And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. (Nehemiah 1:1-3)
Nehemiah was greatly upset at this and mourned and fasted for several days before he confesses to his and Israel's backsliding. He concludes with a fervent petition,
O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer. (Nehemiah 1:11)
Although he specifically asks God to grant him mercy with the king, he clearly did not seek it immediately because the next time we learn about his presence with the King is in the month Nisan in the 20th year of Artaxerxes (445 BC). Nisan is the first month of the year in the Babylonian derived calendar, from which the Persian Kings counted their regnal years. However Chisleu is the ninth month and therefore Nehemiah's prayer in the 20th Year cannot refer to the Persian King year.
The only likely alternative year referred to by Nehemiah was the 20th year since the previous Jubilee in 4751 BC, the twentieth year being 456 BC. For the next ten years, it seems that Nehemiah had not broached the subject with the king, and it was only in Nisan 445 BC that the subject was raised and then only because the king required an answer as to why he looked so sad.
Nehemiah would have no reason to be sad after he had originally submitted his petition to God because, to a believer, any fervent prayer given in faith is sure to be fulfilled2, with the proviso that the prayer is not just for self gratification (see James 4:3).
By the eleventh year Nehemiah was cast down because there was no sign of his wish to be able to help his kindred being fulfilled. He had clearly forgotten the wording of his prayer that required him to take the initiative.
The above illustrates several lessons to be observed by those who approach God in prayer: be careful what one asks for and choose the wording carefully; be brief; remember what has been asked and any commitments that have been made, and carry out those commitments speedily. (See: Ecclesiastes 5:2, 4-6)
©2022 Martin Allen Cragg