Nehemiah 1:8-9 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments… though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen….’
Never underestimate the power of God’s promises.
Nehemiah had spent decades as an exile in Babylon, far from his homeland. Although the prophet Jeremiah had admonished the exiles to seek the good of their new city and pray on its behalf (Jeremiah 29:7), it must have been a bitter pill to swallow. Yet, Nehemiah obeyed, and became cupbearer to the king of Babylon.
Being the king’s cupbearer was no small position. Since his duties included tasting the king’s wine to make sure it wasn’t poisoned, the cupbearer had to be impeccable and completely trustworthy. Clearly, living in Babylon had not tainted Nehemiah’s character.
But now, Nehemiah heard devastating news. The Jewish remnant who survived the exile was living in deeply disturbing conditions. The walls and gates of the city remained in ruins, leaving the people disgraced and defenseless.
The news crushed Nehemiah’s heart. He spent days (and nights) weeping, fasting, praying, over the plight of his beloved city. Although he knew Babylon was the just consequence of Israel’s unfaithfulness, he sought God’s mercy.
So why not give up? Why not forget the past and enjoy Babylon’s cushy life? Why not let bitterness consume him? What kept him going?
Nehemiah remembered God’s promise. If the exiles returned to God and kept his commandments, God had promised to bring them back home. Nehemiah believed the promise and it filled him with the hope he needed to not give up.
Friend, do you ever forget that our God is the God of hope? There have certainly been some forgetful times in my life. Times when my walls of so-called “protection” burn to the ground, leaving me defenseless. Times when my gates lay trampled, tempting me to live in shame and bitterness. The one factor that kept me going was the same force driving Nehemiah.
I remembered the promises of the God of hope. It’s a powerful thing.