‘THE GOOD HAND OF GOD’

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on November 1, 2023 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group: November 1, 2023 from Nehemiah 2:1-10

Theme: God’s servants find success only by entrusting themselves through prayer to God’s good hand.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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In Chapter 1 of this Old Testament ‘diary’—the Book of Nehemiah—we were told of how God brought the need of his Jewish kinsmen to the attention of Nehemiah. Nehemiah had been serving as the cup-bearer of King Artaxerxes of Persia. He was informed of the broken condition of the former exiles then living in Jerusalem, and of the broken condition of the city walls. This news also brought brokenness to Nehemiah’s own heart. And now, as we look at the first half of Chapter 2, we see how God—through broken-hearted Nehemiah—brought about a change in the situation for His people through the Gentile ruler of the known world.

Nehemiah 2:1-10 tells us;

And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel (Nehemiah 2:1-10).

One of the things that stands out very prominently about Nehemiah is that he was a man of prayer. His prayers are found throughout this book. Often, those prayers were very brief and to the point. In the first chapter, when the news about his people’s sad condition came to him, it set him immediately to pray for them. Nehemiah 1:4-11 is, in fact, a long prayer by Nehemiah. And as we come to Chapter 2, we find that he continued to be a man of faithful prayer—even as he stood before a mighty king.

And in the light of the fact that he is a man of prayer, notice also what it says in 2:8; that the king granted his request for help for his people “according to the good hand of my God upon me.” Is there a connection between those two things?—that is, between the success that came from God’s good hand, and the fact that Nehemiah was a man of great prayer? Absolutely! By his prayers, Nehemiah showed that—whatever natural qualities and leadership abilities he may have had—he was primarily dependent upon God’s ‘good hand’ … and demonstrated that dependency through prayer.

Nehemiah’s story—as it’s told to us in Nehemiah 2:1-10—teaches us a vital lesson in our service to the Lord: that God’s servants find success only by entrusting themselves through prayer to God’s good hand.

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Now; consider what a fascinating phrase it is that Nehemiah used: “according to the good hand of my God upon me.” Did you know that it wasn’t original with him? It was also used about 14 years before by the scribe Ezra, whom God sent to help rebuild the spiritual life of God’s people. In Ezra 7:6, Ezra wrote that, in his time, King Artaxerxes granted him permission to minister to Jerusalem “according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.” In verse 9, Ezra wrote that he successfully made his journey and arrived at Jerusalem “according to the good hand of his God upon him.” And in verse 29, he gave praise to God and was encouraged, “as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me”. This is a figure of speech that wonderfully describes God’s gracious favor and support in a particular endeavor in response to prayer.

Nehemiah also celebrated “the good hand of God” upon him in his prayer to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem.

That “good hand” was shown to act on Nehemiah’s behalf through King Artaxerxes in three ways in this passage. Note first how God’s good hand was shown …

1. IN THE KING’S QUESTION (vv. 1-2a).

We’re told in verse 1, “And it came to pass in the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes …” These initial words are important for an understanding of the events of this chapter. In the previous chapter, in verse 1, we’re told that news of Jerusalem’s sad condition came to Nehemiah “in the month of Chislev”. That was the name of the ninth month of the Jewish calendar. Nisan is the name of the first month (the month, by the way, of Passover). This would mean that there was a four-month period between the time when Nehemiah first heard the news and the time when he appeared with his request before the king. Where might the king have been during that time? It might be that he and his court had been away on travels or for rest; because we’re told that the story picks up again “when wine was before him” back in the citadel of the capital city Shushan.

But what might Nehemiah have been doing during all that time? No doubt—being a man of prayer who was so concerned for his people—he would have kept on praying earnestly for God’s timing and for the right opportunity. He would have kept encouraging those who were with him to pray; and he would have kept on waiting and watching. He was, after all, a Jewish official in the court of the Persian king Artaxerxes. He was the king’s official cup-bearer; and as such, he had the king’s ear in important matters. But a request for the welfare of Jerusalem would have been a personal matter—not a matter of the king’s court; and so he couldn’t simply bring the matter up on his own. He had to wait for God to work His own perfect timing.

And the opportune time finally came. Nehemiah wrote that “when wine was brought” before the king—perhaps after several months of the king’s absence—“that I took the wine and gave it to the king.” Now; Nehemiah was, no doubt, very conscious of the manner in which he was to bear himself in the king’s court. His occasion of bringing wine to the king appears to have been a private occasion rather than because of an official royal audience; since the queen was also present (and she, ordinarily, would not be present at official gatherings of the king’s court).

Nehemiah was professional about his work. It would have been considered a very serious offense for him to be sad or despondent in the king’s presence at any time—whether officially or privately. It would bring an unwanted cloud of gloom before the king’s presence and over his palace. And worse, it would cause the king concern and suspicion to see his cup-bearer—the man responsible for ensuring the king’s safety in the food he ate—looking sad. It could result in Nehemiah losing his position … or worse, his own life. (You can read about a similar law in Esther 4:11.) The care that Nehemiah had previously shown is exhibited in his words at the end of verse 1; “I had never been sad in his presence before.”

Now; Nehemiah was, no doubt, feeling the heavy weight of the condition of his people. And that heavy weight showed up on his countenance. The king would notice it—it being something unusual in his dealings with Nehemiah. Verse 2 tells us, “Therefore the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.’” Note here that, in the providence of God, the king does not cast Nehemiah out or punish him for his sad appearance. Instead, he inquires. We can therefore see God’s good hand toward Nehemiah in the fact that the king asked about the matter that concerned him rather than punishing him.

