|
Lessons
For The 21st Century From OT Saints And Sinners
The Cupbearer Who Built A Wall
Passages From Nehemiah
Introduction: Out of the Ashes
When
Babylon captured Judah early in the 6th Century
B.C. the cherished capital city of Jerusalem was left devastated
and the spirit of the Jewish people lay in ruins just like
the walls of the city. They had their memories of the grandeur
and power of Jerusalem, but they were only memories. Without
the walls, the city was defenseless. Without the walls, the
city was not Jerusalem.
The
task of rebuilding the city was so huge that even the optimists
shook their heads. They needed a leader who could give them
a plan and spark a flame of hope that had been extinguished
during the long slide to captivity. That leader had to be
just the right person. It had to be someone with connections,
someone who had vision, someone who had faith. We know that
someone was Nehemiah.
Nehemiah
lived far away from Jerusalem in Persia. Most likely he was
a descendant of those who had been taken into exile after
Babylonia destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. He served the king
of Persia because the Persians had conquered the Babylonians
in 539 B.C. Nehemiah probably never imagined he would be a
national hero helping to rebuild the city and the dreams of
a nation out of the ashes of destruction. God’s plan included
giving Nehemiah three
hats to wear: the subservient hat of a cupbearer to the
king of Persia, the hard hat of a foreman at the construction
site and the dignified hat of a politician as the governor
of the people after the walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt. We
will use those three roles to approach this final study in
our series on Lessons For the 21st Century From Old Testament Saints and
Sinners. It provides a good overview of what is essentially
Nehemiah’s journal.
Cupbearer To The King
We
are introduced to Nehemiah while he serves as the cupbearer
for King Artaxerxes. The main duty of a cupbearer is to take
the first sip of the king’s wine to make sure no one is trying
to poison him. It’s a job where you hope there isn’t a lot
of turnover. Nehemiah’s role goes beyond taste testing and
serving wine. He is also a trusted confidant and a respected
official who can greatly influence his ruler.
Distressing News
Nehemiah
has reached the pinnacle of success for a foreigner in the
Persian court. When we meet him, however, he is unhappy because
he has just received distressing news from his homeland.
The
words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I
was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came
from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about
the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about
Jerusalem. They said to me, "Those who survived the exile
and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace.
The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been
burned with fire."
Nehemiah 1:1-3 NIV
Intense Prayer
The
news hits him hard and burns deep down into his soul. The
only way he knows to quench the smoldering ache is through
tears as he seeks God on his knees in prayer.
When
I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I
mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah
1:4 NIV
Nehemiah
labors in prayer for the people, pleading with God to forgive
their past sins and asking God to bring His people back together
as a nation. He also prays for God’s powerful hand to influence
the Persian king to be compassionate toward the Israelites.
This prayer in Nehemiah 1:5-11 is a great model for praying
for your nation.
Then
I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome
God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him
and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open
to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day
and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess
the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house,
have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly
toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws
you gave your servant Moses. "Remember the instruction
you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful,
I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your
exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them
from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a
dwelling for my Name.' "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed
by your great strength and your mighty hand. O
Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your
servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in
revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting
him favor in the presence of this man." I was cupbearer
to the king. Nehemiah
1:5-11 NIV
One
of the most effective actions a person can take on behalf
of his nation is to pray for the nation, its people and its
leaders because…
The
king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
he guides it wherever
he pleases. Proverbs 21:1 NLT
Divine Timing
After
four months of praying and waiting, Nehemiah is serving wine
to the king one day when
The
king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you
are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."
Nehemiah 2:2 NIV
Nehemiah’s
first reaction is fear. How will Artaxerxes respond to him?
This is one of those make or break moments in life. Mustering
his courage, Nehemiah tells the king,
"May
the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when
the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its
gates have been destroyed by fire?"
Nehemiah 2:3 NIV
Instead
of being angry, the king is interested. It may be he has never
seen Nehemiah like this. The king asks Nehemiah what he wants.
Nehemiah
can sigh with relief, “Whew!” Notice what he does next. He
doesn’t plunge ahead to make his request. He
says first, “I prayed to the God of heaven” (2:4b). To
be effective prayers don’t need to be long. With his short,
silent prayer Nehemiah expresses his moment by moment dependence
upon God. Then, he says…
I
answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your
servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the
city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild
it."
Nehemiah 2:5 NIV
When
the king asks how long it will take, Nehemiah is ready with
the information. During the four months he has spent in prayer
since hearing about the devastation of Jerusalem a plan has
been forming in his mind. He has been able to figure out what
would be needed and how this could be done if he were ever
given the chance to do something about it.
There
is great power in asking God to guide your thoughts and shape
your dreams. In the 301 class on discovering your ministry
one of my favorite parts is asking people to complete the
statement, “If I knew
I couldn’t fail, this is what I would attempt to do for God
with my life.” God has been planting that one thing in
Nehemiah’s heart over four months preparing him for the greatest
adventure of his life.
