Brick by Brick: Nehemiah 2

We're looking at the Book of Nehemiah, and that is all about God coming through and supporting and encouraging people in really unexpected and sometimes quite extravagant ways. Right. And so Nehmaiah is this fascinating exploration of God's providence, that idea that God does, you know, he's at work providing for us. He's at work behind the scenes in everything that we do. And so over the past two weeks, Pastor Simon has been setting the scene for this book.

He's giving us the context for this book of the Bible. And fair enough, if you, up until this point, didn't know a lot about Nehemiah, he's not one of the most famous characters of the Bible. He's not connected with any of the most memorable stories like the Flood or the Exodus. You don't see any great signs and wonders happening. He is essentially a project manager for a building project.

Right. And that might not seem as important or exciting like the stories of Moses or Elijah. So understandable if you weren't familiar with Nehemiah before this, but if you want to fully understand the biblical narrative, this part of the story is really important. It's really important that we have a grasp of this. And there's a lot of wisdom contained in this book as well.

And so I'm looking forward to fleshing that out with you as you come with this journey on us over the next six weeks as well. And so Pastor Simon, he's given us some important context for what we're about to read today. There are a few things that we know already. So this story, it's set after the Babylonians have destroyed Jerusalem and its temple, and the people had been exiled from their homeland. Since then, the Persian Empire has then conquered Babylon, and the Jews, they were allowed to return to Jerusalem.

And this book picks up about 50 years later after those events, and it talks about the return of some Israelites to Jerusalem and what happened to them as they rebuilt their city and their lives there. And so we're then introduced to the character of Nehemiah himself. And so he's someone who is. He's deeply moved by the fact that Jerusalem still lies in ruins. It's the place of his ancestors.

And he's been praying. Right. That was a key part of chapter one that he's been praying. But then chapter one ends, I think, on a bit of a bombshell. It's a bit of a cliffhanger there.

He kind of just drops in at the end there. Oh, by the way, in those days, I was the cupbearer to the king, which is a really significant bit of information. I think you should have led with that. But we discover that Nehemiah isn't just an Israelite lamenting the ruins of Jerusalem. He's actually in a very important and powerful position within the Persian government.

Right. He's got direct access to the king, King Artaxerxes. And so with that, I think you should be reminded of the story of Joseph as well, has, I think, a link to this in many ways. So the story in Genesis, verses 30, chapters 37 to 50, Joseph is in a similar situation in a lot of ways. So he, we know that he was a man, an Israelite.

He was initially sold into slavery, but then, through amazing works of God, found himself in a very powerful position, becoming an advisor to the king of Egypt. And through that, God does some amazing works through him. He actually rescues people from famine. Right. He becomes one of the most powerful people in Egypt.

And his story, Joseph's story, is an example of God's providence. God providing for people and coming through in unexpected ways. And so after reading chapter one of Nehemiah, we're looking expectantly to see what's going to happen now that we know Nehemiah is the king's cup bearer. Right. Is God going to work in this situation in the same way that he did Joseph?

So let's get into it. We're going to be reading Nehemiah chapter 2. I'm going to cover the whole chapter, verses 1 to 20 here, starting in verse 1. It says this. Early in the following spring, in the month of Nissan, during the 20th year of King Artaxerxes reign, I was serving the king his wine.

And so the story picks up about four months after the events in chapter one. And so that's. That's four months after Nehemiah has heard about the state that Jerusalem is in. And in that time, he's been praying, he's been thinking this through. He hasn't rushed in to take action on this at all.

But at the same time, it looks like he's feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders and it's having a visible effect on him. So it goes on to say, I have never before appeared sad in the king's presence. So the king asked me, why are you looking so sad? You don't look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled then.

I was terrified. And so what's happening here is an interesting dynamic. I guess it wasn't uncommon for ancient kings to forbid people from being sad in their presence. There's kind of this idea that the king was such a great person that just merely being in their presence would be enough to lift your spirits, right? That no one should be sad in there.

