Nehemiah Episode !
I remember someone telling me some years ago that if the pastor announces that the church is starting a series on Nehemiah you can be certain that a building program is already being planned.
In fact Nehemiah has a huge amount to teach us about leadership but not necessarily the things that we might expect.
The first thing to note is the context that the story takes place in, understanding the times and discerning what God is doing in our moment is crucial if we are to follow God’s leading and allow that to shape our plans, rather than asking him to bless our initiatives.
Nehemiah starts by identifying his family lineage and describing where and when the story starts.
“The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa” (Nehemiah 1:1)
Nehemiah is writing in the 6th Century BC. He is writing from the city of Susa. He is living in Persia because his ancestors were carried into exile in Babylon.
You may remember the prophet Jeremiah’s extraordinary letter to the exiles.
” This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:4-14)
They are to engage. They are to increase. They are to seek prosperity for Babylon. But they are not to become Babylonian. They are the people of God with a different horizon and a different perspective. Their identity is grounded in past promises and founded on a future hope.
Over the course of those 70 years new generations grow up and previous generations grow old. Very few if any of the first exiles will still be alive. The first generation born in exile will be grandparents. Many of the leaders will be third generation in Babylon.
After 70 years the opportunity to return becomes a reality when after Babylon is conquered, Cyrus the king of Persia issues a decree and returns the plunder that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. It is estimated that there were 2 to 3 million Jewish people in exile but only about 50,000 returned.
Most of those in exile had made Babylon their home. Potentially coping with some cultural and political adjustments now Babylon is under new management. Many of them have lost sight of the promise they have inherited.
The Book of Ezra tells the story of how the first exiles returned and rebuilt the temple but were unable to rebuild the walls.
At the time of Nehemiah writing there is a minority who have returned and feel they have failed and a majority who are comfortable and are hardly conscious of their lack of participation in what God is doing.
The book of Nehemiah is written about 15 years after the end of Ezra and around 150 years after the exile.
Nehemiah continues his story in chapter 1
“Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had 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. ” 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 1:1-4)
What we see here are a number of things that introduce us to Nehemiah
1. He uses the Hebrew calendar to describe the time of year. He has not fully assimilated into Babylonian and Persian ways of thinking. This is also seen in the way he introduces himself by way of his family line rather than his his role and responsibilities. We only learn that he is the cupbearer to the king at the end of the chapter. I once answered the question “What do you do?” With the answer I am a husband, a father, a neighbour and a friend and a follower of Jesus”. To which they replied “No what do you really do?” I wondered which of these did not seem real! Who we are determines how we behave.
2. He asks questions. His conversation does not revolve around himself. His questions show an understanding of what is going on in the lives of the people that he is talking to. He asks questions about his people and about Jerusalem. These are questions which are born of genuine interest. Understanding what is going on from the perspective of God’s people and plans is critical in participating in God’s purposes. We are living in extraordinary times of divisions and fault lines in church and society. It is good to ask questions but it does not help us if we have a predetermined answer in mind. Genuine curiosity can open windows of new information and deliver fresh perspective.
3. He hears that the people are in trouble, disgrace and danger. Burned gates are a major problem for a walled city. Combined with the broken walls it means that there is no control over who comes and goes. There is significant vulnerability and threat to the peace and prosperity of the people. Nehemiah listens carefully to what he is told and summarises it in his report.
4. Nehemiah responds with compassion. He sits down and weeps. One of the challenges with the 24 hour global news cycle is that we become numbed to what we see. One of the issues bringing up three sons, has been what does an appropriate display of emotion look like. Distorted ideas of masculinity spawn ideas like “Big boys don’t cry”. I have tried to explain at different points that there are things that are worth crying about and if you are not moved to tears at those times you are less of a man. I was talking with a guy recently who was in tears and kept apologising. There is no need to say sorry, tears are a sign you care, they show you are alive and will often be part of a move forward. It is okay to be sad in InterVarsity or IFES or wherever God has called you to serve , it is okay to struggle, to grieve and to mourn.
5. Nehemiah mourns and fasts for some days and then he prays. Often we can become frustrated when we look at the ways things are right now. With what is broken down, with so much that needs rebuilt, with frustration at how long dysfunction has lasted and how slow progress has been it is tempting to jump into activism. Strategic planning is important, budget setting, targets and goals have value. We do not have all the answers and will not arrive at the correct conclusions solely through our own endeavours. As our understanding grows we need to seek God’s face and not just his hand. We do not conjure solutions from our imagination but humbly come to the Lord.
The month of Kislev is known as the month of dreams. It is the month of hope in Jewish literature and corresponds to the tribe of Benjamin.
This conversation in Susa is going to result in some dreams which will bring new hope. We know that there is an even bigger hope that will come and has now come from the tribe of Benjamin with the provision of a saviour.
Read the Old Testament we look for the greater hope that looks forward to Jesus first and second coming.
The bigger picture is often hard for us to see today. Overly simplistic narratives from polarised viewpoints are perhaps inevitable in wider society but as the people of God we should be doing better. The echo chambers of news feeds and opinions that capture us, can easily limit our sense of who God is and what he wants us to do.
So for me the big challenge in the first part of the story of Nehemiah is
Who do we listen to, how do we respond with compassion and a concern for the people of God and the glory of God and what is the way forward?