The
king responds with compassion to Nehemiah’s request. Nehemiah
writes in his journal,
And
because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king
granted my requests.
Nehemiah 2:8b NIV
All
is well as he gathers the supplies and is escorted to Judah
by a deployment of troops.
Opposition Forms
There
are some people who are not pleased by the plan to rebuild
the walls. We meet two grumbling officials back in the homeland
who will oppose him.
When
Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard
about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had
come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
Nehemiah 2:10 NIV
These
two men like things the way they are because they can do whatever
they want and use for themselves whatever they like.
Nehemiah’s
plan has barely had time to germinate when the seeds of opposition
sprout. There is no turning back. He has taken off his cupbearer’s
hat and reached for his hard hat. Opposition or not, the walls
must be built!
Builder Of The Wall
Identifying The Need
When
Nehemiah arrives at Jerusalem, he waits three days. After
that he systematically examines the condition of the ruined
walls in secret under the cover of night. He needs to understand
the scope of the task that lies ahead. Once he is sure of
his strategy he speaks to the people, the words once again
recorded in his journal.
Then
I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem
lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come,
let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer
be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious
hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They
replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began
this good work.
Nehemiah 2:17-18 NIV
Motivating The People
Nehemiah
doesn’t force them into action. He lays out the facts they
have all seen and know in order to motivate them from within.
He waves the flag of God’s people that has been flying at
half-mast for decades and the people rally around it. Kindled
by Nehemiah’s vision, their hearts catch fire as Nehemiah
tells them how the Lord has answered his prayers and moved
the heart of King Artaxerxes to send him to them. If God can
move a pagan king, He can help them move the stones to rebuild
the wall. The work begins.
Facing The Opposition
The
opposition begins, too.
But
when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official
and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed
us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are
you rebelling against the king?" Nehemiah 2:19 NIV
Nehemiah
blunts their charges by pointing them to a higher authority.
I
answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give
us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as
for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic
right to it."
Nehemiah 2:20 NIV
The
opposition continues, and actually increases, as word spreads
through the region that the walls of Jerusalem are once again
taking shape as they rise from the rubble. The opposition
is pointed and severe, but the praying Nehemiah stands firm
in the Lord as the word of death threats spreads among the
workers.
After
I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the
officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid
of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and
fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your
wives and your homes." When our enemies heard that we
were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we
all returned to the wall, each to his own work.
Nehemiah 4:14-15 NIV
Nehemiah
instructs half of the people to work on the wall and the other
half to stand guard with their weapons.
Nehemiah’s
incredible ability to square off against criticism teaches
us three lessons to remember when opposition comes our way.
1st Lesson: It is impossible
to lead anyone to anything without facing opposition. Criticism is an occupational hazard connected to leadership.
2nd Lesson: It is essential
to face opposition first with prayer.
Plugging into God’s power bank of wisdom is the most important
line of defense. It’s important to use it immediately before
doing anything else.
3rd Lesson: It is doubtful that
prayer is all that is necessary if the opposition intensifies. It would be wonderful if prayer met and eliminated all
opposition. Enemies who relentlessly pelt us are chronic critics.
They are like Old Faithful—regularly erupting with hot showers
of pessimism. In dealing with such critics God may call us
to defend ourselves by praying and then taking action.
Most
leaders can see overt opposition coming and raise their shields
of defense. Hidden, subverted opposition, however, is more
difficult to detect and counter. When Nehemiah’s enemies discover
that their frontal assaults are being successfully countered,
they decide on a covert plan to destroy Nehemiah and the Jews.
The
plan is cunning. First, they throw Nehemiah a curve ball in the form of a polite letter inviting
him to a meeting. Nehemiah, sensing their treacherous intentions,
refuses to come. Not giving up so easily, his enemies throw
the same pitch three more times:
When
word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest
of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was
left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors
in the gates- Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: "Come,
let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of
Ono." But they were scheming to harm me; so
I sent messengers to them with this reply: "I am carrying
on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work
stop while I leave it and go down to you?" Four
times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave
them the same answer.
Nehemiah
6:1-4 NIV
The
frustrated Sanballat is now angry. He now sends a libelous
unsealed letter that anyone and everyone can read. It is a bean ball pitch—aimed right at Nehemiah’s integrity.
"It
is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that
you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you
are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports
you are about to become their king and have even appointed
prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem:
'There is a king in Judah!' Now this report will get back
to the king; so come, let us confer together."
Nehemiah
6:6-7 NIV
Trying
to frighten Nehemiah into a meeting, Sanballat accuses him
of deceitful and selfish intentions. Notice that this crafty
enemy quotes no reliable sources (only the already identified
Geshem the Arab) and offers no solid facts. His purpose is
to intimidate. Resting on his blameless record, Nehemiah is
not dissuaded from his task.
