Front matter (continued, part 63)
Our God is the Alpha and the Omega; what He starts, He finishes (Rev. 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13; Isa. 41:4; 44:6). If God is at the beginning of the journey and we trust Him, He'll remain with us throughout the journey and take us to our destination. Each step of the way, God will see to it that we fulfill His loving purposes, and He will never forsake us (Isa. 43:1–2; Heb. 13:5–6). Resting (Ezra 8:32). When my wife and I arrive home from an extended ministry trip, we find that it takes a couple of days to get rested and ready for the next assignment. Perhaps Ezra and his company arrived just before the Sabbath and wisely decided to prolong their rest. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to do nothing. Jesus told His busy disciples, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31 nkjv). As Vance Havner used to say, "If you don't come apart, you will come apart— you'll go to pieces."
Ezra 9
Jewish wives in order to marry heathen women (Mal. 2:10–16). It was perfectly in order for these concerned Jews to report to Ezra what was going on, for he was one of their key spiritual leaders and carried great authority from the king (Ezra 7:25–26). It's likely that these concerned citizens had opposed the mixed marriages but were ignored, so they appealed to their leading priest and scribe for his help. The household of Chloe had informed Paul about some of the flagrant sins in the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:11), and he didn't rebuke them for it because there's a difference between "religious gossip" and honest concern. Covering sin never brings blessing to a nation or an individual (Prov. 28:13; see Deut. 17:1–7).
king's hand to sign the edict that enabled Ezra to take a remnant of Jews to their land to serve the Lord. 3 Nixon, Richard. Leaders (New York: Warner Books, 1982), 1. 4 Hilkiah was high priest during the reign of godly King Josiah and found the book of the law while the temple was being repaired (2 Kings 22). Zadok was faithful to King David during David's most trying times, especially when Absalom and Adonijah tried to capture the crown (2 Sam. 15 and 17; 1 Kings 1—2). Phinehas was the courageous priest in Moses' day who was honored for opposing Israel's compromise with the Midianites (Num. 25; Ps. 106:30). 5 Many students believe that Ezra was one of the founders of the synagogue, which in Babylon took the place of the temple as a place for assembly, worship, and teaching. 6 Moses wrote what God told him (Ex. 24:4, 12; Deut. 28:58; 29:21; 30:10; 31:9, 19, 24) and also kept a record of Israel's journeys (Num. 33:2). He left Joshua "the book of the law" (Josh. 1:8) to which Joshua added his record (23:6). Samuel wrote in the book (1 Sam. 10:25) and others added to it (1 Chron. 29:29). The book of the law apparently was "lost" in the temple, of all places, and recovered during Josiah's day (2 Chron. 34—35). The Jewish scribes were very careful to copy the Scriptures accurately and preserve them from textual corruption. Thanks to their faithfulness and the providence of God, we have the Scriptures today. 7 Zerubbabel didn't have an abundance of Levites in his company, only 733 out of almost 50,000 men, less than 2 percent. One would think that God's special servants would be anxious to go back to their land and serve, but they decided to stay.
Disobedience (Ezra 9:1). The actions of these Jewish men were in violation of the law of God (Ex. 34:15–16; Deut. 7:1–6). As the book of Ruth testifies, it was legal for a Jewish man to marry a foreign woman if she fully renounced her old life and accepted her husband's faith, but this law didn't apply to the women native to the land of Canaan. According to Deuteronomy 20:1–15 and 21:10–14, a Jewish soldier could marry a female prisoner of war from a distant city, but he was forbidden to marry a Canaanite woman. But, when people decide to deliberately disobey the Word of God, they can usually find excuses to defend their actions. "There's a shortage of unmarried Jewish women," they might argue, "and we need to keep our families' names alive and help to increase the population." In other words, the end justifies the means. Blame the single Jewish women who wouldn't leave Babylon!
B.Confession of sin—9
CHAPTER FOUR Ezra 9—10 THE GRACE OF GOD E
Did anyone offer to return to Babylon to find eligible wives for these single men?
Defilement (Ezra 9:2). God gave that marriage law to Israel in order to protect the nation from defilement. Because of these mixed marriages, the "holy seed" ("race," niv) was being defiled by foreign women from the very nations God had commanded Israel to destroy (Deut. 7:1–6). The Jews weren't called a "holy nation" (Ex. 19:5–6) because they were better than anybody else, but because God had chosen them in His love and set them apart to do His will (Deut. 7:7–11). It's through Israel that "all families of the earth [shall be] blessed" (Gen. 12:3; 28:14), for the Jews gave the world three wonderful gifts: the knowledge of the true and living God, the written Word of God, and the Savior, Jesus Christ.
zra must have experienced great joy and satisfaction when he found himself in the Holy City, worshipping at the restored temple and ministering to the spiritual needs of the people. He certainly would have had an easier life had he remained "Scholar in Residence" for the exiles in Babylon, but "an easier life" wasn't on Ezra's agenda. God had called him to serve the Jewish remnant and teach them the law of God, and he was obedient to God's call.
But four months after his arrival (7:9; 10:9), he learned that all wasn't well in Jerusalem because over 100 civil and religious leaders of the nation were guilty of deliberately disobeying the law that Ezra had come to teach. How Ezra faced this difficult problem and solved it is an example for any Christian today who takes seriously God's repeated command, "You shall be holy; for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44 nkjv).1
If it was wicked for single Jewish men to marry foreign women, how much greater was the guilt of married men who divorced their Jewish wives in order to marry pagan women! The prophet Malachi denounced the Jewish men who did this (Mal. 2:13–16) and reminded them that Jehovah was seeking "a godly seed" (Ezra 9:15 kjv; "offspring" niv, nkjv). This could refer to the promised Messiah as well as the future generations of Jews (Isa. 6:12–13). How could the Jews keep their nation "holy" if the men married
Contamination: A sinful people (9:1–2) A group of laypeople informed Ezra that some of the leaders of the tribes, as well as some priests and Levites, had taken foreign wives for themselves and for their sons, and some of these men had even divorced their
Ezra 9
granted and didn't worry if they disregarded it. Too many Christians today are willing to read the Bible, study it, outline it, and even defend it, but they don't fear God and seek to obey what the Bible says. "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isa. 66:2 nkjv). Until God's people show respect for God and His Word, the Spirit of God can't work in mighty power as He longs to do.
out of the will of God? If the leaders of Israel continued to set such a bad example in defiling themselves, they would also defile the nation, and it wouldn't take long for Israel to lose their separated position in the world. Like Solomon (1 Kings 11), the men would start adopting the false gods and evil practices of their heathen wives; and before long, the true faith would be destroyed (Ex. 34:10–16). How then could God bring the Savior into the world?2
At three o'clock in the afternoon, when the priests offered the daily evening sacrifice (Num. 28:1–4) and the people were assembling for prayer (Acts 3:1; Ps. 55:17; Dan. 6:10), Ezra began to call out to God and intercede for his people. As he wept (Ezra 10:1) and prayed, perhaps he was thinking of God's promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (nkjv).
