The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1911-12-01
Nehemiah Builds the
Wall Of Jerusalem
LESSON -TEXT-Nehemiah 4
Sulay SeAssl Lessss fer De. ;, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

lesson TEXT-Eehemiah l.
MEMORY vERSES-l6. IL.
GOLDEN TExT-"Watch ye, stand fast
in the faith. quit you like men. be strong
II Cor, 1e:11s
T1ME-Nehemiah heard tine bad news
from Jerusalem early in December. b. c.
as.
For four months he prayed. thought
and waited.
The following April (44O he obtained
permission to go to Jerusalem.
The journey occupied four months and
he arrived at Jerusalem in the irst day
Of the fifth month. Alb July-Aug. On
1911 the first day of Alb was August s: In
1916 IT will be July l2)
PLACE-Shushan and Jerusalem.
RULERs-Artaxerxes. Emperor OF Per-
sian Empire; Nehemiah. governor OF
Judea: Ezra, the scribe. the religious
leader of the people in Babylon.
When the right time came, n Ne
hemiah's heart was burning with sor-
row n desire. he found 'opportuni-
ties concealed in apparent hindrances."
Ii was dangerous to show sorrow in
the presence Of the king. Even a mod
ern autocrat like Louis XIV. expected
~everybody's face to shine If he did but
appear. and how much o an Artax-
erXes? What, wear a sorrowful face
when he was presiding over JOY and :
gayety, gliding them with his pres
ence? II he had ordered this melan-
choly visage away to prison or death.
it would have been justified by prece-
dent. A gloomy face might mean dis
affection against the king. The light
of his favor ought to be enough to
drive all sadness away.
Nohomiab baS bitborIn haap abla
to keep a smiling face when before
the king; but n day at a superb
banquet, when the queen was din
ing with her husband, amid gold plate.
gorgeous silk dresses of every hue,
marble pillars, fountains, music. lights,
sultanas, courtiers Respondent as the
sun, and all worshiping their sun Ar
taxerXes, smiling when he smiled, his
sorrow shone through his lace in
spite of himself. so that the king no
ticed it and said:
why is thy countenance sad. see
ing thou art not sick? this is nothing
else but sorrow Of heart" Then he
was very sore afraid, and said unto the
king. Let the king live for ever: why
should not my c~ountenance be sad.
when the city, the place of my ia
Tiers sepulchres, lieth waste, and the
gates thereof are consumed of fire.
If it please the king, and if thy serv-
ant have found favor in thy sight. that
thou wouldest send me unto Judah.
unit the city of my fathers s~epulchres.
that / may build it,"
The kind was pleased to grant his
request, made him the Tirshatha, or
governor of Judea, royal agent or
"plenipotentiary." with fun powers.
He Travelled to Judea in state. with a
military guard Of cavalry, n with let
tiers to the rulers o fthe n~eighboring
provinces to give him whatever he
needed for his work.
Nehemiah was very wise. He lay
quiet for three lays, doing nothing; Sat
credentials, he proposed no plans. he
told no one what he hoped to do. His
first business was to learn She whole
situation, the feelings of the people.
who would oppose. and who would
help, how able the people were. what
obstacles must be overcome. '
Nehemiah met the rulers, mobiles.
PiiNc'' II pSoBfS INV toiu VI
his purpose in coming, how he had
learned Of their need. how he had
wept INC tasted and prayed, and how
/ God had heard his praye and caused
the great emperor to favor his plans.
give him permission to come. and au-
thovity, with orders for the surround
ing rulers to give the needed help. He
told them of his midnight investiga.
tions.
The business side of religion should
be done as Nehemiah did it in the
most skillful and ideal business man
ner. Nehemiah had n layman's good
sense in religion. Walls were neces-
sary to the safety of the city. They
were also necessary to true religion.
The division of labor, the noble com
petition, the interest in their work that
kept them from taking time to even
put off their clothes. the giving each
his own work. and over against his
own house, the union of watching and
praying and working, the working to-
gether of old and young, rich and poor.
form a real master-stroke OF genius"
The wall was parceled out among AZ
working parties. 1t was like the re-
building OF the walls of Athens after
the invasion of Xerxes, like the build
ing of the walls of Edinburgh after the
battle of Flodden. This plan made each
one more earnest and faithful as he
saw what others were doing. 1t ani-
mated the work with a noble emuia-
ton, and a personal pride. See how
fast my wor goes on! See how well
my piece is done, Now, my sons, grid
up you tunic, or Rephaiah the son
of Hur will get ahead of US. True
emulation is to do better than we
have done: to seek. not to get beyond
others, but to rise to the best posi-
BILE for us; and to be inspired to this
by seeing what others have done.
Besides the hostility of the Samar-
itans the Jews themselves were becom-
ing worn out with the fatigue OF such
work.
No good goes on to success without
meeting obstacles. Evil does not Isn
without a battle. 1t throws SANDER,
ridicule. treachery, conspiracies, in1u-
onro COMMENCEMENT ayary rneeihlo