The Pulpit Commentary — Nehemiah — Section 19

rnieh's receiving the tidings and his appeal to Artaxerxes. Whence this delay? Un- doubtedly the actual or '\"irtual inaccessibility of the king. Either he was not called to the royal presence, or the sovereign was obviously not in the mood. How unlike this to the ever-open throne of grace to which at any time, and in any place we mav go. sure of an attentive hearing from "him who giveth liberally and upbraid~th not. 1• II. DIPLOMACY. Nehemiah showed great skill- 1. In the int1·oduction of hia c.a.use. Ho":' s~?nld h~ ask to be sent elsewhere _when he was already "standing before the b.,ng ? This was regarded as the height of a man's ambition as our Scriptures plentifully intimate. To " stand before kings," to stand in the 111 king's presence," " before his face," was the acme of hope and satisfaction. To ask to be dismissed wns discourteous and dangerous. It was, indeed, going in this direction to seem otherwise than joyful (vers. 1, 2). But Nehemiah ventured thus far• he did not disguise or restrain his sorrow; it was evident in his countenance. Thi~ would be a forceful appeal to the king, and still more so to the queen, who was present (ver. 6). 2. In lii,s lament. It was the '' one touch of nature that makes the whole world kin," to allude t.o "the city of his fathers' sepulchres lying waste" (ver. 3) : this would strike a chord in any human heart; it did within the king. 3. In hi,s request. He was mentally prepared for utterance ; he had even calculated the neces- sary time (ver. 6), and the m:1-terials, &<:. he required_for the work (vers. 7, 8). We must not expect to succeed m any delicate enterprise unless we enter upon it with calculation and care. There are things to be done for God which may be wrought by sheer and simple earnestness ; but there are times when, if we cannot furnish it our~ selves, we must gi~e place to the man who ~an bring to the task refine~ent, delicacy, tact. We must give way to the Nehemiah of our Church or society; he will succeed admirably where we should fail ingloriously. III. PRAYE!l.. "So I prayed to the God of heaven" (ver. 4). This is a beautiful and snggestive parenthesis. Between the king's question and the courtier's reply there was a momentary appeal to heaven. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; as rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Prov. xxi. 1). An excellent thing is it for a man so to walk with God, to live so near to him, that at any moment, and at any time of special need, he can ejaculate a prayer ; so that it will be natural for him to withdraw for a brief interval from this world and from man, and lift up the heart to heaven. This is one way in which we may be "praying always" (Eph. vi. 18), "without ceasing" (1 Thess. v. 17). IV. GRATITUDE FOB suCCEss. "The king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me" (ver. 8). Nehemiah, like all praying men, was grateful. He ascribed success not to his own ingenuity, but to the "good hand of God." Men that are undevont are necessarily unthankful and self-complacent ; they congratulate themselves instead of blessing God. Far more beautiful and appropriate is it to realise that the hand of the Supreme is controlling all issues, and thus conferring all good. With some prosperity leads to pride and spiritual injury, while in others it inspires gratitude and devotion.-C. • Ver11. 1-8. These verses describe the circumstances in which Nehemiah obtained his commission as restorer of Jerusalem. They show that he was prospered, and that his prosperity was due to the blessing of God. We may notice- 1 The REWARD OF FAITH IN THE ANSWER TO PRAYER. 1. The faith was tried by waiting. Opportunity must not be made by hasty, presumptuous attempts to com- mand events, but by watching Providence. Nehemiah still prayed, and then on a certain day he could say, " It came to pass." 2. The Divine interposition was mani- fested in the control of the monarch's thoughts and disposition. It might easily have been otherwise. A suspicious Eastern despot might have been jealous and angry. When it is the purpose of God to help, even the secrets of the inner man are swayed by it. We must leave it to him to answer the prayer when and as he pleases. 3. There was a special best,owal of grace upon Nehemiah himself. He needed self- command, prudence, boldness, adroitness. And when challenged to disclose what was in his heart, making his countenance sad, he must depend upon inspiration to be able to say exactly the right thing, and to ~ay it so as to obtain his desire. His patriotism, his purity of motive, his coDfidence in his own vocation to fulfil eo great CH, II, 1-8.) THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. 17