And so it could have been perceived. Nehemiah's body language here and his behavior could have been perceived as an insult to the king, right? And he's aware of this now, and he's terrified. Kings could be fickle people. Who knows how he's going to respond to this?

He could banish him, he could exile him, he could have him killed. But instead, what happens next is. Is surprising. It says this in verse three. But I replied, long live the king.

How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and the gates have been destroyed by fire. The king asked, well, how can I help you with a prayer to the God of heaven? I replied.

I replied, if it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried. The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, how long will you be gone? When will you return? After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.

So despite his fear, Nehemiah, he lays it out. In the end, he's honest with the king about why he's sad. But notice that he doesn't initiate the request here, right? He doesn't actually ask the king for anything initially. But then something amazing happens.

The king just offers to help. And that's actually quite shocking. There isn't any obvious reason why the king would do that. It doesn't seem to be an obvious benefit to the king in helping his servant. And in that moment, it says there in verse four that Nehemiah prayers.

And I imagine this is just, you know, praying under his breath, just going, oh, thank you, God. You know, that sigh of relief that he hasn't been banished, or worse. And then he asked to be allowed to go and help rebuild Jerusalem. And that's no small feat. He's not just asking for a day off work.

But the king agrees. The king agrees. And it does make you wonder, you know, what sort of mood does the king have to be in to grant this kind of request? And if the story had ended there, I'm sure this already would have been amazing for Nehemiah. You know, this has gone better than he had expected.

I think it's exceeded his expectations, but it keeps going. In verse seven, it says this. I also said to the king, if it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates river, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber. I'll need it to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.

And the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was on me. And so I think this is showing us that Nehemiah has thought through what he's going to need, right? So what is going to be required if he's going to succeed in this rebuilding is safe passage back to Judah. He's going to need supplies. He's going to need timber for the.

For the gates, for his own home. And in these verses that follow, we also learn that on top of that, the king doesn't just grant those requests, he sends him with an armed escort, his soldiers protecting him on his way. And so the king grants him everything that he asks for and more. And I think you're supposed to stop here for a moment and just ponder what's happening here. You know, what exactly is happening in this part of the story, and importantly, who's really at work this story.

It doesn't say it explicitly as it's happening, but it is saying it through Nehemiah's perspective. He says there in verse eight, he says, the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was on me. This is God at work, right? And this story is a fascinating exploration of that idea. You know, how Providence works.

And this idea that God can align events and make things happen in. In unlikely or unexpected ways that support his people, that bring comfort to them, and in ways that they would never have imagined. And so Nehemiah, he isn't forcing himself into this situation. You don't see him here trying to manipulate the king. This is God at work.

That's what's happening behind the scenes. And he's exceeding Nehemiah's expectations. And so from here, I'll paraphrase next few verses for you. With the king's escort, Nehemiah, he travels to Jerusalem, and he goes to inspect the broken walls. And what he finds is that the rubble is so dense that he can't get through it on his donkey.

And so the situation is bad. And you get the impression that he's taking the time he needs to assess what's going on here. And he's scoping it out. He's being I think strategic about his approach. And then once he's satisfied with that inspection, he brings his plans to the Jewish leaders.

This is the priests, the nobles, the officials in Jerusalem. And it says this, picking up again in verse 17, he says this to the officials. He says, you know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and end this disgrace.

Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, yes, let's rebuild the wall. So they began the good work. There's no hesitation there, is there? You know, the people there, they're fully on board with Nehemiah's plan.

And if you put yourself in their shoes and, and look at it from their point of view, this must have been igniting all these prophetic hopes that they would have had. And if you've read through Genesis to kings, you'd know how the Israelites end up in exile in the first place. They were in this downward spiral of worshiping other gods. They allowed violence, social injustice to happen. And while the prophets say that the exile they experienced was a just consequence, it wasn't the end of the story.

God was going to fulfill his great promise to Abraham and bring about divine blessing to all nations, which he would do through Abraham's family, despite the exile. So God was going to bring a remnant back to Jerusalem and make them the epicenter of this new kingdom of God and bring peace to all the nations. So think of, think of Isaiah, chapter 2. Think of Isaiah 11, think of Ezekiel. Those prophets were saying these kind of things.

