyes This book includes several examples of Nehemiah’s prayers that endured for as long as four months (1: 4); after which, standing before the king, he raised what is called “a quick arrow prayer” (2: 4); namely a hidden prayer of the heart – the prayer of Jesus. ………But, was it possible for such a prayer to have activity, unless Nehemiah, himself, was a man of prayer?! + By the heart we ask; by the heart we seek; and before the voice of the heart the door is opened. + By prayer the mind full of love would reach God; for it preoccupies the mind, the heart, the desire to know, and to love. The perfect life of the good Christian is a holy desire. + Whoever fervently prays, praises God in his heart, even though his tongue may be silent. Otherwise, if man prays without longing, even though his voice would reach the ears of men, yet he would be as mute before God (St. Augustine) 3- NEHEMIAH’S WORK PLAN: Nehemiah knew exactly what to seek from the king, why; and what were his needs to fulfill his goal. He had a specific plan to put before the king, which he put before God, or rather received from God https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it” (5) “Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time” (6) Here, he, still, did not mention the name of the city, he just sought to be sent to Judah, to the city of his fathers’ tombs. “The queen”, here, refers to the queen-mother, who had the right to be present beside the king, and had high honor with him …… .The book of Nehemiah, in particular, reveals the role of women beside men (Nehemiah 3: 12; 5: 1-5; 8: 2-3; 10: 31; 12: 43).It so seemed that Nehemiah found it wiser to ask the king first for a short leave of absence to fulfill his mission, and if necessary to ask him later to extend it. After a leave of absence of a period of 12 years, as the governor over Judah (5: 14); Nehemiah came back to submit a report to the king, then returned to Judah (13: 6) “Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah” (7) It was the custom for the prominent personalities to carry letters of recommendation from the ruler, to be able to move with security within the limits of the State; and those who read the letter were committed to give all assistance to its bearer. By such letters of recommendations, Nehemiah could move safely in all the countries within the Persian Empire. Beside the good plan, he was in need of a divine power to support him – the good mighty hand of God, according to the words of the apostle: “To Him who is https://coptic-treasures.com/ able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3: 20). “and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy. And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me” (8) The word “Asaph” means (God gathers). And from “The king’s forest”, most probably in Lebanon, famed for the cedar forests (1 kings 5: 6; 9; 2 Chronicles 2: 8-9, 16; Ezra 3: 7), Nehemiah planned to seek wood for the roof of the palace and for the city wall; According to some, the word translated here as “forest”, is Persian for (garden). In Egypt, the word ‘Ganna’ or ‘Geneina’ means (garden).. ….According to some the garden of Solomon in Etham, 6 miles south of Jerusalem was known for its great beauty (2 kings 25: 4; Ecclesiastes 2: 5-9; Jeremiah 39: 4; 52: 7). 4- NEHEMIAH’S PRACTICAL EXECUTION OF HIS PLAN: “Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me” (9) Nehemiah instantly moved, and did not delay like Ezra (Ezra 8: 22); accompanied with captains of the army and horsemen; not that he had less faith than Ezra, but on account of his official position as the new Governor of Judah, and of that he was the man cherished by the king, whom everyone is committed to give respect and reverence. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 5- THE OPPOSITION OF THE ENEMY: .”When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel” (10) It is befitting of us to work according to the will of God, even if all stood against us. The obstacles should not restrain our souls, but should rather motivate us more,…….. We need to have confidence and faith, as long as we do the work of God; we should not fear opposition whatever be their source; but deal with it with confidence that God is on our side. Sanballat the Horonite”; Sanballat is an Acadian name, meaning (whom the god of the moon gives life). He is called “the Horonite”, either because he belongs to “Beth Horon” in Ephraim 30 kilometers north-west of Jerusalem (Joshua 10: 10); or more probably because he was from ‘Horonaim’ the Moabite city (Isaiah 15: 5; Jeremiah 48: 3, 5, 34). Sanballat, pretending to be a worshipper of the God of the Jews, gave his two sons: ‘Delayah’ and Shelemayah’, names bound to ‘Jehovah’. … As a governor of Samaria, north of Judah; he was the strongest opponent of Nehemiah, who opposed the building of the city wall, probably because of all or some of the following reasons: a- That Nehemiah was opposing a prior royal decree that put an end to any such a project; namely for a political reason; he counted what Nehemiah