The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Nehemiah 2:1-8, “And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.

2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.

3 And I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”

4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

5 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time.

7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah,

8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.”

The passage above gives us insight into the relationship of Nehemiah and his king, Artaxerxes. It also emphasizes the importance of the LORD in both of their lives. Additionally, this passage teaches us the primacy of adherence to the things of the LORD.

The teaching here demonstrates the value of the LORD’s guidance of His people. There is no fundamental difference for us today. We are to value and adhere to the laws of our nation while simultaneously adhering to the teachings of our LORD in Holy Scripture. If the laws of any nation are not in line with Scripture, we should legally work to bring them into line. The LORD blesses nations that adhere to His Word, and He has the means of punishing those nations that rebel against Him.

The primary means of bringing any nation into agreement with the principles of the LORD is prayer and adherence to His Word.

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:13-14).

May we each and every one prayerfully adhere to His Word.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom