Front matter (continued, part 66)
God at Mount Sinai and then broken it (Ex. 24:3–8). They had renewed the covenant when they entered Canaan (Josh. 8:30–35) and after they had conquered the land (24:14–28), but then they rebelled against the Lord (Judg. 2:6–15).
Samuel had led the people in renewing their covenant vows (1 Sam. 11:14–12:25), but King Saul led the people back into sin and defeat. As soon as his throne was secure, David sought to bring the people back to the Lord (2 Sam. 6), and Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple was also a step in that direction. Sad to say, however, Solomon sinned against the Lord and almost destroyed his own kingdom.
But was their dedication real? There are at least three evidences given in this chapter that these people really meant what they prayed. These same evidences will be seen in our lives if our promises to the Lord are sincere.
Throughout the history of Israel, there was always a remnant of faithful people who trusted God, obeyed His will, and prayed for God to fulfill His promises (1 Kings 19:18; Isa. 1:9; Luke 2:38). This believing remnant was God's "lifeline" to maintain the ministry of Israel in the world. They kept the light of faith and hope burning in the land, and because of them, God was able to fulfill His promise and bring the Savior into the world. The Jews in Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day were a part of that remnant, and God heard their prayers.
Submission to the Word of God (10:1–27, 29) With Nehemiah's name heading the list, eighty-four persons put their seal on the covenant that they made with the Lord. This list included priests (vv. 2–8; see 12:1–7), Levites (10:9–13), and the leaders of the people (vv. 14–27). Many other citizens subscribed to the covenant who didn't "sign their names" individually (v. 28), including wives and children who didn't have the legal right to put a personal seal on an official document. All the people who had heard the Word of God read and explained were now committing themselves to obey what they had heard.
Our God is a glorious God (Neh. 9:5). He is powerful (v. 6), faithful (v. 8), and concerned about the needs of His people (v. 9). He is a pardoning God (vv. 17–19, 31), who is longsuffering when we sin (vv. 21, 30) but who chastens if we rebel (vv. 26ff). He is a generous God (vv. 24–25, 35), who gives us far more than we deserve. He is a God who keeps His promises even if we are unfaithful.
Putting a seal on this document was a serious matter because it meant taking a solemn oath before the Lord (v. 29; see 5:13). Perhaps they had heard Ezra read this passage from Deuteronomy: "All of you stand today before the Lord your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones and your wives … that you may enter into covenant with the Lord your God, and into His oath, which the Lord your God makes with us today, that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Deut. 29:10–13 nkjv). The law governing vows and oaths is found in Numbers 30 and is introduced with these words: "When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said" (v. 2 niv). Since an oath involved the name and possible judgment of God, it was not to be taken lightly. Jesus warned against using empty oaths (Matt. 5:33–37; 23:16–22), and Solomon gave a similar warning (Eccl. 5:1–7).
Surely this God deserves our loving obedience! Perhaps the time has come for a new beginning.
4. Making a covenant—10:1—12:26
CHAPTER TEN Nehemiah 10 AFTER WE SAY "AMEN" T
he story may be apocryphal, but it illustrates the point that this chapter makes.
In a certain church, there was a man who always ended his prayers with, "And, Lord, clean the cobwebs out of my life! Clean the cobwebs out of my life!"
One of the members of the church became weary of hearing this same insincere request week after week, because he saw no change in the petitioner's life. So, the next time he heard the man pray, "Lord, clean the cobwebs out of my life!" he interrupted with, "And while you're at it, Lord, kill the spider!"
Should believers today bind themselves with oaths as they seek to walk with the Lord and serve Him? Probably not. Our relationship to the Lord is that of children to a Father, and our Father wants our obedience to be based on love. I don't know of any examples in the New Testament of believers taking oaths of obedience to the Lord. Our obedience should be a joyful response to all that He has done for us in Christ (Col.
It's one thing to offer the Lord a passionate prayer of confession, such as we have in chapter 9, and quite something else to live an obedient life after we say "Amen." But the people in the assembly were serious about their praying and were determined, by God's grace, to make a new beginning and live to please the Lord.
Nehemiah 10
to be the Savior, and mixed marriages only brought confusion.
3:1ff.). We don't succeed as Christians because we make promises to God, but because we believe the promises of God and act upon them. Oaths are often based on fear ("I had better do it or God will judge me!"), and fear is not the highest motivation for godly living, although it does play a part (2 Cor. 7:1).
"As long as we love each other, it will work out!" is the argument many pastors hear from Christians who want to marry unsaved people. But the question is not, "Will this marriage work out?" but, "Will this marriage enjoy God's best blessing and fulfill God's will?" It's difficult to see how God can bless and use people who deliberately disobey His Word (2 Cor. 6:14—7:1; 1 Cor. 7:39).
Separation as the people of God (10:28, 30–31) The Jewish remnant was surrounded by idolatrous Gentiles, who wanted the Jews to become a part of their social, religious, and business society. But the law of Moses prohibited God's people from living like the Gentiles, although it didn't stop the Jews from being good neighbors or even good customers (see 13:15–22). It was the ministry of the priests to teach the people "the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean" (Ezek. 44:23 niv).
The observance of the Sabbath was a distinctively Jewish practice (Neh. 9:14; Ex. 20:8–11; 30:12–18); the Gentiles around Jerusalem would treat the seventh day of the week like any other day and want to socialize and do business. While the Jewish Sabbath was not to be a day of bondage and misery, it was a day devoted to rest and contemplation of things spiritual. It was a weekly reminder to the nation that they were Jews and had a special calling in the world. Some of the Jewish merchants would be especially interested in getting business from the Gentiles, and to close up business on a day when people were shopping seemed a waste.
Separation is simply total devotion to God, no matter what the cost. When a man and woman get married, they separate themselves from all other possible mates and give themselves completely to each other. It is total commitment motivated by love, and it is a balanced decision: We separate from others to the one who is to be our life's mate.
Moses didn't spell out specific rules for observing the Sabbath, but there was a precedent for not engaging in unnecessary work. They were not to light any fires on the Sabbath (Ex. 35:1–3), and one man was stoned because he gathered wood on the Sabbath (Num. 15:32–36). The prophets sternly rebuked the Jews for violating the Sabbath (Jer. 17:19–27; Amos 8:4–6; Isa. 56:1–2; 58:13–14), because their disobedience was a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem: rebellion against the Lord.
