The Original Night Rider

Timing is everything. What happens is often made important by when it happens. A joke is only funny when you deliver the punchline at the right time. Traders in the stock market must know when to buy and when to sell. You need to know when to take that steak off the grill. In sports, they call it being clutch. One of those amazing athletes that consistently comes through when his or her team needs it the most. In the words of Meg Rosoff, “Ask any comedian, tennis player, chef. Timing is everything.” As our man Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem, he doesn’t immediately hold a press conference announcing the plan to rebuild the broken walls and burned gates (Neh 2:11-16). No, instead he takes a break. He takes a breath. He takes a midnight ride. He knows it’s just as important in timing the breaking the news of his strategy as it is the strategy itself. The reason Nehemiah waits is that this is not his plan. God personally dropped this on him back in Persia. Nehemiah not only trusts God but in His divine timing. And God’s timing is everything.

Just a few months ago, Nehemiah was working as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes 1,000 miles away in Persia (Neh 1:1, 11). But God turns his life upside down when his brother and his posse rolled into town fresh back from their trip to the Promised Land (Neh 1:2). They had a disturbing report about the crisis in Jerusalem (Neh 1:3). What was God’s glorious city on a hill is now a local joke. The walls are in rubble. The gates are in ashes. This breaking news about the broken walls breaks his heart (Neh 1:4). After Nehemiah spends days and days weeping, mourning, fasting, and praying (Neh 1:5-11), God opens the door for this lowly servant to pitch his plan to the most powerful man on the planet (Neh 2:1-4). That’s because timing is everything. Artaxerxes signs off on Nehemiah’s extended leave of absence but provides all the necessary paperwork for the project as well. As appreciative as he is of this pagan dictator’s overwhelming support, he knows who’s really behind not only the plan but the timing. “For the good hand of my God was upon me” (Neh 1:8). When Nehemiah hits the land called Beyond the Border, local officials immediately get worried (Neh 1:9-11). Political thugs like Sanballat and Tobiah have made a hobby out of their oppression of the Israelites. They weren’t exactly sure what Nehemiah was up to but it’s obvious that he was on some sort of mission to help the Hebrews. To say they were ticked off is a bit of an understatement. But Artaxerxes’ personal wine steward had his papers in order and something up his sleeve. He’s not putting all of his cards on the table just yet. That’s because Nehemiah not only trusts God but in His divine timing. And God’s timing is everything.

After his three-month caravan from Persia, Nehemiah eventually hits Jerusalem. “So I went up to Jerusalem and was there for three days” (v11). He goes “up to Jerusalem” because this ancient city sits on a couple of small mountains about 2,500 feet above sea level. He would be coming up from the Jordan River Valley which is actually 1,312 feet BELOW sea level at its lowest point. When you go to Jerusalem, you always go UP to Jerusalem. Nehemiah kicks back and chills out for three days once he arrives. First of all, that’s a VERY long trip from Susa. Flip back over to the prequel to this book and you’ll see that Ezra did the very same thing (Ez 8:32). He doesn’t hold a news conference. He doesn’t go on CNN or Fox News. God has given him a plan. We read that he hasn’t told a soul other than Artaxerxes what he’s up to. “And I had told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem” (v12). For three months and 1,000 miles, Nehemiah kept the specifics on a need-to-know basis only. And he was the only one who needed to know. He’ll get busy when the timing is right. 

Don’t blow past Nehemiah’s own description of his plan to rebuild the walls. This wasn’t his idea. He makes it clear that this was something “my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem” (v12). This isn’t his plan. This isn’t his idea. If it were up to him, he’d probably be pulling his regular shift as the king’s wine steward back at the royal palace in Persia. God put this grand plan in his heart. God is the One who’s behind it all! And His timing is perfect. We see it all throughout the Bible. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son” (Gal 4:4). Once He was on His miraculous rescue mission, Jesus stayed focused on timing. He tells His mom, “My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4). He tells his brothers, “My time has not yet come” (Jn 7:6). His best buddy John talks about the importance of Jesus’ timing (Jn 7:30; 8:20). And Jesus waits to make His spectacular encore because He wants to give everyone a chance to turn from their sin and turn to Him (2Pet 3:9). God put this plan in Nehemiah’s heart. And He probably also put the timing of his overnight inspection on his heart too. God’s timing is everything. 

Once Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem, he needs to do a little night recon. Remember, he’s never been here before. Long before David Hasselhoff and his super car Kit hit the TV screen, our man Nehemiah was the original Night Rider. “Then I arose in the night, I and few men with me…There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode” (v12). His posse sneaks out what’s left of the Valley Gate. That’s on the southwest corner of the city. They make a left and begin making a counterclockwise trip around broken walls. It becomes immediately obvious in the moonlight that things were bad. Very bad. “I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire” (v13). It was exactly how his brother Hanani had described (Neh 1:3). 

The Night Rider rolls on. Around the Dragon Spring. Past the Dung Gate (my guess is that he was moving pretty fast through here!). By the Fountain Gate. Near the King’s Pool. If the condition of the wall isn’t bad enough already, it gets even worse at this point. “There was no room for the animal that was under me to pass” (v14). At this point, Nehemiah dismounts and continues on foot to take a look at the section of the wall along the Kidron Valley. It’s apparently in such horrible condition that he wraps up his recon. “I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate” (v15). The Night Rider has seen enough. He knows what he needs to know. 

Nehemiah hasn’t told a soul what he’s up to or where he’s been. “And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were there to do the work” (v16). He apparently hasn’t told anyone who made the trip from Susa about his ultimate goal. He hasn’t told local officials why he’s in town. And he undoubtedly doesn’t want the Israelite enemies to find out exactly what he was up to. He’ll make his announcement very soon. He’ll meet with city leaders before too long. While there’s nothing specific mentioned here, I have a pretty good idea that Nehemiah did a boatload of praying at this point. He’s certainly done it before (Neh 1:4-11; 2:4). There’s every reason to think he’s doing it again. God is about to use Nehemiah to bring some serious hope and change to His people in Jerusalem. That’s because the original Night Rider not only trusts God but in His divine timing. And God’s timing is everything.