The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1911-11-30
Nehemiah Builds the
Wall of Jerusalem
Sunday School Lesson for Dec. 3, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper
LESSON TEXT-Nehemiah 4.

GOLDEN TEXT-"Watch we, stand fast
In the faith. quit you like men, be strong"
Il Cor 1913.
TIME-Nehemiah heard the bad news
from Jerusalem early in December, Il. G.
AS.
For four months he prayed thought
and waited.
The following April (444) he obtained
permission to go to Jerusalem.
The journey occupied four months and
he arrived at Jerusalem in the first day
OF the fifth month. Alb = July-Aug. Qn
1911 the first day of Alb was August 6; in
1916 it will be July 12)
PLACE-Shushan and Jerusalem
RCLERS-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, and Ne
hemiah's heart was burning with sor-
row and desire, he found "opportuni-
ties concealed in apparent hindrances."
1t 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 more an ArtaX-
erXes? What, wear a sorrowful face
when he was presiding over joy and
gayety, gliding them with his pres
ence? If 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.
Nehemiah had hitherto been able
to keep a smiling face when before
the king; but one day at 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 resplendent as the
sun, and all worshiping their sun Ar
taxerxes, smiling when he smiled, his
sorrow shone through his face 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 countenance be sad,
when the city, the place of my fa-
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,
unto the city Of my fathers sepulchres,
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 full powers.
He travelled to Judea in state, with a
military guard of cavalry, and with let
tiers to the rulers fthe neighboring
provinces to give him whatever he
needed for his work
Nehemiah was very wise. He lay
quiet for three days, doing nothing. but
learning everything. He showed no
credentials, he proposed no plans, he
told no one what he hoped to do. His
first business was to learn the 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,
priests and people. and told them of
his purpose in coming, how he had
learned Of their need, how he had
wept and tasted and prayed. and how
God had heard his prayer and caused
the great emperor to favor his plans,
give him permission to come, and au-
thority. 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 a laymar'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 real master-stroke of genius"
The wall was parceled out among A
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 we're doing. 1t sni- |
mated the work with a noble emula- |
tion, and a personal pride. See how |
fast my work goes on! See how we'll |
my piece is done! Now, my sons, grid |
up your tunic, or Rephaiah the son |
of Hur will get ahead of us. True
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. |
ltans the Jews themselves were becom.