The Queen Sitting By Him
Nehemiah 2:1-8
The Identification of the Queen
Artaxerxes (Longimus) in this passage in the son of Xerxes found in Esther.
In verse 6, many believe the queen mentioned here is the Queen Mother or Esther.
That means at the least, Esther was the step-mother if not the biological mother of Artaxerxes
The Influence of the Queen
After the events of Esther, dealing with Purim, Haman and the official “kill the Jew day”, God raised Mordecai to the second place in the kingdom. (Esther 10)
Esther also had a specific influence on the raising of Artaxerxes.
Nehemiah was the king’s cup bearer. This was one of the highest and closest positions to the king. He served almost as a royal advisor or sounding board. He was also had the specific job of tasting the food and drink to insure it was not poisoned.
As Nehemiah was broken hearted over the current state of Jerusalem, it had showed in his duties.
Jerusalem was burnt down with no walls protecting the city (Nehemiah 1:3)
Much of the influence of Esther could be felt as the king was kind in granting the request to rebuild the walls of the city.