In the sermon 'Granted Mercy in the Sight of the King,' Jason Dohm explores Nehemiah 2:1-10, focusing on Nehemiah's position as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes and his request to rebuild Jerusalem. Nehemiah's role as a trusted servant is highlighted, emphasizing the historical and theological significance of his position. Despite his fear, Nehemiah courageously presents his sadness to the king, attributed to the desolation of Jerusalem. He then makes three well-prepared requests: to be sent to rebuild Jerusalem, to have safe passage, and to receive timber for construction. These requests demonstrate Nehemiah's faith and readiness for God to answer his prayers. The sermon also discusses the importance of both secret and continuous prayer, as exemplified by Nehemiah. Opposition from figures like Sanballat and Tobiah is introduced, reflecting the ongoing spiritual battle faced by God's people. The sermon urges believers to be prepared for God to answer prayers and to love the community of believers, drawing parallels between Nehemiah’s love for Jerusalem and our call to love the church.

All right, Nehemiah chapter 2 verses 1 through 10. And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, That I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, why is your face sad since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.

So I became dreadfully afraid and said to the king, may the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city the place of my father's tombs lies in lies waste and its gates are burned with fire? Then the king said to me, what do you request? So I prayed to the God of heaven and I said to the king, if it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah to the city of my father's tombs that I may rebuild it. Then the king said to me, the queen also sitting beside him, how long will your journey be and when will you return?

So it pleased the king to send me and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king if it pleases the king let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the river that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple for the city wall and for the house that I will occupy. And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me. Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the river and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

When San-Balat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. The title of the sermon today is, Granted Mercy in the Sight of the King. This is what's happening with Nehemiah. Nehemiah has asked for mercy on the side of the king and God gives it to him this week. So that's why this sermon is titled that.

Two weeks ago we began our study of Nehemiah. We were introduced to this man who serves King Artaxerxes. He received a report from Jerusalem that the people were in great distress and reproach. The walls of the city were broken down and the gates were burned. The people were completely exposed to their enemies.

And Nehemiah has this deep emotional response. He sits down and he weeps and he fasts and he prays for many days. And then last week we had the actual contents of his prayer. I bet there was much more that he was praying over those days, but we at least get visibility to some of what he's praying. And I wanted to make the argument last week that Nehemiah gives us a model prayer.

In other words, if you go to pray and you flop open your Bible to Nehemiah chapter 1, and you look at Nehemiah's prayer, you just use that as a guide to help you in your own prayers, not to re-pray what he prayed but just to help you with things to think about as you pray. We'd really be helped by that. It's a prayer that's so God-honoring, and it just has things in the right order, it can really help us to pray. And then the chapter ended this way in verse 11. Look at the last verse of chapter 1.

Oh Lord, I pray, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name. And let your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man for I was the king's cup bearer." This week we see how God answers that prayer. He's praying for success and that God would grant him mercy in the eyes of the king of an empire and God answers his prayer. We see that in our text this week and we also see that Nehemiah was ready for the answering of his prayer. It's like he expected his prayer to be answered so that when God moves in the way that he was praying towards, he is ready with his part.

So go to the text. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Oh God, I thank you that through your Son Jesus Christ you hear our prayers, you accept our prayers, you answer our prayers. I thank you that what stood between us and you, our sins, our great sins, our many sins, have been wiped away in the work of your Son so that you hear us when we pray and so that you you hear us with a disposition to answer our prayers. You hear us lovingly Thank you for the work of Jesus.

God, I pray that you would come now, help me in my preaching, and help everyone in their hearing of your word. May your word be honored and may you be honored as we happily put ourselves under the authority of it in Jesus name, amen. So I'd like to look, I'm going to divide the text up into several sections as usual and I'd like to look at verse one in isolation and then we'll keep going forward. So hopefully you've got your Bibles open to Nehemiah 2. Let's read verse 1 again.

And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king." I know I haven't finished the verse, but I'm going to lump that in with the other. I want to stop there and talk about that. Nehemiah, we learned at the very end of chapter 1 was the king's cup bearer. That's the very last of chapter one. For I was the king's cup bearer.

So he's identified in his occupation at the end of chapter one and then in chapter two verse one we see that he's on duty. The wine is before the king and he takes the wine in hand and gives it to the king. The temptation is to think of Nehemiah as waitstaff. The waiter now comes and says, here king is some wine. Wrong.

Wrong way to think of it. The cup bearer is a most trusted servant of the king. He's not the waiter at Applebee's, okay, not in any way, shape or form. He is a most trusted servant of the king. It is an exalted position.

