NEHEMIAH THE LEADER
Nehemiah had been commissioned and given authority, by the king of Persia, to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the gates and walls of the city. He was equipped to get whatever materials he needed to do the job. Let's pick up now in verse chapter 2, verse 11 and see how Nehemiah prepared for the tasks he came to do.
Nehemiah 2:11-12 So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem.
In verse 13 it says that Nehemiah viewed or examined the broken walls and burned gates of the city. The Hebrew word in the verse translated as “viewed” or "examined" is shabar, which means to “give birth” or “burst forth”. A fuller understanding of the word shabar as used by Nehemiah in this passage is to scrutinize, examine, develop a plan, and then to bring the plan to birth.
A principle of good leadership is that before one begins a task, they must develop a plan. Nehemiah began by inspecting the situation so he could formulate a plan. A leader must know what needs exist, what work needs to be done, and what problems can be expected? Then a leader must determine where to start and how to proceed. In the king’s palace in Susa, Nehemiah was a servant. Here in Jerusalem, he was preparing to become a leader.
After a time of preparation, the time came for Nehemiah to present himself and his mission to the Jewish leaders and people in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 2:16 - 17 I had not yet spoken to the Jewish leaders—the priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration. But now I said to them, “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!”
Nehemiah showed the people the crisis they faced. He made them see the need around them. They were in distress. The walls and gates were in ruins. Next, Nehemiah issued the challenge: “Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.” Sometimes people are able and willing to do a work for the Lord, if they have good leadership to challenge them. Notice, also, that Nehemiah said "Let US", and not "You need to". He made it clear he wanted to help. A leader does not ever ask people to do something they, themselves, are not willing to do.
To gain the help and cooperation of people, a leader needs to build a covenant with them.
Nehemiah 2:18 Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king.
By telling the people about what happened with the king, Nehemiah was letting them know that God was already working on their behalf. Nehemiah let them know how God had blessed him, and that the king had already given the permission and authority for the work to be done. He was, in effect, saying to them "God is on our side. Here is proof. Look what he did to bring me here to get this started!"
What would the people’s response be?
Nehemiah 2:18 ...They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.
The people bought into the mission and vision of Nehemiah. Their level of cooperation had risen to the level Nehemiah needed to accomplish the mission God had given him. This job had been waiting for years to be done. What was lacking was dedicated leadership to challenge the people to action.
In the next part of this study - Nehemiah immediately faces opposition to rebuilding the walls. Find out who opposes him and why. In Chapter 3 the building of the walls is started by different families around the entire city. There is an important lesson in ministry to be learned by looking at the pattern of the builders.
