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.
THE STUDY:
Once Nehemiah approaches the King,
it doesn’t take long for sorrow to be recognized on his face. In a quick glance
we can see a couple of things that stand out in this verse. One possible excuse
for being sorrowful in the presence of the King may be due to illness, (seeing you are not sick)! The king was
able to distinguish between sickness and sadness. This ability to see the
difference brought fear to Nehemiah, (I
was very much afraid).
The
king noticed that Nehemiah was carrying a burden. Had the King been in a bad
mood, he might have banished Nehemiah or even ordered him killed; but instead, he
inquired why his servant was so sad. One can question the fact that Nehemiah
expresses fear once he hears the question from the King, Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? Having an intimate
relationship with God, submitting prayers and fasting for months, and, in a
general sense, submitting ones resignation (was
the cup-bearer), why would Nehemiah be afraid. Even though we know all of
these things, being in the midst of a life or death encounter can cause a person
to still experience fear.
Even
though Nehemiah was facing the ruler of the nation, the love and passion he had
for the cause outweighed the possibility of a fatal end at the will of the
king. World leaders are only God’s servants, whether they know it or not. I
love what the scripture says about this, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over
all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none
is able to withstand you.” (2 Chron. 20:6)[1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY
WITH ….
- We can walk away this morning with the understanding that emotions can get the best of us and even cause us to fear. But it will be our love and compassion that will push us through that barrier and on to greater things.
APPLICATION:
Each one of us has faced a situation where we
were afraid of the negative possibilities but pushed through for the greater
possibilities. Do you recall asking that one special girl/guy out for the very
first time. You were nervous, sweaty, and almost to the point of being ill but
you pressed through the nervousness and went for it. You were driven more by the
greater possibility of them saying “yes” than you were of the negative
response. This situation with Nehemiah is a little more serious (life or death)
but the emotions are similar.
Today you may
be wanting to deal with a situation in your life that, for months, you have been
praying for. Today could be the day you break through the wall of nerves. Today could be the day you are not going to hesitate because of that wall of nerves but you
are going to push through because of the love and compassion you have. You are going to push through because of the greater possibility. Remember this, “I
can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Determined.
“Be” Commentary Series (25–26). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
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