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Nehemiah 3: All Hands on Deck

Read Nehemiah 3

Churches the world over are familiar with the classic working bee. Someone needs help moving or cleaning, or church property needs maintenance. All hands on deck. Everyone has a task, big or small. Ideally, the difficult building work is left to tradesmen and those skilled, while the rest of us help with cleaning and tidying or shifting things (dirt, timber, possessions). But the job gets done.

Suddenly in Nehemiah 3, we encounter an Old Testament working bee. God’s people, guided and directed by Nehemiah, began the massive task of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. While there were some that refused to get involved, overall what occurred was an amazing demonstration of the unity of God’s People, led by God’s appointed leader, doing God’s will.

Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem was followed by careful, and quiet, planning. It was only when Nehemiah had his plan ready that he explained the reason he had been sent, and called on God’s People in Judah to join him in the work. The sign-up sheet was passed around, but who would write their name down?

The first to step up, and show servant leadership along the way, was the high priest Eliashib and his family to repair the Sheep Gate (v.1). These were the men set apart for service in the temple. Surely they were exempt from the working bee? Perhaps in the world, but among God’s People, leadership is sacrifice and service. Eliashib set the example to God’s People.

He was not alone. Ordinary people, whether from Jerusalem, Jericho, or Tekoa came and did their part in rebuilding the wall (vv.2-5). We do not know their backgrounds, except that they answered Nehemiah’s call and came.

Sadly not all answered. The nobles of Tekoa were too important to concern themselves with such lowly labour (v.5). Their self-importance is now permanently displayed in Scripture.

But ordinary people from ordinary backgrounds lent a hand. Among them, perfumers and goldsmiths set aside skilled crafts for hard labour (vv.6-8).

The great joined the task too. Rulers of parts of Jerusalem joined the work (vv.9-12). Even their daughters came and laboured. In our day, that does not surprise, but in Nehemiah’s day it was highly unusual for women to work in back-breaking labour like moving stones. Yet in God’s service, there is room for us all to contribute in ways that are sometimes outside the norm.

And contribute, they did. Rulers from other areas of Judah, together with members of their families or villages came to help (eg, vv.13-16). Surely the state of Jerusalem’s walls were none of their business! Yet they came anyway to help the cause.

The Levites and priests pitched in and repaired the walls on either side of the high priest’s house (vv.17-22). The work of wall repair was just as holy a calling as the sacrifices in the temple were.

The work continued around the wall. Nehemiah, although the command is not written here, clearly arranged for labourers to focus on the area of wall closest to where they lived (vv.23-32). Besides sharing the load around, this would provide some extra personal motivation to see the work completed.

Here was unity in action. Nobles. Merchants. Priests. Levites. City officials. Women. Men. Craftsmen. These were not the ordinary bricklayers of their day. Despite that they contributed to the work. They united as a people, under Nehemiah’s leadership, and rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem.

Their work ensured that the temple, where God would come to dwell with his people, was protected. That Jerusalem, the special place in all the world that God had appointed for his house, was protected from attack by those who rebelled against the rule and reign of God.

Even if they were not locals, but lived in surrounding towns, villages, and areas, Jerusalem meant something to them. It was the focal point of their worship. So they pitched in to help.

There are lessons here for us all. Firstly, the importance of unity towards a common goal. The unity of God’s People to doing God’s will led to great progress. It is no less different today. The church combined, with everyone doing their part, can achieve great things which bring glory to God and proclaim Christ to the nations. We should never despise working together, or the individual part we can play however small.

Secondly, when it comes to doing the Lord’s work, we are all involved. It does not matter if we have a title or not. We are all enabled to do our part in the work. We are not too important or not important enough for the task. Our Lord Jesus has assigned us all separate parts of our “wall” to tend and rebuild.

As we labour, we must remember that we do not do it for ourselves but for Jesus. Nehemiah is barely mentioned in this passage, sitting in the background. But he organised and led. Likewise, although we labour it is Jesus who is the one building his church, and directing through his Holy Spirit. 

