Introduction to Nehemiah

Nehemiah is typically used as an example of biblical leadership.  Certainly there are many leadership principles that are illustrated by Nehemiah.  However, the book was not written as a manual for leadership.  It was written as a historical account of the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem from a physical, spiritual and political perspective.  Originally the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were united in one book and when they were first separated they were called First and Second Ezra.  This would lead us to believe that Ezra is most likely the author of the book but he often quotes the historical journal of Nehemiah which accounts for the numerous references to Nehemiah in the first person.  Chronologically, the events described in the book of Esther would fall between the events of Ezra and Nehemiah.  Perhaps the influence of Esther and her uncle Mordecai helps to explain the receptivity of the king to Nehemiah’s proposal.  The captivity is coming to an end and God is causing the political leaders to look favorably upon His people once again.  God is faithful to chastise His people in their disobedience but He is also faithful to keep His promises.  The decree to rebuild the city is prophetically significant as it seems the most likely fulfillment of the 70 weeks prophecy found in the book of Daniel.  The events at the end of the book are the final events recorded in Scripture prior to the New Testament.  There are many valuable lessons we can learn about life and ministry from this book.

PHYSICAL RECONSTRUCTION: The first group of exiles that returned to Jerusalem focused on the rebuilding of the temple.  This was a large undertaking but did little to improve the security of the city or the overall living conditions of the people.  Nehemiah was one of the exiles that God had strategically placed in a place of government service in much the same way as Daniel and Esther.  He had direct access to the king as his cup bearer and was a highly trusted member of the court.  While his body was in Persia his heart was with his fellow countrymen in Jerusalem.  When he received word of the condition of the city and the walls surrounding it his heart was broken.  There are many lessons that we can lean from Nehemiah in this instance.  First we see that he was sensitive to the needs of others.  Selfishness is bound up in the heart of men.  It is so easy for us to focus on our own needs and circumstances.  Nehemiah had a good job, comfort and security for himself and his family but demonstrated that he was more concerned about others than himself.  His sensitivity led him to make the situation a matter of earnest a fervent prayer.  Self-confidence is another human tendency that Nehemiah avoided.  Instead of assuming he had all the answers and jumping in with both feet he began to fast and pray about the situation and ask God for wisdom, direction as well as divine intervention in the hearts of authorities.  Out lack of prayer and fasting is a very likely explanation for our lack of spiritual power and productivity.  His time in prayer led him to do some very specific planning so that when the time came to present a proposal to the king he was well prepared.  He demonstrated great tact and wisdom in the way he approached the king allowing the king to ask questions that he was already prepared to answer.  He didn’t simply present problems but also had both solutions and made himself available to resolve the problem.  He worked under his established authority, perceived potential problems, took practical steps to resolve them and made his requests very clear.  Strategic thinking is very important but sacrificial availability must accompany our plans.  Upon arrival in the city Nehemiah did not immediately reveal his plans to the general public.  He inspected the job first hand so he would be able to speak to the people with first-hand knowledge.  He realized the job would require much dedication and cooperation so he took great effort to inform and motivate the people of the city and inspired them by revealing his plan as well as God’s provision through the king.  People long to be involved in that which is successful and meaningful.  When we seek to motivate people we must demonstrate confidence, offer hope and inspire them by demonstrating opportunities to participate in that which is eternally significant.  Once the work started Nehemiah demonstrated a great balance between delegation and personal involvement.  This is always a difficult but vital task in leadership.  We must trust and empower other leaders without making them feel abandoned and alone in the work.  Nehemiah did not allow opposition and disappointment to shake his trust in the Lord or intimidate him into quitting.  Anything worthwhile will encounter opposition. It is very important to take these attacks seriously but also remain steadfast in our trust in the Lord and take any preventive measures we can.  The job was accomplished in remarkable time.  Nehemiah had great success because he loved people, depended upon God, planned strategically, submitted to authority, took initiative, empowered others, anticipated problems, worked hard, led by example and persevered in the face of adversity.  These are great qualities that all of us should strive to emulate in all of our endeavors.   

SPIRITUAL RESTORATION: God was not only concerned about the physical well-being of His people; He also was grieved by their spiritual disobedience.  When Nehemiah discovered that some of the wealthier families were enslaving those who were less fortunate he took immediate action.  This type of exploitation was unacceptable to God and he used Nehemiah took immediate action to resolve the problem.  When God wants to bring about spiritual restoration in the lives of His people it always centers around the teaching of God’s Word.  Ezra lead this effort to instruct the people by gathering them together, reading the Word, explaining the Word and training others to explain the Word.  Great effort was made to assure that every person heard the Word of God and received instruction in his own language.  God continues to consider the teaching of His Word in every language to be His priority in the world.  He is constantly looking for people who are willing to dedicate themselves to the study of God’s Word with the intention of explaining God’s Word to those who do not have access to His Word or are living in disobedience to His Word.  We have the responsibility to be attentive to God’s Word, respond to God’s Word by repenting of our sin, committing ourselves to living in accordance with His Word, walking in obedience and then instructing others to do the same.  This was more vital to the restoration of Jerusalem as the construction projects.  Too often we focus exclusively on the physical needs of people.  There is nothing more important than the eternal destiny of a man’s soul.  No matter how dire a person’s physical needs might be; their spiritual needs will always outweigh them.  God used Nehemiah and Ezra to meet both of these needs just as He continues to call each one of us who have trusted Christ to do the same.

POLITICAL REFORMATION: Power struggles are common in nations, churches and even families.  The resettling of Jerusalem was no exception.  Nehemiah had been appointed as governor of the region by the king.  Inevitably, this created jealousy amongst those who had previously been in charge or who desired to assume power.  Nehemiah did not throw his weight around by abusing his power or even take advantage of the perks of his position.  He was a sacrificial servant leader who did his job with excellence and without an inkling of corruption.  He organized the people, distributed responsibilities, punished evil, rewarded good and exercised the responsibilities of his office without view of personal gain.  We desperately need political, ecclesiastical and familial leadership that follows this model.  Nehemiah was a competent administrator and established policies so that the nation functioned efficiently.  He was a courageous enforcer of the Law and was not worried about being “politically correct.”  When he saw injustice or corruption he threw the perpetrators out on their ear and even went so far as to yank out an offender’s hair and beard.  Every group of people will have rebels.  Leaders who are more concerned about their popularity than justice will try to appease everyone and not offend anyone in order to promote themselves.  Nehemiah was not this type of leader and we should not be either.