was going to do as a revolt and a rebellion against Persia (17- 20). b- He feared that Nehemiah’s work would probably lessen the submission of the Jews to Persia; and extending to Samaria would make the Persians https://coptic-treasures.com/ use force, that might put him in an awkward position, being the governor of Samaria. c- By building a wall around Jerusalem, the city will be closed before free trade – namely for an economic reason d- By building the wall of Jerusalem, the temple will not be accessible, except before the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the near vicinity – namely for a religious reason. e- Coming bearing a royal decree, Nehemiah surpassed Sanballat’s authority as the governor of Samaria; and he felt indignant– namely for personal reason. f- According to some, Sanballat opposed the building of the wall of Jerusalem, on account of that it was his hidden intention to extend his authority to include Judah together with Samaria; and certain documents revealed that he had great animosity against the Jews. Tobiah: thought to be a governor of Ammon across the Jordan east of Judah. The word “the Ammonite slave” (according to some versions) means that that he was once a slave, (6: 17-19; 13: 4-9), before he entered into familial relationship with some people of authority in Jerusalem. ……….He also probably pretended to be a worshipper of Jehovah. 6- NEHEMIAH EXPLORES THE SITUATION: . “So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days” (11) Despite the fact that Nehemiah came to Jerusalem accompanied with captains of the army and horsemen, for a mission to the benefit of the Jews, yet Sanballat https://coptic-treasures.com/ and Tobiah and all the rulers of the region around Judah, knew nothing about the nature of his mission. He even remained three days before any of them were aware of his arrival. With wisdom, but not with despair, Nehemiah dealt with what he was going to face of serious opposition; not in haste to proclaim his plan of work, except for just enough according to the need, with no showing off of heroism or a desire for fame……… As a matter of fact, Nehemiah was in need for those three days to relax after such a long journey (See Ezra 8: 32). Nehemiah did not depend on the knowledge he has already got about the actual situation, but set forth to explore everything by himself. The figure 3, referring to the resurrection of Christ; means that we cannot work for the edification of our inner Jerusalem or its wall, unless we enjoy the resurrected life by the Lord Christ. +` Abraham, knowing by the spirit of prophecy that he represented certain issues to come; and that Christ will come from his seed, to offer himself a sacrifice for the sake of the salvation of the whole world, and for the sake of the resurrection from the dead,… walked three days to reach the location assigned to him by God to offer his own son a sacrifice (Genesis 22: 4). The third day is the most convenient day for the sacraments. …. The children of Israel offered a sacrifice to God on the third day after their exodus from the land of Egypt (Exodus 3: 18). + Pharaoh refrained to let the children of Israel go to the place of the signs, and intended to keep them from enjoying the secrets of the third day. ………….Listen to what the prophet say: “After two days, the Lord will revive us.. On the third day He will raise us up, that we will live in His sight” (Hosea 6: 3). https://coptic-treasures.com/ The first day for us is the passion of the Savior The second day is when He descended to Hades The third day is when He resurrected That is why on the third day, the Lord walked before the children of Israel in a pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night. As we already said, the apostle Paul teaches us that these words hide the secret of baptism., saying: “As many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death” (Romans 6: 3, 4). When you meditate in the secret of the third day, God Himself will guide you, and will reveal to you the way to salvation. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode” (12) Many start their work, but do not consummate it, because they talk much about it to people, and not to God, the Grantor of conquest and success.. ….Nehemiah, however, started his work very cautiously;. went out by night with few men to view the walls of Jerusalem by the light of the moon. “And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire” (13) He did not make a full round around the entire city, but it was enough for him to view to what extent the wall in the south was still intact. As Jerusalem has always been attacked from the north, there were only few remains of the wall in the North. The serpent Well; was so called because there was a statue of a serpent with water flowing from its mouth. The refuse gate; where the inhabitants used to cast the trash; about 2000 cubits from the Valley Gate. