Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Female): Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: Shabbat Shalom. Please take your Bibles and open it to the Book of Nehemiah, to Nehemiah chapter 2. Today we are going to begin with Nehemiah chapter 2, and we are going to read today just the first ten verses. And I'm reading, beginning with verse 1.

And it came to pass in the month of 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. Wherefore the king said unto me, "Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art 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 forever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?"

Then the king said unto me, "For what dost thou make request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, "If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it." And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) "For how long shall thy journey be? And when wilt thou return?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

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 unto Judah; and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into." And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

I'm going to stop here with verse 10, with the many lessons that we can learn here in this second chapter of the book of Nehemiah. Let me just remind you again, beloved brothers and sisters, that as we are studying Old Testament scripture—the Torah, the Nevi'im, the Ketuvim, the word of God—everything that was written aforetime applied to you and me today. You and I as believers in Yeshua the Messiah have to learn from what Sha'ul said in Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11, where he told the believers then and there: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and the comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

So when we study the book of Nehemiah, we really learn these lessons for you and me today. How does that apply to the believers today? Well, we study chapter 1, and we notice that in the vast majority of the first chapter, Nehemiah was praying. He prayed, first of all, he acknowledged God's greatness. Number two, he confessed our people Israel's sins. Number three, he pointed out to the fact that God is faithful to keep his covenants. And number four, he asked God to assist him and to prosper him because he wanted to go to build the walls of the city of Jerusalem and to set up the gates that were burned with fire.

By application for you and me today, it applies to the condition of the body of Messiah today in the last days in which you and I live. The gates are burned with fire, the walls surrounding the believers are broken to pieces. And we need, beloved brothers and sisters, men and women like Nehemiah to be raised among the people of God, to be a people of comfort, servants of blessing to the people of God. And especially today, we do need that the Lord will raise in our midst men and women who love God, who love God's people, who love God's word, and who want to serve him and lift up the walls and set up the gates in order to protect the believers and to be a blessing to the people of God.

And so, here in this second chapter of the book of Nehemiah, we have the beginning of the adventure that Nehemiah took to go to the city of Jerusalem all the way from Persia and now to begin to work, to labor among his people Israel, to build the wall, to set up the gates, and to seek protection for the people of God. Now if you look on the chart here, you have the Persian kings in order. It began with Cyrus, 536 to 530 BC. And then we have this person called Cambyses, 529 to 522 BC.

Then we have Bardiya, 522 BC. Then you have Darius, 521 to 486 BC. Then you have Xerxes the First, who reigned from 485 to 465. And then you have this man that is called Artabanus, who reigned from 465 BC. And here we have Artaxerxes. That's the one that we are talking about today. He was the one who commanded Nehemiah to go to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem, for about 444 BC. And that's where we are situated in this second chapter. We're at about 444 BC.

And this is the date in which Daniel the prophet received information from the angel, from the time of the command to rebuild the walls and the city of Jerusalem. Then from that time on, you will count a certain amount of years until the Messiah will come. And ultimately, he will be cut off, he will die. And then there will remain one more week, seven more years, that speaks about the tribulation period in which ultimately, Israel at the end of the seven years will be a restored nation and the Messianic kingdom will be established.

But we are talking about now in our second chapter at about 444 BC. And this man by the name of Artaxerxes was the king whose name we are mentioning here today in this ministry meeting. So, here we begin. Notice that in Nehemiah chapter 2, in the first three verses, with the king Artaxerxes, who asked Nehemiah what's going on, why he is rather a sad man before him as he served him. Notice in verse 1, I want to make a note for you today.

It says in verse 1, "And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was set before him: and I took up the wine, and I gave it unto the king. Now I had not been sad before his presence before." That's how it's begun. You notice that it says in verse 1, "And it came to pass in the month of Nisan." Remember, beloved brothers and sisters, when we began in our study of the book of Nehemiah in chapter 1 and verse 1, the month was the month of Kislev.

Now four months passed by, and Nehemiah did not yet receive an answer to his prayer. He prayed in the month of Kislev, chapter 1 and verse 1. If you know your Hebrew calendar, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nisan. By the time that we get to the month of Nisan, four months have passed by. Nehemiah was praying and an answer didn't come. You and I might say, "Well, God, Nehemiah is desiring to receive an answer from you." Four months passed by, and he's still in prayer, waiting for the time that God will allow him to go and to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the wall thereof.

