From the Ground Up

From the Ground Up

It was broken beyond repair, razed completely to the ground. Any attempt to fix the situation was shut down from the highest authority, a threat from the king himself. Beset on all sides by foes and open to attack at any time the beleaguered Jewish nation had finally returned home to find that the great city of Jerusalem was gone. What remained was not even a shadow of the city that had been before. Only about 2% of the Jewish people had returned home once they had been allowed. The vast majority of God’s people were still scattered amongst the nations. Ezra 4 recounts the prior attempt to rebuild the city that was thwarted by King Artaxerxes of Persia. And under threat of this earthly king, the Israelites ceased the work of rebuilding their city. A brief moment before continuing though. Although we’ll be discussing historical fact, this setup is equally useful as metaphor. How many times in your own life have you felt defenseless and beaten? Alone or abandoned? The people of Israel had ample reason for pessimism, yet they had no clue that God was about to answer their prayers. We must take heart that God hears our pleas, and understand, like the Israelites, we have no clue whatsoever as to how God will answer them. In this case God decided to use someone named Nehemiah. He was cupbearer to the king.

We see in Nehemiah a textbook case of godly leadership. And it begins with a broken heart. “Hannai, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other ment, 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 1:2-4) Nehemiah was moved to act based on a reverence for God (His people, city and Temple) and a love for his people. This was not a removed, academic, or theoretical interest in Jerusalem, it was a visceral reaction to hearing despair. But he was not content to wallow in this sadness. Nehemiah went to God in prayer, fervently and passionately. For four months he prayed to God in confession, in remembrance, in faith, in gratitude, and finally with a plea. He used prayer to help focus his reaction into action. He understood God’s love which emboldened his prayer, which in turn emboldened him to action. There is very little doubt as to where Nehemiah’s strength came from. “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.” (Nehemiah 1:10) Nehemiah sought to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem so that it could once again be protected to prosper and grow. He began by laying a four month foundation of prayer. If we are to embark upon our own endeavor, we’d do well to do the same. 

“In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”” (John 3:3) God is a specialist in restoration and resurrection. Broken walls will be rebuilt, broken lives will be restored, the dead reclaimed by life. Baptism is a symbolic act which illustrates this. Our old lives are buried and put away, what is raised up is something new. A new creation which Jesus refers to here as dramatic as being born again. It should not surprise us that so many biblical figures were even given entirely new names to signify the enormity of the change that God is capable of. Abram turns to Abraham, Jacob becomes Israel, Simon is now Peter, and Saul rises up as Paul. Our past can remain in the ash bin of history along with the broken rubble of the walls of Jerusalem, because God is more than capable of reclaiming us from the devastation of sin, and restoring us beyond our mere capability. And it is in this vein that Nehemiah can be endlessly instructive.

We are specifically told in Chapter 3 who was part of the group that helped to rebuild the walls. They are led in this task by Eliashib the high priest and the other priests who not only helped rebuild but also consecrated and dedicated the walls to the Lord. There was no doubt to whose glory they were working. It is recorded that merchants, political leaders, goldsmiths, perfumers and others were part of the restoration effort. People worked right in front of their own homes and they worked diligently. The one responsible for organizing this effort, Nehemiah, had no more building experience than they did. Not a one of them had the background, the know-how, the skills, the finances, the contacts, or the capabilities that would allow for such an undertaking. All they had was faith. God does not desire nor require our capabilities. What He looks for is our availability. Scripture is chock full to the brim with accounts of God lifting those up beyond their ability. God took a man self-described this way, “I have never been eloquent, neigher in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Exodus 4:10) and made him the greatest lawgiver of human history, Moses. He took the timid Gideon and made him a military leader. God made a shepherd boy a king and brought the mightiest warrior in history, Samson, to a humbled low and still allowed him to vanquish his enemies as a captive! God helped a cup bearer from the enemy capitol rebuild the walls of His city. God doesn’t need our capability, all He asks is our availability. He is still a worker of miracles and the only possible source for their existence. If you wish to see a miracle, you have no other place to look.

The people rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days. Remember that Nehemiah spent four months in prayer beforehand. That’s where the work is done. Don’t be mistaken, it still required considerable effort to complete the task and it was not without its difficulties or hindrances. But the important work, the necessary work, was done before Nehemiah even left Susa. Anyone can be a leader like Nehemiah, and any Christian should embody the leadership qualities necessary to complete a task like he did. I’m not too sure we know what Christian leadership looks like anymore. It requires more than standing at the front of the crowd and claiming to be a christian. We all know we are saved through faith and not by works, but it is by our fruits that we are known. God looked with kindness on a people who had neglected Him, who had abandoned Him, and even stopped working for Him the moment that consequences entered the picture. That is the story of the Jewish nation, that is the story of Simon Peter, that’s your story too, and mine. God chose to answer their prayers in a way no one expected. A baby floating amongst the reeds, a cupbearer to the king who had already halted the rebuilding, a carpenter’s son from Nazareth. He is working in your life too. There’s no telling as to how. But make yourself as available to His will as these examples have shown and you may be just as surprised. God is still a miracle worker. If you want to see one, there’s nowhere else to turn. 

Jordan Williamson