“In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa…”
Nehemiah 1:1b
Last time we established Nehemiah as a new leader whose name means “the LORD comforts.” Now we get a glimpse into his first-person memoirs to find out about this leader’s background. We begin with his location: Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, in what is now southwest Iran. If our leader was in the capital – the citadel, fortress, stronghold of an empire – we can assume he was of some importance. And he was. We will find out more about that soon.
For now, can we celebrate that God will use a runt-of-the-litter shepherd boy as willingly as He’ll use someone of prominence in a pagan empire? How open He is to allow one of His own to advance to the 2nd highest position in a nation if it advances His glory and His people’s good? And yet, how He will chase down a forgotten pagan woman who has been used up and sent away?
I love that about Him. He will take someone of great prominence in lineage and impressive in knowledge, and turn his passion toward Him alone. And He will come to a young, unassuming virgin and tell her she has found favor with Him.
And most of all, when He walked on this earth, He would have all the pedigree needed to be the Messiah, and yet be hunted from birth, born in a barn, and raised not in a palace but in a poor home.
The only requirement to be used of Him is humility. To have humility we must humble ourselves. Everything else must be dung compared to the fact that we know Him. Not for His sake, but for ours.
And He Himself will be our Citadel.