Diving Deeper | Sadness of Heart
Part of A Deeper Response to the Scripture
September 27, 2021

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Sadness of Heart

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. —Nehemiah 2:1-6

Nehemiah is troubled.

In chapter 1, Nehemiah had visitors from Jerusalem who reported news of his vulnerable Jewish brothers and sisters and of the ravaged city. “They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). The news grieved Nehemiah deeply. “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (1:4). Before God, Nehemiah confesses the sins of his people and asks the God of Covenant to forgive and restore Israel.

Four months later, Nehemiah’s grief found expression before the Persian king, Artaxerxes. Nehemiah is a slave in the court of this king where he serves as cup bearer. No one serving in court before the king was allowed to show discontent. It was a privilege to be in the king’s presence and gratitude was expected of all who attended him.

The king does something unexpected—he notices his servant’s countenance and identifies the cause. “This can be nothing but sadness of heart” (2:2). Then, even more astounding to Nehemiah, the king wants to know the reason for the grief and follows Nehemiah’s explanation by asking what he can do to help.

King Artaxerxes could have ignored his servant’s grief, or an angry, self-possessed king could have had an ungrateful servant executed. But God was at work.

Nehemiah receives leave from the king’s court and becomes Jerusalem’s great wall-builder who invites Israel to repentance. After Jerusalem is restored, “…the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God” (9:1-3).

From a distant king’s court, a young cup bearer was grieved by the suffering of his brothers and sisters. A servant of a king became the servant of the God of Covenant who brought restoration to Israel.

Consider:

Confession of sin plays a significant role in Nehemiah’s story. How might individual and corporate confession increase the life and ministry of the church today?

Is the Lord asking you to grieve the plight of others who are suffering? How is God asking you to serve Him?

Loving God, soften our hearts. Loosen our resources. By your Spirit, give us courage to serve You without fear and with great joy as we serve the vulnerable among us. In Christ we pray. Amen.