Today's Scripture Reading (November 11, 2023): Nehemiah 2
November 11 has become a day of remembrance throughout most
of the Western World. Where I live, it is called "Remembrance Day," a
day when we remember those who fought in World War I, but the day of
remembrance has been extended to include those who fought in all of the
conflicts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. However, the day itself
celebrates the Armistice and the cessation of hostilities between the
combatants of World War I. I grew up believing the Armistice Agreement was
signed at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918, but that isn't true. The agreement
was actually signed at 5:45 a.m. on November 11, but the Armistice went into
effect at 11:00 a.m. November 11 (11 am 11/11).
But November 11 doesn't tell the whole story. The conditions
that set up the story of the Armistice took place a little earlier. By October
1918, circumstances in Germany had significantly deteriorated. So much so that
during the night of October 29 and early in the morning on October 30, a revolt
broke out at the naval base at Wilhelmshaven on the Northwest coast of Germany.
However, the revolution didn't stay restricted to the sailors living at the
naval base. The Wilhelmshaven Naval revolt was the opening salvo of the German
Revolution. By November 9, 1918, King Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate the
German throne, and the German Republic was declared. Wilhelm fled to the
Netherlands and lived out his days there. Despite significant international
pressure for his extradition, the Netherlands refused to give him up, and
Wilhelm II died in the Netherlands on June 4, 1941, at the age of 82.
November 11 celebrates the end of hostilities in World War I,
but it was and is far from a happy day. For those who lived through that first
day of celebration, relief might be a more accurate description of the emotions
of the day, along with deep mourning and sadness for all that was lost. Today, the
attitude of sadness and mourning still dominates our remembering of November
11. We remember the loss and the senseless violence that our nations have
experienced in the various wars that have been fought in the pursuit of worldly
power.
Nehemiah receives his report on the condition at Jerusalem
and then has to go about his job bringing wine to the King. But the Jerusalem report
had had a visible effect on him. And as he goes about his duties, the King
notices his advisor is sad. It might be an expected result for us, but for
Nehemiah, appearing sad in the presence of the King was a crime punishable by
death. Being in the presence of the King was supposed to be an honor that would
drive any and all sadness away. Nehemiah likely heard these words of Artaxerxes
with a sense of panic. What would the following words of the King be; "Off
with his head?"
But Nehemiah's sense of loss was so profound that he
literally couldn't hide it, even with the penalty of losing his life. He would
place his trust in God, present his sadness to King Artaxerxes, and hope for
the mercy of the one he had served for a significant portion of his life.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Nehemiah
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