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corresponding to our December, and the opportunity to present the matter to the king did not come until the month of Nisan, corresponding to our April, thus four months of patient waiting, persevering in prevailing prayer.

Precarious condition. Nehemiah, yet a young man, was placed in a very pecarious position by the interest he took in his people and the effect it had on his disposition, attitude and appearance.

In the first place, these Persian despots would not allow any one of their subordinates to ask a question or to make a request, at the risk of their lives. Nehemiah knew this, hence there was no opportunity for him to broach the question or to submit a petition, unless the king by question or conversation of some sort first prepared an opportunity. And even then, it was very uncertain what he would do with it. Therefore, Nehemiah had to wait patiently, waiting on his God to exert his great power to open the door and the way, in his own good and acceptable time.

In the second place, the waiting, praying and fasting told upon his constitution and appearance. And brooding over the distress of his people and the fear that their enemies were mortifying them, had a tendency to change the pleasant, cheerful disposition and appearance into a gloomy and sullen aspect, which might offend the king, make him suspicious of disloyalty, which would occasion instant death.

However, Nehemiah's God had His hand in it. For none that wait on the Lord shall be ashamed. Unconsciously, Nehemiah's heartbroken condition caused a sad look, which the clever king readily detected.

"Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart," said the king.

"Then I was very sore afraid," declares Nehemiah. He had endeavored to hide his sadness. He had not shown signs of sadness at any other time in the king's presence, and he did not think that anything of the kind was visible now.

But it was no use to contradict the king, so the truth had to be told, whatever the consequences.

Nehemiah Saved. Humbly, politely, courtly, Nehemiah ventured to address the king, saying: "Let the king live forever; why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed by fire?"

The king was moved by this artless, straight-forward, touching narrative, impressed by the Spirit of God upon the mind and heart of the king, the work of four months from the beginning of Nehemiah's prayers and fasting.

"For what doest thou make request?" responded the king.

The vital moment had come, the opportunity long sought, now presented itself. How could it be utilized to the very best advantage?

Our Nehemiah, we are proud of him, proceeded in the right course to attain sure success. Watch him! Listen!

"SO I PRAYED TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN."

Before saying a word, he used a moment in silent prayer. What an august and solemn moment this was. Here the court of heaven met with the court of this Persion king and his queen. O, for eyes to behold, and minds and hearts to comprehend the grandeur, solemnity and importance of such moments!

God's purpose and plans had during prayer and fasting been clearly impressed on the mind and heart of Nehemiah, therefore he had a ready, unwavering request to present, and he said:

"If it please the king, and if thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me into Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it."

Notice the courtesy and nicety of his address: "If it please the king." "If thy servant hath found favor in thy sight." "My fathers' sepulchres," inculcating sympathy and due respect for the fathers that had passed beyond, a plea revered by all nations. The way being now open, he ventures further requests, and he says:

"If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah * * * And the king granted me."-For my praying, fasting, confessing? No; nothing of his own doings or merits find room in this humble heart on this sublime occasion. Well, then, for the kindness and generosity of the king? No; the king was overpowered, and he could not help himself. Then for what was his request granted? We notice:

"ACCORDING TO THE GOOD HAND OF MY GOD UPON

ME."

A striking and appropriate passage in Isaiah 25:9, fits nicely into this narrative:

"And it shall be said in that day: Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord, we have WAITED for Him, we will be glad to rejoice in His salvation."

And again, "Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou also hast wrought all our work in us." Chap. 26:12.

But the king did more than Nehemiah dared to ask of him. Now listen to the triumphant favorite:

"Now the king sent captains of the army and horsemen with me."

So he gets a military escort, too. So his weeping, fasting, praying and confession was now turned to thanksgiving, Godspeed, rejoicing.

What a gain to Nehemiah by steadfastly persevering!

What a loss of opportunity and usefulness if he had faltered!

CHAPTER XXX.

Nehemiah the Model Statesman, Governor, Ruler.

1. Arrival at Jerusalem. Nehemiah and his company had a safe and pleasant journey. He came as a surprise, for the elders and the inhabitants of Jerusalem had no notice of his coming. And he spent three days viewing the condition of the walls by night, to enable him to form a practical plan to be presented to the elders at a meeting in due time. We will now listen to his narrative in his own words:

"Then I said unto them, ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire:

"Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

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"Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said:

“Let us rise and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

"But when Sanballat, the Horonite, and Tobiah, the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem, the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and said, What is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the king?

