Repair, Rebuild, Reinforce

Nehemiah 1:1–4 KJV 1900

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Title: “Repair, Rebuild, Reinforce”

Israel was in trouble!

God evaluated the condition of Jerusalem and found it to be in “great affliction and reproach”.

One version says it like this: trouble and shame

The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”

Yes, this report given to Nehemiah was regarding the physical city, but their physical condition paralleled their spiritual condition.

Israel neglected God

Disobeyed Him by worshiping other gods

Intermarrying with those who did not want to convert to Judaism

Stopped honoring the sabbath

Because of their disobedience, Israel was not only divided (Northern and Southern Kingdoms), but they were taken captive and made slaves.

And now, Jerusalem and the temple lay in ruins.

Into this setting, Nehemiah enters the picture.

He hears of the rubble and the ruins of Jerusalem and weeps and repents, fasting and praying…

A burden begins to form… He desired to see Jerusalem repaired, rebuilt, and reinforced.

The reality of the physical—a city in ruins and without walls—paralled the condition of the remnant who lived their.

Instead of them working to make a difference in their neighborhood, they accepted the rubble and ruins as a part of every day life.

The remnant of Israel—God’s people—lived in great trouble and shame spiritually because they had no walls (boundaries).

Solomon had written about this 450 years earlier…

Proverbs 25:28 “28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit Is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”

Decay and chaos come to those who have no walls - physically and spiritually

Two things caused them to be in spiritual trouble and shame?

God’s judgment on their sin.

Apathy; a generational cycle that contributed to and accepted the ruins and rubble both physically and spiritually.

Overcoming the spirit of apathy:

In order to help someone overcome apathy, you have to help them understand where they are.

Apathy accepts things as they are without realizing the potential negative impact.

This is especially dangerous spiritually.

Apathy begins as an attitude, then becomes a lifestyle, and finally evolves into cultural acceptance.

Nehemiah was the exact opposite of apathy!

He heard of the ruins and the rubble from 1,000 miles away and realized that this described their spiritual state as well, and chose to do something about it.

Apathy can be overcome...but only through vision!

Proverbs 29:18 (ESV) Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint...

So, turn Proverbs 29:18 around... “Where there IS prophetic vision, the people REMAIN steadfast...”

Burdened to repair, rebuild, and reinforce:

The first part of the book of Nehemiah is about “Repairing, Rebuilding, & Reinforcing .

Repairing, rebuilding, and reinforcing begins with a burden of a man!

Today I am burdened to repair, rebuild, and reinforce the principles of the kingdom of God.

I feel the spirit of “Nehemiah’s” on us today - calling us to repair, rebuild, and reinforce...

Conclusion:

The question that Nehemiah answered was:

Does anybody really care?

George Bernard Shaw said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is NOT to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.”

This statement summarizes Jesus’ teaching of the Good Samaritan and it rebukes all those who fold their arms apathetically and sarcastically reply, “Ask me if I care!”

Nehemiah cared!

He cared about the traditions of the past, the needs of the present, and the hopes for a future.

He showed a caring attitude in four ways:

He cared enough to ask about the condition of Jerusalem and the remnant.

He cared enough to weep and mourn for days.

He cared enough to fast and pray about the situation, repenting and interceed.

He cared enough to volunteer and take action!