In today’s daily devotional on Nehemiah 2, we see Nehemiah take a significant risk by approaching the king with a bold request. Are you a risk taker? Do you step out boldly, or do you seek prayerful guidance before acting? As we read Nehemiah 2, we witness the power of prayer, preparation, and faith in God’s guidance. Nehemiah’s story shows us that risk, when combined with prayer and purpose, can lead to great things—even in the face of opposition. Reflect on your own journey and how you can be bold in following God’s direction, just as Nehemiah was. To understand how Nehemiah prayed, read the daily devotional on Nehemiah 1.
Nehemiah 2 Commentary by Allen J. Huth
In Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah takes a risk. Are you a risk taker? Do you take bold risks, or prayerful risks? Please read or listen to Nehemiah 2.
In 1991, I read Nehemiah 1-5 on the same day. I did not make any notes concerning chapter 2.
In 2002, I was reading a book a month, so I read Nehemiah a couple times in the month. My first entry on Nehemiah 2 was, “Nehemiah prayed before he made his request to the king. He had a plan and he presented it to the king. ‘What . . . God had put in my heart to do’ (v. 12). I love these kind of verses.”
The second time in the same month, I read Nehemiah 2 and wrote, “Boldness. Conviction. Purpose. Direction. Focus. Risk. Nehemiah had it all. He went before the king and asked for what he wanted. It could have cost him his job, his lifestyle, his life, or propel him on a mission for God. He made the choice. Most of us don’t.”
There you can see, I read Nehemiah twice in the same month and got two different takes on Nehemiah 2. That is God’s Word! We read it over and over because it continues to speak freshly to us each time we read it.
We move on to 2012 when I divided Nehemiah 2 into two days of readings. The first day, I wrote concerning the first 10 verses, “Risk. Nehemiah took a risk, but only after he prayed and fasted for days. To go before the king with a sad face was very risky. The king could have beheaded him, killed him, dismissed him from his job, put him in prison, etc. Nehemiah makes his request to the king. He prays first. He had prayed, fasted, and prayed. The king grants his request as well as provision to build the walls and gates of Jerusalem. ‘For the good hand of my God was upon me’” (v. 8).
What Is the Lesson of Nehemiah 2:20?
The next day, I read the rest of chapter 2, verses 11-20 and wrote, “Know the problem. Nehemiah examines the situation. He had only heard, not seen, the condition of Jerusalem. So, he gets out to see for himself the extent of the problem, the challenge, he has taken on. Then he invites, not tells, the leaders to join him in rebuilding the walls. He let them know God and the king are on board. Opposition arises, as it often does when doing God’s will. The answer: stay the course. ‘The God of heaven will make us prosper’” (v. 20).
What Is the Lesson of Nehemiah 2?
I mentioned in my journals, Nehemiah took a risk. He was bold. But was it any easier for Nehemiah than it is for us to take a risk or be bold? When the king saw Nehemiah’s sad face, Nehemiah says, “I was very much afraid” (v. 2). But the king asks him, “Nehemiah, what do you want?” Before he answers he said, “So I prayed” (v. 4). Then Nehemiah lays out his request, “send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it” (v. 5). The king’s response is in verse 6, “So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time.”
Nehemiah took a risk, and he got the answer he was looking for from the king. But he did not stop there. He says, not only send me back to my hometown so I can rebuild it but give me letters so people will provide the materials I will need to rebuild the walls. That is an extra step of boldness. “And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me” (v. 8).
Where Does Our Help Come From in the Bible?
Nehemiah understands where his help comes from. His help comes from the Lord. Nehemiah sets out on his journey. He follows his prayers. He follows the desire of his heart, but what does he run into? Opposition. He runs into the governors that are over the City of Jerusalem. “It displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel” (v. 10). “It displeased them greatly” (v. 10). That is often the response we get when we are on a journey or a mission for the Lord. It does not please everybody around us.
Why Did Nehemiah Inspect the Walls at Night?
Nehemiah gets to Jerusalem. He goes out at night and examines the walls. He gets a first-hand understanding of the situation he came to deal with. When he is ready to talk to the leaders of Jerusalem, notice he personalizes the issue. “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem’” (v. 17). He does not blame them for the situation they are in. He identifies with it. In verse 18, he says, “And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me.” Once again, he credits the Lord. Nehemiah gets the response he hopes for, “And they said, ‘Let us rise up and build’” (v. 18). Surely, he is now rejoicing. Everybody is in agreement; let’s rebuild the walls.
But not everybody. Those governors over Jerusalem heard about this and “they jeered at us and despised us” (v. 19). But notice his response, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem” (v. 20).
Who Was Bold in the Bible?
Do you catch the fire? Do you catch the passion? Do you catch the boldness of Nehemiah? Bold in whom? Bold in his God. He knows he is on a mission from the Lord. Do you? Is your life a mission from God? You may be about doing God’s will; being about doing God’s purpose for your life. You have, or you will, face opposition just like Nehemiah. But we do not stop. We face the opposition in the boldness of the Lord.
Prayer
Almighty God, give us boldness in You. Set our hearts on a mission for You. And when the opposition comes, give us the boldness to face it and overcome it. Strengthen our spirits through books of the Bible like Nehemiah. Hallelujah! We give You the praise and the glory. Amen.
