by David Scott Robertson
In my devotional time this morning,
I was reading Nehemiah, Chapter 3
Which chronicles the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem
Under the direction of the man of God, Nehemiah.
At first reading,
The passage reminded me of the genealogies
The Jewish writers often employed in their writing style,
Listing that the son of such-and-such did this-and-that.
But I remembered that
All scripture is "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16).
And under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
These names were included in the Holy Scriptures for a purpose.
As I re-read this passage,
It was then I began to see things that I hadn't before.
It caused me to consider that there are people in the church world today
Similar to those found in Nehemiah, Chapter 3.
3:1 "The high priest Eliashib and the other priests rebuilt Sheep Gate and hung its doors." - I've seen pastors, deacons and other church leaders working on decks, painting stairwells and doing all kinds of necessary tasks to inspire the people and lead by example.
3:2 "The people of Jericho rebuilt the next section of the wall, and Zacur son of Imri rebuilt the section after that." - I've seen individuals in the Church (like Zacur who rebuilt an entire section himself) that are so zealous for the Lord that they carry the workload of an entire group of people (like the people of Jericho who rebuilt one section).
3:3 "The family of Hassenaah rebuilt Fish Gate." - For many today, the ministry of God is a family affair. Dad, mom and the kids pull together to serve in the Master's field of labor and consequently enjoy the harvest of a rich family heritage. Perhaps it's a divorced mother single-handedly building the ethic of serving Jesus Christ holding the family together. Whatever the case, the legacy left is one of "family ministry" that keeps the family close to the Lord and to each other.
3:5 "The next section was to be repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their town leaders refused to do the hard work they were assigned." - Have you ever known anyone in the Church who turned his or her hand from the plow because the assigned work was too hard? It's a secular cliché but it has spiritual implications: "Winners never quit and quitters never win."
3:8b "Hananiah the perfume maker rebuilt the section next after that, and it went as far as Broad Wall." - Isn't it amazing how the most unlikely characters with odd occupations or talents are often precisely whom God chooses and uses to expand His kingdom? It just goes to show you that no matter who you are and what you do you can make a positive impact for the praise of His glory… if you make yourself available.
3:10 "The section after that was close to the home of Jedaiah son of Harumaph, and he rebuilt it." - Charity begins at home, or at least pretty close to home. Sometimes we don't have to go very far to find a need and meet it.
3:12 "Shallum son of Hallohesh ruled the other half of the Jerusalem District, and he rebuilt the next section of the wall. Shallum's daughters also worked with him." - God has always had a place for women in the ministry. The scriptures don't reveal how old these girls were; perhaps they were teenagers. God has, is and will continue to use young girls, young ladies and older women to do the work of the Kingdom (notice these girls didn't gripe about their assignment like the men of Tekoa!).
3:15 "Shallum son of Colhozeh ruled the district of Mizpah, and he rebuilt Fountain Gate. He put a cover over the gateway, then hung the doors and added metal bolts and wooden beams as locks." - There are always people in the Church who go above and beyond the call of duty. They go all out for God on every project they undertake. I couldn't find in my reading of Nehemiah, Chapter 3, where anyone else put a cover over the gateway. This embellishment was an added feature that made a statement by Shallum that things done for God ought to be the best. Oswald Chambers called it, "My utmost for His highest."
3:20 "Baruch son of Zabbai eagerly rebuilt the section of the wall that went all the way to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest." - Don't you love it when in the company of the saints there is someone with an eager attitude? A positive, cheerful fellow in your church that does his job with a smile on his face. You know this guy… He's the one you can go ask to do anything from weed-eat the church lawn to fix the broken urinal in the men's restroom to serve communion at a Sunday night service and he'll just smile at you and say, "I'm glad to do it!"
3:30 "Hananiah and Hanun rebuilt the next section, which was the second section for them." The scriptures teach, "Two are better than one and a threefold cord cannot be quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12) Here we see two Israelites bonded together to do a work for God. The result? They completed the work on two sections. The buddy system works today in the Church too! In agreeing prayer, it can cause ten times as many of the enemy to flee!
3:32 "The goldsmiths and merchants rebuilt the last section of the wall, which went from the corner room all the way to Sheep Gate." - How pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1) What happens when unity reigns? The "last section" gets done! In other words, we finish the work that God calls us to do. Bear in mind that the Tower of Babel was never completed because the workers got out of unity. God honors unified efforts expended under the auspices of His will and anointing.
4:1 "When Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, heard that we were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he became angry and started insulting our people." - It is not that I want to end on a negative note, but some things never change. Any time a great work for God is undertaken, we can expect the Sanballats of this world to creep out of the woodwork to preach their pessimistic gospel of negativism. We can and should take the stance that Nehemiah did, and not "come off the wall" (Nehemiah 6:3) to stop working for God in order to argue with the naysayers. We may feel better emotionally but the work of God stops. God's work must be done. God's will will be done. God's name must be exalted. Vengeance is His alone (Romans 12:19).
So, there you have it.
Times change but people usually don't.
Whether in ancient Israel building a wall
Or down at the corner church building a handicapped accessible ramp,
You are doubtless going to encounter people in your church
Who display the tendencies and attitudes of the people that
Nehemiah dealt with as they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem!
But you and I can finish the work if we adopt the attitude towards opposition that Nehemiah did:-
"They [the enemies of Israel] were all trying to frighten us, thinking, 'Their hands will get too weak from the work, and it will not be completed.' But I prayed, 'Now strengthen my hands.'" (Nehemiah 6:9 NIV).
Pray, and God will strengthen your hands to complete His work.
DSR, July 9, 1999