The Master Builder Directs Unskilled Hands to Accomplish the Miraculous-Nehemiah 3

In last weeks message we looked at 6 things we see Nehemiah pattern for us that enabled this ordinary man to accomplish extraordinary things through the Great Hand of His God that was upon him. As has been the case throughout our study of the Book of Nehemiah we have consistently established that everything Nehemiah accomplished was the Hand of God working through him, he basically had 3 roles to play, all of which are also available to us.

A passion for God.

A love for the people of God.

A willingness and desire to be used by God.

The six things he patterned for us from last weeks passage were:

1. The Servant of God is Quick to Pray and Slow to Act. We saw this through Nehemiah’s patience and seeking the face of God before making any moves in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem once he entered the City.

2. The Servant of God Counts the Cost and Seeks God Direction on a Plan Before Moving Into Action. This Nehemiah pattered as he went on an all night tour of the ruins to asses the situation before sharing what God had placed on his heart.

3. The Servant of God Shares the Opportunity to be God’s Instrument with Others. Once he had toured the ruins, then he began to share with others what God had placed on his heart.

4. The Servant of God Identifies With the Problem. Nehemiah didn’t point a finger of judgement at the people of Judah. Instead he identified with them in the condition of the city.

5. The Servant of God Includes Himself/Herself in the Solution. Nehemiah didn’t place himself above the people in any way whatsoever. Not only did he identify with the problem, he made himself available to be a part of the solution.

6. The Servant of God Is Quick to Share What God Has Done. Nehemiah anticipated that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would be hesitant to dive in to a new rebuilding effort. Very likely some of them had been a part of the last one that King Artaxerxes himself ended. As a result Nehemiah sat the potential work crew down before him and began to share with them all of the miraculous things God had done to not only bring Nehemiah to Jerusalem, but to bankroll the rebuilding efforts out of King Artaxerxes own account.

With all that Nehemiah had shared with the people about all that the God of Heaven had done, the people were now ready to get to work.

This mornings passage is a remarkable passage of teamwork and working shoulder to shoulder to accomplish the incredible, against insurmountable odds.

If you haven’t already, turn to Nehemiah 3 in your copies of God’s Word.

As you read through chapter 3, it is easy to see this chapter as nothing more than a boring list of individuals and the areas where they built. But upon closer look we discover there are some powerful lessons throughout that we would do well to learn from this morning. While we aren’t going to take the time to read through the entire chapter this morning, we will read through good portions of it as we look at some of the keys for us in this chapter.

The first thing I noticed in this chapter is: Next Slides

The Name and Title of the First Builder Listed. Vs. 1

We have already established that Nehemiah was a part of the rebuilding effort, but I don’t want us to miss the very first individual listed, Eliashib the high priest as well as his brothers who constituted the ordinary priests.

As we have discussed on many occasions as we have gone through different passages of Scripture, there is nothing here by accident. God, the all knowing, all powerful God is behind every Word in this book. But not just the words themself, even the order of the words are divinely inspired.

This is always important, but it is particularly important with the first name on this list. Nehemiah highlights Eliashib the high priest as well as the remaining priests that worked under him. This is key because Nehemiah wants to establish from the very start that the High priest and all of the other priest were behind him in the rebuilding effort. So much so that they were willing to work shoulder to shoulder with common people of the day.

Fast forward to the New Testament times and the High Priest and other priests and spiritual leaders of Jesus day, and you would be hard pressed to find any who would do physical labor alongside the common people of the day. Eliashib’s willingness to dive right in to the rebuilding effort, is his way of letting everyone else know that he was solidly behind Nehemiah.

Another note on Eliashib’s building efforts, I have always been most impressed with spiritual leaders that aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and work up a sweat alongside others. If you walk around the Fellowship Hall and look at our pictures from mission trips over the years, you see Pastor Allen in every one. As I watched my Dad over the years, I saw him buck bails, brand cattle, help deliver calves, drive tractors (although I will say, you didn’t want him planting your crops if you wanted straight rows!). There was nothing he wouldn’t do to reach people for Christ. Both Allen and my Dad set a standard for me that I want to imitate. Eliashib led the same way.