"Then answered I them, and said to them, the God of heaven will prosper us; therefore we, his servants, will arise and build: "But ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."

We notice here how Nehemiah, yet a young man, but no priest or deacon, only a common layman, presents the condition of his beloved city. "You see," he says, "the distress that we are in. HOW JERUSALEM LIETH WASTE, AND THE GATES THEREOF ARE BURNED WITH FIRE." Then he exhorts "Come let us build!"

But more is needed than just the presentation of dilapidated conditions and an order to go ahead. He must needs to relate his own experience of the hand of God, how good He had been to him how the king had been induced to send him, and had given orders and authority respecting material needed, and funds for the prosecution of the work. Listening to all this, and seeing the earnestness of the young governor they were persuaded, convinced, encouraged, and said.

"Let us rise up and build!” So the start was made. The first to start was the high priest Eliashib with his brethren. It was proper and behooved him to do that to make good his confession, to prove his faith by his work, and to give an example to his brethren. Then business was made a family affair: family by family taking portions of the wall to build, in consonance, yet in an energetic, fraternal competition to excel in workmanship rather than in

beating co-operative competitors to be the first to finish his job. For this was, first, a work for their God and His people; second, for their own protection; third, a permanent work that bore testimony of the honesty and efficiency of the builders as compared with every other part. The children of successive generations would point with pride or shame to the work of their fathers.

Representing the Church Militant. The Jews being God's chosen people, and this remnant, as it were, counting now only 42,360 made a new start, and Jerusalem, representing the church, becomes an important and instructive object-lesson. How about the church to-day compared with the church of the first century? Have not worldiness, covetousness, and selfishness torn down its walls, and pleasure-seeking, fashions, lavishness, gaudiness, sensuality, burned its gates?

Why is it that theaters, picture-shows and dance halls are filled to overflowing on Sundays, and week days, too, while the churches are sparsely filled? Why is it that clubs, lodges, baseball games, horse-races and Sunday papers have greater attraction for the common people than the church?

O brethren, we ministers need more of the Ezra and Nehemiah spirit, within us and among us. Not until we, broken hearted and in contrite spirit bend down at the mercy seat to the feet of Jesus, wailing, weeping, confessing, as these saints did, and as Daniel did, shall we receive the heavenly baptism, and the tongues of fire that shall convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and to start the world-revival for which we are longing and praying.

If the present opportunity to become sanctioned and empowered ourselves as the servants of Jesus Christ, and the preaching of Christ crucified for the conversion of the nations to God, passes by without arousing an interest, a vital interest in the salvation of souls for Christ, an interest overshadowing and setting at naught all worldly things, a worse calamity than this world-war, dreadful as it is, will befall us.

O, brethren, let us have the walls of Jerusalem restored, and its gates set up! Then we shall have occasion to sing the song of victory:

"We have a strong City; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.

"Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation, which keepeth the truth may enter in.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.

"Trust ye in the Lord forever: for the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

"The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just:

"Yea, in the way of Thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited

for Thee; the desire of our souls is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee.

"With my soul have I desired Thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early: For when thine judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." Isa. 26:1-9.

The Enemy Confounded. "So the wall was finished on the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul (September), in fifty and two days.

"And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathens that were about us saw these things, they were cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God."

Yes, so it is:-"Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hath wrought all our works for us." (Heb. "for us" not, "in us.") Isa. 26:12.

Usury Exposed, Reproved, Remitted. "And then there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren, the Jews, saying: 'We have mortgaged our lands, and vineyards and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth * * * We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

"Yet now our flesh is the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards."

Nehemiah was very angry when he heard these words, and he rebuked the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them, "Ye exact usury, everyone of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.

* * *

"It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?

"I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury. "Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day their lands, their vineyards, their olive yards, their house, also the hundredth part of their money, and of the corn, the wine and the oil, that ye exact of them.

"Then they said, We will restore them, and require nothing of them: so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to their promise.”

Here we have the efficient, conscientious executive. And our governors have the same recourse as Nehemiah had. He says, "And I set a great assembly against them." Our governors have their legislatures, and by their messages and personal influence exert great power to correct abuses and to recommend timely, beneficient legislation. And we see how far in

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