“I also said to him, ‘If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?’
Nehemiah 2:7
Last time we looked in on Nehemiah’s journey. He had the king’s favor and set a time for his departure. Today we get to see a bit more of his detailed request.
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors beyond the River that they may pass over me in their territories across the other side until I arrive in Judah.”
The word for pass over is particularly interesting. It is the Hebrew word abar and its most concise definition is “to alienate.” In this context, the safe conduct Nehemiah is seeking is to be ignored, alienated in a foreign land. To simply be passed over until he arrives safely in Judah.
Feeling overlooked or passed over is ordinarily hurtful. To feel unseen is sometimes worse than feeling hated. At least the hate acknowledges your existence.
But in Nehemiah’s situation to be passed over meant survival. It meant fewer hassles and entanglements on the way to his destination: Judah, the land of his forefathers.
And in our situation it can also be a positive. If we’re seeking to please our Commanding Officer alone, we too will have fewer entanglements on our way to our Destination. Oh, we engage. We love and serve and grieve and pray. But we are not so entangled with lesser pursuits that we miss The Way.
Friends, we have our marching orders. We even have the divine method. Anything he asks us to sacrifice is worth it. Not pain free, but worth what is ahead and guaranteed to be surpassed. And we have One Who was passed over on His Way to the Destination. It was certainly not pain free, but His loss is our reward. We, too, can set our faces like flint to please One.
Because Worthy is the Lamb.