T-56: Forced Influences

As Christians, we are called to be set apart for service to the King. Our service though does not involve our being cloistered in a walled compound where we would be free from worldly influences. To the contrary, our calling is to walk in the world but to lead a life the is not of the world. In that, we are called to be countercultural rebels who persistently resist the sensual indulgences of the world.

In our text today, Daniel 1:5, we see a process of indoctrination being foisted upon a group of obedient Jewish children. Let’s consider the text… Daniel 1:5 (NIV)
5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
[1]

Being selected to serve in the courts of the king was no small matter. In fact, it would be considered an honor to be selected for such duty and a testimony to the physical, mental and spiritual qualities of those so appointed. A slave such as these might consider this a great and wonderful alternative when compared to the other capacities in which slaves served their masters in Babylon. But as much of an honor as such an appointment would be, it was equally a difficult trial.

On first reading, you might be inclined to think that the king is acting in an altruistic manner; by sharing his own food, he is making certain that those who eat of it are kept in the best health. While that may be one component of that situation, there is another more insidious purpose. The setting apart for service to the king, the place at the king’s table, the portions of the king’s food, the cup of the king’s wine, the three years of teaching and training; these are all elements of a process of indoctrination, the purpose of which was to change godly Jewish boys into idolatrous Babylonians. To be sure, the food would taste delicious and the wine would be the best available. Learning a new language and the history of a people, these would be easy for these boys for indeed, they were gifted and blessed by the God to whom they were devoted. But the purpose of the process is to strip them of the very things that set them apart, their very Jewishness and to render them as Babylonians.

You see, the problem with the food and the wine was not so much the food itself. Certainly there would be food on the table which any self-respecting Jew would eschew. The Jews had a very strict diet not as to what they could eat but the rules of preparation were equally restrictive. To eat of the unclean food or food that had not been prepared according to the laws as handed down by their forefathers would render them immediately and ceremoniously unclean. A logical man would argue that these boys then should eat only of those things that were in keeping with God’s commandments and that in so doing, they would not defile themselves.

But… even if the food were prepared according to strict guidelines and even if the food were of suitable quality, it would have been rendered unfit for consumption by any god-fearing Jew. Not because of the food itself for the real problem is that the food and the wine had been offered as sacrifices to idols. For only the food fit for the Babylonian gods would be fit for the Babylonian king. So the food, having been offered in sacrifice to false gods would be unfit for consumption.

There are many that would argue that these boys had no choice in the matter; that they had been handed over to the Babylonians by God and that God himself and placed the Babylonian king upon the throne. As such, the boys should accede to his authority, setting aside their standards and receive what he has offered. Others might posit that the boys had no individual choice and they should compromise as necessary to ensure their own survival.

By this point, the similarities between what these Jewish boys faced and what the early church faced and indeed what we face today should be glaringly obvious. These boys were set apart for service not to an earthly king but to God. They found themselves in an alien culture surrounded on every side by sin and perversity. Within that culture they were separated for special honor. But with that honor came a price; a requirement for compromise.

We live in such a culture today. We, as Christians, have been set apart for serve to God. Our culture bombards us from every side with temptations for sensual indulgences and worldly thinking. We may find ourselves on the ‘fast track’ to worldly success, financial prosperity or perhaps political office. And all the time is the constant drumbeat of compromise. That same process of indoctrination that the Jewish boys faced glares at us today. Satan, who was present in Babylon is present today and he continues to spout the same lies and deceptions: “you have no choice”, “it is under God’s authority”, “it’s only a little lie”, “nobody will ever know”, “nobody will blame you”, “you’re better than the rest”, “you deserve it”, “all this could be yours if you would just… bow down and worship me” and the list goes on and on.

Though we are free from the dietary restrictions of early Judaism, we are not free from God’s directive that ‘we be holy.’ We must be discerning with respect to the worldly banquet before us and we must be vigilant against the seemingly innocuous attacks from the world that reveal the underlying process of indoctrination that has been mounted against us.


