Homecoming day 1

 Nehemiah & Ezra

 

Nehemiah was a Jew, but he didn’t live anywhere near Jerusalem. In fact, he’d never even visited the land of his forefathers. He lived in Persia, hundreds of miles away from the Temple. He was a servant, and – even though he was a high-ranking servant – he didn’t have much clout. 

But he had this idea of one day being able to walk where King David had walked, to touch the stones that Solomon had set in place, to see the same hillsides that Elijah and Elisha had seen. He sometimes tried to imagine what these places looked like – the rough stones of the walls around the holy city, the smell of the Mount of Olives. 

It became something of an obsession for Nehemiah. And he could not stand the idea that the once great city of God had been reduced to rubble and ashes and abandoned. He felt a gnawing sense of responsibility, even though he was a nobody, just a servant in a distant land. He would sometimes form plans to restore the city of Jerusalem, daydreaming about what he would do if he ever found himself in a position to do something. 

Of course, he had heard reports about how Ezra, Zerubbabel and 50,000 others had gone to restore the Temple. But he had no idea how his story would intersect with theirs. God often works on multiple fronts, weaving different threads together to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. 

One day, out of the blue, the Persian King Artaxerxes asked him. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling well? You look like something’s bothering you.”

Taking a deep breath, and believing that God must have somehow put him in this place at this place, for this purpose, Nehemiah spilled everything. Then, unbelievably, the king asked, “What can I do to help?”

“Send me to Jerusalem,” Nehemiah blurted out, “and let me rebuild the wall around the city.”

Nehemiah must have held his breath while he waited for a response. Imagine his shock when the king’s next words were, “How long will it take and when will you return?”

Nehemiah had played out so many scenarios in his mind, dreaming of a moment like this. He had mapped the whole thing out a thousand times and was fully prepared to answer all of the king’s questions. For the next several hours, the king helped Nehemiah get together everything he would need to make his journey. 

Amazingly, the biggest obstacle to Nehemiah’s dream coming true was not logistical factors (such as his foreign captors, the length of travel or the cost of materials); it was something far more difficult to conquer, discouragement.  

The task of rebuilding the walls was enough to sober up Nehemiah and his party, but soon there was the added hardship of dealing with two bullies, Sanballat and Tobiah. Initially these two engaged in verbal taunting, but that eventually gave way to threats of outright sabotage. In response, Nehemiah divided his workers into those who would stand guard with swords and spears, bows and arrows, ready to defend against an attack, and those who would work directly on the wall. Even the workers dealing with bricks and mortar kept their weapons close by. 

Because of Nehemiah’s dogged trust in the God of his forefathers, the city soon stood strong once again. The walls were set in place and, 500 years after the glory of God filled Solomon’s temple, the people stood together to renew their covenant with YHWH. 

But this is more than just a story about one man whose hard work allowed his dream of rebuilding God’s city to become a reality. This is a story about a faithful God who works through ordinary people (a builder like Zerubbabel, a Bible teacher like Ezra and a strategic planner like Nehemiah) in absolutely extraordinary ways when they are willing to be used by Him. 

 

Prayer 

 

Lord of all things. Your sovereign will and purposes cannot be thwarted by human or demonic opposition. You revealed to Your prophets the things that were to come, and You have been working in history to bring these things to pass just as You predicted and promised. May I have a growing sense of confidence and assurance in all Your promises and rest in the realisation that setbacks and opposition and disappointment will not defeat Your purposes for my life. I ask for a broader perspective that sees things in light of eternity and contextualises the present in light of the ultimate future. May I have a zeal for the things that You have declared to be important and a desire for that which You want to accomplish through me for Your good pleasure. When I am anxious,

I will give my burdens back to You and rest in Your assurances. 

In Jesus’s name, Amen.