His leading directs us in fulfilling God’s will.




Nehemiah 2:9-20: Trusting God More

Read Nehemiah 2:9-20

Sometimes the heart in mouth moments help build your trust. The first (or bumpy) aeroplane flight. Practice driving in a busy city. Standing in front of the class to deliver a speech. The crazy set of circumstances where God answers your prayer, in a way you did not see coming. Nehemiah knew all about that last one, and it helped him trust God more.

Nehemiah’s actions show how his experience of God’s good hand caused him to trust God more. Even so, Nehemiah knew the world he lived in, and was sensible in his approach and bold in his leadership. Jesus, on a divine mission to repair the relationship between God and man, was the same. Nehemiah’s example encourages us to trust God more, but to operate in the world God has placed us in, as we learn to trust him more.

The events that led Nehemiah to travel to Jerusalem must have felt like a whirlwind. All of a sudden, he went from a saddened, praying man privileged to bear the king’s drinks, to a man appointed by the king to repair Jerusalem’s walls. It was the sort of situation where he could only but acknowledge that the good hand of God was upon him (v.8).

His journey, probably several months long, is barely mentioned in passing. He arrived and provided his letters of appointment to “the governors of the province Beyond the River”, accompanied by “officers of the army and horsemen” (v.9). 

Ezra had declined such a guard, but Nehemiah took it. Different situation, different answer. Ezra was proving a point to the Persian king, his officials, and his fellow Israelites. Nehemiah knew he would face opposition, and took every opportunity to enjoy the king’s support.

His wisdom was well placed. Even from the outset, Sanballat and Tobiah were displeased that favour was falling on the Israelites in Judah (v.10).

Three days after arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah quietly surveyed the state of Jerusalem’s walls (vv.11-15). Nobody knew why he was there, other than that the king had sent him. By going at night, with only a small group, he was able to observe and plan without spies of his opposition getting wind to conduct a pre-emptive strike.

All of this was done secretly. Nehemiah did not know who he could trust. Who would support him, and who would oppose? Nehemiah did not know the local leadership, and did not tell them his purpose straight away (v.16).

But he knew that God’s good hand was upon him, and while God may not have given him detailed drawings and building instructions, he knew that he was doing God’s will. So with the planning complete and everyone guessing, it was time to inspire the troops.

Nehemiah identified himself with the Israelites there, and pointed how “you see the trouble we are in” with the gates and walls in ruins (v.17). To glorify God by demonstrating to the world that they were his chosen covenant people, they needed to rebuild the walls (v.17). They knew God was at work, because Nehemiah told them of how he came to be with them (v.18).

Nevertheless, Nehemiah and Israel faced opposition. The devil is always on the prowl when it comes to ways to frustrate God’s plan and harm God’s people. Sanballat and Tobiah, together with a man named Geshem, jeered and mocked Nehemiah and accused him of treason against the king (v.19). They were worried the rising stocks of the Israelites would affect their own position. 

Nehemiah responded that they had “no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem” (v.20) to consider it part of their fiefdom. Instead, “the God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build” (v.20). The devil was attempting to hinder God’s plan, but Nehemiah trusted God more.

Sometimes trusting God requires bold outspoken acts, like Peter and the Apostles before the Jewish Council in Jerusalem. Sometimes, trusting God requires careful planning and secrecy that the forces of the devil or the unbelieving world are kept guessing as to intentions. Sometimes, trusting God requires pressing forward without the state’s help. Sometimes, trusting God means accepting its assistance.

Nehemiah understood the times and problems he faced. Jesus too, understood the world he walked in. Jesus avoided openly talking of himself as the Messiah to avoid misunderstood notions of earthly rule. Jesus spoke in parables. Jesus withdrew from crowds and opportunities because it was not yet his time. There is nothing wrong with discretion applied to our circumstances. It did not stop Nehemiah or Jesus being bold in their leadership. We can be so too.

