Building for Unity

Nehemiah 3:1-32

The direction of the wall being repaired was the Northern and Western Walls. Why (1-15)?

1. That is where the temple was.

2. Two towers for defense were on these walls. This side did not have a natural defense like the Eastern wall.

3. Building the wall was, in part, the fulfillment of Jeremiah's word (Ezra 1:1 ), and its completion would mean the restoration of the Holy City. Nehemiah 11:1

Ezra 1:1 ESV

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

Nehemiah 11:1 ESV

Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns.

Eastern Wall (16-32) This section differs somewhat from the Northern and Western Wall. It primarily consisted of houses and other buildings instead of gates. The east wall did not follow the old wall but was built further up on the crest of the hill.

Each worked

We read that everyone had a task. They rebuilt the wall and fixed the gates in their section.

If the Bride of Christ is going to have any influence in its community, it must have a solid defense.

Inside the walls is a refugee for lost people and a refilling station for the soldiers.

Nehemiah understood the importance of the wall. Without the wall, there would not be peace.

We see the priests, Levites, goldsmiths, perfumers, merchants, and families work to build the wall.

The restoration of the Jerusalem walls wasn't just about physical construction; it was a restoration of hope and faith for the people. Similarly, when we face challenges in our lives, God can bring about a restoration that goes beyond the physical, renewing our hope and faith in Him.

Separate from Pagans

Nehemiah saw the vision that God had placed in his heart. He knew that if the pagans had access to God’s people, then they would still have a stumbling block in front of them.

Rebuilding the wall was securing God’s people from things contrary to the Lord Most High.

We have read about Ahab being allured away from God by his wife, Jezebel, the daughter of the King of Sidonians. 1 Kings 16:31

1 Kings 16:31 ESV

And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.

Ahab was not the first. We read how they were disobedient in marrying foreigners and worshipping their gods. Judges 3:6 Jeremiah 22:9

Judges 3:6 ESV

And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

Jeremiah 22:9 ESV

And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.” ’ ”

This wall also represented restoration and reversal of the humiliation of defeat and destruction suffered by their sins.

Opposition

Not everyone will join in the effort to rebuild the wall. We read in verse (5) that the nobles of the Tekoites would not stoop down to serve the Lord.

Opposition can and will take all kinds of forms. It might come from people who do not desire to serve the Lord.

It can come from within people who are keen on the status quo. These will leave and cause trouble; why? The Apostle John is evident with the answer. 1 John 2:19

1 John 2:19 ESV

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Opposition brings disunity among the people if they focus on the opposition rather than the solution.

When Nehemiah set out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he faced opposition from a group of naysayers, who were determined to discourage him. Similarly, in our lives, when we set out to achieve something great, there will always be people trying to bring us down. Just like Nehemiah, we should stay focused on our goal and not be deterred by negativity.

Change Agent = Community Change

Their ability to work diligently and harmoniously to complete the task changed their community.

When the Bride works together to change what is wrong within their community, people are influenced positively and want to contribute.

Verse (15) tells us about a group of people from the district of Mizpah. These were not from Jerusalem but caught the vision and pitched in. When the Church has Unity, it becomes contagious.

When the people of Jerusalem were rebuilding the walls, each family worked on the wall section closest to their home. It was a beautiful picture of unity and cooperation. In our own lives, when we come together as a community to work towards a common goal, we can achieve great things just like they did in Jerusalem.

Application:

1. We must build a wall around our families. Building for Unity starts with Unity in our families. Some of us face challenging circumstances in our families, but you can overcome those through Jesus Christ, and this family is helping you!

2. We must build a wall around our Church Family. Building for Unity comes from the home into the Church. If we are not unified, Satan will cause strife. We can come together in Christ and seek to do His Will.

3. We must build a wall around our community (residence/workplace). We can achieve this by working with each other and believing in the vision of the Church.

I want to warn everyone. If we allow any opposition to sneak in, it can and will derail what the Holy Spirit has us doing. We need to know and understand that if they are not with us, they are probably against us. They might not even realize they are the opposition, but they are only here if they need something not to work in unity with us in reaching our community.

When Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem rebuilt the walls, they worked with one hand and held a weapon in the other. This teaches us an important lesson - even as we work hard to achieve our goals, we must always be spiritually equipped and ready to defend ourselves against spiritual attacks. This balanced approach ensures our success and safety in all aspects of life.