NEHEMIAH A Heart God Uses
NEHEMIAH’S STORY BEGINS IN PERSIA, where he is serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I. Although Jewish exiles had been released in waves to return to their homeland, Nehemiah had not been released from his duties. As the book opens, God has given Nehemiah a heavy burden to help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. But why Nehemiah?
Nehemiah was a man who knew brokenness. A lifetime of living in exile, seeing his people always under the thumb of a foreign power, had broken his heart for his people. When Nehemiah heard of the condition of the walls of Jerusalem, he wept and mourned for days. His grief was not over bricks and mortar but rather the knowledge that city walls represented the future and vitality of Jerusalem. No city wall meant no future for his people.
Nehemiah demonstrated his faith by placing his confidence in God’s promises. He had a passion for prayer and God’s Word. Out of reverence and fear of God, Nehemiah focused his petition on confessing the sins of the people and calling on God’s faithfulness (1:4-11). His heart for the things of God overshadowed his fear, even risking death for approaching the king with his request to return to Jerusalem (2:1-5).
Nehemiah was trustworthy. Cupbearers were among some of the most trusted of the king’s entourage, as the king relied upon their integrity to assure no one had poisoned his drink.
His broken heart became the tender heart that our Father delights in using
Nehemiah had a heart for the vulnerable and oppressed. He had compassion on the downtrodden and marginalized of society. It was not enough to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem; he desired to rebuild the lives of the poor and oppressed and to secure fairness and justice for them (5:1-13).
No wonder God chose Nehemiah. Nehemiah went from being a servant of an earthly king to a servant of the King of kings by living a life of faithful prayer, devotion to God’s Word, and advocacy for the most vulnerable in society. His broken heart became the sort of tender heart that our heavenly Father delights in using.