To make such a request clearly contrary to royal policy might even prove dangerous. But Nehemiah called him “this man,” perhaps to stress that he was only a human under God’s sovereignty. Nehemiah knew the seriousness of his undertaking and put his case in God’s hands. Like many since his time, Nehemiah’s greatness came from asking great things of a great God and attempting great things in reliance on him. Nehemiah’s final comment, however (“I was a cupbearer to the king”), may be an acknowledgment