And that really teaches us a great lesson, that God sometimes will say yes to our prayer, and sometimes he will say no to our prayer, but sometimes he will say wait to the prayer of the people of God. And so while in 444, Nehemiah was desiring that God would send him to rebuild the city walls and the gates of Jerusalem, he didn't immediately answer him. He let him wait for a while because God is sovereign and God has a right to give an answer in his time and in his ways.

And so four months passed by from the time of Kislev, and finally the month of Nisan has arrived. And here Nehemiah now in the presence of Artaxerxes, the king, serving him as the one that was the cupbearer. Now apparently the king must have trusted Nehemiah. Nehemiah was the cupbearer, he was serving him, and he was the one who is responsible to taste the wine before the king is tasting it because if something would happen and they would put poison in the wine, it would be the cupbearer who will die first rather than the king.

And the kings of Persia, when they situate themselves as kings, you could not move them, you could not change them, just like this. In fact, the only way to remove a king in the Persian time was either through their death or an assassination that may have happened in a certain period of time of their history. Well, look what happened. Nehemiah is now serving the king. Wine was before the king, and Nehemiah took up the wine and he gave it unto the king. Now Nehemiah had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

Nehemiah must have been still sad as he was approaching the king. And you know, brothers and sisters, why was he sad? He was sad because the condition in Jerusalem, the condition in Judea. His brethren were under oppression. The city gates were burned with fire. The walls were broken down. He was sad because he cared for the people of God. And because he cared, it affected him. It actually affected his heart, but it also affected his features.

When you and I sometimes are not feeling good and there is pressure in our lives, it really brings about a change of our features on the face. There is a verse that I want to read King Shlomo, Solomon, said in his writings in Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 13: "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." You see, the reason that he was sad was because of the condition that existed in Jerusalem.

But that affected his appearance, and because his heart is related to his appearance somehow, when he was in the presence of the king, his sadness was evident in the way that his face looked. Sometimes when we have trouble in our life, when we have pressure in our life, it affects us. So our hearts are grieved, and therefore the feature, we cannot pretend so much that everything is going fine. Somehow it affects our appearance, our countenance.

When things are not easy, when the problem rises up in our life, it does affect the countenance of the person. This is exactly what King Solomon said, that when there is a merry heart, it affects the countenance. You look very happy and everything looks fine. But when you have sadness and sorrow in your heart, your countenance is no longer the same way it was before. And so he said, "I've never been sad in the presence of the king before."

So now the king sees him. Remember, this is King Artaxerxes. In Hebrew we call him Artachshashta. He was the one who was the supreme ruler in those days of Nehemiah and Ezra. He was ruling over Persia. And if anyone does anything that is not according to his will, he is in danger of losing his life. Well, it says here in verse 2, "Wherefore the king said unto me, 'Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.'" Then I was very sore afraid.

You see, when the king sees the servant that his face, his countenance changed, he's kind of wondering why is Nehemiah no longer like he used to be in the previous days. He must have been a very cheerful man, a man that was very helpful, was trustworthy by the king. But this time he was sad. He was never sad before. But he was sad because of the condition of his brethren, the condition of the city of Jerusalem.

So the king asks him, "Why is thy countenance sad? Why is it that you are sad?" Nehemiah was really afraid because he understood that his life was in danger. Because the king could kill him because of the fact that maybe something is endangering the king, maybe something happened. Well, Nehemiah was so afraid. And then notice what the king does. It says in verse 3 that he said unto the king. And now it seems to be it was a great door of opportunity for the servant of the Lord, Nehemiah, to speak to the king and to tell the king his problem.

And so he began in verse 3. He said unto the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should not my countenance be sad?" Notice that his concern for Jerusalem. "When the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire." He shared with the king his problem. And he told him, "Listen, the reality, King Artaxerxes, I'm really troubled in my own soul because the condition of my people, the condition of the city of Jerusalem, the condition of my fathers' sepulchres, it's laying waste. The gates thereof are consumed with fire. Why shouldn't I be sad?"

He was sharing with the king his heart. And you can understand that Nehemiah would share this right now. He had a great open door, a great opportunity where the king seems to ask him this question. And that is a great opportunity to share the desires of one's heart. We learn a great deal from those first three verses. These show us the care that Nehemiah had in his heart for the people of God and for the place where God set his name upon in the city of Jerusalem.

The apostle Paul teaches us the very same lesson. He also had concern for the believers. He also shows us how important it is to have a yearning desire for the welfare of God's people. He also shows us with many tears and many times in mourning, he had a concern for the welfare of the people of God. And he taught the Ephesians this. And he was telling them, "Listen, I'm very much concerned for your welfare. And I wept for you. I prayed for you. I'm longing to see you carry on in your walk with the Lord."

