Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-05

he had come into the kings pres
ence
Well, Nehemiah had had a some.
what similar experience. ArtaXerXes
the Great Shdh-for such is the
meaning of the word was now in his
twentieth year. In his sixth year
he had been searching for beautiful
maidens for his harem, and among
those selected, and who in his sew
enth year. became his queen, was a
Jewish maiden-Esther, the cousin
of Mordecai. In his twelfth year Ha-
man had tried to exterminate the
Jews on account of his hatred for
Mordecai; the plot had been foiled
| by Esther, and Mordecai had been
promoted to Humans place. Nor
decai knew Nehemiah well, having
gone back to Jerusalem with him
and Ezra and Zerubbabel; and it was
undoubtedly through his influence
and the great influence that Esther
had over her husband Darius Hys-
| taspes-the ArtaXerXes Or Great
Shah, the Ahasuerus (Which is the
Hebrew form Of the Greek word Xer-
xes)-that their friend Nehemiah was
appointed to such a responsible po-
sition.
Nehemiah's brother, Hanam, had
just returned from Jerusalem, and
| told Nehemiah of the pitiful condi'
| ton there-the, people were in
great affliction and the walls of the
city were down, and the gates of the
| city were burned. This was evident
| ly something new, not the original
condition that Nebuchadnezzer had
left, otherwise it would not have been
news to Nehemiah, who had already
seen that condition when he went
back with Zerrubbabel 1t is signif1-
cant also in this respect that in the
account of Nehemiah's operations in
the third chapter the word repair
ed'' is used "a times, rather than
"builded," which is used only in con-
nection with the sheep gate, the fish
gate, the dung gate, and the gate of
the fountain.
This news stirred the soul of
Nehemiah to it's depths. For four
months he prayed over it and wept
and tasted. One of his prayers,
probably the content of all of them,
is given us. He had reached the con-
clusion that it was his duty to leave
his responsible and lucrative position
of ease and luxury, and to go back
to Jerusalem to take up the hard and
thankless task of arousing his people
to a sense of their responsibility to
correct the conditions there and full
fill Gods plan for them. He didn't
know how he could get the king S
consent and so he prayed that God
t%~C lid make it possible.
| One day, after four months OF
prayer and fasting, the king noticed
that the countenance of his conf
Dental secretary was troubled. Ul
to this time he had been able to keep
up appearances, but the king had
caught him off his guard, and the
great burden of his heart was reveal
ed in his face; and Nehemiah made
a clean breas. Of 1T.
What do you want?" he asked
Now Nehemiah knew, and had been
praying over it for months; but he
just sent up a wireless to God be-
fore he spoke again to the king.
81 would like to be relieved of my
position here to go back to the city
of my fathers sepulchres and build
it, he replied.
It was a bold request, In an east
ern court it could have meant an
order for his head to be chopped off
within an hour. Nehemiah loved the
city of his fathers because it was
the city of his God better than his
own life; so he was bold in his re-
quest.
The king hesitated a moment. The
queen was sitting by him-Queer
Esther, n Jewish lady, the friend Of
Nehemiah. 1t must have been an
appealing look in her eyes that
made the king say: How long q
leave of absence do you wish?' sc
l set him a time"
Armed with letters from Darius
that gave him protection and provid
ed him with material, Nehemiah set
out on his journey
His Task
Nehemiah performed his task in q
way that reveals him as man OF
great ability, resourcefulness, and
character. He first took account OF
; lust what he had to do. He kept
his own counsel and after three days
observation in Jerusalem he got or
his mule and rode around the walls
| one Hight, W Ills Hulk
couldn't go for the rubbish. 1t is
wise to know ahead of time what is
before you.
Then he took his people into his
confidence and told them his plans
He enthused them-sold them the
idea, we say in modern parlance, and
got them thoroughly behind him.
Then he gave each one definite
task-the one just next to him. Ii
was wise distribution, of the labor
and responsibility; for if the PEG
pie did not build well the part OF
the wall over against them, an en-
envy would find that weak spot anc
; they would be the first to suffer-.
He preserved in spite of all kinds
of discourag cement - no obstacle
could be found great enough to deter
him from carrying on" He stop
ped at nothing until the task was
completed, which was accomplished
in the marvelously short time of 81
days. First Sanballat and Tobiaf
ridiculed hin-the wall they built
could be knocked down by a foe
they said. Nehemiah paid no atten
ton to this, but just prayed and
kept on working Half of the task
was completed, for the people hao
a mind to work. Then Sanballat and
, Tobiah got mad, and with the Ara
| bians and Ammonites and Aside
: dites, came against the city to fight
But Nehemiah prayed, set a watch
: day and night ano kept on watching
Trouble from within developed
The Jews got discourag ed-lost THEN
mind to work-said the job was toe