Nehemiah was able to act wisely, and lead boldly, because he knew that God was using him. Jesus also knew the same, from his youngest days, as he fulfilled God’s mission which Nehemiah had continued to save us from our sins. Because we can see God’s good hand in our lives, saving us, we can wisely act in the world we inhabit, all the while learning to trust God more.




Nehemiah 2:1-8: The Good Hand of God

Read Nehemiah 2:1-8

God is, by his very nature, good. God cares for his Creation, and cares for us. God especially delights to care for his covenant people. He does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. The longer we go through life, and see the evidence of God’s goodness in our lives, the more we start to understand this truth spread throughout Scripture.

For Nehemiah, writing his memoirs, he learned of God’s good hand in very dramatic circumstances. Saddened by the state of Jerusalem’s walls, Nehemiah’s prayers seemed to go unanswered. Until, in the Persian King’s presence, they were answered in a terrifying and amazing way. Nehemiah’s story shows us God’s good hand at play in his life. His recognition teaches us to see God’s goodness to us as well, as give praise and honour to him.

In Chapter 1 we were introduced to Nehemiah as a man of prayer. Confronted by the defenceless state of Jerusalem, Nehemiah turned to the Lord in prayer. He acknowledged both the sinfulness of God’s people (and their just judgement), but also God’s goodness and promises to them. Nehemiah prayed that God would answer his prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem’s walls.

I bet Nehemiah had no idea he was about to be the answer to his own prayers. Yet that is what happened, according to God’s goodness. Four months of prayer later, Nehemiah as cupbearer to the King “took up the wine and gave it to the king” (v.1).

Previously he had managed to wear his face in front of the king, but on this day the mask slipped. “And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid” (v.2). Pro tip – do not appear sad in front of a despot when your job requires you to look happy.

Since Nehemiah was not involved in palace intrigue, he spoke plainly to the king. “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” (v.3)

The king, moved by God, was surprisingly receptive to Nehemiah. Instead of ordering him thrown in jail or worse, he asked “What are you requesting?” (v.4)

Nehemiah, with the sort of short prayer asking for help and the right words which we fire away in God’s direction right before we commit ourselves (v.4), then responded to the king. “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” (v.5)

Now that was a bold request! Yet backed by his short prayer to God, he hoped that he might be the answer to his own prayer. Have you ever found yourself in that situation? Watch out when you pray, because you might just find that the case!

Perhaps Nehemiah had given thought to the possibility he might be the answer, because when the king asked how long he would be away to do this, Nehemiah’s answer found favour (v.6).

What followed then were logistics. Nehemiah would need letters from the king authorising his journey and authority as governor (v.7), and letters to Asaph who kept the king’s forests to give him the timber he would need as part of the reconstruction efforts (v.8).

All this, the king provided to Nehemiah. Why? “For the good hand of my God was upon me” (v.8).

It was only with the benefit of hindsight that Nehemiah would have been able to write that. As the king saw his gloomy face and commented in a way which could have spelled doom, Nehemiah’s heart would have been in his mouth. 

Yet the whole situation was God’s answer to Nehemiah’s prayer. Perhaps in a way that he did not think would happen (although he must have considered the possibilities at some point). But most definitely the good hand of God upon Nehemiah, and for God’s good purposes.

While you might not have to face a despotic king, this scenario might be something you have experienced. Recent events in my own life have felt like a whirlwind answer to prayer in a way I did not quite expect. So too, God might answer prayers in your own life in a way which you did not quite anticipate.

Nehemiah’s instinct to pray in that situation is one which is solid advice for us too. What can we do in these situations but throw a quick prayer to the Lord for the right words to say at that time, and trust in him?

We can trust in him, because God’s good hand has been shown through the Son entering the world as our Saviour, dying for our sins. Because Christ reconciled us to God, we experience God’s good hand in our lives in expected and unexpected ways, as he guides us through life.




