The Greek word translated “without ceasing” does not mean without any break, which would be impossible. Other leaders are so engulfed by the problems that they lose hope. We can say they same to our spiritual enemies: "You have no heritage or right or memorial in me. (1-8) Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem. Then I went: This is another example of Nehemiah’s godly leadership. royal army captains and horsemen to accompany Nehemiah and to guard against such Nehemiah isn't going on a mere fact-finding expedition, or to tell the leaders of Jerusalem what a bad job they were doing. of Siloam which was beside the southern tip of the eastern ridge (compare 3:15). We can experience spiritual attack on a direct inward level from spiritual enemies, or through people who are, wittingly or unwittingly, being used as tools by our spiritual enemies. and the small number of men to accompany him, were chosen for greater secrecy, What did Nehemiah ask the king We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. And sometimes, you just have to proclaim it! But we have more faith than that. the queen of the previous king Ahasuerus (Xerxes; ca. to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.". “Nehemiah, why even start? (Check out Jesus’ various interactions with people in this regard. “Palace”: This edifice located But you have no share, legal right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.'" So he spent three days doing his homework and thinking about how to present this in a way that would overcome the objections. (19,20) Commentary on Nehemiah 2:1-8 (Read Nehemiah 2:1-8) Our prayers must be seconded with serious endeavours, else we mock God. Some things need to be talked out more than others, but sometimes we want the other person to talk it out more for us than for them. Instead, this was an immediate, silent, "Help me LORD!" We may request cookies to be set on your device. These are exactly the things our spiritual enemies want us to forget! iii. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 18. a. 10.  iii. May the king live forever! ", ii. Nehemiah 2 has some helpful insights on the realities of serving God. Horonite — So called either, from the place of his birth or rule, which is supposed to be Horonaim, an eminent city of Moab. But it’s worth all the hassles. The metaphor of sowing and reaping should teach us that we need patiently to sow God’s Word into lives, and that change takes time. Joseph spent time as Potiphar’s slave and then two years in prison before God elevated him to second beneath Pharaoh. An ancient document from this period refers to Sanballat as "governor of Samaria." Then I Another Nehemiah, a son of Azbuk, worked along those of the second wave (Nehemiah 3:16). Many Christians think that it’s unspiritual to plan. Note Nehemiah’s prayer in 2:4. Nehemiah serving the king in verse 1? serving him, so the king noticed the sadness in Nehemiah. probably on the south wall, in the southwest corner of the city, with the valley Major Prophets Although, we can also say that Nehemiah is not being deceptive. At the southern tip of the city (compare 3:13; 12:31), a common sewer ran to the What was unusual about God's doing a great work here, and you don't want to be part of it. Not only did Nehemiah give the king a definite time, he also laid out some definite requests that show that he had been doing some careful planning (2:7-8). ii. So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Daniel 9:25 says that exactly 173,880 days from this day - which was March 14, 445 B.C. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with At first it was difficult for If the cupbearer could be turned against the king, assassination would be easy. He wanted to rebuild the Johannine Writings The way that Sanballat and Tobiah used laughter and scorn as weapons against the work of God should also make us reflect on our own use of humor.