Seizing Your Opportunities Through God Teaching Helps Nehemiah 2:1-6 Scripture: 2 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. 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. 3 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? 4 Then the king said to me, What are you requesting? So I prayed to the God of heaven. 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. 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. Introduction: Teachers: Slightly different format today. I tried to confine the commentary to a brief paragraph at the beginning of each section. The lesson is longer, but it is primarily due to space left for answers. I posed a lot of questions. Choose the ones that best suit what you are trying to accomplish. I wanted to give you options; you cannot cover everything in the discussion guide in one 70 minute session. Discussion questions are subjective; I do not provide answers. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary. John Keating, Dead Poets Society. Remember the movie, Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams? It was about making your life extraordinary, about doing something with the days on earth God gave you. Here is another one: "To put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived." Neil (one of the students). Nehemiah was the king s cupbearer (Nehemiah 1:11). The cupbearer in ancient Persia was a high ranking official of the king s royal court the king s personal attendant, or butler. It was a highly trusted position. The cupbearer made sure the king s wine tasted good and was not poisoned. It was also, given the means Nehemiah had to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls, a lucrative position. It was a great job! It was, however, also a dangerous job. Not just because the cupbearer sometimes had to taste the king s wine personally to make sure it wasn t poisoned (and, sometimes it was), but because he always had to maintain a positive attitude for the king s benefit. In his Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, John Peter Lange, tells us that in Persian monarchy everybody was expected to reflect the sunlight of the king s majesty (p. 10). H.G.M. Williamson, in his Word Biblical Commentary, adds that a gloomy face could have been interpreted as plotting against the king (p. 178). (Article courtesy of Bible Study Magazine published by Logos Bible Software). Don t read too much compassion into the king s response to Nehemiah s sad face ( This is nothing but 1
sadness of the heart ). Sadness in the presence of the king could have resulted in execution: ( Then I was very much afraid ). This was one of those decisions that defines a persons. Nehemiah could have cowered, begged the king s forgiveness, or petitioned the king for a favor. His life hung in the balance. God called on him to carpe diem: seize the day. There are times in each of our lives when God calls on us to seize an opportunity through Him. It may be dangerous, inconvenient, or just outside our comfort zone, but it is God s call to set a new course in our lives. Lesson Truth: As The Living Road are called to work for God even when He is silent. Discussion Points: I. God is always moving, even when we do not see (or feel) Him (Nehemiah 2:1) As the old saying goes, Location, location, location. Timing is crucial too. Both of these are evident in Nehemiah 2:1. Four month have elapsed since Nehemiah heard about the plight of his people. He prayed a fervent prayer to God, and then he waited four, long, months. Apparently the wait got to him, because he is really downcast when we see him again at the opening of the second chapter of Nehemiah something that could have been hazardous to his health in those days and in his position. Where was God? Why didn t He answer? How long, God, how long will You tarry? All of these things must have been going through Nehemiah s mind. He may have been thinking, Lord, Give me patience, and give it to me right now (a little Old Testament humor)! But God knows the right time and the right place. God was not only getting Nehemiah s heart ready, but he was preparing the heart of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Yes, God was preparing the heart of a pagan king. Does this sound a little like the story of Joseph in the house of Potiphar and in Pharaoh s prison? Our timetable is not God s timetable, and God s ways are not our ways. The long and the short of it? God knows what He is doing; we do not! The question, then as now, is: What are we doing while we wait on God to impact eternity? A. In Bro. Kelly s sermon, he mentioned four things we can learn about waiting on God from Nehemiah 2:1. Do you remember them? 1. What do you do when you do not feel God moving? 2. Nehemiah continued to prepare for what God laid on his heart. 3. God was also working on the heart of a pagan king. 4. When we wait on God and go by His time table, things have an impact on eternity. B. Let s discuss each of these quickly 1. What do you do when you don t feel God moving? 2
Have you ever experienced a time when you couldn t feel, hear, or see God moving in your life? Have you ever experienced a dark time in your life, when you couldn t feel God, and it turned out to be just the opposite? God was working mightily but in a way you didn t understand? Have you ever found yourself in a dangerous or uncomfortable situation and God gave you the words to say? Did you seize the opportunity or give in to your fears? 2. Nehemiah continued to prepare for what God laid on his heart. How do you focus on God when He seems to be silent in your life? How can we make sure we are ready when God does move? Do you think Nehemiah prayed one time and waited for God to answer, or did he pray constantly? What about us? How else can you prepare for God s movement? What about how we treat others (inside and outside the church) during times of waiting? 3
