Godly, Servant Leadership: A Look at the Life of Nehemiah Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, King of the great Persian Empire Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother, brings news to Nehemiah about the condition of his beloved home city Nehemiah wept and prayed in response. Four months later, Nehemiah is still sad about the state of Jerusalem and the king questions him about his sadness. Nehemiah asks for the king’s permission to go back to Jerusalem and he asks for the king’s help to rebuild the walls of the city (letters of safe-conduct, timber) When Sanballat and Tobiah, two local governors in the regions around Jerusalem, heard that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites, they were very much disturbed. After spending three days in Jerusalem, Nehemiah set out at night with a few men to inspect the walls. Then, he said to the people,

Nehemiah “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace" (Neh. 2:17). “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace" (Neh. 2:17). Nehemiah also told the people about how the gracious hand of the Lord had been upon him when he approached the king. The people responded well to Nehemiah’s plea and said, “Let’s start rebuilding.” So they began the work. However, right from the beginning, there was opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah and a new ally, Gershem who may have controlled a confederacy of Arab states north of Jerusalem. They were all threatened by the possibility of a resurgent Israel. They mocked and ridiculed the workers. Nehemiah’s response:

Nehemiah "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it" (Neh. 2:20). "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it" (Neh. 2:20). Many of the people set to work on the walls. Goldsmiths, perfurme-makers, merchants, rulers, priests and Levites, and others took on pieces of the wall. People from other cities joined the local residents in their rebuilding efforts. Some repaired the wall sections beside their homes. Scripture notes that one worker, Baruch, zealously repaired his section of the wall (Neh. 3:20). Sanballat was incredibly angry. He continued to ridicule the Jews:

Nehemiah "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?" Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building--if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones" (Neh. 4:2-3). "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?" Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building--if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones" (Neh. 4:2-3). What is Nehemiah’s response? He prays.

Nehemiah “Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity” (Neh. 4:4). “Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity” (Neh. 4:4). So the people continued their good work with all of their heart until the wall was half its height. Of course, Israel’s enemies were not impressed and they began to plot how they would attack Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s response: He prayed and posted a guard day and night to meet the threat. At this point, the Jewish workers began to get discouraged and overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the task ahead. Some of the Jews were intimidated by the threats of Sanaballat and the others. Nehemiah stationed guards at the lowest points in the wall and said to the people,

Nehemiah "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes" (Neh. 4:14). "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." From that point on, all the workers carried a weapon and the work continued. Yet, Nehemiah also faced another significant challenge. There had been famine in the land and some of the wealthy Jews had been charging interest on the loans they had extended to their fellow Jews. Some had already become slaves because of their inability to pay the interest on their loans. Nehemiah gathered the guilty parties and said,

Nehemiah "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!

Nehemiah Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them--the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil" (Neh. 5:9-11). Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them--the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil" (Neh. 5:9-11). And the people did make things right. As governor of Judah, Nehemiah had the right to receive food allotted for local official. Yet, he chose not to, so as to not add to the burden of his people. Furthermore, he fed 150 Jews and officials each day out of his own pocket. Even though the walls were taking shape quickly, Israel’s enemies had not given up. Their new tactic was to try to lure Nehemiah out of the city. They sent a message to Nehemiah, "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono" (Neh. 6:2). However, Nehemiah discerned their evil intent and replied, "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you" (Neh. 4:3)? Sanballat and his allies were trying to frighten the Jews hoping that their hands would get too weak to carry on the work. But Nehemiah prayed, "Now strengthen my hands" (Neh. 6:9). Nehemiah’s enemies even paid one of the Jews to lure Nehemiah into the temple under the pretence that someone was trying to kill Nehemiah. Doing so would have been a sin and would have discredited Nehemiah’s leadership. Nehemiah stood firm. After much prayer and hard work, the wall was completed in 52 days. As Nehemiah reports,

Nehemiah “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God” (Neh. 6:16). “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God” (Neh. 6:16).

Nehemiah Used skills Leveraged team He strengthened community He understood God’s purpose Nehemiah prayed He prayed when he heard about the devastation in Jerusalem He prayed before asking the king for permission to rebuild the walls While Sanballat and the others plotted against the Jews, Nehemiah and others prayed Summary – It is evident that Nehemiah had a strong relationship with God. This was foundational to his success as a leader. How do we cultivate a growing relationship with God? Practice meaningful spiritual disciplines Participate in loving, Christ-centred community Engage in mentoring relationships Live out your God-given calling Nehemiah was a man of character Cupbearers had to be trustworthy. In the first six chapters of Nehemiah, we see Nehemiah’s: Humility (in his opening prayer when he acknowledged God’s greatness and he confessed their sins before God, in his recognition that it was because of God’s gracious hand being upon him that he experienced success with the king) Compassion – He wept when he heard that his people were in disgrace and experiencing great trouble, he helped the poor who were paying interest on outstanding loans Justice – Helping the poor Courage – In making his request to the king, taking on the task of rebuilding the walls, dealing with both external and internal challenges Generosity (in his refusal to take the governor’s allotted food and in his feeding of 150 Jews each day) Wisdom (in the way he asked the king for letters of safe-conduct and timber, the way he responded to opposition, the way he handled the charging of interest) Integrity – Nehemiah refused to hide in the temple to supposedly save his life. Responsiveness - He saw a need and sought to meet that need (e.g. the walls, external threats, charging of interest). He was proactive in a prayerful, God-dependent kind of way. Perseverance - He persevered even in the face of demoralizing opposition and internal discord How do we develop Christ-like character? Surrender yourself to God; be filled with the Holy Spirit Know and imitate God Follow others’ example even as they follow Christ Explore historical and environmental barriers Nehemiah understood God’s purpose for him Through prayer and I would suggest, four months of thoughtful reflection and careful planning, Nehemiah discerned that God wanted him to help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. How do we understand God’s calling in our lives? Work through a guided discovery process Ask others for their perception of your calling Discern where God is blessing your efforts Find out what gives God pleasure in your life Nehemiah strengthened the Jewish community He dealt with the problem of certain Jews charging interest to their fellow Jews, he got people working together around a common vision, the finished wall provided a place of safety and solidarity How do we strengthen our sense of community within the church? Develop relationships Find or create venues for practicing the “one anothers” of Scripture Invest deeply in the lives of a few Embark on mission together Nehemiah leveraged the power of team He got people working together to accomplish a great feat How do we grow stronger teams? Encourage diversity Cultivate awareness of others’ giftings Add complementary team members Articulate a compelling team vision Nehemiah employed appropriate skills for the situation He inspected the wall He cast a vision for rebuilding the walls (then, we will no longer be in disgrace) He responded to opposition with wise counter-measures (e.g. arming the workers) He mobilized, positioned and supported the people in their important work How can we develop our strengths? Discover your current strengths Determine the kinds of skills and knowledge you need to live out your calling Focus primarily on developing the talents God has already given you Shore up weak areas that might hinder you from living out God’s call He was a man of character He prayed

Godly, Servant Leadership: A Look at the Life of Nehemiah