Lesson 07/04/04

NEHEMIAH – ONE OF GOD’S HEROES!

To those of us who have spent a good part of our life in the twentieth century a number of dates are forever etched in our memory. For us, the following quiz is hardly a challenge. Except for those of us who have trouble remembering birth dates, anniversary dates, and even today’s date.
SIGNIFICANT DATES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY - A QUIZ
––––– 1. The bombing of Pearl Harbor. A. June 6, 1944
––––– 2. The assassination of John F. Kennedy. B. Aug. 16, 1977
––––– 3. The unnamed day - D-day. C. Oct. 12, 1963
––––– 4. Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon. D. Nov. 22, 1963
––––– 5. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. E. April 4, 1968
BONUS F. Dec. 7, 1941 _____ 6. The death of Elvis Presley. G. July 20, 1969
In Jewish history there are also a few dates that are forever etched in the collective memory of Israel. One of those dates is 586 B. C., the year the citizens of Judah were deported to Babylon. Scholars know, of course, that this was simply the final deportation.
The initial deportation took place in 605 B. C. when Nebuchadezzar took some members of the royal family and other notable citizens to Babylon. Among the “hostages” were Daniel and his three friends. A second deportation occurred in 597 B.C. when King Jehoiachin and ten thousand (10,000) inhabitants made the humiliating trek to Babylon.
Then, in 586 B. C., because the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem continued to rebel against God, as well as Babylon, the city was completely destroyed. Its king, King Zedekiah, saw his own sons killed before his very eyes, then he had his eyes put out. After that, he was shackled and led into captivity with the remaining inhabitants. Just about every man, woman, and child was taken to Babylon. In the end, only a handful remained with a puppet government put in place for the sole purpose of serving Babylon.
The second date etched in Israel’s memory is 536 B. C. This was the date that Zerubbabel and many others returned to the land. As the Jews returned to their homeland and settled down their attention and effort turned toward rebuilding the temple. This task faced some well-organized opposition, but by 516 B. C. the temple was completed and a dedication ceremony was held.
Now by this time, you’re probably yawning and thinking that you have something more important to do - like take a nap. I don’t blame you, a nap sounds pretty good to me as well, but hold on for here is the punch line. When you examine these dates carefully, whether you look at them in terms of people or in terms of the temple, you’ll find a difference of approximately seventy years.
Seventy years! That is exactly what Jeremiah prophesied before Jerusalem was destroyed. He said:
“ This whole country (referring to Judah) will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations (referring to the surrounding nations) will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” Jeremiah 25:11

However, fifty plus years later the returnees were simply eking out a living. Very much like the people in Iraq today, they lived in constant fear of being assaulted by those who opposed change, by those who had some degree of power - either seized or granted. To make matters worse, the commercial development was negligible which resulted in serious deprivations. And those few entrepreneurs who had discretionary shekels were only willing to loan them out at high interest rates. So every day was a struggle for the everyday man in the streets.
How do we know that most of the returnees were struggling? Well, because the Bible tells us so. In Nehemiah 1:1 - 3 we read:
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Kislev (November/December) in the twentieth year (of Artaxerxes; about 445 B. C.), while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that 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.”
This book, which was originally a part of Ezra and at one point became II Ezra, is rightfully called “Nehemiah” for it is his memoirs. As we study it we will see that although this man is not listed in Hebrews 11 he easily qualifies as someone who lived by faith in a “great and awesome God.” He was one of God’s heroes.
We will learn that he was well-acquainted with Scripture, the history of God at work in the world. We will see that he was a student of Scripture, was encouraged by its stories, was obedient to its commands, and was shaped by it truths.
We will find that he was a man of prayer for the book begins with prayer in Persia and ends with prayer in Jerusalem. Inbetween we see prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. In prayer Nehemiah was provided with perspective and wisdom, in prayer Nehemiah’s vision for the future of Israel was shaped and sharpened, and in prayer his fears were subdued. I guess when you are on your knees they tend not to knock.
And in this context, the context of knowing God’s Word and gladly living under the authority of it, and in the context of prayer we will find that Nehemiah was a great leader. We will observe that Nehemiah was a leader who:
– was willing to be led.
– had a vision for something great.
– was aware of his own vulnerability.
– had the ability to inspire others.
– did not crumble or grumble under adversity.
– recognized the need to adjust his plans.
– worked alongside others.
– was willing to make personal sacrifices.
– had the ability to enlist dependable colleagues.
– anticipated what needed to be done next.
– was sensitive to the whisperings of the Spirit.
– was blessed with the gift of tenacity.
– upheld godly standards of ethics and morality.
– saw the big picture.
– engaged the enemy and, by faith, won.

But most of all, Nehemiah was a great leader because he had compassion for others. It is often overlooked, but right at the beginning of his memoirs, when he recalled his initial conversation with his brother and others who had recently returned from Judah, he first and foremost inquired about the remnant.
For Nehemiah, people mattered more than things. Yes, he heard about the physical conditions in which they were living, but what really bothered him is that the people were in great trouble. I take this to mean that they were in danger of being marginalized. Socially, they were in danger of being pushed aside as those who didn’t matter; swept aside as dirt. Physically, they were in constant danger of being blotted out of existence.
Also, they were living in disgrace. Shame is a disease of the soul and it had ran rampant among the returnees. Lewis Smedes is his book SHAME and GRACE writes:
The feeling of shame is about our very selves – not about some bad thing we did or said but about what we are. It tells us that we are unworthy. Totally. It is not as if a few seams in the garment of our selves need stitching; the whole garment is frayed. We feel that we are unacceptable. And to feel that is a life-wearying heaviness. Shame- burdened people are the sort whom Jesus had in mind when he invited the “weary and heavy laden” to trade their heaviness for his lightness.

When Nehemiah heard about the shattered people he sat down and wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. You see, right at beginning, were told that what matters most in leadership is love and in loving others everything else in life becomes less important.

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