Nehemiah Reverenced God

Let us consider some aspects of this beautiful and effectual prayer as found in Nehemiah 1:5-11.

“I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments.”

In effect Nehemiah said, “How great thou art!” He had a proper conception of the majesty of God. That word “terrible” in the original does not mean terrifying but rather “greatly to be revered.” Then he showed his familiarity with the holy scriptures by an almost direct quote from Deuteronomy 7:9, which reads:

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant, and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.”

We continue from Nehemiah’s prayer, verse 6:

“Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee.”

This reference to the ears and eyes of God reminds us of Hezekiah’s prayer when he spread before the Lord the insulting letter from Sennacherib. He said, as recorded in 2 Kings 19:16:

“Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear; open, Lord, thine eyes, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he hath sent to reproach the living God!”

Such an expression is not at all presumptuous; it is entirely in harmony with one of the precious promises the Lord has given his people, found in Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” In the prayer Solomon made at the dedication of the temple, he said:

“Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.” 2 Chronicles 6:40

Then in his prayer Nehemiah made a confession, not only for himself, but for all Israel. He said:

“Both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandest thy servant Moses.”

A confession of sin should be a part of every prayer. Then Nehemiah reminded the Lord of certain promises he had made to his people. He said:

“Remember I beseech thee, the word that thou commandest thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations. But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part under the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen, to set my name there.”

In saying this, Nehemiah cited to the Lord his own edict of Leviticus 26:33:

“I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you, and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.”

This is exactly what had happened to the holy land and the city of Jerusalem. This was a curse upon Israel because of their disobedience. But Nehemiah was a good Bible Student. He also knew that a blessing was promised if Israel obeyed the voice of the Lord. He called to mind, and cited to the Lord, the promise of Deuteronomy 30:1-3:

“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.”

Do you see what Nehemiah did here? First, he quoted to God his own word, that he is a covenant-keeping God, a God that will surely perform what he has promised. Then he reminded the Lord of a promise he had made to regather his people under certain circumstances. Then he claimed the promise. This is reasoning with God. Then he concluded his prayer by specifically referring to the distressed inhabitants of devastated Jerusalem who desired to return to God and prosper. He said:

“Now these are thy servants, and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name, and prosper. I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

The one referred to as “this man” was Artaxerxes, the king, an absolute monarch, not accountable to any parliament or laws, whose every whim was law. History records that he was arbitrary and self-willed, easily aroused to violent anger, often killing on the spot those who offended him. Artaxerxes was also called “Longimanus,” which means “long-handed.” His right hand was longer than his left. He was proud of this deformity, claiming it was the result of his frequent and sudden use of the sword. This was the man through which Nehemiah must work to accomplish his purpose!

God Answers His Prayer

Nehemiah did not pray only once and then wait for the Lord to answer him. He says that he prayed day and night. So this prayer is merely a summation of what he prayed continuously for four months. We know this because the first verse tells us that it was in the month Chisleu when he learned of the plight of Jerusalem and began to pray. We are told in Nehemiah 2:1 that it was in the month Nisan that he finally received an answer to his prayer, a lapse of four months. If his custom was the same as that of Daniel who prayed three times a day with his windows open toward Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10), Nehemiah must have uttered the sentiments of this prayer at least 360 times!

The answer came suddenly and unexpectedly. The king had prepared a banquet for his nobles at which the queen also was present. We can imagine that the guests were all attired in their best silks and jewels, and were smiling and joyous. Nehemiah, as usual, was at the king’s right hand so that he might taste of the food and wine before it was served to the king. As he served the wine, the king glanced up and noticed the contrast between Nehemiah and the happy guests. He saw a sadness and pallor he had never seen before. After all, let us remember, Nehemiah had not only been praying, but had also been fasting, eating sparingly for four months, sorrowing on behalf of his people. He was gaunt and hollow-eyed. Artaxerxes placed his hand on Nehemiah’s arm. “What’s troubling you?” he asked. “Everybody else here is happy, and you are sad. Are you sick?” “Oh no, your majesty,” Nehemiah replied, trying to smile, “I am quite well.” The king’s eyes bored into his own. “Well, then,” he said, “If you art not sick, it must be a great sadness of the heart. It shows on your face.” Nehemiah was terrified. As he himself expresses it in Nehemiah 2:2,

“Then I was very sore afraid.” Or, as Moffatt puts it: “I was dreadfully afraid at this.”

Why was he so frightened? It was because he well knew the temper of his king. He had seen this man summarily thrust through with his sword any who offended him. Nehemiah realized that his sadness of heart might be misconstrued. It might indicate to the king a spirit of discontent and loss of interest in his duties, even disloyalty and treachery. An urgent, silent prayer, went up to God and Nehemiah quickly recovered his poise. He instantly realized that this might be the Lord’s doing, proving just the opportunity he sought. We read his words in Nehemiah 2:3,4:

“And I said unto the king, Let the king live for ever. Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my father’s sepulchres, lieth waste and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.”

The exact words that he should speak to the king now came easily and readily to his lips, as though prompted from above:

“And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my father’s sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him), For how long shall thy journey be? And when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.”