The Jews separated from the peoples around them and to the Lord and His Word (Neh. 10:28; 9:2). They also united with their brothers and sisters in promising to obey the law of God (v. 29). Separation that ignores God and other believers is isolation and will eventually lead to sin. Only the Holy Spirit can give us the kind of balance we need to live a godly life in this ungodly world. The legalist wants to live by rules, but that style of life only keeps you immature and dependant on your spiritual leaders. The only way to grow in a balanced life is to give yourself totally to God and follow Him by faith.
The solemn affirmation of faith reported in this chapter also included observing the Sabbatical Year (Lev. 25:1–7, 20–22; Deut. 15:1–11). Every seventh year, the Jews were to let the land lie idle so that it might restore itself, an excellent principle of ecology. Of course, the people would need a great deal of faith to trust God for food for two years, but God promised to care for them. After seven Sabbatical Years, they were to celebrate the fiftieth year as a "Year of Jubilee" (Lev. 25:8ff.), and this meant trusting God for food for three years.
Two special areas of concern were mentioned: marriage and the Sabbath. The danger in mixed marriages was the loss of faith on the part of the Jewish mate (Ex. 34:10–17). How could a Jew, married to a Gentile, observe the dietary laws or celebrate the annual festivals? He or she would be continually ceremonially unclean. Between the husband and wife there would be constant conflict, then occasional compromise, and finally complete conformity, and the Jewish mate would have abandoned his or her spiritual heritage.
The evidence is that the nation had not faithfully celebrated these special Sabbatical observances. This was one reason why God sent them into captivity (2 Chron. 36:21), that He might give the land seventy years of rest (Jer. 29:10). This would compensate for some 500 years of disobedience on the part of the nation (7 x 70), one year for each neglected Sabbatical Year or Year of Jubilee.
Why would Jews want to marry pagan Gentiles in the first place? Apart from affection, which should have been controlled at the outset, perhaps they would marry for social status (Neh. 13:28) or to get ahead in business. Like some believers today who marry unbelievers, these Jews may have argued that marriage would give them opportunity to convert their mate to the true faith, although it is usually the other way around. God had a great purpose for Israel to fulfill, and the Jews' compromise with sin polluted the nation (Mal. 2:10–16). God wanted a "pure seed" so that through Israel He could send His Son into the world
For the Jewish remnant to promise to commemorate the Sabbatical Year was a great step of faith, for many of the people were poor and the nation faced repeated agricultural and economic depression. Not to have extra produce for a whole year would certainly affect their business with the Gentiles around them. The people's willingness to obey this law is a beautiful illustration of Matthew 6:33.
Nehemiah 10
Their support for the house of God (10:32–39) The phrase "house of our God" is used nine times in this section and refers to the restored temple. The people were promising God that they would obey His laws and provide what was needed for the ministry at the temple. "We will not forsake the house of our God" (v. 39). British expositor G. Campbell Morgan said: "Whereas the house of God today is no longer material but spiritual, the material is still a very real symbol of the spiritual. When the Church of God in any place in any locality is careless about the material place of assembly, the place of its worship and its work, it is a sign and evidence that its life is at a low ebb" (The Westminster Pulpit, vol. 8, 315).
the gospel may be sent to the whole world. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21). If we are walking with the Lord, we will want to do our part in supporting the ministry of the church where God has put us.
The wood offering (v. 34). Since the fire on the brazen altar was to be kept burning constantly (Lev. 6:12–13), it required a steady supply of wood, and wood was a precious commodity. The leaders drew lots and assigned the various clans the times when they were to bring wood for the altar. That such a humble thing as wood was important to God's service and could be sanctified for His glory is an encouragement to me. Not everybody in Israel could be a priest or Levite, or donate lambs or oxen for sacrifices, but everybody could bring some wood and help keep the fire burning.
Morgan is right. To be sure, God doesn't live in the houses in which we assemble to worship Him (Isa. 60:1–2; Acts 7:48–50), but the way we care for those buildings indicates what we think of our God (see Hag. 1). The restored Jewish temple didn't have the magnificence of the temple Solomon built (Ezra 3:8–13; Hag. 2:1–9), but it was God's house just the same and deserved the support of God's people.
There are no special directions in the law concerning this offering, but tradition says that certain days of the year were set aside for the people to bring wood to the sanctuary. When God doesn't give us specific instructions, and we know there is a need to be met, we must figure out how to do the job. Since the priests needed wood for the altar, and the people could provide it, an equitable system was worked out.
Their promised support was specific and involved four different areas of ministry.
The firstfruits (vv. 35–37a). The Jews were taught to give God the first and the best, and this is a good example for us to follow today. "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops" (Prov. 3:9 niv). Because God saved the firstborn Jews from death in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of man and beast belonged to the Lord (Ex. 14:1–16; Lev. 27:26–27). The firstborn son had to be redeemed by a sacrifice (Ex. 34:19–20; Luke 2:22–24) because that child belonged to God.
The temple tax (vv. 32–33). The annual census of the people twenty years of age and older was accompanied by the collecting of a half-shekel tax to be used to support the ministry of the house of God (Ex. 30:11–16). The tax was a reminder to the people that God had redeemed them and paid a price to set them free, and that they should behave like people who belonged to God. The original tax was used to make silver sockets and hooks for the tabernacle (38:25–28), but in subsequent years it helped pay the expenses of the ministry.
Nowhere does Scripture tell us how much of the firstfruits the people were to bring to the temple (Ex. 23:19; 34:26), but the offering was to be brought before the people did anything else with their harvests. These were stored for the use of the temple servants (Neh. 12:44). No doubt the offering was to be measured by the blessing God had given to His people, as well as their devotion to Him.
Times were hard, so the leaders decided to adjust the tax and give a third of a shekel instead of a half. (By the time our Lord was ministering on earth, the tax was back to half a shekel; Matt. 17:24–27.) This temporary change didn't alter the meaning of the tradition or lessen the devotion of the people. God's people must use their common sense as they seek to obey the Lord. We must not put on ourselves burdens that God never expected us to carry (Acts 15:10), but neither should we look for the easiest and least demanding way to serve the Lord.
The tithes (vv. 37b–39). The word tithe means "a tenth." The Jews were to bring a tenth of their produce to the Lord each year for the support of the Levites (Lev. 27:30–34). The Levites then gave a "tithe of the tithe" to the priests (Num. 18:25–32). The Jews were also to tithe the 90 percent that was left and take it to the temple for the annual feasts (Deut. 26:1–11). To these two tithes was added a third tithe, received every third year for the poor (vv. 12–15; 14:28–29). When the spiritual life in Israel was at low ebb, there was little brought to the temple to support the ministry, and many of the Levites had to find other means of support. In times of spiritual quickening, the people would bring their offerings, and there would be plenty (2 Chron. 31:1–12; Mal. 3:8–11).