Concern: a privileged people (9:3–15)3 How privileged the remnant was to have a spiritual leader like Ezra! He had been given special authority by the king (7:25–26), so you can see how serious it was for him to know what these men had done. Depending on the offense, Ezra could banish people from the community, confiscate their wealth, or even order their execution! But Ezra was first of all a man of God who sought God's best for his people, and he identified with them and made their burdens his burdens. He was supremely a man of prayer.
"We have sinned" (Ezra 9:5–7). Like both Nehemiah (Neh. 1:4–10) and Daniel (Dan. 9), Ezra identified himself with the people and their sins and spoke to God about "our iniquities" and not "their iniquities." Israel was one covenant nation before God, and the sins of one person affected all the people. For example, when Achan disobeyed God at Jericho, God said to Joshua, "Israel has sinned" (Josh. 7:11 nkjv, italics mine). The same principle applies to the local church (1 Cor. 5:6–8). Unless sin is dealt with, the whole assembly becomes defiled.
He didn't preach a sermon, although they needed to be reminded of what the law said, nor did he immediately seek out the sinners and call them to confession and repentance, as important as that was. The first thing he did was to go to the temple, sit on the ground and express his grief before the people and before the Lord. As though he were mourning the dead, he tore his tunic and his cloak (9:5; see Gen. 37:29, 34; Josh. 7:6), and in further expression of sorrow, he plucked out hair from his head and his beard.4 The people saw this and it reached their hearts.
Like the publican in our Lord's parable (Luke 18:9–14), Ezra was too ashamed to look up to heaven as he prayed. The inability to blush because of sin is a mark of hypocrisy and superficial spiritual experience (Jer. 6:13–15). "Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush" (Jer. 8:12 niv). Words and actions that would have made earlier generations blush in shame are today part of the normal "entertainment" diet of the average TV viewer. When a nation turns sin into entertainment and laughs at what ought to make us weep, we are in desperate need of revival.
Ezra was "appalled" (Ezra 9:3 niv). The Hebrew word means "to be shocked, horrified, astonished, desolate." How could these men who were sons of the covenant commit such heinous sins? They had been so wonderfully helped by God in being freed from bondage and allowed to return to their land, and now they had rebelled against the Lord who had blessed them so much! And some of the offenders were priests and Levites who certainly knew the law!
One of the maladies of society today is that people are no longer shocked by sin and willing to do something about it. Political leaders can flagrantly break the law and not only get away with it but be admired by the public and be elected to office again. Polls indicate that many Americans don't consider "character" to be an important factor when it comes to choosing leaders. In spite of all the noise about "religious revival" and "mega-churches," God's people don't seem to be functioning well as salt and light in society. The salt has lost its flavor and no longer stings and prevents corruption, and the light is hidden under a bushel (Matt. 5:13–16).
Why was Ezra so ashamed? Because his people hadn't learned their lesson from all the trials that the nation had experienced (Ezra 9:7). The new generation had grown up in Babylon and become so accustomed to the evil around them that they had no true fear of God. They should have been like Paul in Athens, who grieved over the wickedness that he saw (Acts 17:16), but instead, they first accepted Babylon's sinful way of life, then approved of it, and then enjoyed it. This compromising attitude went with them to Jerusalem and eventually revealed itself in their disobedience.
During the time that Ezra sat fasting5 and mourning, a crowd gathered around him made up of people who "trembled at the words of the God of Israel" (Ezra 9:4; see 10:9). The Jews had trembled greatly at Sinai when God spoke the Word (Ex. 19:16; Heb. 12:21), but later generations simply took God's Word for
When you read the messages of the prophet Malachi, you see how backslidden the priests were as they "served God" in the restored temple, and worldly spiritual leaders will produce worldly worshippers. While the older generation of Jews may have learned
Ezra 9—10
(Gen. 15:16). Wiping out the Canaanite civilization was like a surgeon removing a cancerous tumor or an engineer stopping a flood of poisonous sewage. Note the words that Ezra used in his prayer: unclean, filthiness, uncleanness, abominations.
obedience through the chastening God sent them, the younger generation didn't learn the lessons their elders tried to teach them. The spiritual history of Israel, summarized in Ezra 9:7, is living proof that privileges bring responsibilities, and that much is required from those to whom much is given (Luke 12:48).
God's law made it clear that Israel was to have no association with these nations, and now over 100 Jewish men had taken the first step by marrying into their families (Ezra 9:12). This could, of course, lead to peaceful relations and perhaps even wealth, but what about the future? What would happen to the children of these mixed marriages when it came time to obey God and become a part of the covenant? These men were sacrificing the future and paying a great price to do it. It wasn't worth it. No wonder Ezra was speechless and asked, "What shall we say after this?"
"We are unworthy of your blessings" (Ezra 9:8–9). Ezra used five different images to picture what God's grace had done for the people who had returned to the land. In His grace, God had preserved a remnant, like a piece of cloth torn from a robe and kept safe (see 1 Kings 11:26–40). Throughout Jewish history, even when the nation turned from God, He always preserved a remnant that remained faithful to Him (1 Kings 19:18; Isa. 1:9; Mal. 3:16–17; Luke 2:38), and from that remnant, He made a new beginning.
"We are guilty" (vv. 13–15). Guilt always shuts a person's mouth before God (Rom. 3:19). Sinners can give Him no logical reason for their sins and no acceptable excuses. Ezra not only confessed their sins but admitted that God had treated them far better than they deserved. He knew that God could easily destroy the remnant and start again with another people (Ex. 32:10; Num. 14:11–12), but, like Moses, he asked God to be gracious and forgiving.
Ezra then spoke about the "nail in his holy place." The image here is that of a nail pounded into the sanctuary wall or a tent peg driven into the ground, and it depicts security and stability, the foothold the Jews now had in their land. God had brought the remnant back to their land and given them favor with the king and the local officials, and had they trusted Him and obeyed His Word, He would have blessed them abundantly. But they chose to go their own way; so He had to chasten them with poor crops, bad weather, and serious economic problems (Hag. 1).
Nobody could stand in His presence; nobody could speak in His presence. They were a guilty people, some of them because they deliberately broke God's law, and others because they allowed the offenders to get away with their sins. But God is righteous, and a righteous God must punish sin.
Third, God gave light to their eyes, by taking them out of Babylonian captivity and returning them to their own land. To have your "eyes lightened" speaks of new life, new joy, and the dawning of a new day (Ps. 13:3; 34:5). It's similar to the next image, "to give us a little reviving in our bondage." The presence of the remnant in the land was like a resurrection from the dead! Their departure from Babylon was like the resurrection of a corpse from the grave.
Before we try to untangle the problems of life, we must take time to seek God's face in prayer. This is not a long prayer. It can be read aloud very deliberately in only a few minutes, but it has tremendous depth. Charles Spurgeon used to say that it was the strength of our prayers, not the length of our prayers, that was important, and he was right. When you pray from a burdened heart, with a mind that's saturated with God's Word, then God will hear and answer.
