Overview
This teaching examines “The Leadership and Character of Nehemiah” through Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah 4, Nehemiah 11, Nehemiah 12, showing how nehemiah, king, jerusalem shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Transcript
Understanding The Leadership and Character of Nehemiah
God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. The 26th president of the United States Theodore Roosevelt once said, Bodily vigor is good and vigor of intellect is even better, but far above both is character. What President Roosevelt is saying is that there’s something far more valuable than being strong physically and intellectually and that is having strong character.
Character can be defined as how you take action based on the moral compass that you have. It is the decisions that you make from determining what is right and what is wrong. An individual can work to be smart.
They can train to be strong. But not everyone has the courage to stand on what God says is right because what is right is not an opinion topic. There are many examples that can be found in the word of God of men and women who exemplified what it meant to have strong character.
There is one in particular that we will be focusing on and that is Nehemiah. Certainly Jesus Christ would have studied Nehemiah as well. Nehemiah is found during the time that Israel had been overtaken by the Persian Empire.
The Persian Empire was kinder to the children of Israel and their previous conquerors, the Babylonians. The Persians kept God’s people in their court and then allowed them to return to Jerusalem after the Babylonians destroyed their home and exiled them out of their land. At this point Jerusalem had not yet been fully restored even though they had been building it for a little over a hundred years and we’ll start off in Nehemiah chapter 1. Verse 1. The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah, and it came to pass in the month of Chislu in the 20th year as I was in Shushan the palace, that Han and I, one of my brethren came, he and certain men of Judah, and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped which were left of the captivity and concerning Jerusalem, and they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire, and it came to pass when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept and mourned certain days and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
And Nehemiah goes into this excellent prayer and we’ll end it in verse 10. Now there are thy servants and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day and grant him mercy and the sight of this man, for I was the king’s cupbearer.
Here in the first chapter we see Nehemiah asking his buddy in the palace how things are going in Jerusalem. The palace located in Shushan is over a thousand miles away from Jerusalem. In the conversation, Nehemiah is informed that Jerusalem is not doing too well and that his people were subject to harm since their wall was in shambles.
The first thing Nehemiah does when he finds out is he prays. Then we see Nehemiah take the action. Prayer was a lifestyle for Nehemiah.
The Biblical Foundation
It was his habit to do so already. This could partially be because of Nehemiah’s position in the palace. Nehemiah’s occupation as a cupbearer for the king tells us so much about his character already.
A cupbearer’s job was to sip every drink before the king would do so. This was to ensure that their drinks weren’t poisoned. Nehemiah would have probably prayed every time he took a drink because he was like a canary in a coal mine.
Nehemiah had to be trustworthy and courageous to have a job with that much importance and danger in the court, especially if Nehemiah was a Judean and not a Persian. In Nehemiah’s prayer, we see that he is humble, recognizing himself as God’s servant. And we will now read from Nehemiah chapter two.
And it came to pass in the month of Nisan in the 20th year of Artaxerxes the king that wine was before him. And I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been before time sad in his presence.
Wherefore the king said unto me, why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was sore afraid and said unto the king, let the king live forever. Why should not my countenance be sad when the city, the place of my father’s sepulchers, lieth waste in the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, for what does thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
And I said unto the king, if it please the king and if thy servants have found favor in thy sight, that thou would ascend me to Judah, unto the place of my father’s sepulchers, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, the queen also, sitting by him, for how long shall thy journey be? And well, wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time. Moreover, I said unto the king, if it please the king, let letters be given me unto the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come to Judah.
And a letter unto Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Servant the Ammonite heard it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
And in verse 17, Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God, which was good upon me, as also the king’s word that he had spoken unto me.
And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Servant the Ammonite and Gesham the Arabian heard it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the king? Then I answered them and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us.
Therefore we his servants will arise and build, but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem. So here in chapter 2, we see that God puts it on Nehemiah’s heart to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the wall. This required Nehemiah to ask the king for, let’s say, a leave of absence.
Asking for leave today is a simple thing, but in his position, just as one task would have posed difficulties for Nehemiah. Nehemiah had to be bold. The king would have had to find someone whom he trusted just as much.
And asking the king, especially the king of the biggest empire in the world, for anything would have been a mighty task. Yet we see the king grant him that and more. Whatever Nehemiah had asked for, he obtained.
After his request for granted, Nehemiah gave the glory back to God. It was of none of his own efforts. When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he told no one why he was truly there, but let the people give out of their own hearts.
When they thought that they should rebuild the wall, not out of obligation, Nehemiah helped to transform the hearts of the people instead of forcing them. It is also in this chapter that we are introduced to the bad guys of this account, Sanballah and Tobiah. And we’ll now turn to Nehemiah chapter 4. And we’ll read verses 1 through 3. And it came to pass that when Sanballah heard that we builded the wall, he was raw and took great indignation and mocked the Jews.
Faith in Action
And he spake before the brethren and the army of Samaria and said, What do these people choose? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. And we’ll see their response in verse 6. So we built the wall, and the wall was joined together unto half thereof, for the people had a mind to work. So now the people of Jerusalem are up against some big boys, not just Sanballah and Tobiah, but the armies of Samaria and more.
Though they heard the mockings and the threats of their antagonizers, they persisted on building the wall. Nehemiah and his people were diligent and courageous to continue on what God had called them to do. God is constant and faithful, so today he is the same.
Whatever God has called you to do, he will carry you through. Chapter 5, verse 1. And there was a great cry of the people, and of their wives against the brethren, the Jews. For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many.
Therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat and live. Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn because of the dearth. There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, that upon our lands and vineyards.
Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children, and lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants. And some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already. Neither is it in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.
