Nehemiah 2:1
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was serving wine as cupbearer in the Persian court while Israel was in captivity. He took up the wine and gave it to the king, appearing sad before him for the first time, an unusual change from his usual manner that showed how deeply the troubles of Jerusalem lying in ruins affected him.
Sorrow was not to be seen before royalty, for the rules of the Eastern court required attendants to appear cheerful and forbade distress to darken the royal halls. Though heavy with grief, he tried to conceal it behind a cheerful expression and waited four months for a good opportunity to speak. In private during that waiting he prayed, confessed, and wept before God.
The verse introduces and marks the setting for his opportunity to approach the king with a bold request for help for Jerusalem and for advancing God's cause. His place before the king gave him an opportunity to make the true God known to the ruler of an idolatrous nation, even amid trial and difficulty. As a man of prayer, faith, and sound judgment, his appeal and the king's generous response teach that God's people may prudently ask those in authority for assistance, and should draw near to God and live in close connection with Him when presenting the needs of their work to others.