Not menial labor, but exalted position for an eminently qualified, thoroughly qualified person. Here's a sobering historical data point. Artic Xerxes is the king now. His father used to be the king, Xerxes. Xerxes died when one of his servants killed him in his own bed chamber.

So this king that Nehemiah is serving is the son of a man who was killed in his bed chamber by one of his servants. It's a dangerous business to be the king of an empire. A lot of people would like to sit in your chair. And you choose your servants carefully, especially the ones that hand you things that you ingest. Lots and lots of kings died by poison.

And it's the job of the cup bearer to make sure that that doesn't happen. It's somebody you trust with your life. Literally, it's someone you trust with your life. So not a waiter. In Genesis chapter 40, Joseph is in jail but he's not alone in jail.

He's in there with the king's butler, with Pharaoh's butler, and with Pharaoh's baker. It's translated butler but it's really cupbearer and cupbearer is a much better translation than butler is but it's the exact same Hebrew word in Genesis 40 you remember Joseph is in jail So it's not just dangerous to be the king, it's dangerous to be the cup bearer too, because if the king doesn't like how you're conducting your duties, you could find yourself in prison or dead. That's what happens to the baker in Genesis chapter 40. It's a trusted position and it's a position where you really need to do a good job. We find out in Nehemiah chapter 5 verse 14 that Nehemiah actually is appointed governor of Judah.

So again, towards the argument, this is not the waiter, this is not wait staff. This is a person thoroughly qualified to even offer counsel to the king. And so much so, so trusted by the king, so viewed as capable by the king, that as Nehemiah progresses and Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem, he goes as the governor. He's appointed governor. That's exactly what chapter 5 verse 14 explicitly says.

Now, here's another place that will help us to understand someone who serves in the King's presence. Turn your Bibles to Daniel chapter 1. Daniel is the last of the major prophets. So you have Isaiah, and you've got Jeremiah, and then you've got Ezekiel, and right after Ezekiel you have Daniel. So that's where you'll find it.

Daniel chapter 1. Daniel chapter 1 begins with people going into exile. Nebuchadnezzar has laid waste to Jerusalem and taken the people into exile. It's the judgment of God. And now Daniel and his friends find themselves being prepared to serve in the king's presence.

So since Nehemiah is holding a similar spot, I thought it would be useful to look at it in the context of Daniel chapter 1. Let's read verses 3 through 5 together. Daniel chapter 1 verse 3, Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the King's palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. The King appointed for them a daily provision of the King's delicacies and of the wine which he drank. Three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.

So this is how Daniel begins with the cream of the cream, the best looking, smartest, most able, quickest learning young men being put into a three-year training program where they learn the language and the wisdom of the Empire and after three years of training then they start in the king's service. So that's the starting point of Daniel. He's identified as the smartest and best and then they take that small group and they put him in a rigorous three-year training program and then they can start serving the king. Daniel of course works his way up from there. But the starting point is a three year rigorous training program to teach you not how to hold a cup of wine, to teach you the wisdom of the empire.

These are the kinds of people who are in the king's service. So how did Nehemiah get here? Well, I'm sure there's a human story. There's an earthly plane story of how he got there. I'm sure he was faithful in his duties.

I'm sure he caught the eye of someone who could promote him from one thing to the other. But I think There's a better explanation. There's the earthly plane story. We're not given that in the Bible. But there's a theological explanation.

There's what's going on on the heavenly plane where God is deciding what's really going to happen on the earth. And so I want you to consider Esther chapter 4 verse 14. In Esther chapter 4 verse 14, there's been this edict that the Jews are going to be wiped out. Mordecai sends to Esther and says, Esther, talk to the king. She's afraid because if the king hasn't called you, you can be killed for going into the king's presence.

The only thing that saves you is if he extends his scepter to give you passage into his presence to speak with him. If he doesn't extend the scepter, you die. So Esther is understandably afraid. But here is what Mordecai says in Esther chapter 4 verse 14. For if you remain completely silent at this time, Relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.

Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this." And that's exactly what's happening in the book of Esther. God raised up Esther and he put her at that place in that time to be a wife of the king to save his people, to bless his people, to preserve his people. Mordecai is seeing it rightly. Esther, if it's not you, then God will raise up someone else to do it, but you'll perish. But maybe that's why you are where you are.

That's why Nehemiah is where he is. God raised him up. There's a human story behind it, but the theological explanation is the real explanation because God is the primary cause of all things. Other things that we can see with our own eyes are just secondary causes that God is causing to work together as he works out his plan in history. It's the theological explanation that is really behind Nehemiah being the trusted servant, having an exalted position in the court of the king of an empire.

