Early the following spring, in
the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I
was serving the king his wine. I had
never before appeared sad in his presence. So
the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.” Then I was terrified, but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be
sad? For the city where my ancestors are
buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are
pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my
ancestors are buried.” The
king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the
king agreed to my request. I also said
to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the
governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their
territories on my way to Judah. And
please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest,
instructing him to give me timber. I
will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city
walls, and for a house for myself.” And
the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me. When I came to the governors of the province
west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king’s letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army
officers and horsemen to protect me. But
when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my
arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of
Israel.
So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, I
slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had
put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took
no pack animals with us except the donkey I was riding. After
dark I went out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal’s Well, and over to the Dung Gate to inspect the broken walls
and burned gates. Then
I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but my donkey couldn’t get
through the rubble. So,
though it was still dark, I went up the Kidron Valley instead, inspecting the wall before I turned back and
entered again at the Valley Gate. The
city officials did not know I had been out there or what I was doing, for I had
not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not yet spoken to the Jewish leaders—the
priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration. But
now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have
been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild
the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” Then
I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my
conversation with the king. They replied
at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So
they began the good work. But
when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed
contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they
asked. I
replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start
rebuilding this wall. But you have no share, legal right, or historic claim in
Jerusalem.” Nehemiah
2:1-20 (NLT)
Have
you ever heard someone say, I wouldn’t bet the farm on it?
I first heard that
expression in connection with the political season of 1959-60. It was uttered by a less-than-prophetic man
in our community, who thought that “upstart” Senator from
Massachusetts….somebody named Kennedy…didn’t have a prayer of beating out Vice
President Nixon in November.
Did you ever wish
you had bet the farm on some long shot? Today the Nehemiah Journal shows us a man who
bet
the farm nine different ways. In
chapter 1 we saw that Nehemiah,
cup-bearer to the king of Persia, had gotten the bad news that his homeland,
Jerusalem was in disgraceful rubble. The
walls were broken down, and the people were severely distressed.
For four months
Nehemiah fasted, prayed and mulled-over in his mind just exactly what he could
do about it. He was a thousand miles
from home in service to a king who had ordered the rebuilding of Jerusalem to
cease. It wasn’t normally a good idea to
speak out on such issues; his boss, Artaxerxes was not a nice man!
In some ways perhaps
you and I can identify with Nehemiah.
I’m certain none of us have the job of tasting the king’s food to make
sure it isn’t poisoned (who would want that job, anyway?). However, we can identify with seeing the
walls of our society crumbling (divorce, drugs, crime, homes in shambles), and
wanting to do something, yet feeling helpless.
In order to do
something, Nehemiah had to bet the farm. He had to stake everything
on God coming through. He had fasted and prayed, and worked on plans
to act – if he ever got the chance – and that’s what betting the farm is all
about…being ready when God makes the impossible possible!
Let’s discover
together nine ways to bet the farm, ways to be ready to do whatever God calls
you to do:
1.
When the stakes are high, pray, plan and trust
God.
Nehemiah spent four months (between
Chisleu, December and Nisan, April), fasting, praying and planning. Some things require quick decisions; you
cannot spend a long time praying when you’re on a train track and the whistle
is blowing!
When, however, you
are faced with a major decision, even in time of crisis, God’s plan includes
including Him. The higher the stakes,
the more we should fast and pray.
I am aware of a man
who was involved in a crisis some time ago
who took off from work for the day to pray.
God blessed him with wisdom and the right spirit in the crisis. Betting the farm means praying, planning and
trusting God to provide an opportunity to act.
2.
When afraid to serve, serve anyway.
Nehemiah knew how
this whole situation was shaping-up to be a dangerous minefield. Navigating the political waters of Susa’s
capitol brought visions of hangings!
One of his
predecessors, Esther had access to the king as well. It is even recorded in the book named for her
how the Jews were subject to the whims of the king…even to death. She recorded how no servant was allowed to
come near the king with a sad face (Esther 4.2).
The task itself, of
rebuilding the city of Jerusalem would be difficult and dangerous. Conventional wisdom told Nehemiah that
approaching the king was suicide.