Ezra's final image is that of "a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem" (Ezra 9:10), and it speaks of the protection God had given His people. He had worked in the hearts of kings—Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, and Artaxerxes I—to gain them release from bondage and security in their own land. These were proud powerful rulers, but the Lord in His sovereignty used them to fulfill His purposes.
Cooperation: a willing people (10:1–8) Never underestimate the power of the prayers of one dedicated believer (James 5:16–18), for the intercession of only one concerned person can make a difference in what God will do to and for His people. As Ezra prayed and wept at the altar before the house of God, "a very great congregation of men and women and children" came together, and they fell under conviction of sin.
No wonder Ezra was ashamed. After all God had done for His people, they responded by disobeying His Word. "We are speechless" (Ezra 9:10–12). A knowledge of God's Word is indispensable for effective praying (John 15:7), and Ezra knew the Old Testament Scriptures thoroughly. In these verses, he refers to a number of passages from Moses and the prophets, including Leviticus 18:24–26; Deuteronomy 7:1–6 and 11:8–9; Isaiah 1:19; 2 Kings 23:8–16; Ezekiel 5:11 and 37:25. It's obvious that these Jewish men were sinning against a flood of light.
"They too wept bitterly" (Ezra 10:1 niv). This response wasn't something that Ezra worked up; it was something that he prayed down. The priests had offered a lamb on the altar, but Ezra gave the Lord an even greater sacrifice. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise" (Ps. 51:17 nkjv).
The religious practices of the Canaanites were unspeakably vile and the stench reached to heaven. God had patiently held back His wrath, but the time of their judgment came when Israel invaded the land
C.Cleansing of sin—10
As I watch the contemporary religious scene, I note that churches occasionally feature "Christian comedi-
Ezra 10
vened at the Water Gate where Ezra later expounded the law to the people, Neh. 8:1ff.)
ans" and "Christian clowns," but not much is said about people who know how to weep and pray. As much as anyone else, I appreciate a sense of humor and a good laugh, but there comes a time when God's people need to stop laughing and start weeping and confessing. "Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:9–10 nkjv). That's God's formula for revival.
It was December, the middle of the rainy season (October to mid-April), and the crowd trembled, not only because of the weather, but also because they were sure the heavy rain was a prelude to the judgment of God. Ezra made it clear that the mixed marriages would have to be dissolved, and he called upon the faithful Jews to separate themselves from those who had disobeyed God's law.
Once again, Ezra was given counsel by others, and he accepted it. (Blessed is the leader who has open ears to the ideas of others!) It was suggested that Ezra empower the committee of priests and Levites to work with the leaders of the tribes, as well as the elders and judges of the towns (who knew their people), and let them determine who was guilty. It was impractical to try to interrogate so many people in one place, especially when the weather was so inclement; and the work couldn't be done in a day. Except for four men who dissented (Ezra 10:15), the crowd agreed with this idea and promised to obey.
Shecaniah was the spokesman for the people, a man whose own relatives had sinned by marrying foreign women (Ezra 10:26). In my pastoral ministry, I've seen churches split and their witness almost destroyed because people have sided with their disobedient relatives in matters of discipline instead of with the Lord and His Word. Perhaps Shecaniah remembered what Moses wrote about the evils of being partial in judgment (Deut. 13:6–11; 17:1–13). Paul taught this same principle for the local church (1 Tim. 5:21).
To most of the people gathered around Ezra, the situation probably appeared hopeless, but not to Shecaniah, who said, "Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing" (Ezra 10:2). He confessed that he and the rest of the nation were guilty, and then suggested a plan of action.
Ten days later (v. 16), on December 29, Ezra and the leaders sat down together and began to investigate the matter; three months later, on March 27, 457, their work was finished. It must have been a difficult job to do, but they persisted with the help of the Lord. They discovered over 100 offenders,6 including 27 priests, Levites, temple singers, and gatekeepers, people you would have expected to be models of obedience.
The plan was simple but demanding. First, the nation would corporately covenant to obey God's law. Then, Ezra and a group of men who "trembled at the Word" would decide how the matter would be settled, and the people promised to obey whatever was decreed. But everything had to be done according to the law of Moses.
When spiritual leaders begin to sin, it doesn't take long for other people to follow. While we don't want to minimize the enormity of the sin, it should be noted that the number of offenders was very low when compared to the size of the population. Eighty years before, nearly 50,000 Jews had returned with Zerubbabel and Joshua, and during the ensuing years, the people surely multiplied. The total number of offenders was probably less than 1 percent of the residents. However, it's better to deal with these matters when the numbers are low, because the longer you wait, the more the sin will spread. Even one offender is one too many (Eccl. 9:18).
Ezra accepted the plan. He immediately swore in the leading priests and Levites as the committee to investigate the matter and see to it that the law was obeyed. But instead of participating immediately in the investigation, he withdrew into one of the rooms of the temple to fast and pray for God's guidance. He left it to the special committee to make the decisions and tell the people what to do. Wise is the leader who involves other people in the process, especially when the issue is so sensitive.
The committee issued a proclamation to the people of Jerusalem and of the outlying villages to appear in Jerusalem within three days or be in danger of expulsion from the community. At that time, each marriage would be investigated and the committee would discover who had violated the Mosaic law.
The guilty priests promised to put away their heathen wives, and they offered sacrifices to seek God's forgiveness (Ezra 10:18–19). We assume that the other offenders listed followed their example. God in His grace accepted their repentance and confession and granted them forgiveness.
A humble praying leader, a willing people, and a faithful and courageous committee worked together to accomplish a difficult task. What an example for the church to follow today!
The book of Ezra opens in chapter 2 with a list of the names of the Jewish heroes who willingly returned to the land to serve the Lord. The book ends with a list of the sinners who disobeyed God but publicly made it right with the Lord and the people. But "making it right" didn't automatically heal every wound or remove every pain, because the women involved had to leave the community and go back to the heathen homes from which they had come, taking with them whatever children had been born to the union. It's easy to pull
Cleansing: an obedient people (10:9–44) On December 19, 458, the men of the two main tribes, Judah and Benjamin, plus exiles from the other tribes, gathered in the street before the temple to start the solemn investigation. (This meeting may have been con-
Ezra 10
the nails out of the board, but it's impossible to pull out the holes that they leave behind.
The old covenant distinction between Jews and Gentiles no longer applies, for God had made all nations of one blood and there is "no difference" (Acts 10; 17:26; Rom. 3:21–23). The Messiah has come, the work of salvation has been completed, and believing Jews and Gentiles may marry in the Lord and serve God. 3 Three great prayers of confession are found in the Old Testament: Ezra 9; Nehemiah 9; and Daniel 9. 4 When Nehemiah discovered sin, he plucked out the hair of the offenders! (Neh. 13:25). 5 The word "heaviness" (kjv; "self-abasement," niv) suggests that Ezra fasted during this trying time, not because he was trying to earn God's blessing, but because he was just too burdened to eat. 6 Depending on how you translate the text and determine the various relationships, there were either 110 or 111 offenders.