Think of all the times in the Bible we see God raise up a man or a woman to help his people, to bless his people, to encourage his people, to lead his people, to protect his people. Think about Joseph, second in command in Egypt to Pharaoh. Think about Daniel in Babylon, second in command to Nebuchadnezzar. Think about Esther and Mordecai, a queen of the king and second in command in Babylon to Ahasuerus. Think about Ezra, whose every request was granted by the King.

And now think about Nehemiah, a man who was raised up to be a help and a blessing and an encouragement to the people of God. God is always doing this. God doesn't need Joseph or Daniel or Esther or Mordecai or Ezra or now Nehemiah, but he raises them up in order to glorify himself and to bless his people. Finally, we're given the timing in verse 1. It says in chapter 1 verse 1 that the book begins in the month of Chislev.

That's the ninth month. Now in chapter 2 verse 1 it's the month of Nisan, which is the first month, and we're in the year 445 BC. So this is about 450 years before Jesus came. It was the ninth month, now it's the first month, so four months have passed. And Nehemiah has been grieving and he's been fasting, he's been praying and he's been seeking the Lord for success and favor in the eyes of the King.

Now back to the text. Alright I'm starting in the last sentence of verse 1 now and reading through verse 3. So it's about halfway through verse 1. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, Why is your face sad, since you are not sick?

This is nothing but sorrow of heart. So I became dreadfully afraid and said to the king, may the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my father's tombs, lies waste and its gates are burned with fire. Here we get the observation of the king. The king takes notice of his cup bearer.

He notices his sad countenance. There's a look on his face that tells the king what's going on in the heart of this man. He's been grieving for four months, but now it shows up on his face. And the king takes notice. The king says, this is nothing but sorrow of heart.

My guess is you weren't allowed to show up sick. He says, since you're not sick, it must be sorrow of heart. And when the king says this, when the king takes notice of his countenance and says, I can tell you have a sorrowful heart, We see this really interesting thing. So Nehemiah becomes dreadfully afraid. Now why?

That's quite a description. Dreadfully afraid. Why does he become that? I want to offer three reasons. And the first two are going to come from Esther chapter 4.

So just flip over a couple of pages. We're in Nehemiah. Esther is the next book. So flip to Esther chapter 4. Here's reason number one why Nehemiah might be dreadfully afraid that the king has noticed that he's sorrowful.

Let's read verses one and two of Esther chapter four. When Mordecai learned all that had happened, this is the decree that the Jews are to be annihilated, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry. He went as far as the front of the King's Gate for no one might enter the King's Gate clothed with sackcloth." So Mordecai gets the report. There's been a proclamation that the Jews can be annihilated on a certain day and he is mourning, he's grieving, he's in sackcloth and he goes around the city displaying his grief and he goes as far as the king's gate but no further because you can't come past the king's gate in sackcloth.

So reason number one is it is not acceptable to grieve in the presence of the king. Not acceptable. You can imagine things in Nehemiah going a little bit like this, something like this. You have a sad face, the king says, oh you think I'm a terrible king? No, no, no.

It's your job to be happy in the presence of the king. It's your job to show by your countenance that you think he's a good king doing a good job. You're a subject in his kingdom. So we see in Esther chapter 4 verses 1 and 2 that grieving in the presence of the king is off limits. You keep your sack cloth outside the gate.

So now here Nehemiah is. He's supposed to be doing his job. I mean, this wouldn't even be acceptable in a restaurant. Okay, this is Chick-fil-A on steroids. They're always happy and courteous and cheerful.

They are how much more so. And it's because it's only acceptable to be that way for their employees. They expect those who are serving to be cheerful and happy because that's good for your customers. How much more so in the presence of the king? That's reason number one.

It's not acceptable to grieve in the presence of the king. Reason number two. The king is not Nehemiah's buddy. The king is not Nehemiah's buddy. He is taking an interest.

He is noticing. He is commenting. But these are not peers. We're still in Esther chapter 4. Now look at verses 10 and 11.

Then Esther spoke to Hathak and gave him a command for Mordecai. All the king's servants and all the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king who has not been called, he has but one law, put all to death except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go into the king these thirty days. The queen had not been called to go in and meet with the king for thirty days. And even the queen, if the golden scepter isn't extended, could lose her life for presuming to go into the presence of the king.

