“Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, and said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?” — Nehemiah 2:2-3

Like Nehemiah in today’s focus verses, most of us will at some point experience situations in life that bring sorrow or fear. However, we must not allow those emotions to overwhelm us or cause us to stop doing what God has called us to do. Nehemiah had been praying about the troubling news that had come from Jerusalem, and God helped him to courageously present his request to King Artaxerxes despite his apprehension about doing so. 

Paul Gerhardt, considered by many to be one of Germany’s greatest hymn writers, was another individual who found courage and strength in God during times of sadness and fear. In fact, historians suggest that many of Gerhardt’s songs sprang from painful experiences—these gave power, depth, and beauty to his hymns. One of those historians noted, “Living and serving God in troublous times, he drank deeply of the cup of bitterness. The light of his holy life shone all the brighter by reason of the surrounding darkness.”¹ 

Born in 1607, Gerhardt lost both of his parents before he turned fourteen. Nearly two thirds of his life was lived during the Thirty Years War that devastated Central Europe from 1618 to 1648, and as a result, he endured many personal and family hardships. Once, an army swept through his hometown, burning down four hundred buildings, including his family home and church. A plague followed the raid, killing three hundred of his townspeople, including his brother. 

His life as a young adult continued to be full of turmoil. He trained to be a pastor at the University of Wittenberg where Martin Luther had taught a century before but was unable to find a fulltime position in the ministry. He finally took employment as a private tutor to a family in Wittenberg, and during that period, wrote hymns in his leisure time. 

One of those hymns suggests a great spiritual lesson that Gerhardt had learned through the sad circumstances of his life. It begins with the beautiful words, “Give to the winds thy fears; hope, and be undismayed; God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head. Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way. Wait thou His time, so shall the night soon end in joyous day.” 

When he was forty-four years old, Gerhardt became a pastor in the country parish of Mittenwalde, near Berlin. In 1655, he married Anna Maria Barthold, from the family he had tutored. However, hardships continued. The couple had seven children, but death invaded their household time after time—five of their children died in infancy. 

In the summer of 1657, Gerhardt was called to pastor a church in Berlin. He preached persuasively and lovingly and was considered a model pastor. However, after only seven years, all clergymen were ordered to sign their support of a document that contradicted some Biblical doctrines, including the nature of the Lord’s Supper. When Gerhardt refused to do so, knowing that would compromise his conscience, he was removed from his position in the church and forbidden to minister privately to his congregation. Gerhardt and his family had to leave their home, and for about a year he lived in Berlin without a fixed position of service. Then his wife passed away, leaving him with just one surviving child, a six-year-old son. 

In 1668, Gerhardt was offered a “church, people, home, and livelihood” in Lubben, Saxony, where he had liberty to preach the Gospel as his heart prompted him. Gerhardt accepted the offer and ministered in that location until his death in 1676. 

Paul Gerhardt proved that God can enable His followers to have courage and hold fast to their faith in spite of challenging circumstances. In the years since he passed from this life, his hymns have lived on, bringing comfort and hope to rich and poor, and to young and old. 

In today’s text, God gave Nehemiah courage in a time when his spirit was deeply troubled over conditions in Jerusalem. And in the years since Nehemiah’s day, the Biblical account of this man’s courage and his faithfulness in accomplishing the task God gave him have inspired countless believers. 

Often God uses troubles to show us that He is our Source of strength and provision. When we understand this truth, as Nehemiah and Paul Gerhardt did, we find new hope. Today, are you facing sad circumstances or great challenges? If you will do as Gerhardt suggested in his great hymn of the faith, and “Wait thou His time” while looking to Him for help, you too will find that “so shall the night soon end in joyous day.” God will never fail the one who puts trust in Him!

^1. Chris Frenner, ed., “Paul Gerhardt,” Hymnology Archive, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, accessed February 12, 2024, www.hymnologyarchive.com/paul-gerhardt

BACKGROUND

Chapter 2 describes Nehemiah’s request to King Artaxerxes of Persia, the king’s authorization of his plan, and a short account of the journey to Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s nighttime inspection of the wall is recorded, and then his summoning of workers for the rebuilding project. The chapter concludes with a description of the opposition the workers encountered at the outset. 

Verses 1-4 record the exchange between Nehemiah and the king. The date given in the first verse reveals that four months passed before the king asked about Nehemiah’s evident “sorrow of heart” (verse 2). The reason for this four-month delay is not explained, but some Bible historians suggest that a rotation of cupbearers served the king on a quarterly basis, so Nehemiah’s sadness would not have been noticed until it became his turn to serve. 

All people in the king’s presence were required to be joyful—a fact that could explain Nehemiah’s fear when his downcast face caused the king to inquire about the reason for his sorrow. When the king asked what Nehemiah desired, Nehemiah looked to God and uttered a brief prayer. Then he asked the king for permission to travel to Jerusalem to build up the city where his ancestors were buried. The reference to an ancestral burial ground likely impacted the king, because in that era, graves were accorded great respect. 

In verses 5-8, Nehemiah explained how long he would be gone, the authorization (letters) needed, the supplies required, and what work needed to be done, and the king agreed to support Nehemiah in his venture. The journey itself is briefly described in verses 9-11. The travelers immediately met opposition from three local governors: Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem (see verses 10 and 19). No reason is given for their animosity. 

Verses 12-16 describe Nehemiah’s unannounced inspection of the wall after his arrival in Jerusalem. He carefully and quietly made his way around the broken-down walls and the burned gates at night, perhaps to avoid discussion about his arrival and to prevent the enemies’ awareness of his intentions. The word viewed in verses 13 and 15 can also be used as a medical term indicating the probing of a wound to see the extent of its damage. 

The final verses of the chapter, 17-20, record Nehemiah’s assembling of the civic and religious leaders and his call for the people to begin rebuilding. His appeal was “laughed…to scorn” and “despised” by the same three opponents, who insinuated that Nehemiah was planning rebellion against the king of Persia. However, Nehemiah was not swayed by their tactics. He confidently responded that the God of Heaven would help the builders, and those who opposed the project would have no rights nor credit for the great work God would help them accomplish.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

I. The arrival in Jerusalem of Nehemiah
    C. The request and permission to go to Jerusalem (2:1-8)
    D. The arrival in Jerusalem (2:9-11)
II. The restoration of the wall by Nehemiah
    A. The inspection of the wall (2:12-20)
         1. Nehemiah’s preliminary inspections (2:12-16)
         2. Nehemiah’s initial challenge (2:17-18)
         3. Sanballat and Tobiah’s hostility (2:19-20)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. According to verse 6, what questions did the king ask Nehemiah regarding his proposed travel to Jerusalem?
2. Why do you think Sanballat and Tobiah were so upset when they heard that “there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel” (verse 10)?
3. What can we learn from the steps that Nehemiah took before presenting his plan for rebuilding to the people of Jerusalem?

CONCLUSION

If we have cultivated a strong relationship with God, we can take our sorrows and burdens to Him in prayer and be confident that He will work on our behalf in His own time and way.