Over thirteen years later, the problem of mixed marriages appeared again while Nehemiah was governor of Jerusalem (Neh. 13:23–31). It's possible for leaders to enforce the law and reform a nation's conduct, but only God can change the human heart and produce the kind of character that wants to do what's right. That's the difference between "reformation" and "revival."
Notes 1 This injunction is also found in Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:8; and 1 Peter 1:15–16. When God repeats a command eight times, His people had better pay attention! 2 Christians are exhorted to marry "in the Lord" (1 Cor. 7:39) and not join themselves with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14–18).
N E H E M I A H
G e n e s i s E x o d u s L e v i t i c u s N u m b e r s D e u t e r o n o m y J o s h u a J u d g e s R u t h
E s t h e r J o b P s a l m s P r o v e r b s E c c l e s i a s t e s S o n g o f
1 S a m u e l 2 S a m u e l 1 K i n g s 2 K i n g s 1 C h r o n i c l e s 2 C h r o n i c l e s E z r a N e h e m i a h
J e r e m i a h L a m e n t a t i o n s E z e k i e l D a n i e l H o s e a J o e l A m o s O b a d i a h
J o n a h M i c a h N a h u m H a b a k k u k Z e p h a n i a h H a g g a i Z e c h a r i a h M a l a c h i
S o l o m o n I s a i a h
OUTLINE CONTENTS
I. CONCERN (1)
Nehemiah 1 752 Does Anybody Really Care?
A. Information—1:1–3 B. Intercession—1:4–9 C. Intention—1:10–11
Nehemiah 2 755 The Mountain Starts to Move
Nehemiah 3 758 Wall to Wall Workers
II. CONSTRUCTION (2—3)
A. Authority—2:1–10 B. Investigation—2:11–16 C. Challenge—2:17–20 D. Assignments—3:1–32
Nehemiah 4 762 Workers and Warriors
Nehemiah 5 765 Stop! Thief!
III. CONFLICT (4—6)
Nehemiah 6 768 We Have Heard the Enemy, and He Is a Liar
A. Ridicule—4:1–6 B. Plots—4:7–9 C. Discouragement—4:10 D. Fear—4:11–23 E. Selfishness—5:1–19 F. Compromise—6:1–4 G. Slander—6:5–9 H. Threats—6:10–16 I. Intrigue—6:17–19
Nehemiah 7 772 "V" Is for Vigilance
Nehemiah 8 775 The People and the Book
Nehemiah 9 778 Amazing Grace!
Nehemiah 10 782 After We Say "Amen"
IV. CONSECRATION (7—12)
A. The people—7:1—12:26
Nehemiah 11—12 785 The Shout Heard 'Round the World
1.Checking the genealogy—7 2.Teaching the Word—8 3.Confessing sin—9 4.Making a covenant—10:1—12:26 B. The walls—12:27–47
Nehemiah 13 788 Standing by Our Promises
Nehemiah the Leader 791 Looking for Leaders
V. CLEANSING—13
Nehemiah 1
doubt it was just another routine day when Nehemiah met his brother Hanani (see Neh. 7:2), who had just returned from a visit to Jerusalem, but it turned out to be a turning point in Nehemiah's life.
CHAPTER ONE Nehemiah 1 DOES ANYBODY REALLY CARE? T
I. Concern (1) A.Information—1:1–3
Like large doors, great life-changing events can swing on very small hinges. It was just another day when Moses went out to care for his sheep, but on that day he heard the Lord's call and became a prophet (Ex. 3). It was an ordinary day when David was called home from shepherding his flock, but on that day, he was anointed king (1 Sam. 16). It was an ordinary day when Peter, Andrew, James, and John were mending their nets after a night of failure, but that was the day Jesus called them to become fishers of men (Luke 5:1–11). You never know what God has in store, even in a commonplace conversation with a friend or relative, so keep your heart open to God's providential leading. I attended a birthday party one evening when I was nineteen years old, and a statement made to me there by a friend helped direct my life into the plans God had for me, and I will be forever grateful.
he worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity." George Bernard Shaw put those words into the mouth of the Rev. Anthony Anderson in the second act of his play The Devil's Disciple. The statement certainly summarizes what Jesus taught in the parable of the good samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), and it rebukes all those who fold their arms complacently, smile benignly, and say somewhat sarcastically, "Ask me if I care!"
Nehemiah was the kind of person who cared. He cared about the traditions of the past and the needs of the present. He cared about the hopes for the future. He cared about his heritage, his ancestral city, and the glory of his God. He revealed this caring attitude in four different ways.
Why would Nehemiah inquire about a struggling remnant of people who lived hundreds of miles away? After all, he was the king's cupbearer, and he was successfully secure in his own life. Certainly it wasn't his fault that his ancestors had sinned against the Lord and brought judgment to the city of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah. A century and a half before, the prophet Jeremiah had given this word from the Lord: "For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Or who will bemoan you? Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?" (Jer. 15:5 nkjv) Nehemiah was the man God had chosen to do those very things!
He cared enough to ask (1:1–3) Nehemiah was a layman, cupbearer to the great "Artaxerxes Longimanus," who ruled Persia from 464 to 423 BC. He is identified as the son of Hachaliah to distinguish him from other Jews of the same name (Neh. 3:16; Ezra 2:2). Nehemiah means "The Lord has comforted."
A cupbearer was much more than our modern "butler" (see Gen. 40). It was a position of great responsibility and privilege. At each meal, he tested the king's wine to make sure it wasn't poisoned. A man who stood that close to the king in public had to be handsome, cultured, knowledgeable in court procedures, and able to converse with the king and advise him if asked (see 41:1–13). Because he had access to the king, the cupbearer was a man of great influence, which he could use for good or for evil.
Some people prefer not to know what's going on, because information might bring obligation. "What you don't know can't hurt you," says the old adage, but is it true? In a letter to a Mrs. Foote, Mark Twain wrote, "All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure." But what we don't know could hurt us a great deal! There are people in the cemetery who chose not to know the truth. The slogan for the 1987 AIDS publicity campaign was "Don't die of ignorance," and that slogan can be applied to many areas of life besides health.
That Nehemiah, a Jew, held such an important position in the palace speaks well of his character and ability (Dan. 1:1–4). For nearly a century, the Jewish remnant had been back in their own land, and Nehemiah could have joined them, but he chose to remain in the palace. It turned out that God had a work for him to do there that he could not have accomplished elsewhere. God put Nehemiah in Susa just as He had put Esther there a generation before, and just as He had put Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon. When God wants to accomplish a work, He always prepares His workers and puts them in the right places at the right time.
Nehemiah asked about Jerusalem and the Jews living there because he had a caring heart. When we truly care about people, we want the facts, no matter how painful they may be. "Practical politics consists in ignoring facts," American historian Henry Adams said, but Aldous Huxley said, "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." Closing our eyes and ears to the truth could be the first step toward tragedy for ourselves as well as for others.
