The Builders

Welcome

Good morning everyone and welcome. As we continue on in Nehemiah, we are finally going to see when the work begins on the walls of Jerusalem. At the end of chapter 2 we saw Nehemiah explain what was on his heart from God to do, and he then puts out this call to the people to rebuild the walls. The people hear it and agree that everyone should work to rebuild the walls.

Prayer

Opening

Chapter 3 is a detailed list of the work that happens on the wall around Jerusalem. This morning, we are going to read all of chapter 3 and then we will look at a few highlights from this chapter and see what it means for us in our lives today. As we read though, you will likely think, “Why on earth are we reading this? Why can’t we skip this? Why don’t we just summarize it?” And I will say that if I ever preach on this chapter again, I will likely summarize it. But I want this moment to also illustrate the importance of bible reading. This passage is included for a reason. Is it easier for us to summarize it and just highlight a few verses? Sure. But these names are recorded for a purpose. It’s in the Bible and so I think it is still good an appropriate to spend time reading the words out loud during out time of corporate worship.

With that being said, this passage has all kinds of names. Please don’t think that I know how to pronounce them all correctly. I know that this passage might be boring to listen to, but once again, it’s here for a reason and it’s good for us to read it.

Nehemiah 3

Nehemiah 3 NIV

1 Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them. 3 The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. 4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. 5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors. 6 The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. 7 Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah—Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth—places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. 8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. 10 Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him. 11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters. 13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. They also repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate. 14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. 15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David. 16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes. 17 Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. 18 Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites under Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah. 19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle of the wall. 20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it. 22 The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. 23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner, 25 and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower. 27 Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel. 28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. 31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; 32 and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

Engage

When I was reading Nehemiah 3 this week, I was reminded of something that happens in Amish communities. In Amish communities, when a family needs a new barn, they don’t hire that process out to a contractor. Instead, they tell their neighbors, the community hears about it, and on some Saturday they get together and build this barn. This is a community effort. Men, women, kids, everyone shows up and everyone does something to help make this barn come together in literally a day. At the end of the day the barn is built because every person has done their job.

Barn Video

This barn only comes together because of the community. It is only built because the people come together and everyone does what needs to be done. That’s the picture we find in Nehemiah 3. At first glance, it might look like a long list of names and gates. But if you step back, you see something powerful: God’s work advances when everyone takes their part. Let’s look at a couple of highlights from this passage then and see some interesting things that take place.

Leaders and Priests Worked Too (3:1)

Nehemiah 3:1 NIV

1 Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.

That’s striking. The high priest—the most important religious leader in Jerusalem—rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He wasn’t above swinging a hammer or carrying stones. And notice where they started: the Sheep Gate. This was the gate through which sacrificial animals were brought into the city. The priests rebuilding that gate is a foreshadowing of Christ, the Lamb of God, who would one day come as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Application: Leaders lead by example. Ministry is never “beneath” us. Whether it’s cleaning a bathroom, stacking chairs, or teaching a class, when leaders serve, the people see it and are inspired to join in.

Some Refused to Work

Now look at verse 5

Nehemiah 3:5 NIV

5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

This is an unsettling verse to me. Everyone else is working, but the nobles refuse. Maybe they thought the work was beneath them. Maybe they thought their status excused them from manual labor. Whatever the reason, their refusal is forever recorded in Scripture. What a legacy—to be remembered for not serving the Lord. Application: Pride keeps us from God’s mission. We may not say it out loud, but sometimes our hearts whisper: “That job is beneath me. Someone else can do it.” But God honors those who stoop to serve, not those who stand back in pride.

Everyone Had a Role—Families, Merchants, Even Daughters (3:12, 3:28, 3:32)

Nehemiah 3:12 NIV

Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

The work wasn’t just for men. Even daughters are named as workers on the wall.

Nehemiah 3:28 NIV

Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.

People worked on the section of wall right by their home. They knew what they were building would protect their families.

Nehemiah 3:32 NIV

and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

Nehemiah 3:8 NIV

Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

These weren’t construction workers by trade. They were craftsmen, businessmen, and shopkeepers. But they put their hands to the work. Application: God uses all kinds of people. Old and young. Men and women. Skilled and unskilled. In God’s kingdom, everyone matters, and everyone has a role to play.

The Work Was Done Together (Theme of the Chapter)

Step back and look at the whole chapter. Over and over you see the phrase: “next to him… next to them… next to him…” It’s a chain of names and families working shoulder to shoulder. They weren’t all the same. They didn’t all have the same background. But they were united in purpose. And because they worked together, the wall was rebuilt in just 52 days. Alone, the work would have been impossible. Together, it was unstoppable. New Testament Connection – We Are All Ministers Now, what does this mean for us as the church? We don’t build walls around Jerusalem—but we are called to build up the church of Jesus Christ. And the principle is the same: everyone has a part.

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 NIV

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

– Paul says the church is like a body. Many members, one body. The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” Every member matters.

Application: Ministry is not just the job of the pastor. It’s not just for the “professionals.” Every believer is a minister. Every member is a worker on the wall. Conclusion

Go back to that Amish barn raising. Imagine if only two or three people showed up. The barn would never stand. But because the whole community worked together, what seemed impossible became reality. That’s what happened in Nehemiah’s day. The wall went up because everyone took their place. And that’s how the church grows today. Christ is the cornerstone. But we are the living stones He uses to build His church. Together, we are the body. Together, we are the workers. So here’s the closing challenge: What part of the wall is yours? Where is God calling you to serve, to build, to protect, to minister? God’s work advances when everyone takes their part. You are not just a spectator—you are a minister of the gospel.