In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah prayed to Jehovah God, “these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand. O Lord, I beseech you, let now your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who desire to fear your name: and prosper, I pray you, your servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer”, and in chapter two and verse one of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “I took up the win, and gave it unto the king, where we read,
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
The verse reads, “And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him:”. Nehemiah began with the words, “and it came to pass” or “and it happened and occurred” “in the month Nisan” which means “within the lunar moon or month named Nisan which means their flight and is the first month of the Jewish calendar that corresponds to March or April”, “in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king” or “within the twentieth annual set of days belonging to Artaxerxes whose name means I will make the spoiled to boil or I will stir myself in winter and was the royal ruler and leader” “that wine was before him” which means “that fruit of the vine was in front and in the presence of the royal ruler and leader”. Nehemiah referred to the lunar moon belonging to “Nisan”within the twentieth annual set of days belonging to the royal ruler named “Artaxerxes” when drink made from the fruit of the vine was in his presence.
The verse goes on to say, “and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “and I took up the wine” or “and I, Nehemiah, lifted and bore up the drink from the fruit of the vine”, “and gave it to the king” which means “and put, set, committed and entrusted the wine to the royal ruler and leader”. “Now I had not been beforetime sad” or “I, Nehemiah, existed in no way or manner unpleasant, displeasing and unhappy previously” “in his presence” which means “within his, the royal ruler's, face, person or front”. Nehemiah shared how he raised the drink from the fruit of the vine and set it before the royal ruler, and he noted that he had never before shown displeasure and sadness within the “presence” of the “king”.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah how he continued in his service as a “cupbearer” before king Artaxerxes. Although he gave the drink from the fruit of the vine to the royal ruler, he was unable to conceal his sadness. The “king” will respond to his countenance in our next verse, but for now let us be reminded that we are to serve God regardless of how we feel. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and He was raised from the dead three days later so 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 help us by His Holy Spirit to live in a manner that is pleasing to Him at all times regardless of our situations and the way we feel about them.
Next time Nehemiah said the king asked him, “Why is your countenance sad, seeing you are not sick?” 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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