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

T-60: Qualified to serve

Being born into a rich and powerful family of nobles certainly has its privileges. In our text today, young men are being selected from among the ranks of the royalty and nobility that they may serve the conquering king. Let’s examine this passage to discover in what manner they were qualified to serve…

Daniel 1:3-4 (NIV)
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.b [1]

We’ve already given treatment to V3 so today the focus is on V4 and in that we see exactly what qualities the king of Babylonia desired in his personal attendants. The king specified ‘young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve…’ Though all citizens, servants and slaves of Babylonia served the king, such young men were to be brought forward, set apart and prepared for special service.

In that process, I observe that according to their lineage such young men have been identified as potential candidates for special service. Their lineage has pre-qualified them but lineage alone is not enough. To serve the earthly king of Babylonia, they must also possess certain characteristics of body (without physical defect; handsome) and mind (aptitude for learning, well informed, quick to understand) and of character (qualified to serve). Those that meet these qualifications are set apart from all the rest and are to receive instruction in the ways of the ruling kingdom.

I note that Ashpenaz was tasked not only with the selection process but also with the teaching process. Thus, he had ample opportunity to choose those boys that he thought would be most receptive to his tutelage. In this we can assume that he would choose carefully so as to be successful in the eyes of the king.

Nevertheless, the king of Babylonia had certain qualities that he desired in his servants and to those with the qualities, special consideration was to be given.

I speak now of us; our bondage, our qualifications and our servitude to the King.

Each of us has known and may yet recall our days of bondage to a life of sin. While in that life we were without hope, without future, without purpose and utterly lost. As such, we were like the ancestors of the young men found in our text today. Those ancestors were freed from their captivity by amazing acts of God that proved his existence and exhibited his power in the eyes of believer and non-believer alike. We were freed from our captivity by an amazing act of God that proved his existence, exhibited his power and revealed the magnitude of his love for believers and non-believers alike.

Those newly freed people then went forth into the wilderness, destined for the Promised Land and repeatedly put themselves back into bondage to sin. Some reading this message today have done exactly the same thing by accepting their freedom and then purposefully putting the shackles back on so that they may live a life of sin. For the people of Israel, their sinfulness resulted in their being turned over as slaves to the Babylonians. For the modern-day Christian, there are equivalents to the Babylonians that are waiting to ensnare and enslave.

In both groups (the ancient Israelites and the modern Christians) there are remnants of people who having slipped the bonds of sin have entered into a life of service to the King; not as slaves but as bond-servants. And in that decision is found the quality to serve God. The king of Babylonia was looking for young men, good looking and smart. The God of heaven is looking for humble people who are willing and who are committed.

Like the young men in Babylon, those who meet the qualification are to be set apart and prepared for service and then ultimately they are to serve the king.

My questions to you today are;
· Have you put back on the shackles of sin or have you become a bond-servant to Christ?
· Are you humble before God and willing to serve? Are you committed to service in the face of adversity and opposition?
· Are you set apart from the rest of the world; saving yourself for His purposes or are you immersed in the world, giving yourself to all manner of idols?
· Are you being prepared for service or has your term already begun?

By our faith and adoption into the family of God our lineage has been secured. By our lineage we are pre-qualified to serve the King. By God’s will and our willingness we are set apart for service to the King. By the Holy Spirit we are taught the language and literature of Christianity as ongoing preparation for our service. We need only to humbly submit ourselves to Him in service and in love.

שָׁלֹם

Carl

b Or Chaldeans

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

T-62: What have I in common?

In this countdown to Camp Tsungani, we have examined the virtue of encouragement as modeled by Caleb. We have examined the virtue of faithfulness as modeled by Nehemiah. We turn now to the virtue of self-control and like Caleb and Nehemiah before, God has recorded the story of Daniel for our benefit. I hope and pray that as you accompany me in this study, you see aspects of yourself in these godly people. Their stories and adventures have been preserved and presented to us that we may learn from them, that we may see that they are fundamentally no different than we and that through faithful obedience to God, the fruits we observe in them may come to maturity in us.

Our text for this portion of my study is found in Daniel 1:3-20. I think it appropriate that we read the entire passage before we begin dividing God’s word of truth.