The king does not have peers. We live in the United States, this is so foreign to us. We would think we would take great liberties even in the presence of the President of the United States. The Persian Empire is not like that. The Persian Empire is not the United States.

The King doesn't have peers. You're not the king's buddy even if he takes notice of you. You can lose your life if you're the queen and you haven't been called into his presence. By the way, this should make us think differently about the presence of God. How casual we are about coming before God.

Human kings on this earth have thought that their presence merited the greatest respect. How much more the king of kings? Reason number three, that he might have become dreadfully afraid when the King takes notice. His desire is exactly opposite what the king has already expressed. What Nehemiah wants is 180 degrees opposite what he has already decreed in Ezra chapter 4.

You remember in Ezra chapter 4, a report comes to this same king, Artxerxes, saying they're building the walls in Jerusalem. This is a rebellious city. Go look in the history. It's a rebellious city. You let them build the walls.

You won't see any more money and they'll be in rebellion to you. What does Artaxerxes do? He writes a letter to Sinback to say, make them stop. So Nehemiah is grieved. He's disturbed because the walls are broken down and the gates are burned and the people are in great distress and reproach because of it.

He wants to do what? To rebuild the walls. The king has his last word on this subject is, make them stop rebuilding the walls. Undoubtedly, Nehemiah knows this. Now this is softened by the fact that It seems like Ezra and the second wave of returning captives that the king since that time has given Ezra and others permission to come back and has sent them with great wealth.

So they seem to be in much more favor since that decree. But the last word on the subject of wall building was make them stop. In spite of his fear, Nehemiah honestly and forthrightly answers the king's questions. So he doesn't dodge, he shoots straight and he gives him an honest answer and a forthright answer. First he makes it clear that his service to the king is not the problem.

The sadness of my countenance isn't because I don't like serving you. It's not because I don't like and value my job or being a subject in your kingdom. He says, may the king live forever. May the king live forever. Daniel says these exact words a hundred years earlier, probably 85 years earlier, in the presence of King Darius in Daniel chapter 621 you'll find him saying exactly the same thing, may the king live forever.

And this is language that has come through the centuries so that even to the King of England, during the founding of our nation, you might say, God save the King. You might say, long live the King. So this is standard language for the kings of the earth. And Nehemiah participates in that and Daniel participates in that. But what we have here in this text is a pattern.

It's not just a rote phrase which I'm sure the phrase was used over and over and over and over by many people so there is a sense in which it is a rote phrase but it's not just a rote phrase that gets you by. In our text we have a pattern of honor. So don't think of it as just a rote phrase, think of it as a pattern of honor in the text. In verse five and then in verse seven he's going to say, if it pleases the king, grant me this request. If it pleases the king, grant me that request." He's acknowledging being under authority.

In other words, I'm making a request, but I know who I am and I know who you are, and I know, I understand that I serve at your pleasure." He's acknowledging the authority of the king. If it pleases the king. He says that twice in our text. And then in the verse that we're looking at now, he says, may the king live forever. We have a pattern of honor.

In 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 17 Peter says, fear God, honor the king. Nehemiah is doing that. Nehemiah looks like he's read 1 Peter 2 verse 17, but that's impossible. Fear God, honor the king. If you think those things are in conflict, you don't understand.

Fear God, honor the king. Now there are times when you can't obey the king, but you always must honor the king. They're not exactly the same thing. There's lots of overlap, but they're not identical. And so, this is true of Nehemiah.

He's greatly...what was the word? What was the word in the text? He's deeply afraid. Dreadfully afraid. But it doesn't stop him.

He fears God more than he fears this king. He fears God and he honors the king. Nehemiah you find by the way he speaks to the king has taken the prickles out of the moment. In other words you can make tense situations worse or better by how you approach them in the language that you pick. He's deprickled at the moment by using language that's honorable.

He's proceeded wisely. Now he answers a question with a question. The king has said, why are you sad? He says, how could I not be sad? How could I be anything but sad when the city where my Father's tombs are lies desolate, is in ruins, lies waste, the walls are burned down, or the walls are torn down and the gates are burned.

He actually references Jerusalem being the place of his father's tomb twice. He does it again in verse 5. And this might be significant. The kings, particularly kings of the empire, put a great deal of emphasis on the place of their father's tomb. So this may be a way that Nehemiah was doing to draw attention to how dear a place Jerusalem was to his by having the king think about how he thinks about the place of his father's tomb as well.

Now let's look at verses 4 through 8. Where the king says, what do you request? Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 4, then the king said to me, What do you request? So I prayed to the God of heaven, and I said to the king, if it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask you to send me to Judah, to the city of my father's tombs, that I may rebuild it. Then the king said to me, the queen also sitting beside him, how long will your journey be?

