There is no ambiguity about what Jesus told us was to consume our lives as our top priority. He says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” The Greek verb “to seek” means, to strive after, to desire. It is the opposite of being lackadaisical, indifferent, or nonchalant. It is pursuit that is self-motivated, intentional and passionate. The word “first” indicates that Jesus is telling us to make this pursuit the all-consuming top priority of our lives. In context, this verse is about being preoccupied. We are to be pre-occupied with spreading Christ’s agenda of righteousness and restoration over the earth.
As we saw last week, Nehemiah became a man who was consumed with God’s agenda, in his case the restoration of the wall around the city of Jerusalem. In this episode we see that when you adopt God’s agenda, he will provide the resources needed to accomplish it and we examine 7 insights about how he does it.
A good way to summarize our mission from Jesus is this: to be intentionally preoccupied with spreading Christ’s kingdom of righteousness and wholeness into every corner of our heart and over every inch of planet earth where we have influence. Accomplishing Jesus’ mission for me requires planning. How am I going to implement Christ’s agenda of righteousness in my heart loyalties, in transforming my bad attitudes and in my role as husband? How will my behavior change because I am adopting Jesus’ agenda as a neighbor, church member, steward of resources, and ambassador of the Kingdom—every sphere of life. But how can we implement’ Jesus’ agenda in these spheres without mulling over how we are going to do that and formulating a plan? As you seek to implement Christ’s agenda of righteousness in a sphere of life, whether it is to delight your heart more in the Lord, listen better to your wife’s heart, spend more time in the Word, build a relationship in your sphere of influence with one who needs Jesus, or get good eating and exercise into your life, there is much to learn in today’s episode about attempting to accomplish God’s agenda. So, let’s dig into the story.
To set the stage, in the first chapter, Nehemiah, who is the cup bearer for Persian King Artaxerxes, discovered that the Jewish exiles captured by the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar but set free by the conquering Persian king, Cyrus to return to their homeland, were not doing well. The migration back to their homeland, Judah, had begun over 100 years earlier. They had rebuilt the temple and most likely the city walls. Then just thirteen years ago, Ezra had led a group of scribes back to Jerusalem. Ezra had confronted the Jewish men of the sin of marrying foreign women who turned their hearts to worship idols and, in an amazing exhibition of national repentance (much like that brought about by Elijah on Mt. Carmel), the guilty men agreed to “put way” their foreign wives. But in the 13 years since then it would appear that the city walls had again been torn down and its gates burned, leaving the people in great distress.
Upon hearing the news, Nehemiah immediately fell to his knees, weeping, praying, and fasting. His prayer revealed Nehemiah’s awareness that Judah’s 70-year captivity was the “scattering” that was promised in the covenant Yahweh made with Israel if they were unfaithful to Yahweh and went whoring after other gods. But Nehemiah also knew of the covenant promise that if they repented and came back to a renewed faithfulness to Yahweh, God would gather them again in Jerusalem which was place where Yahweh’s name dwelt. The first chapter ends with Nehemiah continuing to pray, fast, and weep.
Nehemiah 2:1-8. In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” 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, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me (Nehemiah 2:1-8).
Let’s go back through the text for seven insights for setting out to accomplish God’s agenda in your life.
Vs 1. In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
A. Accomplishing God’s agenda requires persisting in prayer. What happened after Nehemiah prayed to the Lord? Nothing. At least not right away. Nehemiah's story opened in the month of Chislev and it resumes in the month of Nissan. Chislev is December. Nissan is April. For four months nothing happened. Can you relate? It is tough to keep praying even when you know you are praying according to God’s agenda, when you see no results.
Besides Jesus, there is one man that the Bible points to as the example, par excellence, of prayer: Elijah. His prayer brought about the repentance of an entire nation on Mt. Carmel in his showdown with the prophets of Baal. Any guess how many times Elijah prayed for the repentance of his people? If he prayed just 3 times per day, he would have asked for the same thing 1277 times. James is clear that he prayed for 3.5 years. For some reason persistent prayer is the only power that can overcome evil. Remember what happened to some of Jesus’ disciples when he was away from them on the Mount of Transfiguration? They used Jesus’ name but could not cast out a demon. Jesus’ explanation. “This kind can only come out through prayer.” I believe that Jesus knew something about the power of persistent prayer that he knew we couldn’t understand. Uncharacteristically, in has parables on prayer, Jesus did not tell us why praying for so long is required to overcome the kingdom of darkness. He didn’t try to. He just said, “keep on praying.”
