Nehemiah 2:3
And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
Nehemiah explains his sad countenance to the king as grief because Jerusalem, the city of his fathers' sepulchres, lies waste and its gates are consumed with fire, and his appeal is set in concern for that ancestral city and its restoration. The verse belongs to the account of Jerusalem's devastation, pictured as Nehemiah surveying its broken-down walls and ruined structures. The ruined walls hindered restoration and kept the people in constant alarm.
He answers the king respectfully, with trembling lips and tearful eyes, afraid the king may punish him or reject his plan to restore the city. His respectful address and honest account of grief awaken the king's sympathy and lead to an opportunity to make his request. He makes this appeal to King Artaxerxes while serving before the king in captivity.
His position before rulers gave idolaters an opportunity to receive light and learn of the true God, so that work neglected in their own land was carried out in captivity amid trial and difficulty. His appeal illustrates concern for God's cause and a bold request for the king's help to advance it, showing boldness joined with prayer, faith, and sound judgment. Those presenting the needs of God's work are in this way to draw near to God and remain connected to the source of light.