It may not have been that Nehemiah was aware that he was looking sad. It certainly doesn’t seem that he was the kind of man who would make a display of his sorrow in such a way as to manipulate a response from the king. It seems instead that the king’s question caught Nehemiah by surprise. But it was an opportunity from the good hand of God. And so, next, we see how God’s good hand was shown …

2. IN THE KING’S FAVOR (vv. 2b-6).

Given the gravity of Nehemiah’s situation before the king, it’s understandable that we would read, at the end of verse 2, “So I became dreadfully afraid …” But despite the fear, Nehemiah trusted that God had heard the prayers he had offered over the previous four months—along with those of other people who he had brought into the prayer effort with him (see 1:11). And so, he bravely answered:

and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” (v. 3).

Some have noted in this that even though the king would most certainly have known where his trusted servant was from, Nehemiah was careful not to mention the name of Jerusalem. Perhaps this was to avoid triggering any political sensitivities in his conversation with the king. But whether or not that may be the case, Nehemiah was nevertheless open and honest about the burden of his heart. Moreover, it may have been strategic on Nehemiah’s part to describe the city only as the place where his fathers’ tombs were; since the tombs of one’s fathers would have registered meaningfully with the Persian monarch.

This was a brave thing for Nehemiah to do. The king could easily reject Nehemiah’s concern and cast him out of his presence. But again, we see the ‘good hand of God’ at work. In verse 4a, we read, “Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request?’” Proverbs 21:1 tells us,

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1);

and the good hand of the God that Nehemiah trusted definitely steered the king’s heart toward the favor of the Jewish people.

Now; we should notice carefully how Nehemiah consistently remained a man of prayer. He offered up a kind of prayer that has almost become identified with him. In verse 4, he said, “So I prayed to the God of heaven.” It was a short prayer—offered up suddenly and in the need of the moment. Many of us have called this an ‘arrow prayer’; because it is shot up to God in such a way as to get ‘right to the point’ in sudden, unexpected circumstances. Some of us call it a ‘Nehemiah prayer’; because, like Nehemiah’s prayer, it is short, direct, and offered up quietly before unbelievers in the midst of the need. Nehemiah didn’t put his trust just in the circumstances—even though the circumstances suggested that the king was favorable to his cause. Instead, he intentionally kept his trust in God, put that trust into action, and asked directly for God’s help in the way that he responded to the king’s question.

And because it was the good hand of God at work, Nehemiah asked boldly for big things. We go on to read;

And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time” (vv. 5-6).

God demonstrated His sovereignty in the way that the king asked Nehemiah about his burden. But He further showed His goodness in the way that the king offered his favor to Nehemiah’s very large request. None of this would have been possible without God’s ‘good hand’; but we can be sure that God’s good hand was moved in response to Nehemiah’s faithful prayers. May we learn to pray like Nehemiah—both in the long term, and in the need of the moment—with faith in God’s good hand!

Now; we’re told that the queen was present in all of this. It seems very significant that she was mentioned as a part of the story. It might be that the queen was a woman who was favorable to the cause of the Jewish people. After all, a previous king’s wife named Esther had been a very famous Jewish woman; and the story of God’s rescue of her people would still have been remembered in the king’s court. It may even be possible that this queen was herself of Jewish descent.

And perhaps this influenced things in yet another way that the good hand of God was demonstrated. It was finally shown …

3. IN THE KING’S PROVISION AND PROTECTION (vv. 7-10).

Because the king had asked how much time Nehemiah would need, and when he planned to come back, Nehemiah felt free to solidify his request in practical ways. He wrote;

Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me (vv. 7-8).

Nehemiah knew that there were hostile attitudes toward the Jewish people in the lands beyond the Euphrates River. These were the lands that were occupied by a mixed people—people that, after the northern kingdom of Israel had been displaced and scattered, had come and occupied the land. In order to prove that he had authority from the king, he asked for letters that allowed for safe transport through these hostile lands. And also, he asked for letters that would allow for the acquisition of the necessary building supplies. And once again, the king granted Nehemiah’s request and gave him all that he asked, “according to the good hand of my God upon me”.

Not only was God’s hand demonstrated in the provision, but also in Nehemiah’s protection. And as we read in verses 9-10, we find that this protection was definitely needed:

Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel (vv. 9-10).

Sanballat and Tobiah are names that we’ll find mentioned later on in Nehemiah’s diary. Sanballat was called “the Horonite”; which suggests that he was a man from the region of Horon; north of Judea. Tobiah was an Ammonite; one of the two people groups that came from Abraham’s nephew Lot. The Moabites and the Ammonites were long-time enemies of the people of Israel. In Deuteronomy 23:3-6, God told His people;

“An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever, because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. Nevertheless the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever (Deuteronomy 23:3-6).

Nehemiah, then, had good reason to be concerned about the hostility of these two foreign leaders. They later proved to be strong opponents to God’s work. But God provided Nehemiah protection from them through the king; so that the work of rebuilding was able to go on.

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Now; before we bring this study to a close, we should note that, in allowing the king to be favorable to Nehemiah’s request, God set an important prophetic time-clock into motion. Back in the days of the prophet Daniel—when God was about to release His people from their captivity and send them back to their homeland, Daniel was told;

“Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times” (Daniel 9:25).

Unbeknownst to King Artaxerxes, his royal command to allow Nehemiah to go and build the city wall set God’s prophetic ‘seventy-weeks’ in motion. God’s favor to Nehemiah meant much more than just the immediate concern for the rebuilding of the wall. It meant establishing the events that would lead to the coming of King Jesus—His sacrifice on the cross, His resurrection, and His eventual return to rule over this world for a thousand years!

But let’s learn a practical and personal lesson from Nehemiah. There is a connection between God’s good hand of blessing on His people and their faithfulness to pray to Him. May we, like Nehemiah, be a people of prayer—and thus see God’s good hand at work in His time!

AE