Nehemiah 10:33 describes how the money would be spent: to provide what was needed for the regular and special ministries at the temple, all of which were part of the "work of the house of our God." If the nation was to be in a right relationship with the Lord, the priests had to carry on their ministry faithfully.
We today don't have to provide animals, grain, and other materials in order for the church to worship the Lord; but we do have to help maintain the work of the ministry. This means paying salaries (Luke 10:7), sharing with the needy (1 Cor. 16:1–3), and being good stewards of all that God gives us (2 Cor. 8—9), so that
While there is no express command in the New
Nehemiah 10—11
Nehemiah calls on the people to present three sacrifices to the Lord for the sake of their city, sacrifices that God still calls His people to give for the sake of the church He is building in this world.
Testament that God's people should tithe today, proportionate giving is certainly commended (1 Cor. 16:1–3). We are stewards of God's wealth and must make wise use of what He shares with us (4:1–2). If people under Old Testament law could bring three tithes, how much more ought we to give today who live under the new covenant of God's abundant grace? (See 2 Cor. 8—9 and note the repetition of the word "grace.") Tithing can be a great blessing, but those who tithe must avoid at least three dangers: (1) giving with the wrong motive, out of a sense of duty, fear, or greed ("If I tithe, God must prosper me!"); (2) thinking that they can do what they please with the 90 percent that remains; (3) giving only the tithe and failing to give love offerings to the Lord.
We must give ourselves to God. (11:1—12:26) Now that the walls and gates of Jerusalem were restored, it was important that the Jews inhabit their capital city and make the population grow. For one thing, people were needed to protect the city, for they never knew when the enemy might decide to attack. It may have been safer for the people to live in the small outlying villages that were no threat to the Gentile society, but somebody had to take the risk and move into the big city.
In light of all that God has done for us, how can we rob Him of the offerings that rightly belong to Him? God didn't forsake His people when they were in need (Neh. 9:31), and they promised not to forsake the house of God (10:39). Years before, the prophet Haggai had rebuked the people because they were so busy taking care of their own houses they had neglected the house of God (Hag. 1:4), and this warning needs to be heralded today. Where there is true spiritual revival, it will reveal itself in the way we support God 's work, beginning in our own local church. It isn't enough to pray or even commit ourselves to "faith promises" or pledges. We must so love the Lord that generous giving will be a normal and joyful part of our lives.
Also, if the people really loved God and their Holy City, they would want to live there, if only as a witness to the skeptical Gentiles around them. After all, why rebuild the city if you don't plan to live there? But most of all, God had brought the remnant back home because He had a special job for them to do, and to abandon the restored city was to obstruct the working out of God's will through Israel.
In other words, God needed people—live bodies— in the Holy City. The Jews were asked to heed a call not unlike the one Paul wrote in Romans 12:1: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (nkjv).
Sir Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21).
Never underestimate the importance of simply being physically present in the place where God wants you. You may not be asked to perform some dramatic ministry, but simply being there is a ministry. The men, women, and children who helped to populate the city of Jerusalem were serving God, their nation, and future generations by their step of faith.
"We will not forsake the house of our God!" (Neh. 10:39).
Some of these citizens volunteered willingly while others had to be "drafted" (Neh. 11:1–2). The people had promised to tithe their produce (10:37–38), so Nehemiah decided to tithe the people, and 10 percent were chosen by lot to move from the villages into Jerusalem. Since there were few residents in the city and since the housing situation was bad (7:4), it isn't surprising that many of the Jews were unwilling to move. We wonder what would happen in the average local church if 10 percent of the congregation were asked to relocate in order to strengthen and extend the work of the Lord!
CHAPTER ELEVEN Nehemiah 11—12 THE SHOUT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD T
heologians remind us that God made the first garden (Gen. 1—2), but rebellious man built the first city (4:16–17), and the two have been in conflict ever since. In the ancient world, cities were places of wealth and power. In modern times, in spite of their magnificence, too often our cities are bankrupt institutions famous for pollution, poverty, and crime. How to finance and manage the great cities is a vexing problem to government leaders around the world. "We will neglect our cities to our peril," John F. Kennedy said, "for in neglecting them we neglect the nation."
We have grown accustomed to Nehemiah's practice of listing the names of the people involved in his projects. In chapter 3, he told us who the people were who worked on the wall and what part of the wall they repaired. Chapter 7 lists the names of the people who returned with Zerubbabel, and chapter 8 records the names of the leaders involved in the "Bible conference" at the Water Gate. Chapter 10 contains the names of eighty-four men who set their seals to the dedication covenant. In listing these names, Nehemiah was giving evidence of his sincere appreciation for each individual
Nehemiah followed the same philosophy. He knew that the nation of Israel could never be strong as long as Jerusalem was weak. But Jerusalem could not be strong unless the people were willing to sacrifice.
Nehemiah 11—12
In verse 23, Nehemiah states that the king of Persia helped support the ministry at the temple. Since the king wanted the Jewish people to pray for him and his family, he shared in the temple expenses (Ezra 6:8–10; 7:20–24). In our modern democracies, where there is a separation of church and state, this kind of support would be questioned. But the province of Judah was one small part of a great empire, ruled by an all-powerful king, and the king did for the Jews what he did for all the other provinces. Christians today are commanded to pray for civil leaders (1 Tim. 2:1–2; see Jer. 29:7), and this should be done daily and on each Lord's Day when the church assembles to worship.
who assisted in the work. It also reminds us that our Father sees and records what His children do as they serve Him. Even if others don't recognize or appreciate your ministry, you can be sure that God knows all about it and will reward you accordingly.
The people of Judah and Benjamin who lived in Jerusalem are listed first (11:4–9). These two tribes composed the kingdom of Judah after the nation divided (1 Kings 11—12). "Valiant men" (Neh. 11:6) or "mighty men" (v. 14) can mean "brave fighting men" or "wealthy men of substance," such as Boaz (Ruth 2:1).
The priests, Levites, and temple workers are named next (Neh. 11:10–24). God had set aside special cities for them (Josh. 21), so they could have legitimately lived outside Jerusalem; but they chose to be with the people as they served God in the temple. Like Jeremiah, they chose to remain with God's people, even though it might have been safer and more comfortable elsewhere (Jer. 40:1–6).
Pethahiah (Neh. 12:24) was the "king's agent" who represented the Jews at court. People involved in government are God's ministers (Rom. 13:1–7), whether they realize it or not, and if they are faithful, they are seeing the Lord just as much as the priests and Levites in the temple.