Now that we have an appropriate contextual setting for this study, let’s look intently at… Daniel 1:3-4 (NIV)
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.b [1]

As many times as I have read this passage, there is something in V3 that I have never noticed before. The Babylonian king commanded that Israelites from the royal family and the nobility be brought in. I had always thought of Daniel and his compatriots as just ordinary Israelites. But according to this account, our protagonists have a pedigree and a lineage! My initial reaction to this comes from my flesh; I have no pedigree and my lineage is common so what could I possibly have in common with Daniel?!? But at the same time, welling up from deep within comes a few observations to refute this.

First, our course of study began with Caleb, a former slave of Egypt; a man freed from his captivity and bondage by the power of the Almighty God. We were then presented with Nehemiah, a servant and a slave to a beneficent king. Now, we turn our attention to Daniel, apparently descended from royalty or nobility. In this comparison, I see the full range of humanity represented; from slave to noble. All three served God and all three are presented as examples for our emulation.

Secondly is the observation that God is sovereign over all people, whether slave, free-man or prince and king. Certainly, you and I fall under this all-encompassing umbrella! To that extent, in the eyes of God, we are all alike. No matter our position in life, our caste, our class, our education, we are all brothers and sisters in the family of God.

And the last observation has to do with our own lineage. Like Caleb, we have all been slaves to sin and like Caleb we have all been freed from our bondage by the mercy and grace of The Lord God. Like Nehemiah, we are all cupbearers in the service of a beneficent king. The cup we bear is the communion cup sharing the blood of Christ with all who draw near and The King is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; our God. Finally, having been adopted into the lineage of Christ through his sacrifice, we are all children of The King; thus like Daniel, we have a pedigree and a lineage.

I’m going to leave V4 for tomorrow so that I may dwell upon the richness of V3 today. I trust that you understand and I charge you today to consider your own lineage in Christ. Ponder the mercy with which you were released from your bondage. Consider the benefits you enjoy in your service to The King and dwell upon the grace with which you were adopted into the family of Christ Jesus.

Regards,
Carl

b Or Chaldeans

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

T-63 - Faithful Service

When I last wrote on Nehemiah, before Easter, Nehemiah had led the remnant in Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the city wall. As with any task of this size, the efforts of the workers did not go unnoticed. Consider…

Nehemiah 2:19-20 (NIV)
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
[1]

Yes, the work did not go unnoticed. And in fact, anytime we undertake a task directed by The Spirit, we too shall confront such as Sanballat, Tobiah and Gesham. Indeed, the work of believers will often be ridiculed and questioned by nonbelievers. This in fact is not their ‘fault’ for they are simply responding to the direction of he whom they follow; the prince of lies, of deceit and of deception. Scripture teaches us that anytime we come to serve the Lord, we must be prepared for temptation.

Sometimes this temptation appears in the form of something ‘good’ which prevents our efforts on something ‘great.’ Sometimes, it presents as a question of our intention or of our own abilities from external sources. It may appear as a question of our own worthiness rising up from inside. No matter it’s characteristics, the source of such questions is Satan and the purpose of such temptations is to render us ineffective.

In the instance presented in the text today, observers questioned the allegiance of Nehemiah and that of his fellow workers. They of course were questioning Nehemiah’s allegiance to the earthly king without regard to his allegiance to the King of Kings! But Nehemiah seized the opportunity to render a lesson to these non-believers.

Rather than defend the efforts of the worker based on the authority granted him by King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah answers with the assurance of a man of faith; “The God of heaven will give us success.” The success of the workers is not grounded in the authority of the king of the provisions of the men serving the earthly king but rather in the power wielded by God alone. And in this, in fact, the king Artaxerxes and all his men and resources are simply being used by God to accomplish God’s will in the rebuilding of a city. Nehemiah goes on to comment that “We his servants will start rebuilding…”

I think this fragment is important. Nehemiah did not say that they ‘would rebuild’ but that they would ‘start rebuilding.’ Nehemiah answered as a man dependent upon God and fully aware that his appointment was to ‘begin’ the project and not necessarily to finish the project. By this, we can clearly see that Nehemiah is devoted to God and not to the project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. This speaks volumes as to the character and posture of Nehemiah and provides and example from which we may draw many important lessons.

