T-76

Having investigated and grasped the courage of Caleb in the way in which he encouraged his countrymen, we turn now to Nehemiah as a model of godly virtues. I’ll be working from Nehemiah 2:2-6 and 17-20 in preparation for Camp Tsungani.

It is important to keep this passage in context that we may fully understand its meaning. To that extent, there are three facts concerning Nehemiah that we must remember from chapter 1. First, Nehemiah is the son of Hacaliah and he grieves for his countrymen living in the broken down city of Jerusalem. Secondly, Nehemiah is God’s man as evidenced by his prayer in Nehemiah 1:5-11. Thirdly, our man Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king.

A couple of words about his job as ‘cupbearer’ are in order here. Bringing the king his wine doesn’t sound like much of a job and indeed, it was a position filled by servants and slaves. But it was a very important position in that the ‘cupbearer’ came continually into the presence of the king. As such, the cupbearer was a highly visible person and this placed them at risk. They had to ‘act right’ and ‘look right’ lest they be relieved of their head.

On to the text for today…

Nehemiah 2:1-2 (NIV)
2 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid,
[1]
Nehemiah was in mourning over his fellow countrymen and their dire situation in Jerusalem; he felt compassion. He had been mourning and fasting for several days when he was called to duty and you may notice how trivially he ‘took the wine and gave it to the king.’ The next sentence though reveals Nehemiah’s concern for the situation in which he found himself “I had not been sad in his presence before;…” so this was no trivial matter. Showing sadness in front of the king was a capital offense. And here is where the ‘high visibility’ of the cupbearer comes into play. The king Artaxerxes noticed the difference and asked for an explanation.

“Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill?” I believe this question reveals something of Artaxerxes. First, the king noticed the difference. Though Nehemiah was a servant and a slave, a mere cupbearer, the king paid attention to his countenance. Had the king never noticed Nehemiah or paid attention to his face and his demeanor, the king would never have been aware of the difference. In this, we can see the hand of God at work for it is in this moment that the future of the nation of Israel is impacted.

Secondly, the king obviously paid attention to the physical state of his servants. I note that the king did not ask if Nehemiah was ill or sick. Instead he stated “when you are not ill.” Thus, the implication is that the king knew that Nehemiah was not physically ill and from that we can derive that the king was concerned with those who serve him. Do we see in Artaxerxes that capacity for concerned leadership that sets a king apart from his peers?

Thirdly, Artaxerxes demonstrates his awareness of the ‘feelings’ of his servants when he continues “This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” Such keen insight and wisdom into the nature of man. A lesser king would not have noticed, or had he noticed would not have cared. A lesser king may have DEMANDED and explanation or simply passed judgment and dismissed the servant or even sentenced him to death. Again, in this I see God at work.

Nevertheless, Nehemiah was sad, the king noticed and asked for an explanation. Nehemiah then records “I was very much afraid,…” By now, you should have an understanding of why Nehemiah would be fearful; his life was on the line.

We know that at this moment, Nehemiah had a choice to make; the same choice that we make every time someone asks us a similar question. He can bow down to his fear and reply “I’m fine” or “it’s nothing” and go on pretending that he has no burden. Or he can respond in truth and give an honest answer even though to do so places him in peril. Surely, you can relate to that situation! How many times have you been burdened and God sends someone along to share your burden by asking “how are you today?” And how many times have you responded out of fear or out of pride “I’m fine”? How many times has someone asked you “what’s wrong” and you’ve responded “it’s nothing”?

We all have this need to share the burdens of our heart but many times we refuse. It may be because we don’t want people to know that we’re “sensitive” or “broken” or incapable of handling every thing that comes our way. It may be out of fear because we have some façade that needs to be defended so that we don’t get too close to people. As you consider how Nehemiah might respond, give consideration also to how you respond. We’ll pick back up at this point tomorrow.

May the Lord our God smile upon this day.

Regards,
Carl
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.