The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1911-11-24
AYE OF
NEHEMIAH
Specially Arranged for This PApsr

GOAOEN IEsAV-In6 0neCtuai, IeF-f
vent prayer Of a righteous man availeth
much."-Jass Sic.
TIME-Thirtcen years after the Return.
OF The Exiles under Ezra Jour last les
SOM. Nehemiah's prayer. b. c. CAS-. Mo-
vember. December. He went to Jeru-
salem the next spring. B. c. <L
PLACE-Shushan, or Susa. one OF the,
three capitals Of the Persian Empire at
the time of this lesson. 1t IL now called
Sus, In southwest Persia. The ancient
city has been excavated, and various In
scriptions and remains Of buildings have
been brought to light.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., called Longfma-
nus Tor ~long-handed). began to reign b.
c. 4es: reigned till Dec. II. 42s. Athens
came under Pericles CAD. Military trib-
unes in Rome 40. -
JEWISH LEADERS-Nehemiah, who
became governor of Judea. Ezra the
scribe had returned to Babylon. Malachi.
the last prophet OF the Old TESTAMENT
Ezra's home was in Babylon, Nehe-
miah's in Shushan, $50 miles further
east. with fewer persons Of his own
nationality, and farther away from
news OF what was going on in Jerusa-
lem. 1t is this separation of homes
that explains why there was SO little
working together of these two men,
till both had been at Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was walking one day out
side the walls OF Shushan, so JOSE
plus tells us, when some strangers,
making for the city, travel-worn as n
by a long journey, were overheard by
him discoursing in his own language,
he Hebrew. Nothing touches the
heart in a strange land more than
ones mother fnnUrn He uont nm IN
them. therefore, and. introducing him
self, found they were from Judah, and
one was his own brother, Hanani.
Naturally Nehemiah asked them
about the state of things in Judea.
He learned that Ezra's reforms inSre-
Iation to marriages with the heather.
made he surrounding nations very
bitter. The leaders on both sides
were many Of them allied by mar
riage, and for the Jews to repudiate
their foreign wives, as If claiming to
be so much better than their neigh
bors, must have Infatuated them. 1t
struck the divorced women as a cruel
and insulting outrage. Driven back
to their paternal homes with their
burning wrongs, these poor women
must have aroused the utmost indig-
nation among their people. Thus the
reformer had stirred up a hornets
nest. 1t Is apparent that the persist
ent enmity Of the colonists, their mis-
representations and perhaps their
brides had resulted In instigating op-
position to the Jews in very high
places.
Nehemiah was a true patriot. He
was a deeply religious man, a nan OF
prayer and conservation, God-fearing.
true to, his convictions He showed
remarkable wisdom and shrewdness. d.
II any fault is recorded of Nehe-
mieh, 1t Is n which he himself re-
yeals. a fault that Tor a long time pre-
vented Alexander Whyte from loving
worst of all, | thought
him a man who was always we'll
pleased with himself" Z
Max Mule, In his autobiography!
that the story Of a man, which
leaves out his faults, is like a picture
deficient In shadows, and falls tn
bring out the bright points Of his
I'VE want to know his
is probably the most in
teresting part of him." certainly often
very helpful.
Charles Reade calls him: Faithful
courtier, yet true patriot; child OF
yet patient Of hardship; in
ventive builder. impromptu general,
astNte politician, high-spirited gentle
man, inspired orator, ~resolute reform
er; born leader Of men yet humble be-
fore God"
The first thing. the absolutely nee
essary thing. for Nehemiah was to
find divine help, wisdom, guidance, for
himself, and the source of power over
the kings mind. For this he prayed
TO the only being who could answer
his prayer, and he kept on praying for
four months. while the double answer
was being prepared-in himself that
he. by deep thought, and new light
and divine wisdom. might be fitted to
receive the answer, and in the king
that he might be inclined to do his
part toward the answer
That for which Nehemiah prayed
like the first petitions In the
Lords prayer, Thy kingdom come"
For his prayer was not for merely a
few people n the city that were i'm
danger, but for the kingdom of God
or earth. The condition of things at
Jerusalem was a dishonor I O Jehovah
and to his religion.
His prayer had been SO far answered
that he knew what he had to do, and
that the time a come for doing 1t.
His prayer now at the end of four
months, was for guidance and help
and success in this crisis.
The answer came through and in
the man who prayed. So Jesus babe
his disciples to pray for more labor
ers to gather in the spiritual harvest.
The answer came through their own
work in that harvest field. 1t came
also in their being ibetter laborers,
wiser, more earnest. more %self-deny-
ing, more skilful. In all sincere pray
er n must be willing to do his part
toward the answer. Frederick Doug
lass used to say that he often prayed
for freedom, but his prayer was never
answered till he prayed with his feet.
The answer was coming during all
this time of delay. The are
often long preparing. AS one prays
for fruit, and the answer Is begun by