Thoughts for the Day

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital, one of my brothers, Hanani, came with certain men from Judah; and I asked them about the Jews that survived, those who had escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem. They replied, ‘The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.’

When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.....O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy!’

At the time, I was cupbearer to the king.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The story of Ezra continues in the book of Nehemiah, but for the moment we leave him as he tries to establish law and order in Jerusalem and we return to Babylon. Nehemiah is a prominent Jew in the Persian court and is cupbearer to king Artaxerxes, whose father was killed by one of his servants. Nehemiah chooses the food and drink for the king and likely tastes it to check there is no poison present. He is one of the king's most trusted servants.

When the second wave of people left Babylon for Jerusalem with Ezra most of the leaders did not go with the them, and because they went without an escort of soldiers their journey was hard. When there Ezra found it difficult to bring the people back to the Law of Moses and to the covenant they had agreed with God, for as many as 85% of them had married pagan wives. This included the sons of the High Priest.

So when Nehemiah's brother arrives in Babylon with men who have travelled from Judah, he wants to know how things are going. He is shocked to hear what has happened in Jerusalem, it's walls are damaged, its gates have been burnt, and Ezra and the people are in serious trouble.

Today we should notice how, although Nehemiah is distraught he does two things - he fasts and he prays to God. Perhaps we should ask ourselves how often do we humble ourselves, fast, and pray for our country when things are difficult?

Heavenly Father,
we know our sin
both personally and nationally,
and we ask Your forgiveness for each.
We pray this day for our world
and for our country,
and may we learn to make plans
that fit into Your plans for our world.
Amen.