Servant Leadership

***Series Title Slide***

Today we continue our series from the book of Nehemiah. We’ve titled this series Pray, Plan, Persevere. All through this book we see Nehemiah as a man of prayer - we’ve seen prayers for guidance, prayers for protection and a prayer to give the enemies what they deserve.

We’ve also seen Nehemiah make plans - plans for the materials he needed, plans in the last chapter to protect those who are working and ultimately plans to have the wall around Jerusalem rebuilt.

God’s people have had to persevere - persevere to rebuild a city that was in ruins, persevere against mocking and ridicule and last week we saw them persevere in the midst of physical danger and attack.

***Sermon Title Slide***

This week we’ll see a slight shift in the rebuilding plans. Yes, the wall still needs to be finished and the work continues, but another piece of rebuilding that was needed was a spiritual “rebuild” of God’s people.

As we consider this chapter, we’ll see Nehemiah as a model for servant leadership.

Let’s read the first six verses of this chapter...

Nehemiah 5:1–6 NIV

1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” 3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.” 4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.” 6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.

The first quality of a servant leader is:

A servant leader listens and has compassion

There were three main complaints...

They were so many that food was hard to come by

The famine caused them to borrow against their possessions

They were being charged interest that forced God’s people into slavery

The lack of food in a famine was likely not in their control, but how they treated one another during the famine and the need for food very much was.

I imagine there were several other things spoken to Nehemiah at the time, but he summarized what he heard in these few verses.

We’ve seen this from time to time in our day today. At the beginning of the pandemic, people bought cases and cases of hand sanitizer and then increased the cost when there was a shortage. I have see the contrary in the last few flood events that we’ve had.

People donating their time, water, resources to help those in need. That kind of behavior is in contrast to what we see here in Nehemiah.

People were taking advantage to the point where people had to sell their children into slavery. When Nehemiah heard all of this, he was angry…not just angry, but very angry and rightfully so.

He had compassion for the wrongs being done to his fellow man. Look at his response...

Nehemiah 5:7–9 NIV

7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say. 9 So I continued, “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?

The first thing Nehemiah did was as he said…to ponder them in his mind.

That is the next quality of a servant leader...

A servant leader does not react out of emotion

Certainly, there is still some emotion in the comments he made to nobles and officials, but that comes after a period of pondering. I think this world would be a much better place if people took time to ponder before they opened their mouths and respond from anger or fear.

Nehemiah said he pondered in his mind, but I would add pray to this. It is no small thing to accuse someone. You’ll want to have your facts straight and know how God would want you to respond. It may even be helpful to have the advice of a more mature person to help you sort through it.

A word of caution. There is a fine line between getting advice from a more mature, trust person and gossip. If this other person you want to talk can’t help you solve the problem, you’re likely engaged in gossip.

Next Nehemiah addresses the sin directly and directs them to God. That’s our next quality of a servant leader

A servant leader courageously deals with sin and points to God.

These people that Nehemiah confronted were not just anybody. They were the leaders…scripture says they were nobles and officials. Sometimes it can be intimidating to call out our leaders. We might find them to be unapproachable or even untouchable. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be call out if they are engaged in something wrong.

Nehemiah specifically laid out the charges against them and was pretty specific about it. Not it says that they kept quiet because they could find nothing to say. It would appear by that statement that Nehemiah gave them an opportunity to respond. Not having a response, he appealed to their fear of the Lord in their sin and reproach of the gentiles in that sin.

In the same way today, people outside the church have a lot to say about the sin that exists within the church. When the church acts this way, we are not walking in the fear of the Lord.

Let’s read what Nehemiah does next...

Nehemiah 5:10–13 NIV

10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.” 12 “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!” At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

Here is our next quality of a servant leader....

A servant leader lays out a plan of restoration and asks for a commitment.

So often in this world today, when someone messes up, they get cancelled. I think if we are honest with ourselves, that is the path we are most comfortable with. Lock’em up and throw away the key.

It takes a different kind of community and leader to approach someone who has messed up and give them a path to restoration. Now restoration does not mean getting everything back. If someone steals, we are not going to put them in charge of the money. If someone has mistreated a child, we are not going to let them serve in children’s ministry....But neither of those things should keep someone from being a part of the body of Christ provided they’ve followed the plan for restoration.

Nehemiah gets a response to the plan from those who had done wrong. We will do as you say. And when Nehemiah reminded them of what would happen if they broke their word, the people responded with Amen and praised the Lord.

There are people that are here in this church today who have done some things they are not proud of. In some cases you might even be disgusted with some of those things. But those people agreed to follow the plan set before them. They said Amen and praised the Lord because there was a second chance for them.

Let’s finish up the chapter and see the last quality of a servant leader.

Nehemiah 5:14–19 NIV

14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land. 17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people. 19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.

The last quality of a servant leader from our passage:

A servant leader leads by example.

Nehemiah had just asked the nobles and officials to not charge interest. He could not have done that if he was placing a heavy burden on the people. He didn’t ask for the governor’s food allotment. He was also on the front lines of the work on the wall. He also fed 150 people from his own supplies.

Nehemiah wanted to make sure that what he was asking others to do, he was already doing.

He ends this section with a prayer.

Nehemiah 5:19 NIV

19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.

This is the reason he did it all. He didn’t do it to be remembered by people. He did it to be remembered by God. If he was trying to please people, he would have not challenged the nobles and officials. They were the ones with the most influence. He did the right thing according to scripture that he might be remembered by God.

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I imagine a few ways in which we might see ourselves in today’s lesson. I think when we read scripture it is natural for us to relate to someone in narrative.

We might be able to relate to those who we wronged by people in power. In our passage, they were overcharged and forced into slavery. They lost everything. Perhaps you can relate to that.

We might be able to relate to those nobles and officials who had done wrong to others. If this is you, it is never too late to make things right.

In a way, we should all want to relate to Nehemiah. Not that we all want to be in charge of a wall rebuilding project, but that we would have the qualities of Nehemiah in the areas of leadership that we have. If you are in this room, you are probably a leader in some aspect of your life…even if it is just yourself.

Will you commit to being a servant leader?

I want to speak to one more thing. At the beginning of this book, Nehemiah is given a God led burden - the task of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. I can remember several different times in my life where God has led me in certain ways. Where he spoke certain things into my life. At times I didn’t want to share them because then it makes it real...

What I’ve learned is that when I did speak them, it allowed others to pray with me about it. It allowed others to help me clarify and make a plan on how to move forward with it.

Has got put a holy burden in you? Would you be willing to come and share and have me pray with you about it?

Closing remarks, invitation