Nehemiah Appointed Governor - Nehemiah 5:14

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performs not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise”, and in chapter five and verse fourteen of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared what happened, “from the time that I was appointed to be their governor”, where we read,

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. 

The verse reads, “Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, ...” Nehemiah began with the words, “moreover from the time” or “in addition separate and apart from the appointed period” “that I was appointed” which means “that I, Nehemiah, was given charge, ordered and ordained” “to be their governor” or “to exist as their, the people of Judah's, prefect, captain and deputy” “in the land of Judah” which means “within the district and region of 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 referred to the appointed period when he was ordained to be the prefect within the region of “Judah”.

The verse goes on to say, “... from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years,” Nehemiah continued with the words, “from the twentieth year” or “starting at the twentieth annual measure of time” “even unto the two and thirtieth year” which means “until the thirty second annual measure of time” “of Artaxerxes the king” or “belonging to Artaxerxes whose name means I will make the spoiled to boil or I will stir myself in winter who was the royal ruler and leader”, “that is” which means “that exists as”, “twelve years” or “twelve annual measures of time”. Nehemiah referred to the “twelve years” of time, from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of “Artaxerxes”, that he ruled as “governor” over the district of “Judah”.

Finally the verse says, “I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.” Nehemiah concluded this verse with the words, “I and my brethren” which means “I, Nehemiah, and my, Nehemiah's, kindred, kinship and relatives” “have not eaten the bread” or “have in no way or manner devoured or consumed the food, grain or provision” “of the governor” which means “belonging to the prefect, captain and deputy”. Nehemiah ended this verse by declaring that neither he nor his relatives consumed the food and provision belonging to the prefect.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how Nehemiah began to use himself as an example of how the people of Judah were to conduct themselves. He became the “governor” of Judah in the “twentieth year” of Artaxerxes through the thirty-second year, which was “twelve years” in total, and all that time he did not partake of the ruler's food and provision. In other words, he provided for himself and his relatives. God wants to provide for us, and when we yield our lives to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected from the dead three days later as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us eternal life and provide for all our needs. (See Philippians 4:19)

Next time Nehemiah says, “the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people”, 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".