New Languages and Royal Favors

Suggested Reading: Nehemiah 2:1-9

After Jerusalem was destroyed and its people taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Persian Empire conquered Babylon and the Jewish people were allowed to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding. But when the Persian King was informed of Jerusalem's rebellious history, revolting against Egypt, Assyria, and several times against Babylon, King Artaxerxes stopped the rebuilding of the wall. He didn't trust Jerusalem and didn't want to take a risk on it.

But then God laid the state of Jerusalem's wall on the heart of Nehemiah, Artaxerxes' trusted cupbearer and food taster. Nehemiah waited until the Persian New Year, when the kings were known for giving lavish feasts and being very generous in granting requests and then he approached the king and asked, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I may rebuild it" (Nehemiah 2:5, HCSB).

Now, Artaxerxes knew Nehemiah was from Jerusalem and was aware of what Nehemiah was asking for a city that Artaxerxes did not trust, but Nehemiah never used the word Jerusalem. He knew that the moment that word passed from his lips, the king would stiffen up. So Nehemiah presented his request in a different light, using a phrase to communicate clearly which city he was talking about but which would connect it to Nehemiah's grief and not the king's suspicion of a rebellious city. Nehemiah did not deceive and he did not change his request but he knew his audience and knew how to communicate with the king.

As we interact with our neighbors, friends and co-workers, as we witness to people who may have hang ups about the church or who have been hurt by religion, we need to get to know these people well enough to communicate with them on a level they will respond to. Rather than using church language or pushing a religion, we need to learn to communicate the pure Gospel of Christ in a language and in terms they will respond to. We need to be aware of their hangups and suspicions and do what we can to communicate the Gospel in a way that is completely true to the Gospel but that doesn't make them bristle up and shut down. Such an approach may require some effort and some patience on our part, but we will be much more effective in communicating the Gospel.

Confessing Sins You've Never Committed

Suggested Reading: Nehemiah 1:1-11

My father grew up in a very abusive situation. He, his eight brothers and sisters, and his mother, were constantly under the threat of a physical beating from my grandfather. Abuse is what he learned. A temper is what he was trained to display. But my dad never wanted to treat his children the way his father treated him. So when I was growing up we had a few holes in the walls. They were testaments to both my father's anger and his ironclad will not to repeat the mistakes of his own father by ever laying a finger on us in anger. As the years went by, there were fewer holes in the walls and less outbreaks of anger as he got better and better at behaving the way he wanted to instead of the way he was taught. Though he was far from perfect and didn't always succeed, my father tried to keep in mind the mistakes of his own father and his own desire to never repeat those mistakes.

In the story of Nehemiah, we find Nehemiah praying, seeking God's help in restoring Jerusalem to prosperity. Nehemiah prayed, "let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses" (Nehemiah 1:6-7, NIV). Now, Nehemiah had not been the one to bow down to an idol and incur the wrath of God. Nehemiah had not been the one to ignore God's commands and kill his prophets. Nehemiah had not been the one to worship false gods and teach others to do the same. But Nehemiah had been raised by people who had. Nehemiah had been taught the habits and lifestyles of the people who had done all those things. And Nehemiah was aware of the connection between his forbearers and the penalties for their sin and he was committed to never repeat the mistakes of the past.  

Many of us have been taught horrible and sinful things by the people who came before us and, unfortunately, many of us are teaching the same things to those who are coming after us. But if we are to have hope that the future will improve, if we are to secure the blessing of God for our families and ourselves, we must own up to the mistakes of the past and the habits and lessons we have been taught, even if we are not the ones who actually committed those mistakes. We must be painfully aware of those past sins so that we will never repeat them.

What bad habits have you been taught? What sinful attitudes have you learned from those who came before you? If you are ever to move beyond them, you must first acknowledge them before God as Nehemiah did. If not, you are destined to repeat them. 

Diva Requests and Abandoned Rights

Suggested Reading: Nehemiah 5

Sometimes celebrities make crazy demands. I came across a list of demands that stars have made of the hotels where they stay or of the people who host their concerts. Some of the demands were kind of silly, like a newly installed toilet seat that had never been used or all gold faucets in the rooms. Some revolved around food, where they required particular brands of soda or only organic fruit. Apparently, one celebrity requires that her "suite must be painted and furnished completely in white, with white lilies and white roses, her favorite flowers. White candles prominently placed, preferably with Paris perfume, “Diptyque.” Her sheets must be of Egyptian cotton with a thread count of at least 250. Room temperature set at exactly 25.5 degrees Celsius" (<http://www.huliq.com/43817/top-ten-outrageous-celebrity-demands>).  The list didn't say what happens if they don't get what they demand.

While most of us are not celebrities who can demand special treatment when we go someplace new, it is not uncommon for very un-famous people to be very demanding when it comes to getting what they are due. Every day we see examples of people who get upset if you call them "Mr." or "Mrs." instead of by their professional title. We have people who go into road rage when another driver doesn't yield the right of way, people in lines at grocery stores or waiting for food at restaurants get upset when people who arrived later get served first. Sometimes, our demand for our "rights" extends to wanting other people to provide the necessities of life for us.

Everyday we encounter areas of life where we feel like we are owed something or due a particular kind of treatment. In some ways, these things help society to function smoothly, such as knowing when and to whom we are to yield the right of way when driving. At other times, these things are simply courtesies that society has developed over time. In either case, we can often feel hurt, angered, or offended when we don't get what is due to us.

In the person of Nehemiah, we find the opposite of this trend. In Nehemiah 5: 14, we read, "Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah…I and my associates never ate from the food allotted for the governor" (HCSB). Nehemiah had arrived in Jerusalem and discovered the squalor in which his fellow Israelites lived and he decided to skip the rights he could have demanded as governor because his rights would have placed an undue burden on the people. He could have demanded gubernatorial rights but decided he could live without them. In Philippians 2:6, Paul says something similar about Jesus who "existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage" (HCSB). In both Jesus' and Nehemiah's case, they had rights they could have demanded, based upon who they were but they chose not to demand their rights.

When we choose to follow Christ, we choose not to make an issue of what we think people owe us. Instead, like Christ, we should try to take upon ourselves the very debts other people owe to us. Following Christ's example means we pay other people's debts rather than demanding that people pay us what we are owed.

Does someone owe you? Have you been slighted or been cheated out of what was yours? Follow Christ's example and focus on what you can do for the ones who have wronged you. It will make a world of difference.