3. God was also working on the heart of a pagan king. As a Gentile, the king was an outcast too. Sometimes, God puts someone in our lives that needs to help us do the work of the Lord. Can God use a non-believer to help His people? Please explain why you answered as you did. Do you think the way Nehemiah handled his job during the four months between hearing about his people in Jerusalem and coming before the king helped prepare the king s heart? How does the way we treat others during times of uncertainty impact their reaction when God leads? Can this be true for both believers and non-believers? What do you think? Could God be preparing you to help someone else do something for Him? Are you Nehemiah or the king? 4. When we wait on God and go by His time table, things have an impact on eternity. What do you think about that statement? Is it true? Is it always true? Why or why not? Please explain why you answered as you did. God says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways (Isaiah 55:8). How does understanding that help us prepare ourselves for times of waiting? Does inactivity (waiting) always involve God working things out? Please explain your answer. How can we tell the difference in waiting for God and being disobedient? 4
What have we been doing at The Road to prepare ourselves as we wait on God? Has it been working or not? Do you think God wants The Living Road to do something different now? II. Because of Nehemiah s Faithfulness, He was Ready (Nehemiah 2:1-2_ Nísannu is the first month of the ancient Persian calendar. Nisan is the first month of the Hebrew ecclesiastical (religious) calendar. It is, however, the eighth month of the civil calendar. Nehemiah reports that both Chislev and Nisan are in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes s reign (reckoned by the Hebrew calendar). However, Nisan holds a special place in Jewish thought. Jewish tradition had it that God created the universe in the month of Nisan, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were born, and died, in the month of Nisan. God instituted the Passover in Nisan, and the Exodus took place that month. Miriam and Joshua, the sister and the successor of Moses, both died in Nisan. And the list goes on and on, throughout Jewish history. Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew ecclesiastical year, holds a vital place in the Jewish psyche. It may have just been just one more month in the twentieth year of the king, but it was Nisan, the first month of the holy year, and the most important month on the Jewish calendar! No wonder, after four months of prayer, Nehemiah comes before the king disenchanted, downhearted, and downcast. A. In his sermon, Bro. Kelly set the stage for Nehemiah s request: his faithfulness made him ready when the opportunity presented itself. He listed four ways in which Nehemiah showed himself faithful. Please name them. 1. Four months had passed since Nehemiah heard the news of his home. 2. He kept his attitude under check 3. He felt this was the right time, and he served the king with a sad face (Nisan marked the beginning of the Persian year). 4. The king responded, and Nehemiah had much fear. B. Nehemiah had already shown himself to be approved (before God and the king). Have we, The Living Road, shown ourselves to be approved to our community? If not, what do we need to do? 5
C. In Nehemiah 2:1-2, time (and timing) and Nehemiah s frame of mind helped pave the way for his encounter with the king. Does the passage of time, the condition of The Road, and our current personal outlook help set the stage for the rebuilding process? Please explain. III. God Gives Opportunities to Follow His Plan (Nehemiah 2:3-4) Not just the success of his mission, but Nehemiah s very life was on the line. With everything at stake, Nehemiah risked all and responded, 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? He was respectful, but he didn t back down. As the old saying goes, You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Sometimes, as modern American Christians, we expect the government to respect us. Nehemiah 2:3 reminds us that it actually works the other way around. We are to pray for our president, congress, and courts, and we are to seek their indulgence. We have no right to expect the government to live by Christian standards. Nehemiah understood who he was talking to. He might have been a high ranking official, but this was the king. We, as Christians in America, might have a lot of political influence, but they are still the ordained (by the people) leaders of our nation, and our success and wellbeing are often in their hands, not vice versa. Realizing the precariousness of his situation, where did Nehemiah turn? Prayer! Look at Nehemiah 2:4: So I prayed to the God of heaven. Is that where we turn first? If anything, the study of Nehemiah reminds us of the power of prayer. A. Again, Bro. Kelly pointed out four ways in which Nehemiah shows us how we can seize the opportunities God gives us. Please name them. 1. He responded with much respect. 2. He understood his audience. 3. The king had seen Nehemiah s heart through Nehemiah s previous service to him. 4. Nehemiah said a silent prayer before speaking to the king. B. Why is being respectful of those from which we ask something important? C. What about understanding our audience? Do we get in trouble when we do not, as Stephen Covey put it, Seek first to understand and then to be understood? Is it important to find out the other person s needs before expressing our own? 6