A variety of people were needed for the temple ministry that was so important to the Jewish nation. The priests officiated at the altar, and the Levites assisted them. Some supervised the maintenance of the building (Neh. 11:16) while others ministered with prayer and praise (vv. 17, 22), and both were important. There were nearly 300 men appointed to guard the temple (v. 19). Since the tithes and offerings were stored in the temple, it was important that the building be protected. It took many people, with many skills, to maintain the ministry in Jerusalem.
In Nehemiah 12:25–36, Nehemiah names the villages where the Jews were living, some of which were quite a distance from Jerusalem. When the exiles returned to the land from Babylon, they would naturally want to settle in their native towns and villages. They would still be under the authority of Nehemiah and expected to be loyal to the king of Persia. This loyalty to their native cities was what helped make it difficult for Nehemiah to get people to reside in Jerusalem. While it is good to cultivate local loyalties, we must remember that there are larger obligations that must also be considered. The work of the Lord is bigger than any one person's ministry or the ministry of any one assembly.
When I was pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Covington, Kentucky, one Sunday I started listing the people, seen and unseen, who helped make my pulpit ministry possible. While I was preaching, there were three technicians running the controls in the radio room, half a dozen men patrolling the parking lots, ushers at the doors and walking through the buildings to see that all was well, maintenance personnel keeping the equipment going, and an efficient pastoral staff backing me up. The musicians had led the congregation in praise and helped prepare them for hearing the Word.
B. The walls—12:27–47
We must give our praise to God (12:27–42) The Jews were accustomed to having workers and watchers on the walls of Jerusalem, but now Nehemiah and Ezra assigned people to be worshippers on the walls. They conducted a dedication service with such enthusiasm that their shouts and songs were heard "even afar off" (v. 43).
During the previous week, scores of Sunday School workers had contacted hundreds of people, church members had invited many visitors to the services, the office crew had kept the organizational machinery running smoothly, church officers had encouraged and counseled, people had prayed—and all of this so that the pastor might be able to glorify Christ by proclaiming the Word of God! Believe me, it was a humbling experience, and it made me want to do my best for the Lord and for those wonderful people.
The people had been dedicated (chaps. 8—10); now it was time to dedicate the work that the people had done. This is the correct order, for what good are dedicated walls and gates without dedicated people? Note that the emphasis was on joyful praise on the part of all the people. Singing is mentioned eight times in this chapter, thanksgiving six times, rejoicing seven times, and musical instruments three times.
The order for the dedication service was unique. The leaders and singers were divided into two groups, with Ezra leading one group and Nehemiah (following the choir) directing the second group. The processions started probably from the Valley Gate on the west wall, marching in opposite directions. Ezra's company (12:31–37) went south on the walls to the Dung Gate, then to the Fountain Gate and the Water Gate on the east wall of the city. Nehemiah's company went north
God uses many people with different gifts and skills to get His work done in this world. The important thing is that we give our bodies to the Lord so that He can use us as His tools to accomplish His work. Each person is important and each task is significant. Note that Nehemiah lists other temple ministers in 12:1–26.
Nehemiah 12
(Josh. 1:3). This joyful march around the walls was their way of saying, "We claim from our God all that He has for us, just as our forebears claimed this land by faith!"
(vv. 38–39) past the Old Gate, the Ephraim Gate, the Fish Gate, the Sheep Gate, and the Muster Gate ("gate of the guard"). Both groups met at the temple area where the service climaxed with sacrifices offered to the Lord.
Too often, a church dedication service marks the end and not the beginning of ministry as the congregation breathes a sigh of relief and settles down to business as usual. Vance Havner once described his impressions of a dedication service at which he had spoken: "The church people thought the new building was a milestone, but it looked to me like it was a millstone!" If we lose our forward vision and stop launching out by faith, then what God has accomplished will indeed become a millstone that will burden and break us.
Why did Ezra and Nehemiah organize this kind of a dedication service? Why not just meet at the temple area, let the Levites sing and offer sacrifices to the Lord, and send everybody home?
To begin with, it was the walls and gates that were being dedicated, and it was only right that the people see and touch them. I recall sharing in a service of dedication for a church educational building, but the service was held in the church sanctuary, not in the educational building. At some point in that service, we should have left the sanctuary and marched through the new building singing praises to God. As I ministered the Word, I felt as though I were performing a wedding for an absentee bride and groom!
But the most important thing about this dedication service was not the march around the walls. It was the expression of joyful praise that came from the choirs and the people. "By him [Christ] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name" (Heb. 13:15). "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs" (Ps. 69:30–31).
But there is another reason for this unique service: The people were bearing witness to the watching world that God had done the work, and He alone should be glorified. The enemy had said that the walls would be so weak that a fox could knock them down (4:3), but here were the people marching on the walls! What a testimony to the unbelieving Gentiles of the power of God and the reality of faith. It was another opportunity to prove to them that "this work was wrought by our God" (6:16).
The people offered their praise thankfully (Neh. 12:24, 27, 31, 38, 46), joyfully (vv. 27, 43–44), and loudly (vv. 42–43), accompanied by various instruments (vv. 27, 35–36). It was not a time for muted, meditative worship. It was a time for "pulling out all the stops" and praising the Lord enthusiastically.
By marching on the walls, the people had an opportunity to see the results of their labors and realize anew that the work had not been done by one person. True, Nehemiah had been their leader, and they needed him, but "the people had a mind to work" (4:6). Various people and families had labored on different parts of the wall (chap. 3), but nobody "owned" the part he or she had worked on. The wall belonged to God.
This special service of dedication would have been a failure were it not for a man who had been dead for over 500 years. That man was King David. It was David who had organized the priests and Levites (v. 24; 1 Chron. 24:7–19) and written many of the songs for the temple choirs (Neh. 12:46). He had also devised musical instruments for use in worship (v. 36; 2 Chron. 29:26–27). David had served his generation faithfully (Acts 13:36), but in doing so, he had also served every generation that followed! In fact, it was David who captured the Jebusite city of Jerusalem and made it his capital, the City of David (2 Sam. 5:6–10). It was also David who had provided the blueprints and much of the wealth for the building of the temple (1 Chron. 28:11–19). "He who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17 nkjv).
You can expect serious problems after a church building program if individuals or groups in the church start claiming "territorial rights." I heard about one Sunday School class that actually sued the church when they were asked to vacate their classroom and locate elsewhere in the building. No matter how much work or money we have put into a building program, this does not earn us the right to claim and control some area of the building. It all belongs to God and must be used for His glory. As the Jews marched around the walls, they were symbolically saying just that. "Yes, we all had part in the work and a place to serve, but now we are giving it all to the Lord that He alone might be glorified!"
