Many Hands, One Mission (Neh 3)

Many Hands, One Mission (Nehemiah 3) Pray & Intro: Is there really important spiritual truth to be gleaned from a list of people and how they worked on parts of a wall? (Do we spiritualize…? ) – What takes place in this chapter is teamwork. I. When God’s people perceive a task as God’s will, it unites our hearts and hands for the work. A. Even though we are… Varied people (backgrounds), From a variety of places, With various professions; B. We work together on diverse parts C. Because we are united by a single purpose. (rebuild & repair [strengthen]) D. *That sounds an awful lot like the New Testament church! II. Read Passage, & listen carefully to things that peak your interest, or look at the map of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah to watch the progress proceed counterclockwise, beginning at the Sheep Gate up top. [map] A. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. In 536 B.C., under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the Jews first restored the altar and then laid the foundation of the temple. Twenty years later, in 516 B.C., the temple was rebuilt. - Then came Ezra’s reforms and fixing up of the temple to a greater degree, and now Nehemiah (circa 445 BC to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. B. The western hill area was not rebuilt until the middle of the 2nd century BC. C. (ESV Study Bible helpfully notes that) Though Nehemiah gives a careful listing of the sections of Jerusalem’s walls that were rebuilt, it is difficult to be certain exactly which walls and gates he was referring to. The city had extended beyond the city of David and the Temple Mount by the time of Hezekiah, but it appears that only the Temple Mount and the city of David were enclosed within Nehemiah’s walls. D. Although incomplete, archeology corroborates the biblical account. III. Varied people, places, and professions (God uses ordinary people to carry out his extraordinary plan.) A. The people doing the work and Where they come from and What they do for a living 1. Nehemiah had a vision to get this done, but he couldn’t have accomplished a whole lot apart from the cooperation and dedication of the people to help. (Even though not everyone is named, and prob. not a perfectly complete list, it is noteworthy that Neh desires to give the workers credit. – see 4:6)  “When it comes to the work of the Lord, there is no place for spectators or self-appointed advisors and critics; but there is always room for workers.” (Wiersbe) – No one is going to make you be involved in what God is doing. But I won’t lie to you. It’s a shame to not take the opportunity. 2. Eliashib the high priest is mentioned first, grandson of Jeshua (priest in Zerubbabel’s time), along with the priestly clan – probably due to the significance of his cooperation at this stage (he proves problematic later), as well as Neh’s respect (and the respect of the people) for the office. – There are not only priests, but also Levites who work together, and the temple servants as well. 3. Also in the list are people who hold some kind of governing office of districts in Judah. – Perhaps this too explains the reference to Shallum’s daughters in v. 12, most likely meaning the smaller villages in his territory of rule. 4. Then there are professional groups, or guilds, mentioned in the mix – specifically goldsmiths, perfumers, and merchants (businessmen). (perhaps these were people who were able to take the time away from their other jobs to help, and may have been doing job that were particularly time consuming or expensive – unlike the bakers, for example, b/c people would still need bread to eat, especially when working) 5. 38 individual workers are named and 42 distinct groups mentioned. – In our day we have the potential for an even greater variety and more eclectic blend of coworkers in God’s family.  And would you think that with such a group of people working together that their might have been just a few hiccups, a few hotly held opinions leading to interpersonal conflict? No doubt. 6. And then there were those who wouldn’t help at all. (v. 5) – There are always those who won’t cooperate, who don’t want calloused hands and broken nails, who refuse to sacrifice, or think the hard labor beneath them.  Not everyone is enthusiastic. Not everyone is willing to invest. And not everyone comes around at the same pace. 7. But there were people helping from surrounding areas – Jericho, Tekoa, Gibeon, Mizpah (an important town that became the governing center after Jerusalem fell), Zanoah, and so on. Some only a few miles distance, others more like 13 or 15.  