Important reading, which will provide the context for Nehemiah’s leadership: NEHEMIAH CHAPTERS 1 & 2.
NEHEMIAH was one of the great leaders of the Jewish people in the 5th century BC. They had been in exile in Babylon for 70 years, when the Persians came to power and took centre stage. They allowed the Jews to return gradually to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple and the wall of the city. Nehemiah was one of those who returned from captivity and led them in the building of the wall. We first meet him serving as the king’s cupbearer in the royal palace at Shushan, the capital city of the Persian Empire. However, we soon discover that his heart was with his fellow-Jews in Jerusalem. He heard that they were in great distress, the wall was broken down and the gates were burned down. He knew that God had a GREAT WORK for him to do there! What the people needed was a skilled LEADER, who could raise their spirits and encourage them to rebuild what had been broken down. He shows the two things that were necessary to undertake a GREAT WORK for God, both THEN and NOW:
- a BURDEN – a deep concern that weighed heavily upon his heart – it was a serious matter to him!
- a VISION – a clear view of what is required and how it can be achieved – the Bible teaches that if there is no vision, people perish, Proverbs chapter 29 verse 18.
Nehemiah fulfilled both of these criteria; do we? His burden concerned the condition of God’s people and the city of Jerusalem, where He had chosen to set His Name. His vision was to see both of these things restored to what God intended for them. Let us meditate today on what our deepest desires are for the Lord’s work and our vision for building its future.
To be continued