It was not only the "professional musicians" who expressed praise to God, for the women and children also joined in the singing (Neh. 12:43). They had heard the Word at the Water Gate (8:2), so it was only right that they now express their worship, for learning the Word and worshipping the Lord must go together (Col. 3:12). We must never permit the accomplished ministry of worship leaders to take the place of our own spontaneous celebration of the Lord's goodness. Otherwise, we will become spectators instead of participants, and spectators miss most of the blessing.
Let me suggest another reason for this march around the walls: It was a symbolic act by which they "stepped out by faith" to claim God's blessing. In that day, to walk on a piece of property meant to claim it as your own. God said to Abraham, "Arise, walk through the land … for I will give it unto thee" (Gen. 13:17), and He said to Joshua, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you"
So great was the people's praise that "the joy of
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had been glorified in a wonderful way. Did the blessing last? No, it didn't, and we will find out why in the next study.
Jerusalem was heard even afar off" (Neh. 12:43). This was now the third time in Israel's history that their shouting was "heard afar off." The soldiers shouted when the ark of the covenant came into their camp (1 Sam. 4:5), but that eventually led to shameful defeat. When the temple foundation was laid nearly a century before, the workers shouted for joy, but their joy was mingled with sorrow (Ezra 3:8–13). The shout from Jerusalem during this dedication service was unalloyed joy, to the glory of the Lord, and because of this record in the Word of God, that shout has been heard around the world!
CHAPTER TWELVE Nehemiah 13 STANDING BY OUR PROMISES G
eneral William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once said to a group of new officers, "I want you young men always to bear in mind that it is the nature of a fire to go out; you must keep it stirred and fed and the ashes removed."
We must give our gifts to God (12:44–47) The people had covenanted with God to support the temple ministry (10:32–39), and they kept their promises. Some of the Levites were appointed to supervise the collecting of the produce and the storing of it in the temple. Keep in mind that these tithes and offerings represented the support of the temple workers so that they could serve the Lord.
Nehemiah discovered that the fires of devotion had gone out in Jerusalem. His first term as governor lasted for twelve years (5:14), after which he returned to the palace to report to the king (13:6). He was gone perhaps a year, but when he returned to Jerusalem, he discovered that the situation had deteriorated dramatically, for the people were not living up to the vows they had made (chap. 10). Nehemiah immediately began to act decisively to change the situation.
The people brought their tithes and offerings, not only because it was the commandment of God, but also because they were "pleased with the ministering priests and Levites" (12:44 niv). The ministers at the temple were exemplary both in their personal purity and in their obedience to God's Word (vv. 30, 45). They conducted the worship, not according to their own ideas, but in obedience to the directions given by David and Solomon. When believers have a godly ministry that exalts the Lord and obeys the Word, they are only too glad to bring their tithes and offerings to support it. A worldly ministry that seeks only to fulfill its own ambitions does not deserve the support of God's people.
Without spiritual leadership, God's people are prone to stray like sheep. One successful pastor told me, "If we didn't keep our eyes on this work twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week, it would be invaded and soon fall apart." Moses was away from the people of Israel only a short time, and they became idolaters (Ex. 32). Paul would establish a church and leave it in the hands of the elders, only to have trouble begin soon after his departure. Then he would have to write them a letter or pay them a visit to straighten things out. (No wonder Paul exhorted the Ephesian church leaders as he did in Acts 20:28–32!) After Nehemiah was gone from Jerusalem only a short time, he came home to find the people defiled by compromise.
The result of this joyful service of dedication was a plentiful supply of produce to sustain the work of the ministry. The people gave "not grudgingly or of necessity" but joyfully and gratefully (2 Cor. 9:7). Missionary leader J. Hudson Taylor used to say, "When God's work is done in God's way for God's glory, it will not lack God's support."
V. Cleansing—13
If you compare this chapter with chapter 10, you will see that the people failed to keep several of the promises that they had made to the Lord.
Our material gifts are really spiritual sacrifices to the Lord, if they are given in the right spirit. The apostle Paul called the gifts from the Philippian church "an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God" (Phil. 4:18). Jesus accepted Mary's gift of precious ointment as an act of worship, and Hebrews 13:16 reminds us that doing good and sharing are sacrifices that please the Lord.
The separation promise (13:1–9, 23–31) The mixed multitude (vv. 1–3). According to 10:28–29, the Jews had willingly separated themselves from the people of the land and united with their Jewish brothers and sisters to obey the law and walk in the way of the Lord. But apparently their separation was incomplete, or some of the people formed new alliances, for they discovered that there were Ammonites and Moabites in their congregation, and this was contrary to the law of Moses (Deut. 23:3–4).
But before we can bring our material gifts to the Lord, we must first give ourselves to Him. Paul commended the churches of Macedonia because they "first gave themselves to the Lord" (2 Cor. 8:5 nkjv), before they shared in the missionary offering he was receiving for the needy believers in Jerusalem. Our gifts cannot be a substitute for ourselves.
Ammon and Moab were born from the incestuous union of Lot and two of his daughters (Gen. 19:30–38), and their descendants were the avowed enemies of the Jews. Somehow this "mixed multitude" had infiltrated the people of Israel in spite of previous purgings (9:2; 10:28). It was the "mixed multitude"
It was a high and holy day in Jerusalem, a happy day because the work had been completed and God
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first one named in the list of workers (3:1), and yet he had become a traitor. Why? Because one of his relatives was married to Sanballat's daughter (13:28), and Sanballat and Tobiah were friends. They were all a part of the secret faction in Jerusalem that was fraternizing with the enemy (6:17–19).
that gave Moses so much trouble (Ex. 12:38; Num. 11:4–6), and it gives the church trouble today. The "mixed multitude" is composed of unsaved people who want to belong to the fellowship of God's people without trusting the Lord or submitting to His will. They want the blessings but not the obligations, and their appetite is still for the things of the world.
Just because a family has been active in the church a long time and has helped to build the work, it is no sign that each generation will be spiritual, or that any generation will remain spiritual. Children and grandchildren can drift from the faith and try to bluff their way on the testimony of their ancestors, and fathers and mothers can depart from the faith just to please their children. Eliashib's relative was privileged to be born into the priestly family, yet he threw away his future ministry by marrying the wrong woman (Lev. 21:14; Deut. 23:3), and Eliashib apparently approved of it.
Balaam was a hireling prophet who tried to curse Israel but each time saw the curse turned into a blessing (Num. 22—24). Finally, however, he hit upon a scheme to defeat Israel: He encouraged the Moabites to be "neighborly" and invite the Jews to share in their religious feasts, which involved immorality and idolatry (Num. 25). Balaam knew that human nature would respond to the opportunity for sin and the Jews would disobey God. As a result of their sin, Israel was disciplined by God, and 24,000 people died.