Clearly they made sacrifices to see this accomplished. –time, energy, money, family B. God uses all kinds of people. – Doing varying amounts of work, some close to home (“opposite their house”), some further from home, some evidently working hardest of all. But God uses those who are willing to be involved in the work. IV. Working together on different parts (varying tasks, varying assignments – work on the gates, towers, and walls) A. About 40 sections of unequal length and undoubtedly requiring different amounts of work. The work is sometimes “building” and sometimes “repairing,” (make strong and firm) suggesting that the parts of the walls were in various states of ruin. (but Neh does an apparently excellent job of managing organization here) B. [map] Beginning and ending at the Sheep Gate – almost certainly where the sacrifices were brought into the city for the temple, and where it is said that priests built and consecrated the gate. C. Towers at the North end, where Jerusalem was most vulnerable to attack. D. Next come the Fish gate and the Old Gate. Our best guess about a Fish Gate is that it was probably leading to a fish market. E. Hanum and his guys covered ground all the way from the Valley Gate (of which there is archeological evidence) all the way to the dung gate. (a thousand cubits is some 1500 ft) – Extra fig rations for the men of Zanoah. F. Dung Gate – whoever got that job must’ve drawn the short straw. 1. Located at the southern most tip of the city, leading into the Valley of Hinnom, where the city took out its trash. (Kidron Valley on the east side) 2. A great reminder that on a team the less glamorous tasks can be some of the most essential (like the sanitary disposal of waste). – But really, a TON of ministry is unglamorous. Perhaps most. G. The Fountain Gate which comes next was probably on the east side, now heading back north. On the eastern side of the city, Nehemiah has to build a new line of wall, rather than simply repair the old one, because the former wall was so badly destroyed. H. The water gate (no scandal here) would have been close to the Gihon Spring. I. There’s work done on the Horse Gate, and work on the wall near the East Gate, a major entrance to the temple area. J. Muster Gate (guard gate) – soldiers mustered for conscription (or inspection) – Again at the north, the most vulnerable side of Jerusalem V. But united by a single purpose A. The purpose of ALL ministry is always the glory of God. Not for Neh’s great name nor ultimately for Jerusalem to be the biggest and best. *  But the house of Israel was in great disorder, due to the dispersion in captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. – Thus their goal to rebuild and repair the wall for protection and restoration of the city that houses the temple of God. B. Of course, leadership is also required, and a clear vision for the work. (Neh makes clear the reason to get it done. – 2:17b) – Sometimes people get used to the situation, even when it’s a bad one, and God raises up a leader to birth a vision and then to earth a vision. C. From wall building to body building – bridging the gap btwn Neh’s day and yours – The church’s mission is to multiply disciples of Jesus who faithfully follow him. And discipleship is life-change toward Christlikeness in the context of relationships.  You could say to multiply and to mature disciples. VI. God’s Hand and our hands… (or God’s work and ours) - reinforcing the point we’ve already seen here in Neh 3 Isaiah 64:8 (in context 4-7 sin of the people; 9-12 anticipation of God’s intervention for restoration) But now, O Lord, you are our Father;     we are the clay, and you are our potter;     we are all the work of your hand. Eph. 2:8-10 (similar context of our sin and separation from God in early part of ch. 2) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Psalm 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,     and establish the work of our hands upon us;     yes, establish the work of our hands! 1 Cor. 15:58 (the final resurrection) Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. [from wall building with Nehemiah to taking the Lord’s Table together] Jesus’ Hands and Our Hearts [Welcome Ethan Sarver to membership, and invitation to Discipleship Group kick-off event] Take It Home: (for further application on your own, or discussion with others) • How thankful are you for the church family God has given you to labor with side by side? (Express it to someone.) • In tasks of loving one another through service (like making meals and cleaning messes), how do we remember that we still are playing a part in God’s ministry of reconciliation through Jesus Christ? (cf. 2 Cor. 5:16-21) • Do you perceive yourself wisely using your hands—your time, treasure, and talents—to actively team up with your local church family to build the Church (to multiply and mature disciples of Jesus)?