In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how the king asked him, “Why is your countenance sad, seeing you are not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, and said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchers, lies waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what do you make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven”, and in chapter two and verse five of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared how he told the king, “send me to Judah”,where we read,
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.
The verse reads, “And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if your servant have found favor in your sight, ...”. Nehemiah began with the words, “and I said unto the king” or “and I, Nehemiah, uttered, declared and proclaimed to the royal ruler and leader”, “if it please the king” which means “whether and in case it is good, pleasing, joyful, beneficial and favorable to the royal ruler and leader”, “and if your servants have found favor” or “and whether and in case your, Jehovah Gods', men of servile condition, slaves and bondmen have been good, pleasing, joyful and glad” “in your sight”which means “within your, Jehovah God's, face, presence and front”. Nehemiah shared how he presented the idea that whether it was the royal ruler's pleasure and if he was considered worthy of good and pleasure within his presence, the following would occur.
The verse goes on to say, “... that you would send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it.” Nehemiah added the words, “that you would send me to Judah” or “that you, Jehovah God, would dispatch and assign me, Nehemiah, to Judah whose name means praised and was 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”, “unto the city”which means “to the town, place of waking and encampment” “of my father's sepulchers” or “the location belonging, to my, Nehemiah's male progenitors, forefathers and ancestors, graves, tombs or burying place”, “that I may build it” which means “so I, Nehemiah, might establish, rebuild, set up and repair the city”. Nehemiah sought permission from the royal ruler to be dispatched to “Judah” (the region in which Jerusalem was located and his forefathers were buried) for the purpose of rebuilding the city.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how Nehemiah desired to go back to the “city” of his forefather's tombs to rebuild it. He made his appeal to return with humility and posed his desire in such a manner that the royal ruler could make the decision. God gave Nehemiah the wisdom to know how to make his request, and because his desire was in accordance with God's will, he would receive what he asked. God wants us to come to Him in humility, and when we repent of our sins and receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins and raised from the dead three days later as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us wisdom by His Holy Spirit in keeping with the truth that He wills for our lives.
Next time Nehemiah shared how the king asked him, “how long shall your journey be?” 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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