Short Stories

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Milk & Honey Gazette
The Cup Bearing Governor
by Glenn A. Hascall


Persia - King Artexerxes must have a special place in his heart for a
cupbearer by the name of Nehemiah.

It was some time ago that the aforementioned bearer of the cup appeared before the king's with something less than the happy face that the king had grown accustomed to in his servant.

It still baffles many Persian dignitaries, however the king listened
attentively to Nehemiah and then agreed to send him to Jerusalem to rebuild the ruins of the city walls.

Perhaps it was a compassionate moment, but King Artexerxes also sent letters with Nehemiah that enabled him to pass through neighboring lands unharmed.

We caught up with Nehemiah in Jerusalem where he told a group of Jews, "You see how distressing this is, Jerusalem is in decay, its gates are burned. Who will help me rebuild the walls of Jerusalem?"

Although the task seemed impossible it didn't take long for the group to
agree to rebuild the walls. Jerusalem has a rich history for the Jewish
people and has typically been known as their center of worship.

As the work began, the workers began to be criticized by two influential men in the region, Sanballat and Tobiah. These two constantly ridiculed the workers and made life difficult during the reconstruction.

It should be noted, however, that these two could not physically harm the Jews because of a decree issued by a former king of Persia that indicated that the Jews could fortify their settlements against enemy attack. So, to physically hamper the Jews meant to violate a law of King Ahasuerus of Persia (who just so happens to be the husband of the famed Queen Esther), so the two simply mounted a verbal attack that began to have its effect.

Several leaders began to take note that the constant belittling by Sanballat and Tobiah actually led to severe economic loss for the Jews. The people had been working so hard on the wall itself that they had no time to manage their farms and vineyards. They had no way to earn revenue to pay taxes and certain rich Jews contributed to their difficulties by conducting business deals that relieved their desperate neighbors of land, wealth, as well as family members in exchange for food.

This did not sit well with Nehemiah. Perhaps it was his conversation with the king that made him bold enough to confront the issue head on.

"What you are doing is not right," he was quoted as saying. "I, along with my brothers and servants are lending money and grain. Follow our example and stop insisting that you be paid interest on top of your loans!"

Nehemiah's words had their desired effect as the workers had lands and family members returned.

One thing should be noted; the workers found themselves with a sword in one hand while they worked at the construction of the walls with the other. Their hardships remain a tribute to the dedication these men had in completing the rebuilding.

Sanballat and Tobiah continued their subtle attack on Jerusalem by sending false charges against Nehemiah and his staff to the king. This only served to delay the completion of the project. All allegations against Nehemiah and the Jews were eventually proven false.

The above information is simply intended to serve as background as we all anticipate the dedication ceremony for the newly constructed walls of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah is the man of the hour as the Jewish population come from far and wide to celebrate the rebuilding of their holy city.

We have also learned that Nehemiah will serve a second term as governor of Jerusalem. We can think of no other person more deserving of the honor. Nehemiah tells us that it is the God he serves that made this nearly impossible task a reality. However, this writer is not blind to the reality that it was fate that prepared Nehemiah for just such a time as this and it was his leadership and determination that truly makes this a day the Jewish people can celebrate.

Note: The preceding story was written from the perspective of a skeptical news reporter and should not be viewed as a 100% accurate portrayal of events. For the real scoop read the book of Nehemiah.

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