Nehemiah 2:1-6

Continuing my slow journey through Nehemiah, today we ease into the second chapter.

The first chapter is preparation. Setting the stage. Now things get moving.

We know already that Nehemiah is cupbearer to the king. The king has enough regard for him, this passage shows, to be aware of his moods. Now I’m no royal, nor have I been in the presence of one. But I do watch Game of Thrones. A season or two seasons behind. So I know that not all royals give a hoot about what other people are feeling. Or if they do, only about select people. King Artaxerxes almost certainly fit into this latter group. So the mere fact he mentions Nehemiah’s mood evidences something we’ve already seen: Nehemiah is in a unique place to act.

Nehemiah isn’t under any illusion of his importance though. He is not trying to manipulate. This is no House of Cards power broker. The scripture says he was “very much afraid.”

Many have said that courage is not the absence of fear, but of pressing on nonetheless. Nelson Mandela, for example, is quoted as saying, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

Courage requires deliberation, and a careful assessment (well, some assessment) of the risks. Otherwise, it’s just carelessness or bravado. And perhaps there is a place and time for those. Or not. But courage is a different sort of quality. Nehemiah has courage. And his courage is not borne of arrogance in his own wisdom or will, nor of a shallow desire to exert his influence. It comes from a place of discerning God’s will and knowing, as many before and after him would know, that if we follow God’s will, well, that’s all and only what we should do. I might like to say, if you follow God’s will, you will succeed, but that involves also our ability to define success. Follow God’s will. Do that. And you’ll be doing God’s will. And that is the greatest good. That is success. It may not look or feel like it. And it may cost you much, even your life (Jesus, of course, suggests this). But it will be a deeper, more truer success than any person can define.

Nehemiah seeks God’s guidance throughout. He doesn’t pop in with some thin, theologically-starved conviction that if he seeks to follow God’s will he’ll be master of all. He just takes it one step at a time.

I used to watch (and still do sometimes) lots of Law and Order. One of the things I learned about the legal system (the first is, if you commit a crime, DON’T TELL ANYONE…well, that’s second, the first is, don’t commit a crime…) is that you should just answer the question you are asked. This is actually always a good guidance. Parents—just answer the question your kid asks. Pastors—just answer the question your members ask. All of this to say part of our pedagogical role is to help people ask better questions. But answering the question asked is a good place to start. And if under pressure or duress, a good place to stay.

That’s what Nehemiah does. First he answers the king’s question about why he’s sad, then Nehemiah waits for the king’s next question. Well, what do you want? And Nehemiah is ready. We cannot create some of the most important opportunities in our lives. But we can be prepared. Prepared to respond. Sometimes we won’t even know what the opportunities are we would seek. But we ought always to be prayerfully tuned in to the ways God is always calling us to new things. Sometimes there are also indeed some specific needs we fell God calling us to. And being prepared to move if and when the opportunity arises? Well, that’s just good stewardship.

I love the king’s response. He didn’t give a yes or no. I mean, his answer was clearly yes. But even his response looked further ahead. It wasn’t just about Nehemiah’s mission, but about when he would return. What is next. Looking ahead is a key quality of great leaders. I can’t comment on Artaxerxes’ leadership. But what he did there is what I home my leaders do for me, and what I can do for others. Always keep looking ahead. Because that is where God does God’s greatest work.

And there’s a lot of great stuff ahead for Nehemiah. As there is for us—even further ahead than the goals and dreams we can each articulate now. God is always doing something new and driving us forward.

And just think, we get to be part of it all!!! How cool.