He’s an absolutely incredible leader who we should all learn from. He takes the initiative and requests permission from the King to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He coordinates funding, logistics, travel, supplies, and manpower.
Brilliantly, he delegates families to rebuild the portion of the wall near their home. He learns that many of the families are struggling to make ends meet so he establishes a plan to feed the people. He completes the wall that no one thought he could rebuild in an astonishing 52 days. Then he commissions the prophet Ezra to lead the people in reading scripture and in worshipping God. And then he celebrates! He plans feasts and parties for everyone involved to celebrate what they’ve accomplished and to give thanks to God. Every aspect of his story is a lesson to us all.
But my favorite part is how he handles the opposition he encountered. Over and over people try to stop him from rebuilding the wall. He is threatened, lied about, bribed, and manipulated by his enemies. Nehemiah arms his workers with swords in one hand while they build with the other. He’s ready to fight, but he’s not stopping the construction either.
At one point, his biggest enemy, a man named Sanballat, invites him to a neighboring town for dinner and a meeting. But Nehemiah knows this is just meant to distract him from his mission and take him off course. Nehemiah’s response to Sanballat is priceless, “I’m doing a great work; I can’t come down.”
Men, I want to encourage you this week not to come down from the wall you are building. You are doing great work in your family and in your tribe. The enemy will try everything to take you off course, so stand firm. We are doing a great work - and we aren’t coming down!