These are some observations I wrote down about 2 years ago. Enjoy!
June 14, 2012
Having finished Ezra, I had some doubts about where to go next. My first thought was Nehemiah, but at first I resisted, thinking that it would just be more details on the same subject. Then a couple days ago, two things hit me: first, since Nehemiah covers the same period (and includes some of the same people), then it would be an excellent follow-up for Ezra; second, GOD speaks through the Word in many different ways, each time speaking deeper messages through the same text. Who am I, then, to refuse teaching from a book I think I know?
Nehemiah begins during chapter 4 of Ezra. Nehemiah serves as cupbearer (special security) to King Artaxerxes, to whom the Samaritans wrote a letter with the claim that the Jews were going to rebel. The king puts a stop to the rebuilding efforts, and the Temple remains unfinished for a while. It is before and during this time that Nehemiah is in Jerusalem, contributing to the national reconstruction in another way.
Nehemiah hears about the opposition from a friend, and also hears that Jerusalem’s walls remain in disrepair. Those walls had been built and spread as Jerusalem grew from David’s time; they had been destroyed when the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar and his father had conquered Judah. The Jews under Zerubbabel had been given permission by Cyrus of Persia to rebuild the Temple, but the walls were another issue entirely. Walls allowed a city to defend itself – and the fact that Jerusalem still had none meant that the newly-returned exiles were vulnerable. This is what so saddened Jeremiah – that the newly restored nation seemed so close to destruction again. Attributing this to the nation’s failure to follow the Law, he intercedes with GOD, asking for GOD for assistance as he goes before the king.
Like Esther earlier on, Nehemiah was placed in a good position to intervene for the Jews; as cupbearer, he had a high position of power and trust with the king. Even so, he felt trepidation when the king noticed his servant’s change in demeanor; Artaxerxes knew Nehemiah well enough to know that something deep had caused a huge shift in his cupbearer’s emotional state, and he might have inferred it to be a shift in loyalty against him (which would warrant capital punishment). After an abbreviated prayer for mercy from Artaxerxes, he proceeds to ask for permission to go and rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Having forbidden the rebuilding of Jerusalem until his command (Ezra 4:21), the king relents, likely basing his decision on Nehemiah’s past conduct in their relationship, trusting that his motives are pure. To make sure, he asks his servant for a deadline, ensuring that Nehemiah will return.
Having secured his request, Nehemiah also asks for letters of safe conduct from Persia to Judah; he already knows he will have enemies when he arrives, and so he prepares for them and any others he may encounter en route. As a sign of his support, the king arranges a military escort; Nehemiah is a valuable servant, and the king apparently would like to keep him. Naturally, when Nehemiah arrives and states his purpose, the opposing officials are not happy about the situation, but since Nehemiah enjoys the king’s support, they can do nothing for the moment. After inspecting what is left of the old walls, he meets with the Jews and rallies their support; similar to Zerubbabel, he rejects any assistance from outsiders, making it an entirely Jewish project. From maps and historical estimations, Nehemiah will restore Jerusalem’s walls to their former positions, rebuilding the expansions of Solomon and Hezekiah and adding his own to make room for the new generation of city dwellers.
Glancing between the books, a detail rises to my attention that I missed before; Artaxerxes’ successor, Darius, allows the Temple reconstruction to continue, but Ezra arrives during Artaxerxes’ time “following this.” I think this is an instance of the “co-ruler” system practiced in the Middle East, where the heir-apparent shares the throne as a junior partner when he comes of age. Darius could only have done so with his father’s permission, with Cyrus’ recorded decree as justification. Since Ezra’s arrival will coincide with Nehemiah’s reign as governor of Judah, it makes interesting speculation to think of how these two men would have rubbed elbows.
Nehemiah is an example of the fraternal identity that he held as a Jew; similarly, though we may be half a world away, we can identify with our Christian brethren because of our common link of faith and the Holy Spirit. The key to being used by GOD is to have the right heart, but also to be open/receptive to the Spirit’s leading and ready for the right time. One thing that I have learned about GOD over the years is that He is very orderly in the way He works; by learning to know Him better, His character begins to reflect on us (Nehemiah shows the same orderliness in his arrangements with the king). Much as we bear authority through the name of Jesus, Nehemiah was able to go forth boldly because he came with the backing of the king’s authority.