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Artaxerxes was a generous and good
king of Persia. He told the Jews, who had long before
been driven out of Israel, that it was time for them to
return to Judah and rebuild Jerusalem and their temple.
Nehemiah was one of King Artaxerxes' servants. He
was in charge of the cup from which the King drank at each
meal, and King Artaxerxes trusted and respected this
honorable young Jewish man.
Nehemiah's brother Hanani was among those who returned
to Jerusalem. He came to visit Nehemiah at the king's
court in Susa and sadly reported that Jerusalem was still in ruins.
Even the city's walls had crumbled. Without walls,
Jerusalem was always in danger of attacks by its enemies. The
Jews there had given up, and were not following God's laws.
Nehemiah was really upset by this news. He prayed
for help from God. God gave him the courage to ask the
king to let him go to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls. Artaxerxes really liked Nehemiah and hated to see him go,
but the king agreed. He sent soldiers with Nehemiah to
keep him safe along the road, and gave him letters to the
officials along the way asking for their help.
When the group arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah
toured the walls and prayed for guidance. He announced that
he had come to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Almost
everyone was excited by the news and wanted to help.
With Nehemiah in charge, it took only 52 days to rebuild the
walls of Jerusalem! Nehemiah thanked God for His help in
rebuilding the wall.
Artaxerxes was so impressed by Nehemiah's
success that he made his former servant the governor of
Judah. Nehemiah, a simple servant, was greatly rewarded for
his trust in God and hard work. |