The further response of Nehemiah, “but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it”, sets the record straight for those who are not part of God’s family. True enough that these three naysayers were nothing more than ‘carpetbaggers’ who profited from the destruction of Jerusalem but more importantly is the underlying concept that the non-believer has no right to the kingdom of God and indeed, shall not come into its possession.

From this then, I conclude that people of faith, those that have been grafted onto the family tree of Abraham, must diligently discharge their responsibilities with respect to the calling of God upon their life; that any who have a claim to the kingdom of God must be about rebuilding the walls of the new Jerusalem according to His purposes; that a man of faith depends upon God but takes decisive action as required and that a believer must be willing to speak the truth in the face of adversity.

As I conclude my study of this text in Nehemiah, I am convinced that God wants people who serve him faithfully. God wants his children to serve faithfully in the face of obstacles and opposition, despite hardship and temptation and in the face of danger or adversity. God calls us, each by name, to be fully His. He equips his children with everything necessary to accomplish the task He has appointed. He enables his servants with everything needed to be successful in their pursuit of His glory and His kingdom. We then, as Nehemiah, must simply start for God will finish.

שָׁלֹם

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

T-68 - The Power of Testimony

Having exhorted his fellow Israelites to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem, Nehemiah then resorts to personal testimony. We see this in today’s text…

Nehemiah 2:18 (NIV)
18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
[1]

Nehemiah had already appealed to their reason and now he makes an appeal to their hearts. Yet, the way it is presented, it is almost as though it were an afterthought. “I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.” Truthfully, that is as it should be.

Like Nehemiah, each of us has a story of how God has moved in our lives; leading, chastening, protecting, blocking, keeping, healing, blessing, saving. Though each and every personal account is different, they each are mere reflections of our God. If our ‘God story’ or ‘personal account’ or ‘testimony’ was the most important thing to us, then we shall have elevated ourselves to the throne. But if our focus is sharp, our testimony is not so much about us as it is about God. In this instance, God working in the life of Nehemiah takes a ‘backseat’ to the task he had set before Nehemiah. Thus, it is fitting and proper that the testimony of Nehemiah received so little attention and came second to the exhortation to accomplish the task at hand.

Nevertheless, there is power in the personal testimony and it was no different for Nehemiah. We know this to be true because the response of those who heard the testimony of Nehemiah was to reply “Let us start rebuilding.” The logical reason to rebuild the walls, personal safety, was not sufficient to motivate the people to undertake the task. Yet when they heard of how God was working in the life of Nehemiah, how the hand of God was moving among them, they were motivated to action. From this, we should draw the lesson that our personal testimonies have been given us that we might share them in order to encourage and motivate others.

And from that, you must know that it is important to be prepared to give your testimony at any time. Though you may not be called by God to rebuild the walls of a great city you will likely be called to rebuild a relationship between a non-believer and God. Although rebuilding Jerusalem was important, it pales by comparison to the importance of bringing the lost back into the fold. The trials you’ve endured, the pain, the hurt; the joys you’ve celebrated at the work of God in your life, they are yours to share just as Nehemiah shared. Like his testimony, your testimony is imbued with the very power of God to invoke a response in the heart of those who here it. I say this only to encourage you to have your testimony ready so that in the fullness of time as ordained by God, you may deliver it according to His purposes.

“So they began this good work.” Motivated by the dedication of Nehemiah, compelled by personal testimony and armed with the knowledge that God had his hand working among them, they began the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

What are you working on today?

שָׁלֹם

Carl

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

T-70 - Encourage Others

Nehemiah, being yielded to God and having secured the support of the king, has travelled to Jerusalem. By the cover of night, Nehemiah has surveyed the walls and gates. It is only now that he reveals his intentions to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Have a look at… Nehemiah 2:17 (NIV)
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” [1]

I see in this passage parallels between the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the conquering of the Promised Land. You may recall that the spies observed the Promised Land and in the preceding passages of Nehemiah, we see that Nehemiah rode out, secretly, and observed the state of the walls and gate of Jerusalem. I can’t help but think that there is a lesson in this; perhaps about paying attention or careful observation before action.