In fact, turn with me to Acts chapter 20. Paul in verse 25 says these words: "And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the assembly of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock."

He continued to share. He says, "Listen, beloved brothers and sisters of the Ephesians, I want to tell you, I'm leaving now and I'm not going to see you for a while. But I want you to know my concern is for you, Ephesians. I know that after my departure, there will be wolves coming and not sparing the flock, and the people of God will be dispersed and scattered." He had the heart of Nehemiah, the same kind of a heart of care and concern for the people of God.

Well, Nehemiah said to the king, "Why shouldn't I be sad? Look at the city. Look at the gates. I heard that the gates were burned, the walls were broken down, the people of God are in great distress. Why shouldn't I be sad, King Artaxerxes?" He should have been afraid because he was in danger. Yet God by divine design has assisted him and opened the door for him to share his concern for the work of the Lord.

Don't you feel sometimes when you and I perhaps want to serve the Lord in one area or another and we feel that there is so much opposition and we don't know how to handle the situation? But our hearts are yearning to do that one thing for the Lord or a certain thing for the Lord, and there are so many things that are opposing the exercise of your heart. And yet the Lord all of a sudden opened a door of opportunity.

And all of a sudden there is a great privilege, great door was open and you share something that the Lord laid upon your heart, and somehow maybe it will be your boss or maybe your superior, maybe people who oppose you, all of a sudden they allow you, the door is being open and you are able to go to serve the Lord in the things which he had given unto you. Look at another verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 9. Paul said, "A great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries."

Yes, the door is open. I can go out and serve the Lord, but there's a lot of opposition that I'm experiencing as I desire to serve the Lord among his people. Well, that's exactly how Nehemiah had felt. And yet the Lord is opening for him such a great door right now through the king. The very king that he may have thought first that he will not allow him to go out to the city of Jerusalem to rebuild the city, the very king was now moved by the Lord and his heart now is opening towards Nehemiah to allow him to go to serve the people of Israel, his Jewish brethren.

And so from verse 4 to verse 8, Artaxerxes asks Nehemiah what does he want. And Nehemiah is giving him an answer. Imagine now, the king of Persia, the one who is the supreme ruler of the then known world now is giving Nehemiah the opportunity to do his bidding, to do his service. And so look at this, verse 4, the king's questioning Nehemiah. "Then the king said unto me, 'For what dost thou make a request?'"

Now notice this, brothers and sisters. It says immediately, "So I prayed unto the God of heaven." Now notice the beautiful thing that we learn here. Nehemiah did not have much time here to say, "King Artaxerxes, could you wait a moment? I want to go to another place to go on my knees to pray for fifteen minutes. I'm going to come back, just hold on for a moment." No.

Nehemiah, it says here, the king said to him, "What do you want, Nehemiah?" So he prayed unto the God of heaven and he spoke unto the king. It's like a moment or a second of prayer. "God have mercy on me. Let me give you the list of the things that I need." It's reminding me of Matthew chapter 14 where Peter was walking on the water in the Sea of Galilee. And all of a sudden Peter began to sink because he looked at the waves and everything, the storm around him, and he began to sink and he said, "Lord, help me."

He didn't have time for fifteen minutes to have some kind of a long prayer, "God and Father" and so on. A moment, just "Help me, Lord. I need your help." And he immediately went and he shared with the king the problem that he had and the needs that he had. You see, sometimes we might not have a lot of time to spend in prayer, though we should spend a lot of time in prayer. But there are time coming that we just have to ask the Lord in that one second, "Lord, please help me," and to carry on and do the things that we have to do.

This is exactly what happened here. The king saying to him, "What do you need, Nehemiah? What do you need? What do you make a request for?" "So I prayed unto the God of heaven and I said unto the king." Now again I would like to mention, brothers and sisters, that he used the word the "God of heaven," in Hebrew Elohei HaShamayim. Remember that in our previous study of Nehemiah chapter 1, the first time that he used the expression "I prayed unto the God of heaven," verse 4 of chapter 1, verse 5 of chapter 1, Elohei HaShamayim.

Why? To remind you that the times of the Gentiles began at 605 BC. The Jewish people were taken captive. Nebuchadnezzar took our Jewish people to Babylon. And therefore God has handed over the kingship, the rulership over this world to the Gentile world. It began with Babylon, it follow up by Persia, it continue on by Greece.