Nehemiah 2:16-20

Nehemiah 2:16–20 KJV (WS)

16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. 17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? 20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

Introduction

All of us have to deal with problems on a daily basis.

Problems in our country.

Problems at work.

Problems at your kid’s school.

Problems with your favorite sports team.

What about the problems that we face closer to home?

More importantly, what about the problems that bring a reproach upon us?

If you are a child of God, then a reproach on you reflects upon your God.

Same goes for your Christian family.

Same goes for our church.

How are we going to address the issues around us?

It’s going to take someone willing to step up and take the lead.

Nehemiah was that person for the city of Jerusalem.

Let’s follow along as Nehemiah goes public with his mission.

Nehemiah speaks to the people.

No one had found out about the survey that Nehemiah had taken around the city.’

We talked about the importance of strategic secrecy.

Having seen the problem for himself, Nehemiah’s process of self-preparation is complete.

He is now ready to try and unite others to assist him in dealing with the problem.

Shortly after this trip, Nehemiah addresses the city in an inspiring manner.

We know based on the completion date for the work that this address took place on August 1, 444 BC.

The passage clues us in on who is included in the audience for Nehemiah’s first address.

Verse 16 lists the Jewish citizens, the priests, the nobles, the rulers, and the workers.

Verse 17 Nehemiah says he spoke to them, the ones he mentioned in the previous verse.

Nehemiah had experienced a personal transformation that had taken him from the palace to the ruins of Jerusalem.

How is he going to communicate to the people in a way that will convince them to join him in this process?

I believe we can see in this passage how Nehemiah tries to bring the people on the same journey that he has already been on.

He starts with an attempt to move their hearts with the plight of their city.

Standing in the midst of the ruined city, Nehemiah need only invite them to look around.

Ye see = it is plainly before your eyes.

The distress that they were under was plain to anyone that would just look.

The problem is when you live among the filth for so long, you stop seeing it.

The people were so used to their situation that it no longer bothered them.

How do i know it didn’t bother them?

They weren’t doing anything to fix the issue.

Nehemiah comes with fresh eyes and encourages them to open their own eyes.

Leaders must not live in a dream world.

Nehemiah saw more at night than the residents saw in the daylight.

If anything was going to be done about the wall of the city, the people needed to be impacted by reality of their situation.

Notice also that Nehemiah sees himself as part of the city.

He easily could have been considered an outsider by the people.

He easily could have presented himself as an outsider that knew better.

Nehemiah refrained from assigning blame; instead he included himself in their plight.

He had only been in the city for a few days, but he spoke of we and us, not you and them.

This feeling started back in chapter 1 when he wept over the condition of the city.

Next, Nehemiah attempts to get the people to join him in his determination that something needs to be done about the city’s condition.

If the people will be moved by the condition of their city, then they will naturally want to know what they can do about it.

The solution is not complicated.

Nehemiah lays it out, “come and let us rebuild.”

Let us, by building our walls, put an end to the miserable conditions which gives our adversaries occasion to reproach us.

Rebuilt walls would end the exposed conditions of the city.

No more a reproach means no more an object of scorn and derision.

In Shushan, Nehemiah had been moved, he had developed a desire to do something, but then he had sought God’s favor and direction in the matter.

Here’s where the role of the leader is pivotal.

Nehemiah had spent 4 months praying and fasting about whether or not God would bless his desire.

God had prospered Nehemiah to this point.

The people had the benefit of a leader that was putting in the work to get direction from God.

As he shared with them what God had done, no one could deny the direct providence of God in reversing Artaxerxes’ decree.

The people could move forward with confidence because they had received support from the higher authorities.

So, was Nehemiah’s speech successful?

Was he able to convince the people that they had not only a responsibility but also the ability to build?

The answer is seen in verse 18.

The people said, “let us rise up and build.”

His energy inspired them.

It was his personal burden that convinced the Jews.

Their drooping spirits were removed.

It was replaced with strong hands ready to work.

