Nehemiah 2

This chapter, for me, held another stunning example of what God is like, as observed in the actions of His ambassador Nehemiah. After hearing about the state of things in Jerusalem, Nehemiah had prayed to God that restoration would come to that great Israelite city. He determined that, at some time, he would have the opportunity to speak to the king about what was on his heart.

And some months later, his opportunity arrived. The king noticed that his cupbearer looked out of sorts and asked him what was wrong. Nehemiah replied, "Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" (vs 3)

Then, the king asked Nehemiah what he wanted. Now, just consider this for a moment. It’s the time you’ve been waiting for. Because of your position in the royal court, you have the king’s attention on a matter that is so important to you, and he asks you what you want—thereby implying that he will do whatever he can to help. And this was Nehemiah’s response: "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it." (vs 5)

Did that strike you? I found that incredible. At that moment, Nehemiah seemingly had the resources of the nation within his reach, and what did he ask for? He asked to be able to go and rebuild the city gates himself. It’s not as if the king didn’t have legions of laborers at his disposal. Nehemiah could have asked for an army of carpenters and masons to descend upon Jerusalem and get the job done. But, for Nehemiah, it was personal. He wanted to go himself.

That immediately reminded me of what Paul says about God in Romans: "God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all." (Rom 8:3)

What do we learn about God from this? He gets His hands dirty. When sin entered His universe and He was faced with the biggest crisis His government had ever known, God didn’t just sit back and let someone else handle the mess. No, He said, I’ll go. Jesus said, Send me. He personally waded right into the middle of the mess and set about restoring things.

Just as we saw yesterday, God is never distant and remote. Where His creation is involved—especially when it’s in trouble!—He is right there in the middle of it all, working to bring healing and restoration. He doesn’t think about the cost. He doesn’t consider the sacrifice. He just does whatever needs to be done, and He does it Himself. Instead of expecting someone else to do the job, He says, Here I am. I’ll go.