God’s Glory in Exile

Jeremiah 39:1-10, Nehemiah 1-2, 9

In 586 BC King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army overtook the city of Jerusalem, setting fire to much of the city, destroying its walls, and sending its citizens- the Jewish people -  into exile as captives of Babylon. Around 40 years later (539 BC), King Cyrus and the Persians destroyed the Babylonian Empire, gaining Jerusalem in this process. Cyrus would then end the formal exile, allowing the temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt, but as kings changed, so did favor in Jerusalem, leading to the rebuilding of the city stopping. For another 100 years (until 445 BC), Jerusalem would lay in ruin. This is where we enter the story with Nehemiah.

Nehemiah was obviously aware that Jerusalem fell all those years ago, but having been in exile and servanthood of the Persian Empire, he had not laid eyes on the city and was unaware of the state it was in. To hear that the Promised Land was in such destruction and shame brought him to his knees, first in mourning and then in prayer. What is perhaps easy to miss here is that Nehemiah spent 4 months in prayer and mourning over this news (Chislev ~ December → Nisan ~ March/April). This was not a brief moment of sadness that slipped into the background after a week, but something that saddened him to his core.

In his servanthood, Nehemiah had found favor, landing at the position of cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. How is this favorable? The servant position of cupbearer was actually one of great honor and distinction, as it meant that you had the privilege of daily interacting with the king. The cupbearer was responsible for tasting the king’s drinks before giving it to him, meaning that the king trusted you with his life.

One day the king noted Nehemiah’s sadness, and at that moment, even after months of prayer, Nehemiah still took another moment to pray and ask for God’s provision and boldness before making his request known to Artaxerxes. Here, as we do many times in the Old Testament, we see God work providentially through a powerful non-believing ruler to achieve His greater purpose. Not only did the king allow Nehemiah to go and rebuild the wall, but he sent him letters that gave permission to travel, access to timber, and army officers to accompany him.

As they began to rebuild the protection around Jerusalem, they faced opposition from neighboring Persian governors, Samarians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites. Yet, with the favor of God on them, Nehemiah encouraged them to continue working while staying alert to the surrounding danger. In the midst of this opposition, Nehemiah and the returned exiles to Jerusalem rebuilt a wall that had lay in ruin for 150 years in just 52 days.

What does all of this teach us?
For starters, it is a reminder that even in the midst of a season of exile - a multi-generational one. 

God’s glory does not fade in exile. Nehemiah still weeps over the temple, mourning the lost dwelling place of God and his glory.

God is faithful to His people and hears their prayers. As such, we are to be people of perseverance, hope, and steadfastness. Nehemiah could have said, “wow, that is terrible news,” mourned internally, and then not asked anything of God, as in exile, it would be all too easy to believe God had forsaken you. He did not do this but rather sought after God with prayer and fasting to grant him favor in solving this predicament. Even in the exile God had called for, his desire for Israel to experience his glory in the rebuilding of the temple was evident in this story of Nehemiah.

This leads us to the next takeaway, which is that we often struggle to see where God is working in the midst of hardship or difficulty, but we have to trust that He is and ask Him to show us where. By God sending His people into exile, He effectively forced them to scatter and be missionaries all over, pointing the nations to worship their glorious God. It was in His sovereignty that Nehemiah was placed in the court of foreign non-believing royalty and given opportunities to put the power and reach of God on display. In fact, we see this throughout the Old Testament in the stories of Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and others.

Lastly, we see that Nehemiah lived as an example of “being in the world but not of it.” He took his job as cupbearer to the king of the Persian Empire seriously. This led to him being granted favor with the Artaxerxes. His motivation to be a great cupbearer was not because of his love for the king or his job. Rather, it was a passion for his God to dwell among his people again, faithfulness in prayer, and knowledge of God’s Word that led him to be a great cupbearer. These three things persisted in Nehemiah’s life in the midst of a season where it was incredibly difficult to see God’s provision around him. 

We can feel that too; the world feels fragile, the broken pieces constantly falling all around us, but we have great hope, and his name is Jesus. Let this Christmas season be a remembrance that God has not sent us to live in exile, but we are sent to call on the name of Jesus, who says, “And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). Like Nehemiah, let us be excellent laborers reaping the harvest that is most glorifying to God, asking confidently like Nehemiah, trusting God will provide that his glory will shine through our surrendered lives. 

Wonder:

Do you truly believe that God is as faithful as He has shown Himself to be?

In difficult seasons do you seek God’s glory or your comfort?

Do your habits/actions reflect your belief in God’s faithfulness in every season?

How can you learn from Nehemiah’s workplace-missionary lifestyle?