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass” (14) “So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned” (15) “And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work” (16) It is amazing that Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem, stayed three days, then moved by night by the light of the moon, to explore the situation, without telling anyone, even those close to him; for he was not comfortable with showing off or boasting himself. He did not wish to draw attention to what he intended to do, so as not to stir up the enemies to plan any thing against him before he starts the work…….Together with his faith that what he is going to do was by a call from God; being a man of God, he was committed to walk by wisdom, so as not to stir up any trouble, as much as possible. 7- NEHEMIAH CALLS FOR COLLECTIVE WORK: . “Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach” (17) Once it was time to set forth to work, he started to tell those who will work with him, about the miserable condition reached by the people of God; and about the good hand of God. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Nehemiah counted the collapse of the city of Jerusalem, as a collapse of the people themselves, and their fall into reproach. The wall and gates of Jerusalem were in desolation, since they were destroyed on the hand of Nebuchadnezzar more than 140 years ago, despite some unsuccessful attempts to repair them. Although the leaders and the people completely surrendered to the matter of fact; Nehemiah, on the other hand knew no surrender, believing that God is capable to work by him. “And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work” (18) Showing the seriousness of the situation, he sought the cooperation of all; for it was not his work alone, nor that of a certain category of leadership, but it was a work for all, both the leaders and the people.. On another aspect, despite having a royal decree to work with, he did not order them to work, but talked to them with the language of love, friendship, and appreciation. Nehemiah’s strong spirit, and holding fast to the good hand of God, reflected upon all his listeners, who decided to start work with enthusiasm. Here, Nehemiah demonstrated the following foundations of the collective work:: a- It touches the life of the whole people b- It is not a work for one man, but, if possible of all the leaders and people c- The good hand of God has already started to work, and will keep supporting those who work d- The king himself responded to this divine work https://coptic-treasures.com/ e- They are committed to carry it out, not with slothfulness, but with strong hands. 9- THE ENEMIES LAUGHED AT THE JEWS AND DESPISED THEM: “ But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?” (19) Geshem the Arab; who joined forces with Sanballat and Tobiah, was a ruler of a congregation of Arabs who lived across the Jordan in the region of Edom, and Negeb, South, and South-East of Judah. Those three, who surrounded Judah, on the North, East, and South, feared that the fortifying Jerusalem would make them lose their authority over Judah; beside the fact that each of them had hidden hope to have it under his authority…….For the sake of their common interest, the three of them joined forces to plot a unified plan to corrupt the work; which they started, by laughing at the Jews and despising them.. “So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem” (20) The success of the work was not a gift from the king, but from the God of heaven. https://coptic-treasures.com/ And as the three of the opponents did not belong to the tribes of the children of Israel, and would never seek from their hearts what is good for them, they, accordingly deprived themselves of the blessing to belong, nor to dwell in Jerusalem. ------------------------------ AN INSPIRATION FROM NEHEMIAH 2 HERE I AM, SEND ME + Who is worthy to stretch his hand to work in Your vineyard, O Lord? Here I am, Send me, the way You sent Nehemiah; Grant me the spirit of prayer; To enjoy Your leadership, and Your work through me; Teach me the true language of prayer; Train my heart on the secret talk with You; For You long to listen to the pure heart. + The king of Persia sent Nehemiah; And sent with him captains of the army and horsemen; And provided him with letters of recommendation to the rulers; But Nehemiah was moving under Your shadow; He counted every success as from You. + You are the King of kings, the Leader of the whole history; https://coptic-treasures.com/ I shall not move without You; You promised to be a wall of fire around me; So that the hosts of darkness would not be able to force themselves on me; You send Your angels to support me; You grant me grace and prosperity in any work my hand may stretch to do. + Grant me wisdom from You; To do everything, little and great, by Your guidance. + Teach me how to work together with my brethren and fathers; Let us build the walls of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach’ Strengthen our hands for the good; Glory be to You, O God of heaven; By You, we, Your servants, stand, and build without ceasing.
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