Nehemiah 1:4–5

He made the sorrowful state of the people his own. He felt it according to God. In their affliction he was afflicted. But he knew to whom to turn. He wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. "Is anyone among you suffering?" says James. "Let him pray." And the sorrow and affliction of Nehemiah, expressed in his tears, mourning, and fasting, found an outlet in his prayer. This was a true mark of a mighty action of the Spirit of God upon his soul.

The time had come when God was about to grant a revival, and the way God does it is worth noting. God begins a great work through one man — and that man a broken-hearted man on his knees... His tears were the outward sign of a broken heart. His mourning showed how truly he entered into the affliction of God's people. His fasting proved that the sorrow had cut so deep into his soul that he forgot and gave up the comforts of life.

His daily work likely interrupted this weeping and prayer, but it was certainly the most important matter on his mind. Notice his mention of "praying before the God of heaven." He does not say "the God of heaven and earth" (v. 4). Israel's earthly possession had been left in ruins, and little clear evidence remained that God was caring for His people. Yet God was still in heaven. His power could be trusted to bring some blessing to Israel, despite the low spiritual state that had caused their distress.

It is blessed, dear friends, when the Spirit raises this question in our hearts: "Is there among us anything that suits the heart of God?" It is even better when that heart-searching sends us to our knees, hating what we find in ourselves before God... If the condition of the remnant in Israel was to be raised, individual self-judgment was the way. And if we as a whole are to be revived, we must begin at home.

By prayer and fasting, Nehemiah learned the will of the Lord for His people. So when the opportunity came, in front of king Artaxerxes, he seized it. It is possible to know a great deal about evil and still not know the will of the Lord — and so still be "unwise."

In chapter 1 it was right for him to sit and weep, but now it is a time to "arise."

God gave up Judah, which had turned away from Him, to the Gentiles, as He had given up Israel before. He passed the sentence of Lo-ammi — "not My people." He stopped acting as God of the earth, the Jehovah of His people. As "God of the heavens" He gave world empire for a time to four Gentile powers, one after another.

When the ark took its place in the Jordan to lead Israel into the land, they heard the words: "Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you" (Joshua 3:11). Now, in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, and the last chapter of Chronicles, God has left the throne of His kingdom in Israel. In the mouths of His people He has become someone far off — "the God of heaven."

In verse 5 Nehemiah uses three names of God, and they are of special importance. In Hebrew they are these. "Jehovah" is His covenant name with Israel. "Elohim" is His supremacy in the universe. "El" speaks of the might that God has ready to carry out every detail of His will. It is the "Mighty God".

He reveals in the opening words of his prayer familiarity with the Word of God: "I beg you, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God (Deuteronomy 7:21; 10:17; Daniel 9:4) who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Kings 8:23)." These are the words of Scripture. They show his confidence in the power and faithfulness of God. After them, Nehemiah confessed his sin and the sins of his people.

First, Nehemiah defends the character and ways of God. Jehovah is the "God of heaven, the great and awesome God." He is also the faithful God who "keeps covenant and mercy for those who love Him and observe His commandments" (5). Second, he confesses the sins of the children of Israel. In doing so he identifies himself with them — "We have sinned against You: both I and my father's house have sinned."

In prayer Nehemiah appealed to the God of heaven as "the great and awesome God," and as the One who keeps His covenant and mercy — though Israel had broken that covenant badly. He adds the words "and mercy," for Israel was in desperate need of mercy. Those who do not love Him and observe His commandments have forfeited all claim to His covenant, and can hardly expect His mercy. Nehemiah does not go so far as to say "keep His commandments," but "observe." He had no doubt learned that keeping all God's commandments is too hard for man, but that man must still respect and honour them.

"He keeps covenant and mercy for those who love Him and observe His commandments." This, together with the way he addresses God, brings out in a marked way the contrast between law and grace. Nehemiah was devoted and God-fearing, yet you cannot help sensing distance in the terms he uses — "O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God." The age he lived under made that distance necessary. How different from the place the Lord gave His disciples after His resurrection, in His words: "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."