What did Nehemiah learn about Jerusalem and the Jews? Three words summarize the bad news: remnant, ruin, and reproach. Instead of a land inhabited by a great nation, only a remnant of people lived there, and they were in great affliction and struggling to survive.
The Hebrew month of Chislev runs from midNovember to mid-December on our calendar, and the twentieth year of Artaxerxes was the year 444 BC. Shushan (or Susa) was the capital city of the Persian Empire and the site of the king's winter palace. No
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He cared enough to pray (1:5–10) This prayer is the first of twelve instances of prayer recorded in this book. (See 2:4; 4:4, 9; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 9:5ff; 13:14, 22, 29, 31.) The book of Nehemiah opens and closes with prayer. It is obvious that Nehemiah was a man of faith who depended wholly on the Lord to help him accomplish the work He had called him to do. The Scottish novelist George MacDonald said, "In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably." Nehemiah succeeded because he depended on God. Speaking about the church's ministry today, the late Alan Redpath said, "There is too much working before men and too little waiting before God."
B.Intercession—1:4–9 C.Intention—1:10–11 Instead of a magnificent city, Jerusalem was in shambles, and where there had once been great glory, there was now nothing but great reproach.
Of course, Nehemiah had known all his life that the city of his fathers was in ruins, because the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem's walls, gates, and temple in 586 BC (2 Kings 25:1–21). Fifty years later, a group of 50,000 Jews had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city. Since the Gentiles had hindered their work, however, the temple was not completed for twenty years (Ezra 1—6), and the gates and walls never were repaired. Perhaps Nehemiah had hoped that the work on the walls had begun again and that the city was now restored. Without walls and gates, the city was open to ridicule and attack. See Psalms 48, 79, 84, and 87 to see how much loyal Jews loved their city.
This prayer begins with ascription of praise to God (v. 5). "God of heaven" is the title Cyrus used for the Lord when he announced that the Jews could return to their land (2 Chron. 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–2). The heathen gods were but idols on the earth, but the God of the Jews was Lord in heaven. Ezra often used this divine title (5:11–12; 6:9; 7:12, 21, 23), and it is found four times in Nehemiah (1:4–5; 2:4, 20) and three times in Daniel (2:18–19, 44). Nehemiah began his prayer as we should begin our prayers: "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name" (Matt. 6:9). To what kind of a God do we pray when we lift our prayers to "the God of heaven"? We pray to a "great and awesome God" (Neh. 1:5 nkjv; and see 4:14, 8:6, and 9:32), who is worthy of our praise and worship. If you are experiencing great affliction (v. 3) and are about to undertake a great work (4:19; 6:3), then you need the great power (1:10), great goodness (9:25, 35), and great mercy (v. 31) of a great God. Is the God you worship big enough to handle the challenges that you face?
Are we like Nehemiah, anxious to know the truth even about the worst situations? Is our interest born of concern or idle curiosity? When we read missionary prayer letters, the news in religious periodicals, or even our church's ministry reports, do we want the facts, and do the facts burden us? Are we the kind of people who care enough to ask?
He cared enough to weep (1:4) What makes people laugh or weep is often an indication of character. People who laugh at others' mistakes or misfortunes, or who weep over trivial personal disappointments, are lacking either in culture or character, and possibly both. Sometimes weeping is a sign of weakness; but with Nehemiah, it was a sign of strength, as it was with Jeremiah (Jer. 9:1), Paul (Acts 20:19), and the Lord Jesus (Luke 19:41). In fact, Nehemiah was like the Lord Jesus in that he willingly shared the burden that was crushing others. "The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon Me" (Ps. 69:9; Rom. 15:3).
He is also a God who keeps His word (1:5). The Lord had made a covenant with His people Israel, promising to bless them richly if they obeyed His Word, but warning that He would chasten them if they disobeyed (Lev. 26; Deut. 27—30). The city of Jerusalem was in ruins, and the nation was feeble because the people had sinned against the Lord. (See Ezra's prayer of confession in Ezra 9 and the prayer of the nation in Neh. 9.)
When God puts a burden on your heart, don't try to escape it, for if you do, you may miss the blessing He has planned for you. The book of Nehemiah begins with "great affliction" (Neh. 1:3), but before it closes, there is great joy (8:12, 17). "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps. 30:5). Our tears water the "seeds of providence" that God has planted on our path; and without our tears, those seeds could never grow and produce fruit.
The greater part of Nehemiah's prayer was devoted to confession of sin (vv. 6–9). The God who promised blessing and chastening also promised forgiveness if His people would repent and turn back to Him (Deut. 30; 1 Kings 8:31–53). It was this promise that Nehemiah was claiming as he prayed for himself and the nation. God's eyes are upon His people and His ears are open to their prayers (1 Kings 8:29; 2 Chron. 7:14). The word remember is a key word in this book (Neh. 1:8; 4:14; 5:19; 6:14; 13:14, 22, 29, 31).
It was customary for the Jews to sit down when they mourned (Ezra 9:1–4; 2:13). Unconsciously, Nehemiah was imitating the grieving Jewish captives who had been exiled in Babylon years before (Ps. 137:1). Like Daniel, Nehemiah probably had a private room where he prayed to God with his face toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10; 1 Kings 8:28–30). Fasting was required of the Jews only once a year, on the annual day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29), but Nehemiah spent several days fasting, weeping, and praying. He knew that somebody had to do something to rescue Jerusalem, and he was willing to go.
Note that Nehemiah used the pronoun "we" and not "they," identifying himself with the sins of a generation he didn't even know. It would have been easy to look back and blame his ancestors for the reproach of Jerusalem, but Nehemiah looked within and blamed
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Unlike Elijah, who thought he was the only faithful Jew left (1 Kings 19:10), Nehemiah had confidence that God would raise up other people to help him in his work. He was sure that many other Jews were also praying and that they would rally to the cause once they heard that God was at work. Great leaders are not only believing people who obey the Lord and courageously move ahead, but they also challenge others to go with them. You can't be a true leader unless you have followers, and Nehemiah was able to enlist others to help him do the work.
himself! "We have sinned! We have dealt very corruptly!"
A few years ago, when the "media scandals" brought great reproach to the church, I wrote in my book The Integrity Crisis:
To begin with, the integrity crisis involves more than a few people who were accused of moral and financial improprieties. The integrity crisis involves the whole church. I am not saying that people didn't sin, nor am I preaching "collective guilt," whatever that is. I only want to emphasize that, in the body of Christ, we belong to one another, we affect one another, and we can't escape one another. The press did not create the crisis, the church did; and the church will have to solve it (Nashville: Oliver Nelson, 1988; 18).