And when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me, and I said him a time. Furthermore, I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the river, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel, which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy. And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me." So having told the king what the problem is, that he's sorrowing over Jerusalem, the king says, what do you request? The first thing that Nehemiah does is he prays.

So he doesn't blurt out his request. The first thing he does is he prays to the God of heaven. His reaction is secret, instantaneous, reflexive prayer. You've tapped his knee with the hammer and the jerk of his knee is to pray. Secret, instantaneous, reflexive prayer.

Surely he doesn't bow down before the king and have a lengthy prayer time. Okay, this is not what's being spoken of here. But he immediately, when he's faced with having to give his request to this king of many kings, he prays. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17 says pray without ceasing. That's the whole verse.

It's a great one to memorize. As you just did it. Pray without ceasing, that's the whole verse. You now have memorized 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17. Congratulations.

This is exactly what Paul is talking about. Praying without ceasing doesn't mean, don't do anything else, don't take a job, don't wash dishes, don't prepare meals, don't read books, just only pray. That's not the prayer without ceasing that Paul was talking about in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17. It is to be before God in all things. Always desire to be in a sense, before Him, praying, offering up prayers about everything.

We have seen Nehemiah in the last chapter engage in Matthew chapter 6 verse 6 prayer. That's one kind of prayer. Matthew chapter 6 verse 6 Jesus says this, but you when you pray go into your room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. That's a valuable kind of prayer where it is totally devoted, undivided attention, in peace and quiet behind a shut door, not with anybody else, praying to your Father in secret and He rewards you openly.

Nehemiah was just doing that in chapter 1. Now though, What is being offered is not Matthew chapter 6 verse 6 kind of prayer, it's 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17 prayer. Prayer without ceasing, remaining in the presence of God, praying about things as they come to you during the course of the day. Brothers and sisters, we need both Matthew 6-6 prayer and 1 Thessalonians 5-17 prayer. We need them both.

We need to be cultivating both in our lives. Both going away to be with God in secret, totally devoted to prayer, and also to remain in His presence and bring things to them. How much time elapsed between the king saying, what do you request, and Nehemiah offering his requests? Three seconds, five seconds, but he's in the presence of his heavenly father and he's bringing all things to him in prayer. He's praying without ceasing.

So in chapter one we see Matthew 6-6 prayer. Chapter two we see 1st Thessalonians 5-17 prayer. We need them both. Nehemiah had them both. We need to cultivate both in our lives.

Here are his requests. Three requests. One, send me. Not let me go. Those are different things.

Let me go is, Let me turn me loose from this job and just set me at liberty to go. That would be good, but that's not what he's asking for. He's saying, you King, send me. And he is going to be sent. He's going to be appointed governor and sent as an official of the king.

Number two, send me to rebuild Jerusalem. The sending that he's asking for has a very specific, specified, explicit purpose to rebuild Jerusalem. So not only do I want to be sent, I want to be sent for this very specific purpose. Send me, send me to rebuild Jerusalem number three, send me with letters. Don't send me empty handed, send me with letters.

That the governors in the region beyond the river must give me safe passage. That the keeper of the king's forest, Asaph, must give me timber for the building. All of this shows that Nehemiah was ready for his moment. Please don't miss this in this text. This is so important.

Nehemiah was praying towards certain things and he was ready for his moment. Four months. Who knows how many times he's been in the King's presence? The text doesn't say. But what the text does say is when the time came, when the moment came, and the question came, what is your request, Nehemiah was absolutely ready for that moment.

He prayed, he believed, he prepared. If you think what Nehemiah says in this text was off the cuff, you've lost your mind. It's so specific, it's so well thought through, it's so wise. There's no way this is off the cuff. I suppose he could be inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I think he was prepared. I think when he prayed, he believed God and he acted like he believed God in making himself ready for the moment. He knew exactly what he should ask for and he anticipated difficulties. There are governors on the other side of the river Euphrates, the region beyond the river, and they might not like what I'm about. I need letters guaranteeing me safe passage from the king of this empire.

When I get there, I need timber. I need letters for the keeper of the king's forest so that he must give me timber. This is so foreign to us in the United States. We have freedom of movement. We don't need a letter to go anywhere.

I was in Malawi in August, and when we went from the biggest city in Malawi to the second biggest city in Malawi, it's a four hour drive, I bet we were stopped by men with machine guns ten times. Freedom of movement in other places of the world and at other times of world history has been a very different thing than it is today. You think, what do you need a letter for? That's what you need a letter for. It guarantees you safe passage.