B. Accomplishing God’s agenda is more likely when it has captured your heat. Nehemiah could not mask his grief. His heart of grief over his suffering people and the need to build a protective wall around Jerusalem was genuine. He was preoccupied with God’s agenda to build this wall just as Jesus said we should be preoccupied with implementing Christ’s agenda of righteousness in the spheres of our lives.
Vs. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
C. Accomplishing God’s agenda requires leaving your comfort zone. When Artaxerxes made this comment, it is likely that Nehemiah’s heart started pounding, and his hands got sweaty for two reasons. It was the Law of the Meads and Persians that you could not be sad in the presence of the king. As a matter of fact you could be put to death for such an offense. The second the reason it was probably pounding is because Nehemiah saw that God had given him the opportunity he had been praying for to talk to Artaxerxes about going to Jerusalem and rebuilding the wall. Have you ever prayed for an opportunity to talk to someone about something important, maybe having to have a hard discussion or share your faith? The opportunity comes and your heart starts pounding and your tongue feels like it's getting tied in knots. Nehemiah says, “I was very much afraid.”
If you are a serious Christ-follower who is committed to spreading Christ’s kingdom righteousness, you will find yourself in positions where you feel afraid. The difference between a dreamer and a person who accomplishes something meaningful for God is the willingness to take risk, the willingness to leave the safety of the status quo. Last evening I was talking with a woman who had taken on the responsibility of chairing the board of a Christian school. Immediately, after doing so she was challenged by so many crises that she was overwhelmed. She was forced to lean on the Lord big time. But then she said, “Ya know, I really don’t think I knew God before those crises. As God saw me through those tough times I really got to know God.” Passively accepting the status quo is not only disobedience to the Master who commands us to take action to spread Christ’s kingdom of righteousness, it also cheats us of getting to experience the heartache and faithfulness of God.
Vs. 3-4. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
D. Accomplishing God’s agenda requires the right attitude towards those God has placed in positions of authority. Although the story does not make a great point of Nehemiah's loyalty to King Artaxerxes his whole demeanor as well as his success presupposes it. The tact that Nehemiah takes to answer this question could have been logical or political. He could have answered,
“Why am I sad? I'll tell you why. 13 years ago, in the seventh year of your reign, you sent a delegation of priests, including Ezra, and temple attendants to Jerusalem with your gold and silver offering to the God of Israel. But the governors surrounding the city of Jerusalem were jealous and afraid that a revitalized Jerusalem would be detrimental to their interests. So, over the last 13 years, they have torn town the city walls and relentlessly attacked Jerusalem’s inhabitants. You need to order those governors to stop; in fact, you need to make them rebuild the city walls that they destroyed.”
Perhaps there is a place for this kind of logical and political argument. But that was not the way Nehemiah chose to win over King Artaxerxes. Rather, his tact was personal. I believe his choice of a personal tactic strongly suggests a deep bond of loyalty that Nehemiah had built with the king. The English translation of Nehemiah’s rhetorical question, Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire sounds to our ears a bit arrogant and sarcastic. But that was not the way it sounded to Artaxerxes. Nehemiah based the request for Artaxerxes’ help upon personal grief, which the king, who was proud of his own city and who also had his own ancestors, would understand. Nehemiah would not have made his request personal unless his loyalty to the king had built a personal bond with him.
Vs. 5. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.”
E. Accomplishing God’s agenda, if it requires cooperation with unbelievers, must be winsome.
- Nehemiah’s request is humble, and respectful—if it pleases the king.
- His request is based upon his past loyalty—if I have found favor in your sight.
- It is based upon shared values, ancestors should be respected—to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.
The example of this godly man’s respect for the pagan king sharply contrasts with a worldview that is poisoning the thinking of many compassionate Christians. The worldview shaping the thinking of many Christians about social justice is Cultural Marxism, which defines all those in positions of authority as oppressors. Christians may disagree with policies concerning the enforcement of immigration law. But there is no biblical basis for labeling US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers “oppressors.” Christians who do so in the name of social justice are reflecting the worldview of cultural Marxism, not the Bible.
Vs. 6. And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time.