Further, the tribal leaders of Israel were charged with analyzing the state of the land of Canaan. Nehemiah too analyzed what he had seen. I think it significant that Nehemiah did not ride to Jerusalem, get off his horse and immediately begin mixing mortar and setting stones. The phase of observation allowed him to assess the scope of the situation. The analysis of the observations allowed Nehemiah to determine what would be required to accomplish the task. Perhaps it was something along the lines of “okay, the west wall is completely crumbled; that’s 18’ tall by 50 yards in length, I’m going to need X number of stones and Y buckets of mortar.” Of course, this is just speculation and extrapolation on my part. But one thing is apparent to me. Nehemiah was not assessing the damage and analyzing his observations in order to determine IF the job could be done. He operated under the assumption that it WOULD be done. Therein is a significant difference between Nehemiah and ten of the tribal leaders of Israel who spied on the land of Canaan. Though Nehemiah was faced with a monumental job, he was completely undeterred.

Having observed and analyzed, Nehemiah then makes his report to the fellow countrymen. He begins his report by building up the people who are listening, giving them credit for understanding the trouble at hand; “You see the trouble we are in:…” In this manner, Nehemiah has made the cause a common cause. He did not say ‘you see the trouble YOU are in’ nor did he admonish the inhabitants for not having already begun reparations of the wall. He said ‘you see the trouble WE are in.’ If we are walking in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will have this same approach for the troubles that face us/them. Their problems, their sorrows, their opportunities become ours as we struggle together for the greater good of God’s kingdom.

Nehemiah observed that ‘Jerusalem lies in ruins’ which is based on his observation and would be readily apparent. He then offers that ‘its gates have been burned with fire.’ Now, my initial understanding had me picturing big wooden gates that had been reduced to charcoal. But I believe that was not the case. I think that the real problem is that the gates had been built with a stone, perhaps limestone, that when exposed to fire loses its structural integrity. If the stonework of the gate had been compromised, repairing the gates would not be a simple matter of attaching new wooden doors. It would require a careful reconstruction of the supporting structure. Thus, this was no small or inconsequential task.

Lastly, I note that Nehemiah, like Caleb and Joshua, spoke words of encouragement to his listeners. He exhorted them “Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I believe the word ‘disgrace’ here carries more of a meaning of vulnerability and dependence than one of pride. Nevertheless, Nehemiah was not deterred by that state of the walls. He lived his life predicated on the presence of God in his life. He worked with the assumption that God was in control. He approached the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem with faithful determination because he knew that God was with him.

As children of God, we too can operate in this world with ‘other-worldly’ confidence, just as Nehemiah. If we draw upon his example and internalize the lessons of yieldedness, prayer, humility and faith then we too can reconstruct all that has been reduced to rubble by our enemies. Our observation and analysis should be performed with the confidence of knowing that we operate in the center of God’s will and that by Him and through Him, all things are possible.

The camp connection… “come, let us set our teepees in the land that God has prepared for us and we will no longer be in disgrace.” God is Tsungani.

Warm Regards,
Carl 'Chief Running Water' Schultz
Read My Blog!

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

T-73 - Be Yielded, Prayerful and Sacrificial

Last night I had the opportunity to deliver a message against worry based on Matthew 6:25-34. As usual, that message was as much for me as it was for anyone else. It occurs to me that as I study Nehemiah during my daily devotionals I am reading the life of a man who knew the weight of a righteous burden but did not worry. That is a characteristic that I sorely need to develop in my own life so I have been searching for the ‘secret’ to a worry-free life. In today’s text, I believe I have been given a glimpse into Nehemiah’s secret.

