1. Softly, Softly (vv.11-16)
So how does Nehemiah tackle the situation? With great caution. Having arrived in Jerusalem, he doesn't make a big noise about himself and his plans but he proceeds quietly and cautiously, going out at night and with just a few men to assess the situation.
It is wise to be cautious; he needs to carry the people with him. But his approach is about more than simply wise caution. He is going out to see for himself what the situation is. He engages in detailed research that is necessary to doing the work well.
There is a very real sense in which we need to do research today. We expect it of missionaries who are going abroad, that they get to know as much about the country and the people as they can. For our home situation, we tend to assume we know all we need to know - but that may not be the case.
Society is changing fast; people are not where they used to be and it is imperative that we understand the times and that we reflect on how to share the gospel in a new situation.
2. Rallying the Troops! (vv.17,18)
So what did he find? Were things as bad as he had been told back in Susa? Absolutely. Twice Neh. uses almost identical words to describe the situation that were used back in ch.1 (see vv.13b, 17a & cf. 1:3b). They hadn't exaggerated; the situation is very grave. Look at verse 14!
In ch.1, his response was near collapse followed by agonised prayer. Here, he's quite different. Those months of prayer have prepared him for the task. He has faced the reality in his mind and now, seeing it firsthand, he is not paralysed but prepared to act to resolve it.
When we get a grasp of just how desperate a situation is, including our own, we can become so discouraged that we can't even consider taking action. But Neh. has prayed hard, reminding himself of God's promises and now he's ready to get to work. Prayer, faith & action go hand in hand for God's glory.
But it's going to take more than one man to sort out this mess. Nehemiah hasn't been called to a private ministry but a public one. He is called to be a leader among the Lord's people and he begins that leadership here. There are 3 things in particular I want to highlight from his approach:
i) Exhortation - He doesn't gloss over reality; he gets the people to face it and exhorts them to work. Here is a leader doing what leaders are meant to do, giving direction and calling God's people to do God's will.
He didn't take a straw pole about what should be done; he got on with encouraging the people to do what so obviously needed to be done. He was called to lead and lead he did. Yet his manner was not one of strict command but passionate exhortation. He is clearly concerned for God's glory (mention of disgrace) and makes it the basis for his exhortation.
ii) Example - Notice too how the kind of biblical leadership that is exemplified here by Nehemiah, is marked by a servant spirit and self-sacrifice ("let us rebuild the wall"). He's not going to be a leader afraid to get his hands dirty; he'll be in the thick of things, leading by example.
iii) Experience - Lastly, his leadership has the note of personal experience in it. He exhorts them to work, leading by example, and encourages them with his testimony to the hand of God being on him and gives concrete evidence of that in the letter from the king.
The lead he is giving is entirely God-focussed which is just what the people need. This is not some hair-brained scheme of a zealous fanatic but the God-authorised exhortation of a genuine leader with a passion for God's glory
Without a focus on God's glory we lose the incentive to work; without a focus on what the Lord has done for us, we lose heart in the work. Let's aim to get our focus right.
3. Opposition (vv.19,20)
But, as we've seen, it isn't going to be plain sailing. Rebuilding the walls will be hard enough but there is another factor to contend with, the opposition of influential people.
Three officials are mentioned in v.19 and the places associated with them (Samaria, Ammon, Moab & Edom) mean the people are metaphorically surrounded. Knowing they have the upper hand, they taunt Nehemiah and mock the plans to rebuild the.
Opposition and mockery are still with us. The church and Christian belief are regularly mocked in the media and we may have personal experience of it in our own situations. How should we deal with it? Notice 4 things about Nehemiah here:
i) He wasn't afraid to face them. As we were reminded last week, fear of God drives out the fear of man. Here is a man who is passionate about God's glory, who reveres his name, and so he is unafraid of these powerful enemies.
ii) Although he has letters from the King and has already shown them to the governors, he doesn't rely on such things. His reply is clear & unambiguous, "The God of heaven will give us success". However supportive society may be, whatever sympathy and help they may choose to give, our faith must rest firmly in God. It is his church, his kingdom, that we are seeking to build. We rely on him and on him alone.
We are glad to have government legislation that allows us to reclaim income tax on monies given to the church. But we mustn't put our trust in the goodwill of government; it may change and easily. Our faith is in God.
iii) As we saw, Nehemiah was cautious in speaking to the King, making no reference to the Lord. But here he is much more upfront, judging the situation differently. These people need to know who they are taking on: not just a handful of ill-equipped residents of Jerusalem but the God who resides in heaven!
The opposition was real but Nehemiah was putting matters into the Lord's hands. They were his people and were working for him; he would give them success, whatever the opposition. That's something we must learn to do too.
iv) Nehemiah makes it plain that he is not in the business of compromise and political alliances. He tells them quite plainly that they have "no share in Jerusalem or any historic claim to it".
Some might say that he was being needlessly provocative and hostile, that a bit of give and take would work wonders. But that misses the point. To collude with these men would mean diluting the reality of worship, robbing the Lord of true worship.
Pluralism is an enemy to the souls of men. Yes, we must be tolerant in the sense that we do not violently oppose people holding to their beliefs, nor do we try to force profession of faith by physical or emotional coercion.
But that does not mean say that all faiths are the same and lead to the same God. They clearly do not. We must be faithful in rejecting all attempts to get us to tone down the message, whether through promise of resources or by threat. Concern for the glory of God and the eternal destiny of our friends and neighbours demand it.
