In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how the king 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 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”, and in chapter two and verse seven of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “let letters be given me to the governors”, where we read,
Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors
beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah.
The verse reads, “Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, ...”. Nehemiah began with the words, “moreover I said unto the king” or “in addition, I, Nehemiah, uttered, declared and proclaimed to the royal ruler and leader”, “If it please the king” which means “whether and in case the following seems good, pleasant and agreeable to the royal ruler and leader”, “let letters be given me” or “allow and permit missives or epistles be granted, bestowed and ascribed to me, Nehemiah” “to the governors beyond the river”which means “on behalf of the captains or deputies in the regions across and on the opposite side of the stream or Euphrates river”. Nehemiah shared how he also asked the royal ruler whether he would provide missives addressed to the deputies of the regions across the Euphrates river to carry with him.
The verse goes on to say, “... that they may convey me over till I come into Judah.” Nehemiah added the words, “that they may convey me over” or “so they, the letters addressed to the governors, might instruct them to allow me, Nehemiah, to travel in a safe manner” “till I come into Judah” which means “until I enter and come forth into Judah whose name means praised and the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon”. Nehemiah shared he wanted to be given “letters” that provided him with safe travel until he reached his destination in “Judah”.
When we consider the words in this verse, we see how Nehemiah wisely desired to be protected in his journey back to Jerusalem in Judah. With epistles of authority in hand, he would be able to provide the authorities in the regions on the west side of the Euphrates River with the king's direction to keep him safe. God gives us wisdom and direction when we humbly go before Him and ask, (See James 1:5) and when we yield or lives to His Son Jesus who died on the cross and was resurrected from the dead three days later as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us protection and authority for whatever task He has assigned for us to perform.
Next time Nehemiah shared how he requested from the king, “a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest” 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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