The "mixed multitude" in the church today urges us to follow the philosophy of Balaam and do what the world wants us to do. I was told about a dedicated youth pastor whose ministry was bringing many teens to Christ and building them up in the faith. He didn't entice them with entertainment; he simply taught the Word, kept the young people busy witnessing, and met with them regularly for prayer. The church was being greatly helped by this group of dedicated teenagers.
All this happened while Nehemiah was away at the palace, which suggests that those he appointed to lead in his absence had failed in their oversight. It doesn't take long for the enemy to capture leadership, and too often the people will blindly follow their leaders in the path of compromise and disobedience.
It was bad enough that an Ammonite was living in the temple, and that a Jewish high priest had let him in, but this intruder was using a room dedicated to God for the storing of the offerings used by the Levites. He defiled the temple by his presence and robbed the servants of God at the same time. Nehemiah lost no time throwing out both the man and his furniture, rededicating the room to the Lord, and using it again for its intended purpose. Like our Lord, Nehemiah had to cleanse the temple, and it appears that he had to do it alone.
But the enemy went to work. The youth pastor was called before the elders and asked, "What is your program for ministering to the carnal young people in the church?" He said that he had no special program for carnal teenagers, but that they were welcome to join in the Bible studies, prayer meetings, and witnessing trips. The elders dismissed the youth pastor because he was not catering to the carnal teens in the church!
When I was ministering over "Back to the Bible Broadcast," the manager of a Christian radio station phoned me to complain about my messages about Lot and worldliness among professing Christians. He felt I was being too hard on the carnal Christians. "If you keep that up," he said, "we're going to drop your program!"
But this is not an easy thing to do. A new pastor may discover officers or leaders in the church who are not spiritual people but who are entrenched in their offices. What does he do? He knows that these leaders have relatives in the church who, like Eliashib, will cooperate with their family rather than contend for the faith. Should the pastor try to "clean house" and possibly split the church? Or should he bide his time, lovingly preach the Word, and pray for God to work? With either approach, the pastor will need courage and faith, because eventually the blessing of the Lord on the Word will arouse the opposition of the "mixed multitude."
The old Youth for Christ slogan is still true: In ministry, we must be "geared to the times and anchored to the Rock." If we understand the times (1 Chron. 12:32), we can relate to people more easily and apply the Word with greater skill, but we must not imitate the world in order to try to witness to the world. Years ago, Oswald Chambers wrote, "Today the world has taken so many things out of the church, and the church has taken so many things out of the world, that it is difficult to know where you are" (The Servant As His Lord, 17). "Today the world has so infiltrated the church," said Vance Havner, "that we are more beset by traitors within than by foes without. Satan is not fighting churches—he is joining them."
Mixed marriages (vv. 23–31). "We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons!" was the promise the Jews had made to the Lord (see 10:30 nkjv), but they did not keep it. In his survey of Jerusalem, Nehemiah saw women from Ashdod (see 4:7), Ammon, and Moab married to Jewish men, and he heard their children speaking foreign languages. (A child is more likely to learn how to speak from his mother, with whom he spends more time, than from his father who is away from home each day working.) If these children did
An enemy intruder (vv. 4–9). Not only were some of the Jews married to Ammonites or Moabites, but also an Ammonite was living in the Jewish temple! Tobiah the Ammonite (4:3) had been given a room in the temple by Eliashib the high priest (13:28). Eliashib is the
Nehemiah 13
When Nehemiah returned to the city, he discovered that the people had failed to keep their promise. (This helps to explain why one of the storage rooms was available for Tobiah.) The priests and Levites were without support and were deserting their work in order to survive. The people ignored the warnings of Moses, "Take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land" (Deut. 12:19 nkjv) and "You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you" (14:27 nkjv; and 18:1–8).
not know the language of Israel, how could they read the law or participate in the holy services? If a generation was lost to the faith, what was the future of the nation?
God's people and the people of the world can be identified by their speech. "They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood" (1 John 4:5–6 niv).
Nehemiah "contended" with them, which means he rebuked the leaders for breaking their promise and disobeying the law. Before his survey of the city was completed, he also rebuked the nobles of Judah (Neh. 13:17) and the men married to foreign women (v. 25). While the Hebrew word can refer to arguing or even physical combat, it also carries the judicial meaning of "to plead a case." Since Nehemiah presented God's case and defended it from the law, the offenders had to admit that he was right.
While ministering at a summer Bible conference, I had dinner one evening in the home of the daughter of a well-known Christian musician and her husband. Both of them were able to talk about her father, now deceased, or about music and musicians, but when the conversation turned to the Word and the Lord, they were silent. I wondered if either of them really knew the Lord, or, if they did, if they were on speaking terms with Him. They had no problem talking about the things of the world, but they did not know "the language of Zion."
The temple officers in charge of the gifts had forsaken their posts because there was nothing coming in or going out, so Nehemiah "set them in their place" (v. 11; "stationed them at their posts," niv). He then saw to it that the people brought to God the offerings that rightfully belonged to Him (Mal. 3:7–12). He appointed four men to supervise the treasury and distribute the tithes and offerings. Note that these men represented the priests, Levites, scribes, and laymen, but they all had one thing in common: They were faithful to the Lord. "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2).
Nehemiah dealt with the problem by first expressing his horror that such a thing should be done in Israel (Neh. 13:25). In a similar situation, Ezra had plucked his own hair and beard (Ezra 9:3), but Nehemiah plucked the hair of some of the offenders! Ezra had dissolved the mixed marriages (Ezra 10), but Nehemiah only rebuked the offenders and made the people promise that they would not do it again.
Nehemiah also delivered a sermon, reminding the people that Solomon, one of Israel's greatest kings, was ruined by marrying foreign women (Neh. 13:26; 1 Kings 11:4–8). In Solomon's case, his mixed marriages were a threat to the throne and the kingdom, and in Nehemiah's day, mixed marriages even threatened the priesthood. The law of Moses was clear, but both the priests and the common people had deliberately disobeyed it. Nehemiah then purified the priests and made certain that only those who were qualified served (Neh. 13:30). However, the problem with the priests was not completely settled, for the prophet Malachi had to deal with disobedient priests in his day (Mal. 1—2). How important it is that we take a stand for separation from sin "and having done all, to stand" (Eph. 6:13).
