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Nehemiah had a rather… uh… interesting position in the royal court. He was the cupbearer and personal bodyguard to Artaxerxes Longimanus, and his responsibilities would have been very diverse. A cupbearer needed to be extremely trustworthy and possess unwavering integrity. If the cupbearer was easily influenced by money or political ideas, assassinating a king would be easy. Nehemiah was also personally responsible to serve the king’s wine and food. On some occasions, he would have been obligated to taste the wine to make sure it was not poisoned!
Another responsibility for Nehemiah would have been to serve as a personal advisor to the king. The closeness of such a relationship would naturally build a personal bond between the king and his cupbearer. On some levels, it seems almost like a friendship. This is why the king was greatly disturbed that Nehemiah is visibly depressed.
The power of this story is found in Nehemiah’s commitment to prayer. In Nehemiah 1, we read of the burden that God placed on him. Nehemiah 2 picks up the story four months later.
During the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence…
Nehemiah 2:1 HCSB
Why is the date important?
It reveals that Nehemiah waited and prayed for 4 months. He didn’t ignore the burden God had placed on him, but he also didn’t jump in and try to fix things under his own strength. It is helpful to consider following this same type of pattern by praying that God would either bring relief to the burdens we have or to show us the next steps to take to alleviate that burden. As David Guzik notes, this date also fulfilled prophecy.
“The date is also important, because it establishes the date given to restore Jerusalem and its walls. Dan_9:25 says that exactly 173,880 days from this day – which was March 14, 445 B.C. – Messiah the prince would be presented to Israel. Sir Robert Anderson, the eminent British astronomer and mathematician, makes a strong case that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy exactly, to the day, entering Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D., precisely 173,880 days from Neh 2:1.”
David Guzik
This dedication to prayer is seen once again when Nehemiah initially responds to the king.
Then the king asked me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven
Nehemiah 2:4 HCSB
Notice the king asks “What is your request?” To Nehemiah, he had no personal request separate from God. The burden was placed in his heart by God and so the request also needed to come from God. The actions of Nehemiah assume that his will is directly tied to God’s will. The amazing truth that comes from Nehemiah’s decision compels us to evaluate the burdens He has placed on our own hearts. Often, we take a burden and immediately go out to resolve it. But Nehemiah could not accomplish what God called of him in his own strength. He needed to follow the game plan that the Lord revealed one step at a time.
So, where does this currently resonate with you? How closely are you pursuing God in your quest to respond to His burdens?