And I was angry when I heard their cry in these words. Then I consulted within myself, and I rebuked the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother, and I set a great assembly against them. And I said unto them, We, after our ability, have redeemed our brother and the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen.
And will ye even sell your brethren? Or shall they be sold unto us? Then they held their peace and found nothing to answer. And finally, they respond in verse 12. Then they said, We will restore them and will require nothing of them.
Walking in Love and Confidence
So we will do with thou sayest. Then I called the priest and took an oath of them that they should do according to this promise. Also, I shook my lap and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor that performeth not this promise.
Even thus be he shaken out and emptied, and all the congregations said, Amen, and praise the Lord, and the people did according to this promise. So in the midst of all that is happening, the people come to Nehemiah with a separate need. Nehemiah is still working on the wall while people come to him with their needs, and he finds a solution to meet them.
Nehemiah was compassionate. What was happening was the poor were borrowing from the more wealthy Judeans, and the poor were then being exploited. Nehemiah came to their aid, and again was bold to call out the powerful.
Of the land on their hypocrisy, for they were once slaves under Babylon as well, and yet now they’re doing it to their own people. This is such an example to us of care and service. It is easy to get so caught up in the fact that we are doing something that we feel is big, that we let others needs pass by because we think we cannot handle taking on more.
However, if God is our sufficiency, then we do not have to worry about what we can handle. Our strength does not lie in what we can do and accomplish, but what has already been accomplished and done by Jesus Christ. Nehemiah is helping his people turn back to God.
An oath is taken in front of the priest, and the people that he just reproved praised the Lord. Now the people of Jerusalem are becoming humble. In this chapter, Nehemiah is also appointed governor of Judea under the Persians.
The Persians made the Judeans pay a heavy tax and placed food rations on them as well. Nehemiah did not take the privileges that they allowed him to so they can stay going to his people. Nehemiah showed selflessness.
Nehemiah was put in power and continued to fear God and show love towards his people. Perhaps you are familiar with a quote often attributed to President Abraham Lincoln. If you want to find out the true character of a man, put him in power.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
And now we’ll turn to Nehemiah chapter eight, and we’ll start in verse one. And the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the Watergate. And they speak unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the Watergate from before morning until midday, before the men and women, and those that could understand and all the ears of the people were attentive to the book of the law. And verse six, and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.
And all the people answered, Amen, amen, with lifting up their hands and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also, Jeshua and Benai, and Shariba, Jamin, Acub, Shabbathai, Hojai, Messiah, Kalidah, Azariah, Josabab, Henan, Kalaiah, and the Levites caused the people to understand the law and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly and gave sense and caused them to understand the reading.
And Nehemiah, which is the Tershatha, and Ezra, the priest and scribe and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God, more not nor weep, for all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. And he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto your Lord, neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
So Nehemiah returns to help the people, but he could not help them in every way. This is part of wisdom, understanding that other people are better at some things than you are and letting them give. Today, this is the body of Christ.
The concept that every saint has something they are strong in and collectively they all work together to function as smoothly as the human body. It is an environment where everyone has their niche and it engenders an ecosystem of unity and edification. The priest read the book of the law and the Levites were down with the people to help them understand the book of the law, the word of God.
As they often did, the Judeans realized that they had not been following the law and it caused sorrow. Yet Ezra the priest tells them differently. Ezra directs them not to sorrow, to go their way and enjoy their eating and drinking.
A Life Shaped by God’s Word
He then encourages them by telling them the joy of the Lord is your strength. Joy is an effect that only knowing the Lord, Jehovah in relation to that which he created can cause. This is evidenced in verse 12.
The people were joyous because they understood the words that were spoken to them. Knowing the Lord was not reserved for the Levites or the priests or the high and mighty, but the people could partake in knowing him too. How intimate this is.
We are joyous because we know who the Lord our God is. Faithful and unchanging. All loving and mighty.
We are strengthened by this joy because we know what he has done and that there is nothing left for us to do. So in Nehemiah chapter 11 and 12, we see the wall is finished and the people and their leaders make a covenant to God. In chapter 12, they dedicate the wall that was built.
Verse 43 in chapter 12 shows such a contrast to the beginning of the book of Nehemiah. We can tell that the people’s character had changed as well and Nehemiah did not change their hearts but helped too. No man can change someone’s heart but can lead as good examples.
Only God knows what is on a man’s heart and only with working together with the Lord can it change. The story of building a wall around Jerusalem really is not as important of a story as what it stands for. Of course, the wall is symbolic of God’s favor over his people again and his promise to keep them safe in the land that he promised them.
This would not have happened without the leadership and character of Nehemiah and the changing hearts of the Judeans. In Nehemiah chapter 12 verse 43 reads. Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced.
For God made them rejoice with great joy. The wives also and the children rejoiced. So the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.
Key Takeaways
- Nehemiah’s occupation as a cupbearer for the king tells us so much about his character already.
- So here in chapter 2, we see that God puts it on Nehemiah’s heart to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the wall.
- Nehemiah is still working on the wall while people come to him with their needs, and he finds a solution to meet them.
- We can tell that the people’s character had changed as well and Nehemiah did not change their hearts but helped too.
- Here in the first chapter we see Nehemiah asking his buddy in the palace how things are going in Jerusalem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “The Leadership and Character of Nehemiah”?
This teaching examines “The Leadership and Character of Nehemiah” through Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah 4, Nehemiah 11, Nehemiah 12, showing how nehemiah, king, jerusalem shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah 4, Nehemiah 11, Nehemiah 12.
How can believers apply this teaching?
We can tell that the people’s character had changed as well and Nehemiah did not change their hearts but helped too.
Scripture References
Nehemiah 1; Nehemiah 4; Nehemiah 11; Nehemiah 12
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