We find out it did please the king. He said multiple times, if it pleases the king, and it did please the king. Like Ezra in Ezra chapter 7 verse 6, Art-Exertzis grants all his requests. So In Ezra chapter 7, Ezra asks for very specific things of this very same king and he granted all those requests, including letting Ezra go back, including letting other Jews go back, including sending them with 162 million dollars worth of wealth. That's what we calculated it into.

So this is the record of this king. His heart is definitely inclined towards the Lord's people now. Again, he's granting all the requests. In the last verse of chapter 1, Nehemiah 1 verse 11, Nehemiah prayed that God would give him success and would grant him mercy in the sight of this king. And now here in chapter 2 verse 8, the second part of the verse we read, And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

God answered Nehemiah's prayer. And Nehemiah knew it. And Nehemiah acknowledged it. And we've seen this repeatedly in Ezra. The good hand of God upon me, the good hand of God upon me, the good hand of God upon me.

And that's exactly what we're going to see in Nehemiah. There's a change of names of men from Ezra to Nehemiah but there's not a change of acknowledgement that when a good gift comes from heaven it comes from God. Every good and perfect gift is from above and these men know it and These men give credit where credit is due to God who has granted mercy in the eyes of the king. Finally, we learn of the king's regard for Nehemiah. First, as I've mentioned already a couple of times in chapter 5 verse 14, the king appoints him governor.

He doesn't just send him with orders, he sends him with authority. He appoints him governor. Second, we saw Nehemiah saying, if it pleased the king, if I have found favor in your sight, the answer, all this being granted, just answers that with a resounding yes. Yes, it does please me. Yes, you have found favor in my sight.

Thirdly, he wants him back. The king wants him back. How long are you going to be gone? How long is this trip going to last? When can I count on you being back?" So the king definitely has high regard, if not affection for Nehemiah?

It might be affection, sort of has that ring to it to me, but the text doesn't say that for sure. In any event, the king holds Nehemiah in high regards to make him governor and to grant all his requests and to want him back. Now verses 9 and 10. Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 9, then I went to the governors in the region 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 Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel." Now we have the cold reception. It might not be cold outside. It's now March or April 445 BC. So it's probably not cold outside, but the reception he gets is really chilly from Sanballat and Tobiah. And Sanballat and Tobiah are going to be with us all the way and they're never going to change.

They're going to be offering opposition over and over and over again in the book of Nehemiah. So get used to these two characters and we're going to see them next week. They're ratcheting up the opposition already at the end of chapter 2. Who are these men? We have Sambalat the Horonite.

That almost surely means he was born in one of two places. It could be Bethhoran, which is 12 miles from Jerusalem and it's mentioned in Joshua chapter 16. Maybe he was born in Bethhoran. Or, he could have been born in Horanaim. Horanaim is a preeminent city in Moab, which would make him a Moabite.

That's a city mentioned in Isaiah 15 verse 5 and Jeremiah 48 verse 3. So it's a city that appears a couple of times in the Bible. It's one of the most prominent cities in Moab, which of course is a nation that is a historic enemy of Israel. So either one of those can make him a Horonite. And I'm not sure which it is.

It depends on which commentary you've read latest and been swayed by. It could be either. He's definitely a governor of Samaria later. As you get closer to the time of Christ, those dates, the outside of the Bible histories say that Sambalat was the governor of Samaria, the area just north of Jerusalem and Judah. Whether he was at the time of Nehemiah chapter two or not, we don't know.

But if he's not the governor right now in our text, he will be the governor presently. He has two sons. His two sons are named Deliah and Shalemiah, both Jewish names. So he's a mixed man. He belongs in Samaria.

He should be the governor of Samaria. The Samaritans say, yes, we worship Yahweh and this God and this God and this God and this God. So no surprise that his sons have Jewish names and that he considers himself a worshiper of God, but he's not an exclusive worshiper of God. So he's not really a worshiper of God. That's the deal.

The worshiper of Yahweh, God only accepts that worship if you're only a worshiper of Yahweh. When you want to bring the other gods, Yahweh is not interested. Jehovah is not interested. The God of the Bible is not interested. So, Sanballat is that.

Then we have Tobiah the Ammonite official. Ammon is east of the Jordan. So, Jerusalem, Judah is west of the Jordan. The other side of the river Jordan is Ammon. It's the area that was conquered before Joshua led the people into the promised land.