F. When it comes to accomplishing God’s agenda, the heart of the king is in the Lord’s hands. It is obvious that God has answered Nehemiah’s prayer. God has moved the king’s heart to say, “yes” to his request. My favorite missionary, Hudson Taylor proved throughout his life what he claimed, “It is possible to move men through God by prayer alone.” Chuck Swindoll sees the application of this principle to hardened authority figures.
There are few areas of life in which we live or work that do not come ready equipped with a superior, a boss, or other authority figure… When the time of confrontation comes between boss and employee, parent and child, coach and player, teacher and pupil, how do we handle that? That question becomes increasingly complex when the superior is insensitive to or unconcerned with spiritual things. The message God has for you at that point is, pray. (Hand Me Another Brick).
Changing hearts is God’s specialty. Our job is to pray and honor the place of authority that another has in our lives. Proverbs 21:1 applies this principle specifically to those holding positions of authority: The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. I have a Jewish friend who took this verse very seriously. He sought approval from his parents to marry a Gentile girl. They refused. He prayed and redoubled his efforts to let them get to know her. A year later, his parents said, “We love this girl. Why haven’t you married her yet?” The result of honoring his parents in this way and thus keeping the 5th Commandment has been their tremendous love for his wife and harmonious relationship with his family.
Vs. 7-8. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
G. Accomplishing God’s agenda requires intentional planning and prayer. The old Revolutionary war soldiers used to say, “Trust the Lord. But keep your powder dry.” Swindoll writes,
During these four months of praying and waiting, Nehemiah was planning. Pray to God, make your plans, set your sights, think through your hurdles. Many people in God's work are short sighted. Imagine Nehemiah's conversation with the first official outside the province of Susa if he had not planned ahead.
“Where are you going?”
“Well I was hoping by faith to go to Jerusalem”
“OK where are your letters?”
“I don't have any letters.”
“Then go back and get them.” So, he would have had to go back and start all over (Ibid).
Our mission is to implement Jesus’ agenda of righteousness in every sphere of our lives, our heart loyalties, our heart attitudes, and in our role as husband, father, employer/employee, neighbor, church member, steward of resources, and ambassador of the Kingdom—every sphere of life. But how can we implement’ Jesus’ agenda in these spheres without mulling over how we are going to do that and formulating a plan? Can you imagine Sean McVay going into today’s NFC playoff with no game plan? No NFL team would play in a football game without a game plan. And your life is much more important than any NFL game!
Most of us learned this truth the hard way. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. Ignoring this truth may mean wasting time returning to the grocery store to get something you forgot because you failed to make a list or writing an essay that sounds more like a stream of consciousness exercise than a thoughtful, reasoned, argument. It might mean missing important opportunities because you arrived at a meeting out of breath and soaking wet because you forgot to bring an umbrella. Life can have a harsh way of teaching us not to neglect planning, when attempting to do something important.
So why would I think that I could love my wife well, without prayerfully studying the needs of her heart and what I can do to meet those needs? Why would I think I will be effective in sharing my faith without intentionally praying for opportunities and intentionally building relationships with key lost folks to win the right to be heard? How can I delight myself in the Lord, without deciding how to do that and when I will make time to do so? Great intentions remain just that, intentions, unless we make time to plan how we will implement those intentions! Pat Morley of Man in the Mirror, says, “If we are going to beat the old man (sinful nature) in us, we are going to have to get organized to do it.” Nehemiah knew that accomplishing God’s agenda, like accomplishing almost any agenda, requires careful thought and planning. So should we.
Back in chapter 1, Nehemiah had told us exactly what he had devoted four months to praying for: “Give success to your servant and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” In chapter 2 we saw the result: God’s agenda brings God’s resources if we ask for them.
For Further Prayerful Thought:
- Can you relate to Nehemiah praying intensely for the wall to be rebuilt and seeing God do nothing? What have you learned about overcoming discouragement in prayer?
- It’s not stated explicitly but surely looks like Nehemiah had built a very strong relationship of servanthood and loyalty to Artaxerxes. What pieces of evidence do you see in the text that suggest such a strong relationship?
- Contrast the loyalty and respect for authority required of God’s people and shown by Nehemiah to cultural Marxism’s worldview that labels all authority figures oppressors. Where do you see the seeds of cultural Marxism in our culture? In the church?
