Charles Spurgeon Commentary Nehemiah 2:6

"And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time." — Nehemiah 2:6 (ASV)

For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?

So it pleased the king to send me: and I set him a time.

He was a valued servant. They did not wish to part with him, and if he would go for a time to do this business, they still ensured his return. There are some servants I know of, who, if they were to go away, their masters would not be particularly anxious for them to come back again. It is well when a man is so in favor with God that his piety influences his ordinary life, and he also becomes in favor with men. That is a poor, miserable religion that does not make its possessor a good servant.

Yes, whatever our position in life, we ought to be far more valuable to those around us because we fear God. May we always be of such a character that, if we were gone, we should be missed. I set him a time.