So you remember Og of Bashan and Sihon, they were Ammonites. And so you have Tobiah the Ammonite official. Tobiah's name means Yahweh is good, So I think we have another mixed man here. He's got a Jewish name. He has a son by the name of Jehohanan.

He's got a son also with a Jewish name. He's married to the daughter of Shekiniah. You'll find that in chapter 3 verse 29 or chapter 6 verse 18. So he's married to a Jewish woman. And his son Jehohanan is married to a daughter of Mishulim.

So he's married to a Jewish woman, his son is married to a Jewish woman, and you have more mixed marriages. You thought we were done with that in Ezra, not on your life. We're back to mixed marriages. We're back to mixed marriages. Tobiah's grandson, also named Tobiah, is called the governor of Ammon in historical literature outside the Bible histories.

His grandson is called the Governor of Ammon. Whether this Tobiah was or not, we know that his grandson will be. So these are very, very powerful influential men in the surrounding region. These are not just ordinary people with an axe to grind, they are very very powerful people in the surrounding region. Meaning Sambalat to the north, Samaria, Tobiah to the east, Ammon.

Next week we're going to meet Gesham the Arab, who is a very, very powerful man to the south towards Arabia. So they're surrounded. Here's the point. The power brokers to the north, the east, and the south hate them. Verse 9 makes it clear that Sanballat and Tobiah know that Nehemiah comes with authorization from the king.

He goes, he says, here's the letters. Sanballat and Tobiah hear about it, so they know he's come from the king, he's authorized by the king, it does not stop them. Verse 10 says, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. They just can't get over it that Someone has come to help the Lord's people. Imagine being disturbed at the welfare of the people.

Why? Listen to Paul in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 12 and 13. This is the Apostle Paul, this is Ephesians chapter 6 verses 12 and 13. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand." So there's again, there's another place where there's a human story about how it is that they came to the place where they would hate the Lord's people.

But also there's something behind the human story here too, Just like there's something behind Nehemiah being the king's cup bearer, but the real answer is the theological answer. God raised him up. So it is with Sambalat and Tobiah and Gashem. There's a human story why they hate the Lord's people, but there's a theological answer and that is demonic powers war against the Lord's people. Always in every generation have, always in every generation will, we should put on the whole armor of God.

Because God is not the only one raising up people to serve him. You got that? And there's a theological answer why people hate the people of God. And they say it has to do with their childhood and they say it has to do with how they've been treated but there's a theological answer that's behind that. And it's that the devil hates the Lord's people and he raises up servants to oppose them.

The first wave, Sarubabel and Jeshua come back and in Ezra chapter 3 and chapter 4, immediate opposition. The second wave, Ezra chapter 9 brings the second group back from captivity. There's immediate opposition. It's in a different form. It has to do with the mixed marriages and having to deal with them.

But as soon as he gets back, he's facing that. So it's a different form, but it's the same category. Opposition, now the third wave. Just as soon as Nehemiah gets back, there's immediate opposition. Here's the application for us.

When God is blessing His people, when God is reforming His people, When God is helping His people, when God is building up His people, it's the time to be the most vigilant and to expect a counter attack from the enemy. You must, you must. If we get nothing from Ezra and Nehemiah, we should at least get that to see that when God is moving, He's not the only one moving. There will be opposition to that. God will overcome.

God can overcome that in us. But we shouldn't be caught by surprise. Heaven forbid that we go through Ezra and Nehemiah and then get surprised that there's opposition to any progress that God is gracious to give us. We should expect it. Now, how do we get to Christ from the text?

How do we get to Jesus from the text? This text is about the favor of God. EMI has been praying. God answers his prayers. God's so gracious to him.

Friends, do you understand that without Jesus, there's no favor from God? God really can't be favorable towards us until the war that we wage against Him is over. People don't think they're waging a war against God, but they really are. In loving self, in serving self, in refusing to be governed by God, you are waging a war against God and there's only one set of terms for peace and it is through the blood of Jesus Christ those are the terms you got to stop serving yourself and stop trusting yourself. You have to turn away from that wickedness and trust only, always in the work of Jesus Christ.

And then there's peace. Then the war is over. And then God can show His favor to you in a thousand different ways, but not until then. Not until there's peace. Does it mean there won't be any fun in life or anything that you think is good in life until you Surrender and trust in Christ?

No, it doesn't mean that, but it means that you'll be at war with God. It means that the things that matter the most will be wrong. We cannot win a war against God, and unless you're in Christ, you are at war with God. There will be no favor from God until there is peace with God that only comes through the blood of Jesus Christ. Applications I have two.