Finally, Nehemiah was confident that God would work in the heart of Artaxerxes and secure for the project the official support that it needed (Neh. 1:10). Nehemiah couldn't simply quit his job and move to Jerusalem. He was an appointee of the king, and he needed the king's permission for everything he did. Furthermore, he needed the king's provision and protection so he could travel to Jerusalem and remain away from his post until the work was completed. Without official authority to govern, an official guard for the journey, and the right to use materials from the king's forest, the entire project was destined to fail. Eastern monarchs were absolute despots, and it was not easy to approach them or convince them. But "the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases" (Prov. 21:2 niv).
When one Jewish soldier, Achan, sinned at Jericho, God said that "the children of Israel committed a trespass" and that "Israel" sinned and transgressed the covenant (Josh. 7:1, 11). Since the sin of one man was the sin of the whole nation, it brought shame and defeat to the whole nation. Once that sin had been dealt with, God could again bless His people with victory.
Too often, we plan our projects and then ask God to bless them, but Nehemiah didn't make that mistake. He sat down and wept (Neh. 1:4), knelt down and prayed, and then stood up and worked because he knew he had the blessing of the Lord on what he was doing.
How do we know that God forgives our sins when we repent and confess to Him? He has so promised in His Word. Nehemiah's prayer is saturated with quotations from and allusions to the covenants of God found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. He certainly knew the Old Testament law! In Nehemiah 1:8–9, he reminded God of His words found in Deuteronomy 28:63–67 and 30:1–10, just as we remind the Lord of His promise in 1 John 1:9. Nehemiah asked God to forgive His people, regather them to their land, and restore them to His favor and blessing.
He cared enough to volunteer (1:11) It has well been said that prayer is not getting man's will done in heaven but getting God's will done on earth. However, for God's will to be done on earth, He needs people to be available for Him to use. God does "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Eph. 3:20 nkjv, italics mine). If God is going to answer prayer, He must start by working in the one doing the praying! He works in us and through us to help us see our prayers answered.
This humble prayer closed with an expression of confidence (Neh. 1:10–11). To begin with, he had confidence in the power of God. When the Bible speaks of the eyes, ears, and hands of the Lord, it is using only human language to describe divine activity. God is spirit, and therefore does not have a body such as humans have, but He is able to see His people's needs, hear their prayers, and work on their behalf with His mighty hand. Nehemiah knew that he was too weak to rebuild Jerusalem, but he had faith that God would work on his behalf.
While Nehemiah was praying, his burden for Jerusalem became greater and his vision of what needed to be done became clearer. Real prayer keeps your heart and your head in balance so your burden doesn't make you impatient to run ahead of the Lord and ruin everything. As we pray, God tells us what to do, when to do it, and how to do it, and all are important to the accomplishing of the will of God. Some Christian workers are like Lord Ronald in one of Stephen Leacock's short stories who "flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions."
He also had confidence in God's faithfulness. "Now these are thy servants and thy people" (v. 10). In bringing Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and take the people captive, God chastened the Jews sorely, but He did not forsake them! They were still His people and His servants. He had redeemed them from Egypt by His great power (Ex. 14:13–31) and had also set them free from bondage in Babylon. Would He not, in His faithfulness, help them rebuild the city?
Nehemiah planned to volunteer to go to Jerusalem to supervise the rebuilding of the walls. He didn't pray for God to send somebody else, nor did he argue that
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ise is that "all things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23 nkjv). Jesus said living faith can move mountains (Matt. 17:20)!
he was ill-equipped for such a difficult task. He simply said, "Here am I—send me!" He knew that he would have to approach the king and request a leave of absence. Eastern kings' words meant life or death. What would happen to Nehemiah's plans if he approached Artaxerxes on the wrong day, when the king was ill or displeased with something or someone in the palace? No matter how you look at it, Nehemiah was facing a test of faith, but he knew that his God was a great God and would see him through.
This chapter describes three evidences of Nehemiah's faith. As we study these evidences of faith, we must examine our own hearts to see whether or not we are really walking and working by faith.
He had the faith to wait (2:1–3) Since the Jewish month of Nisan would be our midMarch to mid-April, it would indicate that four months have passed since Nehemiah received the bad news about the plight of Jerusalem. As every believer should, Nehemiah patiently waited on the Lord for directions, because it is "through faith and patience" that we inherit the promises (Heb. 6:12). "He that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16). True faith in God brings a calmness to the heart that keeps us from rushing about and trying to do in our own strength what only God can do. We must know not only how to weep and pray, but also how to wait and pray.
The king's cupbearer would have to sacrifice the comfort and security of the palace for the rigors and dangers of life in a ruined city. Luxury would be replaced by ruins, and prestige by ridicule and slander. Instead of sharing the king's bounties, Nehemiah would personally pay for the upkeep of scores of people who would eat at his table. He would leave behind the ease of the palace and take up the toils of encouraging a beaten people and finishing an almost impossible task.
And with the help of God, he did it! In fifty-two days, the walls were rebuilt, the gates were restored, and the people were rejoicing! And it all started with a man who cared.
Three statements in Scripture have a calming effect on me whenever I get nervous and want to rush ahead of the Lord: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (Ex. 14:13); "Sit still … until you know how the matter will turn out" (Ruth 3:18 nkjv); "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). When you wait on the Lord in prayer, you are not wasting your time; you are investing it. God is preparing both you and your circumstances so that His purposes will be accomplished. However, when the right time arrives for us to act by faith, we dare not delay.
Abraham cared and rescued Lot from Sodom (Gen. 18—19). Moses cared and delivered the Israelites from Egypt. David cared and brought the nation and the kingdom back to the Lord. Esther cared and risked her life to save her nation from genocide. Paul cared and took the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Jesus cared and died on the cross for a lost world.
God is still looking for people who care, people like Nehemiah, who cared enough to ask for the facts, weep over the needs, pray for God's help, and then volunteer to get the job done.
Eastern monarchs were sheltered from anything that might bring them unhappiness (Est. 4:1–2), but on that particular day, Nehemiah could not hide his sorrow. "By sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken" (Prov. 15:13), and Psalm 102 certainly describes Nehemiah's feelings about Jerusalem. Perhaps each morning, Nehemiah prayed, "Lord, if today is the day I speak to the king about our plans, then open the way for me."
"Here am I, Lord—send me!"
Note 1 Morrison, George. Morning Sermons (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1935), 243.
CHAPTER TWO Nehemiah 2 THE MOUNTAIN STARTS TO MOVE U
The king noticed that his cupbearer was carrying a burden. Had Artaxerxes been in a bad mood, he might have banished Nehemiah or even ordered him killed, but instead, the king inquired why his servant was so sad. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Prov. 21:1). World leaders are only God's servants, whether they know it or not. "O Lord God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you" (2 Chron. 20:6 niv).
II. Construction (2—3) A.Authority—2:1–10
nknown to him, Nehemiah was about to join the glorious ranks of the "champions of faith," and in the centuries to follow, his name would be included with heroes like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Esther, Deborah, and David. One person can make a big difference in this world, if that person knows God and really trusts in Him. Because faith makes a difference, we can make a difference in our world to the glory of God.
