Title: Nehemiah's Victory (Nehemiah 02:9-10)
Contents Last time, we prayed about the faith that Nehemiah knew how to wait for the Lord to reveal His will by creating a certain situation while praying, and also the attitude of prayer to tell God first by offering “silence for a moment” moment by moment. In addition, I looked at how I lived a life of true preparation in which I thoroughly prepared for what I needed to prepare.
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Today we will continue to look at verse 9.
“I sent the commander of the army and horsemen to be with me, and I came to the governors on the west side of the river and reported the king’s scorn…”
Nehemiah, who had been praying and waiting for God's sign, was precious to finally get the king's permission with God's help to rebuild the broken wall of his people in Jerusalem.
At that time he was given considerable powers by the king. The office he received was governor of the land of Judah. In Nehemiah 5:14, it says, “It was twelve years from the time I was appointed governor of the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-two year of King Artaxerxes.” It is to return to being the governor of Judah for 12 years. When he was precious, the commander of the army and horsemen came together and entered Jerusalem with a dignified appearance. King Artaxerxes, who showed great favor to Nehemiah, was actually the one who stopped the construction of the wall. But what was the reason for his cooperation?
God, the Lord of history, not only moved the heart of King Artaxerxes, but also brought us to a historical situation where King Artaxerxes had to do so, by examining history.
Three years before Nehemiah was appointed governor, the governor of the west side of the river, that is, the west side of the river, refers to the land west of the Jordan River, including Phoenicia, Palestine, Syria, and the entire island of Cyprus. Governor Megabijus, appointed to rule the entire region, revolted against the Vasa regime. It caused a coup. Originally, Megabijus was a general who made a great contribution to the Persian Empire by taking the lead in suppressing the Egyptian rebellion about 10 years before Nehemiah was appointed governor. So, it seems that he was approved by the king and was appointed as governor over the area west of the Jordan River. However, he joined forces with the Samaritan governor Rehum and the scribe Shimsae to revolt against the Persian regime, although the cause is unknown. Rehum and Simsae were none other than those who accused the Jews.
King Artaxerxes was very loyal to Rehum and Simsae, who were very loyal to the accusation that Ezra was precious, so if Ezra was building the wall, he would betray the king. Because of this, King Artaxerxes had to help the Jews. By rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, the king judged that it would also be beneficial for the Persian Empire in the event of a revolt in neighboring Samaria.
If you look at this, you can see that God, who is the master of history, not only moves people's hearts, but also creates the circumstances of history to be advantageous for Nehemiah, the man of God.
Look at Isaiah 45:8-7.
“I will make it known to the multitudes that there is no one but me, at the sunrise and at the setting. I am the LORD, and there is no other.