Bible Reading: Nehemiah 4:1-11
Key Verse: Verse 6 – “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.”
Key Words: So built we the wall
When Nehemiah heard about the deplorable condition in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity of the city he sat down and wept, mourned, and fasted certain days. But he did not stay down; he had an honorable desire for God to use him to rebuild the walls of the city.
John Phillips wrote the following about Nehemiah:
“Nehemiah received news that the repatriated Jews in the promised land were in desperate straits. The walls of Jerusalem were still in ruins and so were the gates of the city. So Nehemiah prayed and fasted. His concern showed on his face. (In those days a servant imperiled his life if he appeared sad before the king.) The king noticed that something was wrong and demanded an explanation. Nehemiah recorded his reaction: ‘I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king…’ (Nehemiah 2:4-5). We can be quite sure that that prayer was little more than the upward glancing of the eye, for he had already done his extended praying. Nehemiah then explained to the king his deep desire to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. The king not only gave him permission; he armed him with letters commanding governors along the way to give him their aid. So Nehemiah was ‘satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.’
“When Julius Caesar returned from one of his wars, he summed up his campaign in the famous sentence, Veni, vidi, vici (‘I came, I saw, I conquered’). Nehemiah might have used similar words when he reported back to the Persian emperor. The task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was monumental and formidable. Yet it was accomplished in fifty-two days in the face of all kinds of opposition (Nehemiah 6:15). This accomplishment was a magnificent triumph for the energetic and practical Nehemiah.”
God honored Nehemiah in allowing him to lead in the rebuilding of the walls because his desire was not only honorable, it was God-honoring.
What to do:
✞ Live to please God.
Are you Saved? | Get These Free Devotions Everyday By Email