He had the faith to ask (2:4–8) The king asked him, "What is it you want?" What an opportunity for Nehemiah! All the power and wealth of the kingdom were wrapped up in that question!
"Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace," said Martin Luther. "It is so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times." The prom-
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approval of the king, nor could he work in Jerusalem without the authority of the king. Pressure from local officials had stopped the work once before (Ezra 4), and Nehemiah didn't want history to repeat itself. He asked Artaxerxes to appoint him governor of Judah and to give him the authority he needed to rebuild the city walls. He told the king when he expected to return, but we don't know what that date was. According to Nehemiah 5:14, Nehemiah spent twelve years as governor. He went back to Persia briefly to report to the king, but then returned to Jerusalem to correct the abuses that appeared during his absence (13:6–7).
As he was accustomed to do, Nehemiah sent one of his quick "telegraph prayers" to the Lord (4:4; 5:9; 6:9, 14; 13:14, 22, 29, 31). But keep in mind that these "emergency prayers" were backed up by four months of fasting and praying. If Nehemiah had not been diligent to pray in private, his "telegraph prayers" might have gone unanswered. "He had only an instant for that prayer," wrote George Morrison. "Silence would have been misinterpreted. Had he closed his eyes and lingered in devotion, the king immediately would have suspected treason.''1
It encourages my prayer life when I contrast the earthly throne of Artaxerxes with the throne of grace in heaven. Nehemiah had to wait for an invitation before he could share his burden with the king, but we can come to the throne of grace at any time with any need (Heb. 4:14–16). Artaxerxes saw the sorrow on Nehemiah's face, but our Lord sees our hearts and not only knows our sorrows but also feels them with us. People approaching the throne of Persia had to be very careful what they said, lest they anger the king, but God's people can tell Him whatever burdens them. (The word boldly in Heb. 4:16 means "freedom of speech.") You are never sure of the mood of a human leader, but you can always be sure of God's loving welcome.
But Nehemiah asked for even more. He needed letters of introduction that would guarantee safe travel and hospitality between Susa and Jerusalem. He also requested letters of authority that would provide the materials needed for the construction of buildings and walls. (Nehemiah had done his research well. He even knew the name of the keeper of the king's forest!) Artaxerxes gave him what he asked, but it was the good hand of God that made the king so cooperative (see 2:18; and Ezra 7:6, 9, 28). When Jesus sent His disciples out to minister, He first gave them the authority they needed to do the job, and He promised to meet their every need (Matt. 10:1–15). As we go forth to serve the Lord, we have behind us all authority in heaven and on earth (28:18), so we don't have to be afraid. The important thing is that we go where He sends us and that we do the work He has called us to do.
Jewish rabbis often answer a question with a question, and Nehemiah followed that example. Instead of telling the king what he planned to do, he aroused the king's sympathy and interest with a question regarding how he should feel about the sad plight of his ancestral city and the graves of his forefathers. It was good psychology, and God used Nehemiah's reply to get the king's sympathetic attention (Luke 21:14–15). A pagan monarch would probably not sorrow over the ruins of Jerusalem, but he would certainly show respect for the dead.
Nehemiah is a good example of how believers should relate to unsaved officials as they seek to do the work of God. Nehemiah respected the king and sought to work within the lines of authority that existed in the empire. He didn't say, "I have a commission from the Lord to go to Jerusalem, and I'm going whether you like it or not!" When it comes to matters of conscience, we must always obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29), but even then, we must show respect for authority (see Rom. 13 and 1 Peter 2:11–25). Daniel and his friends took the same approach as did Nehemiah, and God honored them as well (Dan. 1).
Nehemiah was a true patriot whose dreams for the future were motivated by the values of the past. He did not try to duplicate the past, for that was impossible; rather, he built on the past so that Israel would have a future. To Nehemiah, the past was a rudder to guide him and not an anchor to hold him back. When Samuel Johnson called patriotism "the last refuge of a scoundrel," he was referring to that temporary zeal that uses "love of country" as propaganda for selfish purposes. United States Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson said that patriotism was not "a short and frenzied outburst of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." That certainly describes Nehemiah's kind of patriotism.
The king's response is evidence of the sovereignty of God in the affairs of nations. We expect God to be able to work through a dedicated believer like Nehemiah, but we forget that God can also work through unbelievers to accomplish His will. He used Pharaoh to display His power in Egypt (Ex. 9:16; Rom. 9:17) and Cyrus to deliver His people from Babylon (Isa. 44:28; 45:1; Ezra 1:1–2). Caesar issued the decree that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1–7), and two different Roman centurions—Claudius Lysias and Julius—saved Paul's life (Acts 21:26–40; 23:25–30; 27:1, 42–44). While it may be helpful to have believing officials like Joseph, Daniel, and Nehemiah, we must remember that God is not required to use only believers.
Not only had Nehemiah prayed for this opportunity, but he had also planned for it and had his answer ready. During those four months of waiting, he had thought the matter through and knew exactly how he would approach the project. His reply to the king can be summarized in two requests: "Send me" (Neh. 2:4–6) and "Give me" (vv. 7–10). Nehemiah could not leave his post without the
Moses and Nehemiah made similar decisions of faith and similar sacrifices (Heb. 11:24–26). As the
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to south to east, concentrating on the southern section of the city. It was just as his brother had reported: The walls were broken down and the gates were burned (Neh. 2:13; 1:3). Leaders must not live in a dream world. They must face facts honestly and accept the bad news as well as the good news. Nehemiah saw more at night than the residents saw in the daylight, for he saw the potential as well as the problems. That's what makes a leader!
representative of the deliverer of the Jews, would he be welcomed by the Gentile officials? Nehemiah performed no signs or wonders, nor did he deliver any prophecies, but he faithfully did his work and prepared a city for the coming Messiah (Dan. 9:24–27).
He had the faith to challenge others (2:9–20a)
Traveling (vv. 9–10). No description is given of the trip from Susa to Jerusalem, a journey of at least two months' time. As a testimony to the faithfulness of God, Ezra had refused military protection for his journey (Ezra 8:21–23), but since Nehemiah was a governor on official business, he had a military escort. Nehemiah had just as much faith as Ezra, but as the king's officer, he could not travel without his retinue. For one thing, he would not oppose the will of the king, and he could not force his faith upon others.
Challenging (vv. 17–20). Nehemiah's appeal was positive; he focused on the glory and greatness of the Lord. He had been in the city only a few days, but he spoke of "we" and "us" and not "you" and "them." As he did in his prayer (1:6–7), he identified with the people and their needs. The city was a reproach to the Lord (1:3; 4:4; 5:9), but the hand of the Lord was with them, and He would enable them to do the work. God had already proved His power by working in the heart of the king, and the king had promised to meet the needs. It was Nehemiah's personal burden for Jerusalem and his experience with the Lord that convinced the Jews that the time was right to build.