A young soldier who
was fighting in Italy during World War II jumped into a foxhole just ahead of
some bullets. He immediately tried to
deepen the hole for more protection and was frantically scraping away the dirt
with his hands. He unearthed something metal
and brought up a silver crucifix, left by a former resident of the foxhole.
A moment later
another leaping figure landed beside him as the shells screamed overhead. When the soldier got a chance to look, he saw
that his new companion was an army chaplain.
Holding out the crucifix, the soldier gasped, "Am I glad to see
you! How do you work this thing?"
Well, how you work
this thing about betting the farm for God is to remember that
fear has no place alongside faith. When
you’re afraid to serve, serve anyway.
And remember His promise…
When you go
through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)
3.
When told to speak, pray first.
King Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah to tell him
what he wanted. This was the invitation
for which the cup-bearer had prayed.
Yet, even at this time, after four months of fasting, praying and laying
out plans, Nehemiah was reluctant to speak before asking God one more
time.
We call it a
“prayer-fax” or “knee-mail” – whatever you call this darting arrow of a
request, it was meant by Nehemiah to subject himself to the King of Heaven
before he spoke to the king of Persia.
That is showing proper respect – in the order in which it should be
shown.
And, incidentally, a
quick prayer in emergency is a good thing.
We ought to keep in mind that it is not a substitute for four months of
earnestly seeking God’s face!
4.
When sacrifice calls for the best, volunteer.
I personally believe
that prior to the king’s invitation to make a request Nehemiah had not laid out
ALL the plans for rebuilding. I think between verses 4 and 5 Nehemiah discovered
that God was moving his heart to be personally involved. He probably flinched when he said the words,
“send me” to the king.
Some of us in this
congregation would be surprised to hear the words tumble from our own lips, send
me, O Lord, send me. We think,
“I’m no Isaiah. I’m no Charles or John Wesley.” Well, my friends, where do
you suppose God gets His servants; if not here, where; and if not, why not here? Don’t ever try these words on God:
I don’t speak so good…..It didn’t work for Moses.
I’m just a kid…..It didn’t work for Timothy or
Jeremiah.
I’ve sinned, unclean lips…..that didn’t work for Isaiah or Peter.
I’m all alone in this…..It didn’t work for
Elijah. And so on…
Like
the man who fell off his horse and exclaimed, Saved between the saddle and the
ground,
Nehemiah made up his mind that he would
volunteer to serve because this called for the best, and he was willing.
Have you got time to
serve God? No? Volunteer anyway.
5.
When the task is big, plan big, and ask in
faith.
The king had
entertained Nehemiah’s request to go by saying, “and how long will this
take?” Once Nehemiah’s plan was affirmed
by the king’s readiness to let him go, he understood that he had understood God
correctly; Nehemiah then asked for the
moon.
That, my friends, is
just an extension of faith-asking. We
understand that God is in control.
The king’s heart
is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
he guides it wherever he pleases. Proverbs 21:1 (NLT)
Betting the farm means you pray, asking God for as many resources as you will need –
and then set to work planning out how you will respond when God acts.
Chuck Swindoll is a well-known Bible expositor. He said,
“I weary of people who call it “faith” when they can’t tell you their
plans. Have you ever heard an individual
say, “No, we’re not going to think this through. We’re just going by ‘faith.’ God will lead us.” The calculating businessman says, “Uh huh,
yeah. You’ll be back needing more bucks
before you’re halfway there.” The
presence of faith does not mean an absence of organization.”
Do you have
a plan? Do you have a plan on which
you’ll bet the farm when God calls?
Betting the farm is an act of faith that includes using all you’ve got, including your
God-given wisdom. Nobody ever said
you’ve got to check your brains at the door when you come to church.
Following God is not a game of “blind man’s
bluff”. People who think blindly wandering
their way through life without regard to the costs they inflict on others who
bail them out constantly are not acting in faith – they’re an irresponsible
drain. You cannot plan for every
contingency, but you must set goals, and lay plans to reach those goals.
6.
When God wants YOU, don’t imitate someone else.
If you check-out
Nehemiah’s predecessor, Ezra the priest, you find that he went back to
Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. He went
alone. In Nehemiah’s journal we find
that this loyal layman went back accompanied by half the Persian army.