Nehemiah demonstrates effective leadership in this passage.

We should give him credit for passing on what God had done in his heart.

Effective leadership is always a two way street.

Let’s give credit to the people for their role in this passage.

The Jews were not so accustomed to their situation that they thought it couldn’t be changed.

Nor did they remind Nehemiah that they had tried that once and it hadn’t worked.

They allowed an outsider to influence them.

This passage turns out very differently if they don’t do their part.

But, this isn’t the only example of leadership that we need to consider this morning.

Nehemiah speaks to the enemy. vss 19-20

Nehemiah didn’t just unite his people, but he was also able to stand up against the enemy.

The enemy was uniting people to.

Geshem is either the governor of Dedan or the chief of a tribe of Arabians living south of Jerusalem.

Geshem is the short form of Gashmu.

They start their attack on the work by ridiculing the Jews.

The enemies of Jerusalem laughed at their efforts to rebuild.

Ridicule is the weapon of those who have no other.

Anyone who has ever accomplished anything has faced ridicule.

They cast doubts that the people were capable of accomplishing the task.

Nehemiah agreed with them.

They were incapable of completing the work.

God would need to be the one to prosper them.

Finally, the enemies accuse the Jews of staging a rebellion.

Nehemiah had no intention of throwing off the yoke of the Persians.

He was still a high ranking officer in the Persian court.

How would Nehemiah respond to this overt passive aggressiveness?

Nehemiah could have ignored them, he could have debated them, instead he drew a line and defended it.

Nehemiah responds to the enemies with gravity.

If, in order to succeed in an enterprise, I were obliged to choose between 50 deer commanded by one lion or 50 lions commanded by a single deer, I should consider more certain of success with the first group than with the second.

-Vincent de Paul

God was going to give the workers success; the wall would be rebuilt.

He was confident.

Not in himself.

In the will of God.

Enemies of the work would have no part in the project, nor were they welcome in the city.

Nehemiah shows us the elements of a successful leader’s approach to a problem.

He effectively transfers the burden of his heart to the hearts of others.

He firmly stands his ground and defends the efforts of those he is responsible for.

Application

On Father’s Day, I think it very appropriate to look at how we can apply this lesson in leadership to our own lives and families, and even our church.

There are some very clear problems that we should be able to identify in our lives.

The amount of families ravaged by pornography, that’s a problem.

The amount of men that are delegating spiritual leadership in their homes to their wives, that’s a problem.

The hypocritical consumerism that plagues America’s churches, that a problem.

I ask you to do as they did and open your eyes and see the distress we are in.

I asked you several weeks ago if anything moves you the way the ruin of Jerusalem moved Nehemiah.

If anything should move us, it is the condition of our homes, our churches, and our own spiritual lives.

We could spend all day bemoaning society’s ills.

Anyone can go through life as a destroyer.

God calls his people to be builders.

What I’m asking you to do today is to rise up and rebuild or repair the things that bring reproach on God’s people.

Does God desire us to be strong believers?

Does He desire us to have strong families?

Does He want this to be a strong church?

Of course he does.

He has equipped us to be what we are supposed to be.

We have all the help and resources that we need.

We have this fellowship.

We have the word of God.

We have the Holy Spirit to make us what we need to be.

But, just be ware, there is an enemy that hates you, your family, and this church.

Don’t allow the ridicule of others to squelch the work of God in your life.

We must develop an uncompromising aloofness in favor of the truth.

Nehemiah was right when he told the enemies of Israel that they would have no part in God’s blessing.

If you will do the work to live and lead for God, you will be the one to reap the rewards of a godly life, not the naysayers.

Conclusion

Nehemiah’s situation was not unique.

We should be able to see the similarity to our life this morning.

There are areas in our own lives that require our attention and investment.

Will we heed the call to rise up and build, to rise up and repair?

Will we have the fortitude to put in the work even when others ridicule us?

If we don’t then we will have no part in the work God is doing in others.

If we do, God will prosper us.