That is the good new about Eliashib, the bad news come about 12 years later after Nehemiah had returned t Persia, in chapter 13, and that is how Eliashib finished. We find out in chapter 13 that he didn’t finish well. Instead he formed an alliance with Tobiah the Ammonite, who had long been an enemy of the Jews. He also permitted his grandson to marry the daughter of Sanballat.

This should serve as an important reminder and warning to us, we can accomplish some pretty significant things for God, can be highly regarded in the eyes of others, and undo everything by not finishing well. Don’t ever let your guard down when it comes to your relationship to the Lord. Stand strong an be faithful until the day He calls you home.

Now, let’s move now to Nehemiah 3:5 and see the first individuals called out by God, this is a list you do not want your name on! Because: Next Slides

Being High in Your Own Eyes Brings You Low in the Eyes of the God of Heaven. Vs. 5

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Nehemiah 3:5 ESV

5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.

The KJV translates this verse this way: “5 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.”

I like this translation as it gives kind of a word picture that fits well with the original Hebrew in which this passage was written. The word picture you get is basically this; Next Slide

It is a picture of individuals coming alongside one another to accomplish an important task that cannot be accomplished by any one individual. These nobles refused to do the work of the Lord, but fortunately the men of their city refused to follow their lead.

By the way, this is another important lesson we need to be mindful of, there will be times where we may be faced with individuals who should be setting examples for us in service to God and/or the church. Just because they may drop the ball in this area does not excuse us to do the same thing.

While the nobles of the Tekoites may be being singled out negatively by the God of Heaven, the common Tekoites are being singled out as being faithful despite the leadership of the nobles. In fact these men were so faithful God mentions them twice! First He mentions them here in verse 5, but they are also mentioned in verse 27, because they committed to working in 2 different areas:

Nehemiah 3:27 ESV

27 After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

The next thing i noticed as I was reading through chapter 3 was; Next Slides

The Specific Placement of some of the Builders. Vs. 10, 23, 28, 29 & 30

Looking at verse 1, we have already noted that Eliashib, the High Priest, as well as the other priests serving alongside him, had helped in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, but now I want you to notice where they built.

Nehemiah 3:1 ESV

1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.

We see in verse 1 that they built near the Sheep Gate. Now perhaps you may be wondering why this would be important. The reason it is important is because this is where the sheep for the temple sacrifice were brought, which means this was an area of particular importance to the priests. Additionally, it is likely some of the priests also lived in that area.

Moving from verse 1 we now look at verses 10, 23, 28, 29 and 30. As I am reading these verses I want you to pay close attention to what is the same in each verse; Make sure to highlight the word for houses in each slide

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Nehemiah 3:10 ESV

10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired.

Nehemiah 3:23 ESV

23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house.

Nehemiah 3:28 ESV

28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house.

Nehemiah 3:29 ESV

29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired.

Nehemiah 3:30 ESV

30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber.

What you should notice in each verse is that these individuals were building right in the area of their own homes and/or chambers. Let me give you 3 reasons why this is important.

An easy commute. Working close to their homes meant they could get to the worksite earlier each day. It also opened up the door for them to involve their families in the building projects.

The walls they were building were the same walls that would be there to protect their own homes and families. Knowing how important the very walls they were building were to providing protection for their own families meant they were far less likely to cut corners in their building efforts.

If there was an attack from their many enemies, since they were already close to their homes, they would be less likely to abandon their posts to protect their families.

The strategic location of many of those who were participating in the rebuilding of the Walls of Jerusalem, was well thought out by Nehemiah.

John Brown, in his practical commentary on Nehemiah added the following thought on why Nehemiah directed men to build close to their homes:

“Nehemiah put the men to work on the wall closest to where they lived!