When God's people start to decline spiritually, one of the first places it shows up is in their giving. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21). The believer who is happy in the Lord and walking in His will has a generous heart and wants to share with others. Giving is both the "thermostat" and the "thermometer" of the Christian life: It measures our spiritual "temperature" and also helps set it at the right level.
The prayer in Nehemiah 13:14 is the first one recorded since 6:14 and is the seventh of Nehemiah's "telegraph" prayers found in the book. You find three more such prayers in 13:22, 29, and 31. He was in the habit of talking to God as he served Him, a good example for us to follow. He reminded God of his faithfulness and prayed that what he had done would not be blotted out. Nehemiah was not pleading for blessings on the basis of personal merit, because he knew that God's blessings come only because of God's mercy (v. 22). This prayer is similar to the one recorded in 5:19 where Nehemiah merely asked God to remember him and what he had done. He wanted his reward from God, not from men.
The support promise (13:10–14) "We will not forsake the house of our God," was the final statement the Jews made in their covenant with the Lord (10:39). This meant paying the temple tax, providing wood for the altar, and bringing the required tithes and offerings to the priests and Levites (vv. 32–39). Without the faithful support of the people, the ministry at the temple would languish, and the Levites would then scatter to the villages, where they could work the land and survive (13:10).
Someone asked the American Episcopal bishop Phillips Brooks what he would do to resurrect a dead church, and he replied, "I would take up a missionary
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captivity (vv. 16–18; Jer. 17:21–27). Did they want to have more wrath come on the people?
offering." Giving to others is one secret of staying alive and fresh in the Christian life. If all we do is receive, then we become reservoirs, and the water can become stale and polluted. But if we both receive and give, we become like channels, and in blessing others, we bless ourselves. American psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger said, "Money-giving is a good criterion of a person's mental health. Generous people are rarely mentally ill people." Someone wrote in Modern Maturity magazine, "The world is full of two kinds of people, the givers and the takers. The takers eat well—but the givers sleep well."
His third step was a very practical one: He ordered the city gates shut on the Sabbath Day. The guards had been willing to open the gates to the Gentile merchants, possibly because they were bribed, so Nehemiah put some of his own servants on duty. He also ordered the Levites to set a good example on the Sabbath and minister to the people.
The Lord's Day, the first day of the week, is not a "Christian Sabbath," because the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week and belonged especially to the Jews. Therefore, the Old Testament laws governing the Jewish Sabbath don't apply to the Lord's Day. But Sunday is a special day to God's people because it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We ought to use the Lord's Day to the glory of the Lord.
The Sabbath promise (13:15–22) When they signed the covenant, the Jews promised not to do business with the Gentiles on the Sabbath Day (10:31), but Nehemiah found the people not only doing business on the Sabbath, but also doing their daily work and carrying unnecessary burdens. The Jewish merchants didn't want to lose the opportunity to make money from the Gentiles, and the Gentiles were quick to make a profit from their Jewish neighbors.
More and more, especially in our cities, Sunday has become a day for shopping, sports, and chores around the house. The shopping center parking lot is as full on Sunday afternoons as it is on Saturdays. I once interviewed the manager of a shopping mall and asked him how he felt about being open on Sundays.
The child of God must choose spiritual wealth rather than material wealth and claim the promise of Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you" (nasb). Whoever wrote Psalm 119 made it clear that he chose God's Word rather than money (vv. 14, 72, 127, 162). King Saul made the wrong choice (1 Sam. 15), and so did Achan (Josh. 7) and Demas (2 Tim. 4:10).
"The employees and I would rather stay home," he replied, "but it's a big day for business, especially from people on their way home from church."
In our family, my wife and I tried to follow the simple principle of not doing on Sundays whatever could be done on any other day of the week, things like mowing the lawn, washing the car, shopping, and so on. The home didn't become a prison, but neither did it turn into a circus, and the children didn't seem to suffer for it.
In one of the churches I pastored, a lovely young couple began to attend with their little boy. Then I noticed that only the mother and son were attending, so I stopped at the home to see what had happened to the father. I learned that he had taken a second job on weekends so he could save enough money to get a better house. The wife confided that they really didn't need the extra money or a new house, but it was her husband's idea, and she couldn't stop him. The tragedy is, the extra money didn't go to a new house; it went to doctors and hospitals. The little boy contracted an unusual disease that required special medicine and care, and the father's extra income helped pay the bill.
The French agnostic, Voltaire, is supposed to have said, "If you want to kill Christianity, you must abolish Sunday." I'm not sure I agree with him, but I do know that many Christians have killed their joy, witness, and spiritual power by turning Sunday into an ordinary day and not putting Christ first in their week.
Nehemiah closes with two prayers (Neh. 13:29, 31) that God would remember him for his faithful service. His conscience was clear, for he knew he had done everything for the good of the people and the glory of God. There would probably be little appreciation from the people, in spite of his sacrifices, but he knew that God would reward him accordingly.
I'm not suggesting that every family with a sick child is unfaithful in their stewardship, or that God makes children suffer for the sins of their parents. But I am suggesting that nobody can rob God and profit from it. If our priorities become confused and we start putting money ahead of God, then we must expect to be the losers.
May those who come behind us find us faithful!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Nehemiah the Leader LOOKING FOR LEADERS D
Nehemiah took three steps toward changing the situation. First, he rebuked the Jews who were working and selling on the Sabbath and made them stop (Neh. 13:15). Then, he rebuked the nobles for allowing business on the Sabbath Day, reminding them that the nation's violation of the Sabbath was one cause for their
uring the French Revolution, a man was seen running down the street after a mob, moving quickly into danger.
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him but not too great for God. "Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers," said Phillips Brooks. "Pray for powers equal to your tasks." One mark of true spiritual leaders is their honest acknowledgment of their own inadequacy and their humble trust in the power of God.
"Stop! Stop!" somebody cried out. "Don't follow that mob!"
As the man continued to run, he called back, "I have to follow them! I'm their leader!"
Nehemiah was certainly not that kind of leader. He wasn't afraid of danger, but he was wise in his plans and careful in his decisions. The church today could use leaders like Nehemiah. We have a lot of rubbish to remove and rebuilding to accomplish before the world will believe that our God is real and our message is worth believing.
We have Nehemiah's brief, spontaneous prayers recorded in the book, but behind those prayers was a life of prayer as seen in chapter 1. He certainly had a disciplined prayer life, for our "telegraph" prayers accomplish little if our hearts are not in tune with God. Most Christians never realize the hours that leaders must spend in prayer in order to get the job done. "Pray for great things," said evangelist R. A. Torrey, "expect great things, work for great things, but above all, pray." Nehemiah certainly followed that advice.