D. The king knew Nehemiah s heart because Nehemiah had always served him faithfully. How important, if at all, do you think it is to serve before being served? IV. Nehemiah Honored God by Falling Under the King s Authority (Nehemiah 2:5-6) Nehemiah says two things to the king before voicing his request: If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight. Nehemiah stresses that he has pleased the king in the past and wishes to continue to do so. The essence of the statement if your servant has found favor in your sight is: Have I ever failed to serve you faithfully? Only after Nehemiah establishes he is under the authority of the king does he make a request. The issue of authority is an interesting one. In Luke 7:1-9, the New Testament addresses it. A Roman Centurion, a Gentile, asks Jesus to heal his slave. When Jesus arrives at his house, however, he stops the Messiah. You, a Jewish rabbi, might become ceremonially unclean by entering my house, he insists, Just say the word, and my slave will be healed. This centurion understood authority because he was a man under authority. Because he knew how to take orders, he knew how to give them as well. Further, he knew Jesus had authority over sickness because Jesus was under the authority of His heavenly Father. Then, Luke says a remarkable thing, Jesus was amazed at him. Wow, the Son of God was amazed! Think about that; it is quite a statement. The Son of God was amazed at this Gentile s faith, and the basis of his faith was a clear understanding of authority. This passage never ceases to intrigue me, no matter how often I read it. In Nehemiah, we see evidence of the same thing. Nehemiah requests a favor of the king and has faith it will be granted because he understands authority. He, the king s cupbearer, will have authority to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem because he understands what it means to be under the king s authority. Nehemiah s hope even when he doesn t see or feel God at work, his faithfulness during the time of waiting, his willingness to seize the opportunity when it became available even in the face of personal danger, and his understanding of authority enable Nehemiah to do two additional things: make a request and touch the heart of a king and his queen. A. What were the four points Bro. Kelly stressed in this section (hint, they are all included in the paragraph above)? 1. Nehemiah wants to continue to please the king. 2. Nehemiah asked if the king had ever seen Nehemiah not serve him. 3. Only then did Nehemiah voice his request. 4. It then became evident that God was working through Nehemiah to touch a king. B. How does falling under the authority of our community, our civic leaders, help us honor God here in DeSoto? 7
C. Can we honestly ask the citizens of DeSoto, Have we ever failed to serve you? D. What is our request? What are we looking for? What are we asking of our king (our community)? What help from DeSoto do we need to rebuild The Living Road? E. What evidence would show that The Living Road has touched the hearts of DeSoto? V. Conclusion: President John F. Kennedy said in his first inaugural address: Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country. In a slightly less quoted statement, he went on to insist, My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. To a large degree, Hampton Road Baptist Church, it is time for us to insist, Ask not what DeSoto can do for us ask what we, together, as a Living Road, can do for our community! We do not deserve an answer to this request until we, like Nehemiah, can maintain hope even when God is silent, remain steadfast until He is ready to work through us, seize the opportunities God gives us, and understand under whose strength and authority we serve in this community. Let me leave you with a couple of quotes from Dead Poet s Society: No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world, and There's a time for daring and there's a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for. John Keating. Both of these, I believe, are applicable to the study of Nehemiah 2:1-6. We must be good stewards at The Road. We must also know when to seize opportunities, not to squander them. But never forget, we can change the world for God! Teachers: There are a lot of questions raised by this sermon. There are few of them that have a right or wrong answer. On the other hand, there are answers to the questions that are obviously biased or against the word of God. Keep the teaching atmosphere of the class open, but do not accept every answer at face value. Don t shut anyone down, but don t say that s a good point if it s not either. Use these questions to probe and get people to think. It is not about feeling sorry for ourselves or feeling guilty. It is about starting to examine ways to rebuild The Living Road. Lesson Truth: There are a number of truths you can emphasize: We need to continue to trust God even when we don t feel Him working. Faithfulness to God helps us be ready when He decides the time is ready to act. We need to seize the opportunities God gives us in an appropriate way. Being obedient to God s authority honors God and enables us to seize those opportunities. For me, the single truth I wish to emphasize is: God is always at work and allows us to be part of His plan if we are obedient and seize the opportunity when He makes it available in His time. 8