1. Service for the Lord is always born out of personal devotion to the Lord'

2. Building or re-building always starts at home.

a) The vision and "burden" to serve our families or our church, has to come from our private devotion "to Him'”

Moving from the strategic location of many of those building the walls and gates, next I want to look at some of the descriptions of the individual builders. As we look at these individuals, I want you to keep in mind that when it comes to service to God, the only requirement is an available servant with a willing heart. Next Slides

The Only Requirement for Building God’s Kingdom is an Available servant with a Willing Heart. Vs. 1, 8, 9, 12, 15, 17, 18, 22, 26, 28, 31, 32

We see priests working in: Vss 1, 22, 28

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“1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests… 22 After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired... 28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired”

We see jewelers doing the work in Vss. 8, 31 & 32

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“8Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired... 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired... 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths”

We see perfumers building in Vs. 8

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“8Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired”

Merchants repaired in Vs. 32

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“32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the...merchants repaired.”

We see Rulers not following the lead of the nobles of the Tekoites and stepping to the plate to build in Vss. 9, 12, 15, 17, 18

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“9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of[d] Jerusalem, repaired... 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired... 15 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired…17Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired…18 After him...Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah.”

Not to be outdone, we see women builders in Vs. 12

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“2 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.”

And Levites doing the work in Vs. 17

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“17 After him the Levites repaired”

One thing you will notice as you think through each of the builders we just looked at, most if not all, had to develop calloused hands as they worked. This was hard physical work that was probably foreign to all of them, but they were so inspired by the words of Nehemiah when he shared of the work that God had done and all the doors God had opened to pave the way for his journey to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls, that they were not about to miss out on watching God move through them as He had through Nehemiah. Yes, in order to build this wall they had to completely move out of their comfort zones, but they recognized that they were following the lead of a man of God who had not only stepped out of his comfort zone, he had also put his life on the line to make the need known to the very king who had stopped the last rebuilding effort. He then left the comforts of the palace to travel 800 miles to a place he had never even been to before and lead a people he had never met before. Following the lead of Nehemiah was easy, because he had already walked in their shoes.

Their dedication to getting out of their comfort zone to do the work of the Lord should serve as a challenge to all of us as well. Perhaps a couple Sunday’s ago, as you prayed over the blanks in front of you when you were being challenged to write down areas God was leading you to serve. Perhaps some things came to your mind that you thought; “Wait a second....I can’t do that!” I’d like to challenge you to think again. Had these individuals been doing the same exercise as us, building walls and gates would have likely not been on their list of desired areas of service. But they all sensed God’s leading and filled the blanks on their sermon notes with Wall construction and Gate building and here they are with their names recorded in Scripture for all eternity.

I got to be honest, that’s what I want for Liberty Chapel. I want us as a church to be so intent on being open to the leading of the Lord, that we have no issues stepping out of our comfort zones if that is the direction God is leading. That’s the type of heart God is looking for in us. His desire is that we all are open to His leading no matter what, and if that is our mindset, what He accomplished through this unlikely construction crew, this unlikely compilation of Wall builders, He can do through us as well.

You know something else I noticed as I was reading and re-reading through the list of wall builders in chapter 3?

It is actually what’s not on the list. As you read through that list you will not notice a single individual listed who had the credentials of a builder. No masons are listed, no carpenters are listed, not a single contractor is on the list. So, while I may have highlighted some specific individuals who were working completely out of their comfort zones, as far as we can tell, that described every single individual.

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You see God was not looking for qualified builders, He was looking for willing and available servants.

Guess what, that is exactly what He is looking for today.

God has done incredible things so far in 2019 at Liberty Chapel, but I really believe we have only scratched the surface of what He wants to do. But if we are to reach our full potential as a church, each of us has to be willing to step up and serve, even if that means we have to step out of our comfort zones.

My challenge to each of us this morning, especially if you consider Liberty Chapel your church home, is to spend some time in prayer asking God to lead you to the role He has for you in the ministry of Liberty Chapel. And don’t be too quick to dismiss something He may place on your heart because it appears to be out of your comfort zone.

Perhaps, like those we looked at this morning in Nehemiah chapter 3, He has specifically called you in an area of ministry outside of your comfort zone, knowing that if you are willing and available to His leading, you will have to remain constantly dependent on Him. Then all the glory goes to Him as He does the work through you.

Let’s close our time this morning in prayer.