
Nehemiah 2:4-8 ESV
4Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5And 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.” 6And 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. 7And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
We are beginning a new Campaign next week. The campaign is called Who’s your one. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it is an intentional movement of the Gospel in relationships you already have established.
Let’s watch this quick video about it…

Nehemiah 2:4-8 ESV
4Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5And 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.” 6And 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. 7And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
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Nehemiah 2:4 ESV
4Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
You remember that I told you that there was a significant amount of etiquette in the King’s court.
The etiquette would have included not coming into the Kings presence unless he called for you.
The penalty for uninvited guests in the presence of the king was death…unless the King extended his scepter in mercy.
Well how do we know that?
So there is a good account of the potential destruction to those that come into the king’s presence and speak without invitation in Esther.
You may say, Esther?!?! Aren’t we in Nehemiah.
Yes, we are…but they are close in time and tradition.
Esther was queen of Persia under King Xerxes. Nehemiah is serving as the cup bearer to King Artaxerxes the 1st…who is the successor to Xerxes, the King of Esther.
1 & 2 Chronicles - 1010-538 (Kings of Judah until Jerusalem was destroyed) (Cyrus)
Ezra - 537-458 (Darius)
Esther - 486-464 (Xerxes)
Nehemiah - 445-432 (Artaxerxes I)
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Esther 4:11 ESV
11“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
Nehemiah 2:5 ESV
5And 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.”
Esther 5:7-8 ESV
7Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: 8If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
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Nehemiah 2:6 ESV
6And 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.
We know from later passages that the time that he set was 12 years!!!
Nehemiah 2:7-8 ESV
7And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
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“Run To The Father” — Cody Carnes
“Do It Again” — Elevation Worship
“Won’t Let Me Down” — Matt Maher
“O Praise the Name” — Hillsong Worship
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