And so that's the image that these people have in their mind, right? As they hear Nehemiah talk about rebuilding the walls, they're looking forward to God bringing about that day in the future. And now they've seen Nehemiah succeed. He's got the favor of the king, and they're seeing other Israelites coming back from exile. And if you look at it from their perspective, this is huge, right?

They're probably thinking, this is it. This is that great restoration of God's kingdom. It's upon us now. So their hopes are high at this point in the story. But then we're introduced to what will become a point of tension later in the story goes on to say this.

In verse 19, it says, but when Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously, what are you doing? Are you rebelling? Against the king, they asked. I replied, the God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding the wall.

But you have no share, legal right or historic claim in Jerusalem. And so there are people who are already living around Jerusalem, and they hear about the plans to rebuild the walls, and they essentially just insult Nehemiah and they suggest that he's doing something that he shouldn't be doing. And Nehemiah tells them that they don't have any part in this city, that they're not welcome in this city. Which is a little bit odd, according to the prophets like Zachariah, who, when they talk about the new Jerusalem, this restoration of God's kingdom, they say it will be a place where all nations are welcome, that all nations would be part of. So Nehemiah, he kind of seems to be operating with an opposite vision to this.

And he tells them that they have no part in Jerusalem, which, as we'll see in the chapters to come, it provokes them into hostility. And I do kind of look at that and I go, you know, could. Could Nehemiah have handled this differently? I feel like that confrontation could have been avoided in some ways. But despite that, we also see here that in the face of that hostility, Nehemiah is really grounded in what he knows to be true.

And that's that God is at work here, right? He says, even if you oppose us, God will help us succeed. And that's the end of chapter two. That's the end of chapter two. And if I look at this part of the story, this is the one main thing that I take from this.

It's. It's about God's providence. God's providence will exceed our expectations when we partner with him. So Nehemiah 2. It is a fascinating exploration of how God works about God's providence and this idea that he can provide for our needs in totally unexpected and unlikely ways and often exceeds our expectations, right?

And God's providence becomes clear as you read this chapter. And you see it in things like how the king initiates that conversation with Nehemiah. It's not Nehemiah forcing himself into that position. The king initiates that conversation. The king then responds to what I think is a perceived insult very positively, right?

Very unexpected. The king also doesn't just provide permission for Nehemiah to go, but he gives him resources. He gives him an armed escort. And then the people of Jerusalem, upon hearing about this rebuilding of the wall, they respond really enthusiastically, right? This is God at work.

You know, you should look at this and Go. That is God at work behind the scenes. He's doing far more than Nehemiah would have expected. At the same time, this is not a call to inaction, right? You could read Nehemiah and think, this is about sitting back and going, this is all God.

You know, just, this is all up to you, God. I'm just going to sit back and watch the show. But this isn't God working alone, is it? It's not God working alone. He partnered with Nehemiah and he's bringing about something good, something that furthers his plans through him, through people.

And so we see how Nehemiah has decided to partner with God in a number of ways in how he spends time asking God for guidance. So that was chapter one. He also asked the king for help despite his fear, which is a significant point to make, I think. So he might not have been the one who initiates the conversation, but when the king asks what's wrong, he doesn't just recoil and say, everything's fine. You know, just excuse my insult, like, let it go.

He actually lays out the problem. He sees this as an opportunity to tell the king about the work that needs to be done in Jerusalem. And so he lays out what God has placed on his heart, even though that conversation could have gone in a very different direction. He also spends a lot of time assessing the walls. We didn't focus on that bit a lot, but he does spend time out there assessing what's happening and bringing a plea to the people living in Jerusalem.

So Nehemiah is active in a number of ways here. He's active and involved in that partnership with God. And because of that, he's also seeing God come through in unexpected and unlikely ways. He's experiencing firsthand the amazing work that God is doing. And that partnership has given him a new boldness to the point where even when he's faced with hostility, he doesn't get fazed by that.

