Nehemiah 3:1-32

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Just look at the Hebrew names!

  • If someone has a grudge against you they could get you to do the Bible reading when the church reaches Neh 3 – that’s the time to go to another church!

(to business) in Nehemiah 3 we have one of the most extensive matches between archaeological remains and a single chapter of the Old Testament. All of these gates can be identified and the walls traced.

On the surface Nehemiah 3 it’s an obscure piece of civil engineering peppered with a list of Hebrew tongue twisters. However this is part of God’s word and therefore there is something for us to learn and grow from – and as soon as we start looking at Nehemiah we see all sorts of spiritual lessons coming out, especially in relation to leadership.

  • It’s a wonderful example of what can be achieved when God’s people work together with a single aim in mind.

I was reading about a man, Viggo Olsen, who helped rebuild ten thousand houses in war-ravaged Bangladesh.

  • He said he derived unexpected inspiration from reading a chapter ordinarily considered one of the least interesting in the Bible: “I was struck.. that no expert builders were listed in the `Holy Land brigade.’
  • There were priests, priests’ helpers, goldsmiths, perfume makers, and women, but no expert builders or carpenters were named” (with J. Lockerbie, Daktar [Chicago: Moody, 1973], p. 324).
  • It’s an extraordinary piece of joint building that reconstructed the wall in fifty-two days flat (see 6:15)

 

Few things have transformed society like the internal combustion engine

  • whatever you drive from 600cc fiat to a 6 litre Ferrari >>>

When we start our cars few of us give any thought to the mechanism by which all the energy embedded in the fuel gets converted into massive amounts of force that can get half a ton of metal hurtling along a motorway at 70mph

  • induction, compression, ignition, exhaust – suck squeeze bang blow >>>

Prayer is the great engine of the Christian church.

  • It provides the motivating power of human beings and releases the divine power of God himself.
  • But few of us give much thought to the mechanism of how the energy produced by prayer turns into the reality

Answer – here in Neh 1-3

How did Nehemiah’s prayer become a reality? If he had just prayed it would have been little more than a spiritual exercise But add 4 things to it and God’s plane of a rebuilt wall and a city that would give him credit could come about

  • relationships <ppt>, (Nehemiah had cultivated key relationships in his life. There was a whole network of relationship turned the crank of God’s plan)
  • initiative <ppt>, (Nehemiah took bold steps that nobody else had done to make things happen)
  • responsibility <ppt> (he took charge himself and motivated the people to get the job done)
  • devoted hard work <ppt>. (he, and the people, all got their hands dirty!

Let’s start with a principle that we glossed over last time I preached on this.

1:11 – I was cup-bearer to the king

Ask the question – how did Nehemiah get to be cup-bearer to the King?

  • How did Nehemiah become the right man in the right place doing the right for the right reason?

Principle:

He bloomed where he was planted

Nehemiah simply could not have had the clout among the residue of people in Jerusalem to get all these other people working for him had he not been the King’s representative.

Just think how he got there.

Back at home, Nehemiah and his family had every right to be bitter about their lot

  • Taken forcibly from their homeland, compelled to live in an alien environment, having to learn a new language, eat new food, submit to new laws
  • >>>

The way it almost certainly did not happen was that Nehemiah read an advert pinned to the palace gate when he was wandering idly past one day “wanted: cup-bearer no previous experience required! – apply within!

  • N had painstakingly worked his way up the court ladder to end up where he was

He built himself a reputation

  • Every time the palace wanted someone to do something with excellence, Nehemiah came to mind
  • Whenever they wanted someone who was trustworthy – N came to mind
  • Whenever they wanted someone to manage a project well, N came to mind
  • Whenever they wanted clarity and someone who wouldn’t use management speke, someone who would give a straight insightful answer to an honest question and not twoddle – Nehemiah came to mind.

And (based on the other things we know about Nehemiah) I can imagine that when there was a gap where anyone could take initiative and step in, likelihood is they’d find Nehemiah was in there sorting things out, making them better, solving problems and getting himself knows as a man of potential.

And all the time he carried this very Jewish name “Nehemiah” so the people in the palace knew, every time they used his name, that there was the God of the universe behind this man.

  • And he ended up in this position of enormous influence while at the same time he never forgot his Jewish heritage.

There’s a whole hidden story behind how N becomes cup-bearer to the king.

He’s worked his way through the ranks to this position of responsibility and influence

Important life principle:

Climb the ladder you’re on!

So many men – esp young men today – deep inside – are waiting for the big break!

To suddenly jump to a different career ladder because someone has spotted their potential and will trust them with fame and fortune (preferably fortune)

I know a lady called Wendy – she works of us at Spring Harvest – does a fantastic job. And I can tell you that if you’re going to get asked to speak on the main stage at Spring harvest the phone call will probably come from her (so be warned!)

