Nehemiah: Rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem
The first chapter of the Book of Nehemiah introduces the book bearing his name as a resident of Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire. When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem were still broken down more than a half-century after the completion of the rebuilding of the temple, he “sat down and wept,” fasting and praying before God (Neh. 1:4). Implicitly, he was formulating a plan to remedy the situation in Jerusalem.
The connection between the temple and the wall is significant for the theology of work. The temple might seem to be a religious institution, while the walls are a secular one. But God led Nehemiah to work on the walls, no less than he led Ezra to work on the temple. Both the sacred and the secular were necessary to fulfill God’s plan to restore the nation of Israel.
If the walls were unfinished, the temple was unfinished too. The work was of a single piece. The reason for this is easy to understand. Without a wall, no city in the ancient Near East was safe from bandits, gangs and wild animals, even though the empire might be at peace. The more economically and culturally developed a city was, the greater the value of things in the city, and the greater the need for the wall. The temple, with its rich decorations, would have been particularly at risk. Practically speaking, no wall means no city, and no city means no temple.
Bible Commentary / Produced by TOW Project
Today we will look at how Nehemiah moves from what’s comfortable to the calling that God placed on his life.
3 Ways To Get Off The Comfy Couch
1: Move Past CONVENIENCE
We tend to equate “easy” as being “good,” and “hard” as being “bad.”
2: Move Past CIRCUMSTANCE
God desires to use your circumstance as your testimony.
3: Move Past COMPARISON
Comparison is poison.
So I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3
I’m Doing a Great Work; and I Can’t Come Down
