Nehemiah and his brother took the opportunity during the moment of quiet to explore the gardens. This was not actually prohibited but many in the Jewish community had frowned on any type of over contact with the gentiles. A bright blue sky and beautiful plants inspired the boys and filled them with great joy. They laughed as they jumped and ran through the magnificent gardens.
What exactly happened next was still a blur in Nehemiah’s mind even years later. Somehow in their zeal, a statue was knocked over with a loud crash. When the dust settled, the two boys stood there stunned into complete silence and terror. Guards arrived from all over the place, and when the boys looked up, they knew that their world had just changed.
A month later, they were awakened, and the chains that had been holding them to the wall were exchanged for ankle and leg chains. The clanking still rang in Nehemiah’s ears. He was brought before a stern-looking magistrate. “You are here for destruction of a family god. How do you plead?” Nehemiah’s lips were dry, so he could not speak. Every muscle in his body was hurting, but he managed a nod. It was then that Nehemiah fully realized that it was not just a statue but a statue of the official’s ancestor that had been knocked over. This was the equivalent to killing a god. Someone gave him a cup of water.
“Who are you, young man?” The stern official looked slightly less stern suddenly. Wetting his lips with the water, Nehemiah responded, “I am Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah. I am a Jew.” The magistrate sneered. “Well, Jew, how will you repay?” “My father…” The magistrate interrupted him, “Your father is dead. Your brother has been banished from the city for the next decade. How will you pay?” The news was shocking. Even today, when Nehemiah recalled that moment, he wept.
Months passed as Nehemiah sat in that deep dark cell. They had moved him from the wall chains to a place in the middle of the room with a longer chain. The guards would taunt him by demanding that he tell them who he was.
“Who are you?”
“I am Nehemiah. The son of Hacaliah. A Jewish man in exile. I am a Wall Builder.”
“No, you are a vile pagan worshiper and a desecrater of gods. You are the garbage of the empire.”
This conversation happened multiple times a day. The guards would eat and pretend like they would share and then change their mind.
Nehemiah’s clothing started to deteriorate. His personal care had long ago been forgotten. But each day when he arose, he prayed the Shema. He cried out to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If someone had given him some food, he would have the energy to sing a hymn of David. He refused to believe what the guards said about him.
One day, an officer came down and pulled the guards out of the jail for a conversation just outside of the door. Because of the thick walls and doors, Nehemiah could not really hear what they were saying. But he did hear his name a couple of times. He also recognized a couple of other Jewish sounding names. The officer came in and looked with disgust at the disintegrating body of the Wall Builder. He didn’t look fully human. The officer left and the guard came up and unchained Nehemiah and put traveling chains on him. Nehemiah was taken to a large room with a very long wooden table filled with fruits and vegetables. There were meats of all sorts of types. Suddenly, Nehemiah realized that he was very hungry. The officer nodded and the guard unchained Nehemiah.
“Eat.”
Nehemiah stared at the officer unbelieving. This had to be a trap or a test of some kind. More than anything, Nehemiah wanted to eat, but fear overcame him.
“Eat, you piece of garbage.”
Nehemiah looked at the foods and moved slowly to the table and looked over the options. He ate a grape and some other fruits that looked good. Looking at the meat that was in a large blue dish, he smiled. He had forgotten how much he loved lamb. As he took a piece of the meat into his hand, his nose caught something. This meat was basted with something that struck Nehemiah as not quite right.
“Something is strange about this lamb meat.”
The officer looked surprised and nodded knowingly.
A moment later a servant brought in a cup of wine and offered it to Nehemiah.
Again, sensing some sort of trap or test, Nehemiah smelled the rich scent of the wine. Again, really more of a sense struck him that something was wrong with the wine.
“Something is strange about this wine.” Again, the officer looked surprised.
“The King’s cupbearer has been poisoned. We are looking for a replacement. You can die in the prison, or you can maybe die in luxury. You will have relative freedom. You will be honored.”
Nehemiah just stood there.
“Sometimes people try to kill the King. You will taste his food and wine before him to ensure that he is not poisoned. What do you say?”
Nehemiah nodded.
“Who are you?”
“I am Nehemiah. The son of Hacaliah. A Jewish man in exile. I am a Wall Builder.”
“Now you can add Cupbearer to that name.”