So one day you pick up the phone “It’s Wendy from Spring Harvest here – I hear you’re a good chap – you’ve don’t a bit of speaking”

“yep, I’ve done a 5 minute spot … at my small group … once last year”

“We’d like you to preach on the main stage at Spring Harvest! We want to book you for 5 nights at Minehead”

Does it happen like that – no!

Wendy looks for people with track record, the very best Christian communicators in the world and asks them – men and women who have built a reputation for Godliness, theological insight and great communication. (That’s why it’s worth going!)

It didn’t happen like that with Nehemiah – he climbed the ladder he was already on, working faithfully and with excellence in the palace, and God expected him and needed him to do that

  • He couldn’t have got where he was by any other way.
  • It’s honouring to God to do your best, whatever it is your doing.

Col 3 “work at it heartily as serving the Lord and not men” (that’s what’s going on in Neh 3)

  • It gives you such a buzz when you realise you’re serving someone bigger than your boss.
  • Whether or not you get the big break.

I heard of a senior minister who was writing to a friend about one of his staff (not here!) “he needs to learn to work cheerfully in the inconspicuous.”

  • And where you’re planted may be hidden from view.
  • I think that’s what N was doing week in and week out! – for maybe 30yrs before in the economy of God he was catapulted into the lime-light.

In the history of revival it’s often the totally unknown and unheard of. People who have just been praying for years that God uses most powerfully.

They were content with the inconspicuous and God used them.

E.g. Christian and Peggy Smith – 82 & 84 years of age. One blind, the other crippled with Arthritis. They prayed in the 1949s that God would pour out blessing on the far reaches of Scotland n the North of Scotland . Praying God would send revival to the Hebrides. The last great move of God in the British Isles (arguably) took place because of two praying sisters.

  • Whoever said that to be effective you’ve got to be famous!

Be a DNA bearer

Every project or organisation or church has its own DNA, it’s own set of values that make it what it is

  • Nehemiah was the one who carried the DNA for this project. His drive, His initiative, his insight, his team building all worked together to achieve this remarkable project.

And did you notice the list of people involved- let me talk you through some of them.

5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

Tekoa was a small town 5 miles south of Bethlehem

The job got done but they didn’t put much effort into it.

  • ‘nobles’ (Literally ‘exalted ones’) – aristocrats who disdained manual labour
  • ‘shoulders’ Literally the word for the back of the neck. Probably a reference to oxen pulling a yoke
  • Possibly they thought repairing walls was beneath them. (=> always be willing to do the humble job)

‘supervisors’ Literally ‘lords’ (adonai) Interestingly, 600 years later the Tekoans were called up to fight in a war by another king (Bar Kochba) and they refused to be mobilised. (Possibly thinking this too was too much like hard work) so Bar Kockba turned his troops on them and wiped them out!

8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

You know how rough the hand of perfumiers are!

“What can I do Nehemiah” – “here’s your pick-axe!”

These people (goldsmith and perfumier) were doing something that wasn’t in their direct line of expertise, they were just turning their hand to it.

And they embodied the DNA of the project.

We have to be just a bit careful about our theology of gifting >>>

  • We’ve got to be careful that when we find our spiritual gift that that that’s the only thinking I’m ever supposed to do!
  • Our gifting policy >>>
9 Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section.

Here is the governor getting his hands dirty!

12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

The same applies here but look at who else was getting their hands dirty!

  • The whole family brought in to the task of rebuilding.
13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. They also repaired five hundred yards of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

500 yards is a huge distance – probably this was less damaged

17 Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district.

Spiritual leaders getting their hands dirty too – He could have said “oh I’m a levite, a priest, a minister I ought not to be doing this!”

  • instead he bore the DNA of the project
20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

Zealous about their work! >>>

27 Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.

The men of Tekoa did double duty, whereas their nobles ducked out!

I’m calling you to a massive building effort in 40 DOC! >>>

Know who’s driving

This comes on the back of Ezra 4 where Ezra tries to build a wall but is prevented. He’s a priest – he’s a spiritual leader and gets the run-around from the local authority.

Ezra had a great pan for refurbishment BUT

Ezra 4:4-5 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.
5 They hired counsellors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

News got back to the king and it was spun to him in such a way as to make it look like a rebellion

Ezra 4:21-22 Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.
22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

So now we can see what a remarkable turnaround this building all the wall represents! – All because Nehemiah bloomed where he was planted!

  • And here he was in the driving seat, as the King’s representative, having no nonsense from people who thought they would try to stop them (even though it obvious hurt Nehemiah deeply at times) If no-one claims to be driving then seldom will anything happen!

Principle: When gifting and ministry coincide then god’s blessing flows. That was Nehemiah in this situation.

Pra