Consider with me this passage…Nehemiah 2:4-5 (NIV)
4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
[1]

Did you notice? Or did you like me run right past it and focus on the content of Nehemiah’s statement to the king. Go back and read it again. Note that the king asked a question of Nehemiah. Note also that before Nehemiah gave his answer, he paused. And in that single still moment he breathed a prayer to God. Could that be part of the secret which I seek to uncover? I believe it is and in this small sentence fragment, I see two important indicators that I share with you now.

The first indicator is that Nehemiah is a man fully yielded to God. I say this based as much on what he didn’t say as on what he did say. What he didn’t say is “I thought for a moment” or “I considered what to say” or “I steeled myself to answer.” Nehemiah gave no consideration to himself at all. He did not look to reason or knowledge or tradition. He did not lean on his own understanding nor expectations. He didn’t choose his words carefully or gather any materials to support his position. He didn’t do any of the things that you and I might be inclined to do when faced with a similar situation. Instead he rested and relied on his faith in a god of providence and of grace. This could only be proof positive that Nehemiah was a man of God and a man fully yielded to God in humble submission. If there is one lesson that I need, this has to be it; how to be a man that is fully yielded to God and who lives by faith in all matters.

The second matter is that in a time of great stress and imminent danger, Nehemiah resorted to prayer. He did not run to superior logic or the power of reason; he reached out and plucked the power of prayer. He did not resort to oratorical device or superlative language; he resorted to prayer. He did not physically prostrate himself, bow his head, close his eyes or in any other way practice any sort of ritual; he simply prayed to the God of heaven. I envision his prayer as a dart; flying swiftly up to heaven where it landed at the feet of God. And just as swiftly, I see God dispatching an answer to Nehemiah. Very simply, it is the manifest power of prayer.

Now as simple as that seems I must acknowledge that Nehemiah did not offer only that ‘breath prayer’ to God. I believe the effectiveness of his ‘breath prayer’ was predicated upon a rich prayer life which had already paved the way for open communication between God and Nehemiah. I offer this observation because in Nehemiah 1:4-5 we have a record that Nehemiah, upon learning the state of his brethren in Jerusalem had mourned and fasted and prayed for some days. And after his period of mourning, fasting and prayer, he prayed a prayer of finality and turned the matter over to God. In that prayer, Nehemiah laid the groundwork for his ‘breath prayer.’ So while God hears all prayers, I believe the ‘prayer in an instant’ is most effective when accompanied by a full and fervent prayer life. Further, I believe this is borne out in scripture and specifically in the example of Jesus Christ.

Now if yieldedness is the posture, prayer must be the practice. Therein must be the secret of a worry-free life.

I could stop right here and feel like I had eaten a banquet. But in this passage there is one more thing that I just have to squeeze out of the text. It is the nature of the request made by Nehemiah to King Artaxerxes. It is the fruit of the prayer and a testament to Nehemiah’s yieldedness. He said “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

In that request is a noble sentiment but more importantly is the revelation that Nehemiah was asking to make a sacrifice of his own life. You must remember that Nehemiah was rich and powerful. He lived a comfortable life in the service of the king, had access to powerful people and got invited to all the good parties. In the same way that Nehemiah had the ear of God by way of prayer, he also had the ear of the king by way of the cup. I believe that at the time, it was an enviable position. But Nehemiah asked to give all that away so that he could travel to a distant city and undertake what could only be described as a gargantuan task. He asked to be allowed to rebuild Jerusalem. Now in case you don’t have an immediate appreciation for the size of that job, I want you to consider New Orleans. Years have passed since it was wrecked by a hurricane and its’ walls were breached by a flood. And even though we live in the richest country in the world, that city remains in tatters. Now consider if it were you seeking to rebuild that city. If an entire nation cannot rebuild New Orleans, how in the world could one man, Nehemiah, go about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem? How in the world, indeed. He couldn’t. But his strength and motivation were not in the world, they were from out of this world. He wasn’t Nehemiah going to rebuild Jerusalem, it was Nehemiah AND God. Suddenly, that task is not quite so large, is it? Evenso, Nehemiah was pouring out his own life that his fathers and his God might be honored and glorified.

I don’t know about you but my day just got put into perspective.

Warm Regards,
Carl 'Chief Running Water' Schultz
Read My Blog!
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.