What are the characteristics of this man that we ought to emulate? Let me list twelve qualities that made Nehemiah a successful leader. As you read, try to think of passages in the book of Nehemiah that illustrate these qualities.
He knew he was called of God When everything else fails, the call of God will give you the strength and resolution you need to get the job done. At first Moses resisted the call of God, but then he came to realize that God's calling was the greatest assurance of success (Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:24). Knowing that God had called him was the secret of Jeremiah's perseverance when everything around him was falling apart and his own people were against him. The worker who doesn't have a divine calling to the work is like a house without a foundation or a ship without an anchor, unprepared for the storms of life.
He had vision and saw the greatness of the work Leadership involves vision, revision, and supervision, but the greatest of these is vision. Leaders must see what others don't see and then challenge others to follow until they do see. "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down!" was Nehemiah's testimony (6:3), and he never lost that vision.
It's an old story but it bears repeating. A visitor was watching some men work on a building and began to question them. "What are you doing?" he asked one, who replied, "I'm making ten dollars a day." When he asked a second man the same question, the worker replied, "I'm laying stones in this building." But the third man answered, "Why, I'm building a cathedral!" He was the man with vision.
Nehemiah started with a burden for Jerusalem, but the burden was not the call. He wept over the sad condition of the city (Neh. 1:4), but his tears were not the call. It was as he prayed to God and sought divine help that he received a call to leave his relatively easy job and go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Because he knew God had called him, Nehemiah could approach the king and get help, and he could also enlist the help of the Jews in Jerusalem.
No matter what God has called you to do, it's a great work because it's part of the building of His church, and that's the greatest work in the world. I have often told people, "There are no small churches and there are no big preachers." In God's kingdom, every job is a big job and every servant is nothing apart from faith in the Lord.
Before you quickly move into a place of ministry, be sure God has called you and equipped you for the job. You may not think you can do it, and others may have their doubts, but if God calls you, have no fear: He will see you through.
If you lose the greatness of a vision, you will begin to cut corners in your work, stop making sacrifices, and start looking for something else to challenge you. Nehemiah realized that what he was doing was far bigger than simply repairing gates and rebuilding walls. He was seeing the Lord God of heaven and getting the Holy City ready for the coming of the Messiah!
He depended on prayer The book of Nehemiah starts and ends with prayer. And in between, Nehemiah often sends up quick prayers to heaven and asks for God's help. Nehemiah was the royal governor of the province, with all the authority and wealth of the king behind him, but he depended solely on God to help him finish the work.
He submitted to authority The call of God is not an invitation to become independent and ignore authority. Nehemiah respected the king and submitted his plans to him for his approval before he went to Jerusalem. He acknowledged what Paul wrote in Romans 13, that the powers that be are ordained of God for our good, and we should submit to them.
The Christian worker who can get along comfortably without prayer isn't getting much done for God and certainly isn't threatening the enemy too much. "To be a Christian without prayer," said Martin Luther, "is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."
Even more, Nehemiah submitted to the authority of the Word of God. He invited Ezra to teach the law to the people so that they too would obey the will of God. It is a basic rule of life that those who exercise
Nehemiah faced a gigantic task, a task too big for
Nehemiah
from Dan to Beersheba to obtain a better salary, but stopping where your Lord bade you hold the fort" (An All Round Ministry, 197).
authority must themselves be under authority. Nehemiah was a man who was dependable because he was accountable. In recent years, we have seen the sad consequences of religious leaders refusing to submit to authority and be accountable. When you read the book of Nehemiah, you meet a man whose work prospered because he submitted to God, the Word, and the king.
"The laborer is worthy of his hire" (Luke 10:7), so let's be sure we are laborers and not loiterers. There is no place in the Lord's service for lazy people who give advice while they watch other people work.
He was organized in his work Instead of rushing impetuously into the task, Nehemiah secretly surveyed the situation and became acquainted with the facts. He talked with the Jewish leaders privately and told them his plan. There were no press conferences or "pep rallies." He was simply a man willing to wait for God's direction and then act as soon as the way was clear.
He lived an exemplary life Whether it was working on the wall or feeding hundreds of guests, Nehemiah's life was blameless. His full time was devoted to the work, and he didn't permit himself to be distracted. He refused financial support that was legitimately his and instead spent his own money to help others. He identified with the people and stood right with them as together they built the walls.
After making his plan, he enlisted his workers and sought to give them the same vision for the task that God had given to him. He had a job for everyone to do and a place for everyone to work. He gave recognition to his workers and encouraged them when the going was tough. He gave them a feeling of security even though the situation was dangerous.
The enemy would have rejoiced to discover something in Nehemiah's life that would have embarrassed him and hindered the work, but nothing could be found. Not that Nehemiah was sinless, for only Jesus Christ can claim that distinction, but his life was blameless. Paul exhorts us to become blameless and harmless, "children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15 nkjv). The first qualification for the pastor (elder, bishop) is that he be "blameless" (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6).
Nehemiah's priorities were right: After the wall was finished, he held a "revival service" for the people and then publicly dedicated the walls. He planned his work and worked his plan, and God blessed him.
There is no subsitute for integrity and the good conscience that goes with it. You can face any enemy, listen to any accusation, or confront any misunderstanding if you have integrity and a good conscience. You have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. It is when people start to lead a double life that they get into trouble, for nobody can serve two masters. Hypocrisy leads to further deception, until the deceivers get caught in their own traps. Sir Walter Scott was right when he wrote:
He was able to discern the tactics of the enemy Every Christian ministry needs an "intelligence department" that keeps its eye on the enemy and recognizes when he is at work. Nehemiah was not fooled by the enemy's offers or frightened by their threats. He could say with Paul, "We are not ignorant of his [Satan's] devices" (2 Cor. 2:11).
In our study, we have noted the various devices the enemy uses to try to stop the work, and every good leader will want to understand them. Leaders must spot the enemy before anybody else does and be ready to meet him quickly and efficiently. Leaders must recognize when Satan comes as a roaring lion or as a serpent, devouring or deceiving.
O what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive!
He sought to glorify God alone
He worked hard That seems like a trite statement, but it isn't, for one of the secrets of Nehemiah's success was his willingness to sacrifice and work hard. Had he stayed back in the palace, serving the Persian king, he would have enjoyed an easy life. But once he was in Jerusalem, he went to work, he kept working, and he worked hard.
If Nehemiah had been interested only in promoting himself, he would have stayed in the palace, for there he was honored as the king's cupbearer and had an easy life. Or when he arrived in Jerusalem as the official governor, he would have used his authority to make life easier for himself. He could have "thrown his weight around" and avoided a great deal of sacrifice and toil.