Whatever the reasons
– and many scholars suggest many theories – it is good for us to recognize that
God uses whom He
chooses. Most preachers imitate their
heroes. I have a friend who sounds
exactly like Billy Graham sometimes.
Now, that isn’t bad, but if God had wanted Dr. Graham to preach the
sermons my friend was supposed to preach, my friend would be a shoe salesman
somewhere.
My pastor, L.B.
Thomason had a gracious way of welcoming folks to church. With a grand South Georgia slurring drawl, he
would intone, “Wellllcommmme, Friiieends”.
Now, I couldn’t do that – I liked it, but it just isn’t me to talk like
that.
And you don’t have
to be a millionaire donor to the building fund if you aren’t a millionaire. You don’t have to preach if you’re not
called. But, you DO
have to do what God called YOU to do! He calls and uses people in different
ways…His ways!
7.
When opposition comes, close your mouth and open
your eyes.
Nehemiah looked and
looked, and kept his observations to himself.
He knew that
critics would try to derail his plans.
He pondered and focused on what God was up to.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13
Sanballat and Tobiah
were local governors of Samaria and Ammon, respectively. They had had some influence in
Jerusalem. The coming of Nehemiah with
papers from Artaxerxes meant their power was diminished. So they sniped. It is true that when God decides to move it
will always disturb those who are comfortable, and who don’t know Him very
well.
Our job is to
maintain focus on who is in charge. That
means it is so important to focus on what
God is doing. When Mary heard the angel
tell her she would bear the Messiah, and she saw the kings from afar worship
her little son, she pondered all these things in her heart. She kept her mouth shut, but her spiritual
eyes focused.
8.
When it is time to speak, trust God’s people
with the truth.
Betting the
farm is a great expression for
this one. It is hard in our day to trust
people. All you can do is lay out the
truth and let it rule the day. When
Nehemiah gathered the people together he pointed to the walls, the broken,
charred remains of the greatness of God’s city Jerusalem, and he said,
“Brothers, that’s a disgrace!” That was
the truth! He also said, “Brothers,
let’s put it back up!” That was
encouragement. And then, Nehemiah
trusted the people to respond. That was
the hard part…and that was God’s part.
In our day we have
self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.
All the groups start with facing reality…”Hi, I’m Russell, I’m a
chocoholic!”
In the matter of
faith and salvation, the time to speak is called confession. “Hi, I’m Russell, I’m a sinner.” You have to trust God with the rest. He has promised to forgive. Do you trust him?
9.
When unbelief mocks, stand firm!
In Hebrews 11 we have the “roll call of the
heroes of the faith”. Part of that
reminiscence is about how the prophets of old were mocked and ridiculed. I believe the writer of Hebrews looked at
Nehemiah’s journal. The NIV translates
verse 19b, they mocked and ridiculed us. There are times when you have
to stand firm. In fact, betting
the farm is all about standing firm for God and what’s right.
Some say Dan Quayle and George H.W. Bush
lost the 1990 Presidential election
because they stood firm. Quayle was
ridiculed and mocked for his statements about Murphy Brown, Candace Bergen’s
character on the TV show. Quayle said Murphy
Brown, as a single mother of choice, is not the best role model. A mom and dad should be in the home raising a
child.
In his book Standing
Firm, Dan Quayle talked about the pain of losing the election. In the long run, he lost nothing. It was the American public who lost.
Some years later Candace Bergen herself in an interview on national
television referred to the issue, and said I never intended to portray
single motherhood as the ideal.
The issue is
unbelief. How do you recognize (and
reject) unbelief, so that you can stand firm, and not just stand stubborn? Consider Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the
Arabian (v.19). They were,
according to some scholars Yahwists (worshippers of Yahweh, the God of
Abraham). However, they brought in some
outside thinking; they worshipped the local pagan gods, including Baal. They named their children Jewish, Godly
names, but mixed ungodly things with their worship. That is the essence of unbelief – anything
that doesn’t give God the unquestioned first place of sovereignty! After all, He did say,
“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou
shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20. 2-3
Nehemiah recognized unbelief when he heard
it. And he stood firm.
If you want to bet
the farm on anything, make it this:
When God says: “do” - I
will do;
When God
says: “don’t” - I won’t!
I’d bet the farm on
that any day!
James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton:
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 254.