I
sent him this reply: "Nothing like what you are saying
is happening; you are just making it up out of your head."
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their
hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed."
But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."
Nehemiah 6:8-9 NIV
Instead
of writing a caustic letter in return, Nehemiah drops to his
knees, praying for God’s strength. God had overcome tremendous
obstacles in bringing him this far, so Nehemiah knows God
can overcome this obstacle as well.
Finally,
his enemies are reduced to trying
a trick pitch. Nehemiah goes to a friend’s house
who frantically urges him to run and hide in the temple because
his enemies are coming at night to kill him. Would a fellow
Jew like Shemiah lie? Nehemiah sees through the plot.
But
I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one
like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!"
I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied
against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Nehemiah 6:11-12 NIV
What’s
happening? Look at this warning in the Torah.
But
you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all
the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything
behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as
your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person
who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.”
Numbers 18:7 NLT
Nehemiah
knows the law and he knows that almost everyone has a price.
If his enemies could trick him, they would have reason to
accuse him. With God-given intuition Nehemiah perceives their
evil plan and refuses to enter the temple.
Finishing The Task
In
the face of fierce opposition, Nehemiah relies on God’s power
and the walls are completed in only 52 days. (Nehemiah 6:15)
This achievement is a tribute to God’s strength and impresses
even the enemy.
When
all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations
were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized
that this work had been done with the help of our God.
Nehemiah 6:16 NIV
An
exchange of letters continues as Tobiah persists in trying
to intimidate Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:19). Nehemiah’s role as
builder is completed. He takes off his hard hat, but continues
to lead the people in his third role of governor.
Governor Of The People
Governor
Nehemiah is selfless and generous in his position of power.
He leads the people into becoming a godly nation. The people…
·
Treasure Scripture (Chapter 8)
·
Humble Themselves In Repentance (Chapter
9)
·
Dedicate The Walls and Themselves To God
(Chapters 10 & 12)
The
walls and the people become two fitting tributes to Nehemiah’s
God-honoring leadership. He is a man who, even in the final
chapter of his life, is seen building values into the people
and seeking God’s strength through prayer. At the end of Nehemiah’s
journal we leave him right where we first met him—on his knees
praying.
If
you want to learn about leadership, there is no better place
to begin than with Nehemiah who served his king, built the
wall and governed his people.
Lasting Lessons To Be Learned
Surveying
the many events of Nehemiah’s life, we come upon three lasting
lessons that stand like giant walls of truth.
Lasting Lesson # 1: Dealing With Problems
Begins With Careful Observation
Nehemiah
had to solve a complex problem by organizing volunteers to
perform a backbreaking job that had been left undone for decades.
Nehemiah provides us with the example for tackling difficult
situations. He begins with careful observation that guides
his wise planning. He defines the challenge, determines what
is needed to meet the challenge and then digs in to accomplish
it.
Lasting Lesson # 2: Correcting What Is
Carefully Observed Demands Fearless Conviction
The
Lord was in Nehemiah’s plan. That why Nehemiah exhibited such
unshakeable conviction. We have the same confidence available
to us. When we’ve sought wise counsel and formulated a God-honoring
plan, we can, and should, feel as confident and fearless as
Nehemiah did—even in the face of opposition.
We should never expect to avoid opposition. In fact,
if something is really worth doing, we should expect that opposition will
intensify. In the face of that opposition we can say with
the prophet Habakkuk,
Though
the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes
on the vines,
though the olive crop
fails
and the fields produce
no food,
though there are no sheep
in the pen
and no cattle in the
stalls,
yet
I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God
my Savior.
The
Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like
the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on
the heights.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 NIV
Lasting Lesson # 3: Observation and Conviction
Must Be Tempered With Authentic Devotion
We
need to devote ourselves to pleasing the Lord through what
we do. Otherwise it can be consuming—and we can become cranky
and hard-nosed bosses. Nehemiah relied on God through prayer
and that enabled him to maintain his perspective and his love
for the people. What we do may be important, but how we treat
people along the way is more important.
When
the pressure is on, it’s essential to stay focused on God
who gave His Son to save us even as people insulted and killed
Him. Nehemiah knew that it wasn’t all about the wall; it was
about God and His people.
A Final Thought
Nehemiah
was a leader who fought and won his best battles on his knees
in prayer. Critics assailed him relentlessly, but because
of his devotion to God, he defeated them on every front.
If
you face an enormous task but feel pinned down by chronic
critics, remember Nehemiah, whose attitude is best summarized
by the inspiring words of another great leader, Teddy Roosevelt.
It
is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could
have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is
actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat
and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short
again and again, because there is no effort without error
and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who
spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in
the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst,
if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that
his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
knew neither victory nor defeat.
(Man In The Arena: Speeches and Essays
By Theodore Roosevelt, p. 54)
| 