Nehemiah - Great Leader, Great Legacy

14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of of all our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.  (Psalm 19:14)

Today I would like to do something a little different,

            I would like to take you on a journey, a journey - by way of a story - of one of the             greatest leaders the world has ever seen

That’s a pretty big claim - but if you stick with me I think you will appreciate the moment that we remember in our reading from Nehemiah today

            Now starting at the beginning of a story it generally a good idea in story-telling

                        But in my mind there is a question of what the beginning actually is

                                    So I will start first with some context

Abraham is the patriarch of the Jews and through Abraham a covenant was given

            God will make him father of multitude of nations

            God’s covenant will be established through Abraham’s descendants

            The one true God will be their God

            God will give for their everlasting possession the land of Canaan

Abraham’s family did establish

            After some time due to famine in the land they moved out of the Promised Land   to live for 400 years in Egypt, where they gradually became slaves

Moses led them out of slavery in the most incredible escape ever recorded - with the 10 plagues and the parting of the red sea

            Only to be at the doorstep of returning to the promise land and by a lack of faith   be cursed to wander in the desert for 40 years

Then with a new generation (except Joshua) Joshua led from one victory to the next to reclaim the promise land

            There the Jews lived for 820 years (albeit not exactly peacefully and in full             occupation of the whole of Canaan) but they did occupied a portion of the    Promise land for those 820 years

                        In the middle of that 820 year period Israel establishes as one of the great                          nations, first by King David and then by his son Solomon who is the first                            to build a Temple for the Lord God

Then came the exile - first with the fall of the northern kingdoms and later finally with the fall of Jerusalem

            Where all Jews were hauled off to Babylon and forced to live in a foreign land

After forty years they returned to the land - but they returned in waves

            The first group returns in 538BC under the leadership of Zerubbabel

            The second wave returns under Ezra in 458BC

                        And final we get the context to the story of today…

Now Nehemiah, a Jew in exile, was a servant in the King’s court - King Artaxerxes of Persia

            A cupbearer - which meant he brought the wine for the king to drink

                        He would have also been responsible for tasting the wine - first both to                               make sure it will be pleasing but also as a tester for poison

                                    So he would have had the trust of the King

One day his brother and some others that have escaped back from Jerusalem come by

            And Nehemiah asks them how Jerusalem doing,

They tell him to his horror that despite around a hundred years since the first returned from exile - the remnant is there but the wall is broken down and the city gates are destroyed by fire

            There has been no development of capital of the promise land. The temple, the       house of the Lord has not been rebuilt

                        Nehemiah is greatly distressed at this news

                                    - and you can read in the first             chapter of Nehemiah a great prayer                                        of penitence both for himself and all the Jews and pledge of                                                obedience - a wonderful example of faith

            This sad news causes Nehemiah to go about his job being visibly miserable

                        Now the King, Artaxerxes, ask him what is troubling him

Here are the beginnings of Nehemiah’s greatness - he prays first before answering…

            Then tells the King that he would like to return to the city of his fathers’ tombs to             rebuild it

                        Artaxerxes asks how long he will be gone

                                    He responds with a definite time and is granted his request

Nehemiah in great wisdom and with the gift of leadership takes a bold step - he asks for more - he asks for:

            A letter for the governors of the provinces ‘beyond the river’ for safe passage        through their lands

            A letter for the keeper of the King’s forest for timber to rebuild temple and the      city gates

                        The King gives these to Nehemiah and also sends him along his journey                              with the protection of officers of the army and horsemen

The journey is faced with the perils that Nehemiah was wise to prepare for

            A late night arrival and secret inspection of the walls of Jerusalem - reveal that      they are in bad shape

                        But in the light of day Nehemiah proclaims the task that he will undertake

                                                The first step of rebuilding Jerusalem is to rebuild the walls                                      which protect the city

                                    There develops opposition from all the neighboring people

                                                Afraid of what Israel might become

                                                            They ridicule them

                                                            They threaten them

                                                                        But the wall starts to get built in sections

                                    Building yet with a strategy of military defense

                        Half are given the task of protecting those that build and all are said to                               build with an eye to the possibility of attack and they build with their                          sword at their side

                                    They are even described as building with one hand and with the                                          other hand holding their weapon

But the problems are not only with the surrounding neighbors

            The people have given up their homes and farms and livelihoods and there             become great problems within the Jewish builders

                        Not the least of which they are poor

                                    Nehemiah abolishes usury and arranges to cancel their debts

                                                And lives as an unselfish example for them

The threats intensify and there are attempts to ensnare Nehemiah - to trick him into leaving his job with the false promises of peace - but Nehemiah keeps on leading his people to the task

            The wall gets completed

                        The first job that Nehemiah then does is to take a census of the returned                             exiled

And here is the point were we meet up with our reading of today

            Here is the climatic moment where the “Cupbearer” has, despite all the     challenges developed into the leader that brought his people back into the safety    of the newly rebuild city walls in the land promised to the great patriarch          Abraham - the covenant with God

                        A humble servant, a poison tester, has acted on “Big vision - a vision                                 which grew from the sadness of knowing something was not in                                                 accordance to how God would want it” - to return to the city of his                           fathers’ tombs to rebuild it

What happens in this climatic moment - Ezra the priest and scribe brings the law of Moses and reads it to everyone with ears to hear

            Not merely the men, as would be expected in that culture, but everyone - men,       women and those old enough who could listen with understanding

                        It starts early in the morning and goes till midday (likely about six hours)

                                    So no more complaints about long sermons…

                        Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God

                                    - and all responded with Amen - Amen

                        And there were Levites there as well standing beside Ezra to explain the                            law and interpret it for the people

            Now imagine if you will, the entire people, all those that have returned from exile              are gathered

                        They listen to the law being read for 6 hours, 6 hours - they listen further                            to Levitical priests for explanation

                                    And they know THAT God who promised to their forefather                                              Abraham - has been faithful

                                                - the land is being restored to them - as promised

                                    - and they are gripped by their guilt for not living up to their part of                                    the covenant

                                                and they begin to weep

But Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and Levites say to all of them

            “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.”

                                “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them                                     to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord;                                 and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

This incredible moment that the people have been waiting for all those years in exile has finally arrived - Gracious and faithful God has brought them back into safety and they know that they haven’t been faithful to God - and they weep

But Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites guided by the Holy Spirit tell them something different

            They transform the perfectly human response of weeping for a guilty conscience - to something better

What we see here in this climatic moment - is a true message of God’s grace

            The message of this moment is a renewal of the covenant

After reconstruction - there is reinstruction

            and the highlight of that reinstruction is the message “to be joyful in God’s grace”

Nehemiah started his journey with prayer and a holy vision and zeal for God’s way and finishes with the joy towards God’s covenant - finishes with praise and celebration

God transforms our pain, our guilt and replaces it with his mercy and joy

            God is true and faithful

This was on the Sabbath

            and is reminder of the joy that we are to have in celebrating our Sabbath

                        This day also marks for modern Jews the first day of the New Year

                                    The new year is marked with the message of renewal

            This is truly the day that the Lord has made

                        We will rejoice and be glad in it

This message provides for us an echo through into the greatest of all promises fulfilled in the new covenant - in the Good News of Jesus the Christ

And with Jesus’ own words we hear the same message where he is asked

“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? (Matthew 9:14-15)

            Jesus is with us - Let us celebrate

                        For God is truly faithful

                                    Amen