Two applications and only two. Number one, ask yourself this question, Do I mean my prayers? Do I mean them? Consider what Matthew Henry says about this. I found this so helpful.

Matthew Henry says, When Nehemiah had prayed for the relief of his countrymen, He did not sit still and say, Let God now do his own work, for I have no more to do. But set himself to forecast what he could do towards it. Our prayers must be seconded by our serious endeavors, else we mock God. You find yourself praying, but then not believing, not preparing. So God answers your prayers and you're caught flat-footed.

You haven't even made ready for him to answer your prayers. That's not Nehemiah. Nehemiah is not flat-footed in Nehemiah chapter 2. He has prayed and he's believed and he's made himself ready for his moment when God answers his prayers. So we go to the nursing home and we've been praying.

I know I've prayed this and I know other people there with us have prayed this. God thank you for Tuesday night. Don't let Tuesday night be the extent of our involvement in the lives of these people. Give us more than that. So then what?

Then some of them say, we'd like to join you. A couple of them say, we'd like to join you on Sunday mornings. You'd better be ready to make that happen when God answers your prayers. You prayed make us more. How about the clinic?

We go out to the clinic and we make offers. We'll adopt these children if you have them. We'll help you. Hey, the day's coming when somebody calls our bluff, and it better not be a bluff. We need to give thought.

We need to put plans in place so that when somebody says, OK, I'll turn away from this if you can house me. I'll turn away from this if you can house me. I'll turn away from this if you can help me. Okay, we can't stutter when that moment comes. We have to be ready for our moment.

We've been praying, okay? Now what? What if God answers our prayers? We should give that some thought. What about our neighbors?

We're praying for our unbelieving neighbors. Then God gives you the perfect moment and you're not ready for it. It's just unbelief. When we do that, I probably can out-guilt everybody in the whole room. It just means It's unbelief.

When we pray for Jonathan to come back and to be added back to his home again, and then we're surprised when it happens, that's unbelief. That's not trusting that God is predisposed to answer our prayers. I was rebuked by that. I'm so glad to have been rebuked by that. That's number one.

Do I mean my prayers? We better. God might answer them. Number two, I turn to Psalm 102. Psalm 102.

Consider Psalm 102 verses 12 through 14. Psalm 102, 12 through 14. But you, O Lord, Psalm 102, 12-14. Psalm 102, 12-14. But you, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of your name to all generations.

You will arise and have mercy on Zion. For the time to favor her, yes, the set time has come. For your servants take pleasure in her stones and show favor to her dust." So Zion and Jerusalem are interchangeable. Zion technically is a hill in Jerusalem, but they are used interchangeably in the Bible. Zion is Jerusalem, Jerusalem is Zion.

The point of verses 12 and 13 are that God loves Zion, God loves Jerusalem, God loves His people. The point of verse 14 is that God's people love his people. 12 and 13 God loves his people. 14, his people love his people. They love the dust that his people walk on.

Do you get that? In the end of verse 14, and show favor to her dust. Your servants take pleasure in her stones. They show favor to her dust. Is your heart towards the spiritual Jerusalem?

Nehemiah is 1200 miles away. He's at ease serving in the king's court. He has a place of high honor. His heart is in Jerusalem with the Lord's people. 1200 miles away in danger.

He leaves the good job to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the rubble. Because he takes pleasure in the stones of Zion And he shows favor to the dust of Zion because the Lord's people are walking on that dust. So it's precious dust to him. This is a heart that loves the Lord's people because the Lord loves his people. It includes the local church.

It starts with the local church. You can't say, I love the Lord's people, if you don't love the local church. It's the eyeball to eyeball representation of the bigger. Stop kidding yourself if your life doesn't reflect that you love the local church, but you say you love the Lord's people. The eyeball to eyeball expression of the Lord's people are in your local church, but it's so much bigger.

It goes so far beyond the local church. It starts there, but it doesn't stop there. Do you love the Lord's people? Is the dust where the Lord's people are walking, Is it precious to you? Do you love the stones they walk on?

You should. Because the Lord does. That's the only thing that makes us valuable, is the Lord loves us. So we should love each other. Worldwide, the ones 1200 miles away like Nehemiah did and the ones who were near.

God, I thank you for this text and thank you for bringing us to this book. You're so kind in giving all this wisdom to your people. We could be in any book of the Bible and pray that. But you have us here so we're praying it over these texts. So I thank you and I pray that you would use these words to make us wise and to make us love you.

In Jesus' name, Amen.