In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how the king observed his sadness and asked him, “for what do you make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if your servant have found favor in your sight, that you would send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it”, and in chapter two and verse six of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how the king asked him, “how long shall your journey be?”,where we read,
And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall your journey be? and when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
The verse reads, “And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall your journey be? and when will you return?”. Nehemiah began with the words, “and the king said unto me” or “and the royal ruler and leader uttered, declared, proclaimed and asked me, Nehemiah”, “(the queen also sitting by him)” which means “even so and indeed the consort or female royal even so and indeed was seated, fixed and established beside him, the king”, “for how long” or “for what length of time” “shall your journey be” which means “will your, Nehemiah's, going, passage or travel exist”? Nehemiah shared how the royal ruler with his female aristocrat seated beside him asked him about the length of time his travels would take.
The verse continues, “So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.” Nehemiah added the words, “so it pleased the king” or “therefore, then and on this account the royal ruler and leader was glad, joyful and cheerful” “to send me”which means “to assign and dispatch me, Nehemiah”; “and I set him a time” or “and I, Nehemiah, gave and assigned him, the king, an appointed time”. Nehemiah shared how the royal ruler was glad to dispatch him to Jerusalem, and Nehemiah told him how long his travels would take.
When we think through the words in this verse, we discover how the royal ruler “Artaxerxes” was seated beside his “queen” and asked Nehemiah the length of time his travels would be and when he would come back. Nehemiah told him a time, and the “king” was happy to send him on his way. God's plan was coming together, and each of these people were carrying out His purpose and will. God continues to work with and through people today, and the first step in being used by Him is to surrender our lives to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of the whole world and was resurrected from the dead three days later. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us a passion, desire and wisdom to carry out His plan every day of our lives.
Next time Nehemiah shared he told the king, “let letters be given me to the governors” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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