Sermon Tone Analysis

In last weeks message we got a vivid picture of the sovereignty of God, that fact that He is truly in control.

We also saw through the life of Nehemiah how important it is that:

The Servant of God is Persistent in Prayer.

We were reminded that God generally answers prayers in one of three ways, Yes, No and Wait on the Lord.

Sometimes waiting on the Lord is the toughest part for us.

But as we are praying and waiting, we need to be devoted to doing our very best in whatever situation or job the Lord has us in.

We were encouraged that as we are waiting, especially those times we get a sense from God that He has something specific for us to do, that we also need to be devoting ourselves to putting together a plan of action, so that when we get God’s peace, we are ready to roll.

When Nehemiah received clearance from the king, he wasted no time in laying out his plan before that king.

Lastly, we learned that:

The Servant of God Trusts God’s Perfect Plan and God’s Perfect Timing.

Often times God is doing things behind the scenes we do not see, to accomplish His will, not just for us, but for all of creation.

We were reminded last week that this Universe does not revolve us as individuals.

We are not the center of all creation, God is.

We saw in last weeks passage how God finally opened to door for Nehemiah to share with the king his own heart regarding the Nation of Judah.

Often times with us, when we see God open up huge doors, like the one he had opened for Nehemiah before King Artaxerxes, we think in our mind that we can now move forward with the work of God unopposed.

Perhaps Nehemiah may have thought that as well, but that thought quickly disappeared.

Nehemiah quickly learned that: Next Slides

God’s Open Doors, Don’t Close the Door on the Enemies Opposition.

Throughout the Book of Nehemiah we will see Nehemiah face continual opposition.

Now I want us to keep one thing in mind as we look at the opposition Nehemiah faces.

There is never any indication that Nehemiah is ever outside of the center of God’s will.

Let me repeat this again because I don’t want you to miss this; Next Slide

There is never any indication that Nehemiah is ever outside of the center of God’s will.

Yet immediately we see him facing opposition.

So, where does Nehemiah’s first opposition come from?

Next Slides

Opposition From King Artaxerxes.

Vs. 2 & 3

In looking at verses 2 & 3 we see opposition rear its ugly head.

Next Slide

Nehemiah 2:2-3

You may look at these 2 verses and ask; “Where is the opposition?”

Well to see the opposition you have to understand the historical context of this situation.

According to what we see in the history of the Persian Empire at that time, no one, especially one of the kings officials, was ever permitted to show sadness in the presence of the king.

To do so at a minimum meant a loss of your position, and in most cases meant a loss of life.

That is why we read “Then I was very much afraid”.

You see for one thing sadness in the presence of the king, in their eyes, meant you were unhappy with the way they were running the country.

This was never permitted, even if you were unhappy.

Plus, the thoughts of Persian rulers was that they were so wonderful that just being in their presence meant all the problems of your life somehow just disappeared.

On top of that, if you were the king’s cupbearer and you displayed any unhappiness, the king may get suspicious that something was going on behind the scenes that would put his life in danger.

By the way, there is something else in verse 2 that can seem a little confusing.

The king said to Nehemiah; “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick?”

Any ideas on why the king was certain Nehemiah would not be in his presence if he was sick?

If you were the kings cupbearer, if you woke up with a runny nose you didn’t set foot in his presence, keep in mind Nehemiah was literally drinking from the same cup as the king.

When I was growing up we were always told to cover our mouths if we were going to cough or sneeze.

Back in the dark ages we covered our mouths with our hands.

How are kids taught to cover their mouths today?

(Usually with their arms at the inside of the elbow).

We have learned that when you cover you mouth with your hand and shake hands or touch something publically like a door knob, you were taking the chance at spreading those germs.

So now we cough in our arms.

We are very particular about spreading nasty germs.

The same was true for Nehemiah, if he wasn’t feeling well, someone else covered for him those days.

The second area of opposition Nehemiah experienced is in verse 3. Again, the opposition doesn’t jump off the page as you read the verse.

To really pick up the opposition you have to....well you have to read what’s not in the verse and do some digging in the history of Scripture.

First, let’s read what’s not in the verse.

What is missing is the name of the city.

Nehemiah doesn’t come right out and name the city of Jerusalem.

Why would Nehemiah neglect to name the city?

Really there were probably 2 reasons he didn’t name the city.

He was strumming on the heart strings of the Persian king.

You see the kings of Persia had a soft spot for the National heritage of the in habitants of their lands, especially those that had been conquered by the Babylonian Empire.

That is one of the reason Cyrus, close to a hundred years earlier had allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.

So Nehemiah is doing his best to soften the heart of the king before he names the city.

But there is another reason he doesn’t name the city, and that is:

Jerusalem was in shambles because of the king.

To see this we need to go back to the Book of Ezra chapter 4 where we read:

Ezra 4:8-23

“8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River.

11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.)

“To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting.

And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem.

They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city.

They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.

13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired.

14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers.

You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old.

That was why this city was laid waste.16

We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

The King Orders the Work to Cease

17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting.

And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me.

19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.

20 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid.

21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me.

22 And take care not to be slack in this matter.

Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”

23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.”

What we see here is that at some point in the time between king’s 7th year, when Ezra returned with King Artaxerxes blessing, and his 20th year, Artaxerxes himself had given orders that the rebuilding of the walls be stopped.

Now we don’t see that he gave orders that they destroy what had been built so far, or that the gates be burned with fire, we have to assume that Rehum and his cohorts took that part upon themselves.

But the fact that Artaxerxes was the one that gave the command that the walls not be built meant that Nehemiah had to be very careful in how he addressed the king in this matter.

As a result the first thing he did was strum on the heartstrings of the king.

You see if he were to blurt out the name Jerusalem right from the very start, Artaxerxes would have likely taken Nehemiah’s sorrow and request, as a challenge to his decisions as the king.

The last thing you wanted to do was to challenge the kings decisions.

So the first opposition we see Nehemiah face comes from the king himself.

The next opposition comes from:

Opposition From Surrounding Enemies.

Vs. 9 -10 & 19

In some ways, what the Nation of Israel is facing today is what the Nation of Judah, the 2 southern tribes of Israel, were facing in the days of Nehemiah, they were surrounded by enemies that wanted them dead and gone.

In this instance they have 2, and later a 3rd governor from surrounding provinces that came out in opposition.

Before we move forward in our discussion of Nehemiah’s opposition from the Surrounding Enemies, I want to take a brief detour to highlight something we see at the end of verse 9.