He responds to that with God's promises. And so if you're in ministry long enough, you know that this kind of thing happens all the time. If you're in ministry, you see God coming through for you time and time again. And I think of things like, you know, even the timing of getting this hall, you know, how crazy is it that this hall became available the same week that we needed that we needed this hall? Right?

The timing of that is absolutely God. I see him providing for us, and that's in giving us a space that's absolutely amazing. I see it time and time again in the Church finances. Every, every quarter when we come together, we look at how the church is growing, we look at the staff that we need, the things that need funding, and we step out in faith. We say, God, it doesn't look like we have enough to do all this, but we step out in faith.

And every single time, God comes through for us, every single time. Think of last week. Kate brought an amazing testimony about her experience in kids church. If you remember that, you'd know that that was about God coming through for her and providing revelation in that situation. That's the kind of stuff God does.

Think of David's testimony about the amazing experiences that he had sharing the gospel message with people and how God came through and provided avenues for him to talk to people. You know, that was God coming through in the background, making those conversations happen, putting him in situations that made it work. And I think of my own journey to becoming a minister, right? How God has placed people in my life at the right time, giving me that godly wisdom and advice. And so for you this morning, this is a.

It's a reminder that God's providence will exceed your expectations and that you're called to partner with him. God will absolutely exceed your expectations when you partner with Him. I know that to be true. And this is an opportunity then for you to extend experience the amazing work that God is doing firsthand by partnering with him. So I would urge you today that if you're not serving in one of our ministries, consider doing so.

The simple outworking of this verse today, of this chapter that we've read, is to serve in your local church. Not because we're desperate for people, not because I'd like to have some time off from doing the service set up, but because I know for certain that if you're not part of this, you're missing out on some of the amazing things that God is doing. You're missing out if you're not part of it. God is actively at work behind the scenes here and he's accomplishing his purpose. He's bringing about something good, right?

And you have the opportunity to be part of that and experience it. You're being invited into that. And you know, for those who are serving, for those who are serving already, you know this to be true. You've seen glimpses of this coming through. For people who are on greeting, you see that God is at work in you, connecting people who would normally just be a loosely related group of people.

You're connecting them into a family. For people who are on setup, God is at Work in you taking this empty hall and turning it into a place of worship, a place where God speaks, presence, where God's presence is for people who aren't kids. God is at work in you, shaping that next generation into people who are looking more and more like Jesus every day. For people who are in worship, you know, God is at work in you taking songs and music and turning it into something that affects people in an amazing way, bringing joy and peace. There's media, there's tech, there's.

There's next gen creative space, there's connect groups. There's so much more. There's. There's so many things that this church is a part of. And whatever it is, there's lots of small parts that come together into something better than what we could have imagined on our own.

And I look at that and I say, God is already at work here. He's. He's coming through in unexpected and exciting ways. And you a call to be part of that, too. Let's pray.

Dear Lord, I just want to thank you so much for this reminder that we have in Nehemiah 2 about how you work, Lord, about how you come through in the background in unexpected and unlikely ways and how that often exceeds our expectations, Lord, that you. You go above and beyond providing for us, supporting. For supporting us, just giving us all our needs, Lord, and more. And we look at that, Lord, and we just thank you so much. I pray, Lord, that we would just take that time this morning to reflect on how you've come through in our own lives, to look at those things that we've been a part of, the big and the small, and to see how you've been at work in the background, Lord, you've been at work bringing something good out of every situation, that you've been working, Lord, to shape us into people who look more like Jesus.

You've been working in the background to bring about your purpose, steering us closer and closer to that future day where we can enjoy the new Jerusalem. And, Lord, we're just in awe of who you are. We thank you for that. And we pray, Lord, that stirs something in us, that. That would help us to shift our focus from ourselves, Lord, into.

Into those things that we can do for other people, Lord. So I pray that that would stir in us that desire to serve, that it would stir in us, Lord. Lord, a desire to be out there sharing the good news about who you are and what you've done for us. We pray this in your name, Lord. Amen.

Sam.