By Kenneth B.E. Roxburgh, Ph.D.
Chair and Armstrong Professor of Religion, Samford University
Plan
Nehemiah 2:1–8, 17–18
Throughout the history of the people of God, a sense of need must be united with a careful action of planning to enable the work of God to be completed. The goodwill of people must be carefully harnessed to fulfill a purposeful plan. Nehemiah does not underestimate the difficulty of achieving his goals of seeing the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. He knows that he needs to work carefully in order that God’s purposes might be fulfilled through his life.
Opportunities call for action. (1–5a)
Nehemiah waits for the right time to begin his plan of action. Waiting for the right time to act is as important as acting itself. Waiting time is not wasted time. Well over 100 days came and went, and each day he was waiting and each day he was ready. Nehemiah prayed in 1:11 that God would give him success through his relationship with the king. Nehemiah is ready, and when the king asks him why his face is so sad, Nehemiah immediately offers another simple prayer to God for help, and then takes the opportunity granted to him to begin the process of going back to Jerusalem. Humanly speaking, when the opportunity arose, he was frightened. Frightened of saying the wrong thing, frightened of wasting this valuable opportunity. However, his fear did not leave him speechless. Though he was afraid, he spoke.
Service includes planning. (5b-8)
The moments of quiet reflection over the past four months meant that he knew what to say and that he had to say it. There was nothing haphazard in his speech. He combined dependent prayer with deliberate planning. He was eager to offer his best into the service of God. When the time came he knew exactly how to express himself to the king, describing his people’s needs and asking specifically for the king’s help in returning to Jerusalem. When the king asks him how long all this will take, Nehemiah supplies the specific answer. He had thought it all through so that he wasn’t taken by surprise.
Service includes meticulous planning. Trusting God to accomplish his purposes does not mean that we are excused from being carefully involved in seeking for those purposes to be fulfilled. Nehemiah asks for time to return to Judah and makes specific requests for letters of safe-conduct and permission to take trees from the king’s forest to rebuild the gates of the city. He is audacious in the requests which he makes, but he knows what he needs to accomplish the work of the Lord.
When the king agrees to all that he requests, Nehemiah recognizes that although he had made the plans and the requests, God’s hand was on him. In the mystery of God’s providence, human acts are woven into God’s plans.
Service involves the commitment of the whole community. (17–18)
Nehemiah recognizes that he cannot accomplish all this by himself and so in verses 17–18, after Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem, he gathers the leaders together and tells them of the way in which God has been with him and encourages them to unite together to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah brings them to their senses. They had been living in the midst of the ruins and had not realized this was a disgrace. It was a reproach on the name of God. It was leading the enemies of God to laugh. To the pagan mind, the ruined walls were a sign that God was impotent and had forgotten his people. Nehemiah calls them to action.
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