When the official caravan arrived, it was bound to attract attention, particularly among those who hated the Jews and wanted to keep them from fortifying their city. Three special enemies are named: Sanballat, from Beth Horan, about twelve miles from Jerusalem; Tobiah, an Ammonite; and Geshem, an Arabian (Neh. 2:19), also called "Gashmu" (6:6). Sanballat was Nehemiah's chief enemy, and the fact that he had some kind of official position in Samaria only made him that much more dangerous (4:1–3).
B.Investigation—2:11–16 C.Challenge—2:17–20
It is to the credit of the Jewish nobles that they accepted the challenge immediately and said, "Let us rise up and build!" They were not so accustomed to their situation that they took it for granted and decided that nothing could be changed. Nor did they remind Nehemiah that the Jews had once tried to repair the walls and were stopped (Ezra 4). "We tried that once and it didn't work. Why try again?"
Being an Ammonite, Tobiah was an avowed enemy of the Jews (Deut. 23:3–4). He was related by marriage to some of Nehemiah's co-laborers and had many friends among the Jews (Neh. 6:17–19). In fact, he was "near of kin" ("allied") to Eliashib the priest (13:4–7). If Sanballat was in charge of the army, then Tobiah was director of the intelligence division of their operation. It was he who gathered "inside information" from his Jewish friends and passed it along to Sanballat and Geshem. Nehemiah would soon discover that his biggest problem was not the enemy on the outside but the compromisers on the inside, a problem the church still faces today.
Christian leaders today face these same two obstacles as they seek to lead God's people into new conquests for the Lord. How often we hear, "We're content the way things are; don't rock the boat by trying to change things." Or, "We tried that before and it didn't work!"
It is worth noting that God sent the Jews a leader from the outside. Nehemiah came into the community with a new perspective on the problems and a new vision for the work. Too often in a local church, new members have a hard time "breaking into the system" because the veterans are afraid of new ideas that might lead to change. Since most of their leadership comes up through the ranks, parachurch ministries must also beware of the "closed corporation" attitude. New workers from outside the organization might open the windows and let in some fresh air.
Investigating (vv 11–16). After his long difficult journey, Nehemiah took time to rest, for leaders must take care of themselves if they are going to be able to serve the Lord (Mark 6:31). He also took time to get "the lay of the land" without arousing the concern of the enemy. A good leader doesn't rush into his work but patiently gathers the facts firsthand and then plans his strategy (Prov. 18:13). We must be "wise as serpents" because the enemy is always watching and waiting to attack.
The good hand of God was upon the leader, and the followers "strengthened their hands" for the work (Neh. 2:8, 18). It takes both the hands of leadership and the hands of partnership to accomplish the work of the Lord. Leaders can't do the job by themselves, and workers can't accomplish much without leadership. Vincent de Paul said, "If in order to succeed in an enterprise, I were obliged to choose between fifty deer commanded by a lion, and fifty lions commanded by a deer, I should consider myself more certain of success with the first group than with the second."
Leaders are often awake when others are asleep, and working when others are resting. Nehemiah didn't want the enemy to know what he was doing, so he investigated the ruins by night. By keeping his counsel to himself, Nehemiah prevented Tobiah's friends from getting information they could pass along to Sanballat. A wise leader knows when to plan, when to speak, and when to work.
Someone has defined leadership as "the art of getting
As he surveyed the situation, he moved from west
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The stage is now set and the drama is about to begin.
people to do what they ought to do because they want to do it." If that definition is true, then Nehemiah certainly was a leader! Most of the people united behind him and risked their lives to get the work done.
But before we join the workers on the wall, let's ask ourselves whether we are the kind of leaders and followers God wants us to be. Like Nehemiah, do we have a burden in our hearts for the work God has called us to do (2:12)? Are we willing to sacrifice to see His will accomplished? Are we patient in gathering facts and in planning our work? Do we enlist the help of others or try to do everything ourselves? Do we motivate people on the basis of the spiritual—what God is doing—or simply on the basis of the personal? Are they following us or the Lord as He leads us?
Nehemiah was not only able to challenge his own people, but he was also able to stand up against the enemy and deal effectively with their opposition. Just as soon as God's people step out by faith to do His will, the enemy shows up and tries to discourage them. Sanballat and Tobiah heard about the enterprise (v. 10) and enlisted Geshem to join them in opposing the Jews. In chapters 4—7, Nehemiah will describe the different weapons the enemy used and how the Lord enabled him to defeat them.
As followers, do we listen to what our leaders say as they share their burdens? Do we cling to the past or desire to see God do something new? Do we put our hands and necks to the work (v. 18; 3:5)? Are we cooperating in any way with the enemy and thus weakening the work? Have we found the job God wants us to complete?
They started off with ridicule, a device somebody has called "the weapon of those who have no other." They laughed at the Jews and belittled both their resources and their plans. They even suggested that the Jews were rebelling against the king. That weapon had worked once before (see Ezra 4).
Anyone can go through life as a destroyer; God has called His people to be builders. What an example Nehemiah is to us! Trace his "so" statements and see how God used him: "So I prayed" (2:4); "So I came to Jerusalem" (v. 11); "So they strengthened their hands for this good work" (v. 18); "So built we the wall" (4:6); "So we labored in the work" (v. 21); "So the wall was finished" (6:15).
Whether in the area of science, exploration, invention, business, government, or Christian ministry, just about everyone who has ever accomplished anything has faced ridicule. Our Lord was ridiculed during His life and mocked while He was hanging on the cross. He was "despised and rejected of men" (Isa. 53:3). On the Day of Pentecost, some of the Jews in the crowd said that the Christians were drunk (Acts 2:13). The Greek philosophers called Paul a "babbler" (17:18 niv), and Festus told Paul he was out of his mind (26:24).
Were it not for the dedication and determination that came from his faith in a great God, Nehemiah never would have accepted the challenge or finished the work. He had never seen the verse, but what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58 was what kept him going: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (nkjv).
Nehemiah could have dealt with their ridicule in several ways. He might have ignored it, and sometimes that's the wisest thing to do (Prov. 26:4). But at the beginning of an enterprise, it's important that leaders encourage their people and let them know that God has everything in control. Had Nehemiah ignored these three men who were important in the community, he might have weakened his own position among the Jews. After all, he was the official governor, and he was doing official business.
D.Assignments—3:1–32
No matter how difficult the task, or how strong the opposition, Be Determined! As Dr. V. Raymond Edman used to say, "It is always too soon to quit."
Or, Nehemiah might have debated with the three enemy leaders and tried to convince them that their position was false. But that approach would only have given "official promotion" to the three men along with opportunity for them to say more. Why should Nehemiah give the enemy opportunity to make speeches against the God whom he served?
CHAPTER THREE Nehemiah 3 WALL TO WALL WORKERS N
ehemiah faced a great challenge and had great faith in a great God, but he would have accomplished very little had there not been great dedication on the part of the people who helped him rebuild the wall. With the kind of humility that befits a godly leader, Nehemiah gave all the credit to the people when he wrote, "So built we the wall … for the people had a mind to work" (Neh. 4:6).