Nehemiah 1:1-11: Man of Prayer

Read Nehemiah 1:1-11

There are lots of things that set someone apart as a person of character and integrity. It could be a position they hold, especially when they are faithful and diligent in that role. But sometimes people appear like that but are secretly untrustworthy, betraying the faith placed in them. Ultimately, it is the value of someone when they are not being watched that matters, especially when it is the character of someone devoted to prayer.

The book of Nehemiah introduces us to the man, and his personal character. But most importantly, it introduces us to a man of prayer. Nehemiah’s concern for God’s Kingdom is reflected in his persistent and humble prayer, an example that encourages us to regularly approach God’s throne with our own requests.

The Book of Nehemiah picks up the story of God’s People where Ezra’s book left off. While Ezra laboured in Jerusalem to bring about reform, Nehemiah was another of the Jewish people in exile serving the Persian King.

We are introduced to Nehemiah as he serves in the role of cupbearer to the king (v.11). This was a prestigious role, because of the immense trust placed in this person. They literally drank the very wine which the king would drink, to make sure it was not laced with poison.

This made Nehemiah an extremely trustworthy man. It spoke volumes about his character and integrity, that he had made his way to that position, serving the leader of a massive empire. It also showed that Nehemiah, like (probably) Ezra and Mordechai, were faithful servants of the earthly kingdom in which they dwelt, rather than plotting its overthrow.

Yet while this character and integrity is important, it is not what the opening passage focuses on. Instead, it focuses on Nehemiah as a man of prayer.

Nehemiah’s message began during winter months when the king lived in Susa, when Hannani and a group of the Jews arrived (v.2). Nehemiah pumped them for information regarding God’s People and the rebuilding of Jerusalem (v.2).

But the answer was bad news. The returnees were “in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire” (v.3). Since Jerusalem’s destruction by Nebuchadnezzar was hardly breaking news for Nehemiah, this suggests that perhaps the events of Ezra 4 are in view. Rebuilding began not just on the temple but the walls too, until it came to a sudden halt.

Nehemiah’s response was not to complain to the media or work the phones, but to pray. Nehemiah was extremely upset by the situation report. He “wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (v.4). Nehemiah understood it was ultimately God who could change the circumstances.

That prayer began by recognising God as great and awesome, a God who keeps his promises and is faithful to those who are faithful towards him (v.5). This was followed by a request that God would hear his prayer, repeated day and night; while bold, faithful, and persistent, this prayer was also humble (v.6). Nehemiah did not pray like he was giving orders, but with confession of sin, both for his people but also for himself (v.6). In particular, that he and his people had been given God’s Word and yet not kept them (v.7).

Nehemiah acknowledged God’s character and nature, as a God who rightfully punished his covenant people for their wrongdoing as they had been warned, and yet also promised to preserve a remnant (vv.8-9). Those that Nehemiah interceded for were God’s servants, whom he had redeemed (v.10).

Therefore, Nehemiah asked God to hear his prayers and use him in some way as an instrument of God’s mercy to his people (v.11). He does not know how this will happen, but asks that God uses him to make things right anyway.

That is the posture of a man, or woman, of prayer. Nehemiah’s prayer provides a helpful model for us as we pray; acknowledging God’s greatness, confessing our sinfulness, and making our requests for God to move but in the context of God’s goodness and character.

Nehemiah’s prayer also recognised that it was God who could change things. He submitted to God’s rule and reign, expressed over Creation and over his covenant people. Like Nehemiah, we too should pray recognising God’s rule and reign, which finds its full expression in Jesus’ reign as our King as well as our Saviour.

Because like Nehemiah, we too must rely on God’s mercy. That mercy was demonstrated to Nehemiah’s contemporaries by their protection and return from exile. It is demonstrated to us by our redemption from our sinful ways, the forgiveness shown to us through Jesus as he took our sins onto himself as he died in our place on the Cross, so we might be reconciled to God.

No doubt Nehemiah’s prayerfulness affected his character, making him more godly. As we pray like Nehemiah did, in Jesus’ name, we too will see our character changed to become more like Christ’s.