Nehemiah

by N. MacKay, Hamilton, Ontario | Category: Character Studies | Aug 1969

Before the days of the captivity, conditions in Israel were at a low ebb. The nation prospered under the good influence of king Josiah but in a few short years the enemy came in, the king was captured and the captivity began. Sad are the words, " But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against His people, till there was no remedy" (2 Chronicles 36.16).

Nehemiah was no doubt born in Babylon among the captives. The atmosphere as described in Psalm 137 was one of sadness. " By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea we wept." Sitting down speaks of inactivity; the work of the Lord was at a standstill. Tears flowed because their hearts were in Jerusalem whilst they themselves were in Babylon. They preferred Jerusalem above their chief joy. Weeping may tarry for the night but joy cometh in the morning.

The influence of friends and acquaintances on a man's character are very strong indeed and the type of person alluded to above, weeping for Jerusalem, must have been the kind of companion that Nehemiah had. Certain it is that he had instilled in him a love of God and a deep appreciation of His dwelling place. Some of the following points in Nehemiah's character stand out clearly:

He was a good servant

Each day at his work in the palace he performed his task well, and was cheerful about it. This is quite evident in the words: "Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence". Paul writes, "Servants be obedient ... with fear and trembling " (Ephesians 6.5). Nehemiah states, "Then I was very sore afraid" (2.1-2).

He respected authority and honoured the king

He addressed the king with the words, " Let the king live for ever"; " If it please the king " etc. We read that the powers that be are ordained of God, and Nehemiah's correct attitude toward the powers of his day stood him in good stead when God's work was to be done and the king's help was needed.

He was a man of prayer

He didn't seem to be a man of long prayers but, even

while he was before the king, he contacted the One who held the king's heart in His hand as the watercourses. This brings up the point of priorities in our lives; who gets first place-our earthly employer or our Master in heaven? In Nehemiah's life it was the latter and although, humanly speaking, he had his fears, God overruled and not only did he obtain permission to go to the land, but men and materials were sent as well

The next prayer, another short one, was uttered when Sanballat and Tobiah were mocking him and were indignant about the work going on in Jerusalem. Verses 4 and 5 of chapter 4 of Nehemiah give us the complete prayer, after which we read, "So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together ... for the people had a mind to work". They may not have realised that a godly man was behind the work with prayer. A man of prayer is a dependent man as is seen from the shortest of Nehemiah's prayers, "Strengthen Thou my hands ". Very short but very effective, for we read,

So the wall was finished ", and another prayer was answered. The recorded prayers of Nehemiah, like the prayers of our Lord in the days of His flesh, were spoken at critical points in his experience. Before our Lord chose His apostles we read, " He continued all night in prayer to God " (Luke 6.12).

He had a deep concern for God's house

This concern is first seen in Nehemiah's reaction when he heard the sad words telling of conditions at Jerusalem; he sat down and wept. The things concerning God's house had a deep significance for him. This weeping was not mere outward show but heartfelt concern; the actions of Nehemiah following the report of Jerusalem prove beyond doubt that Nehemiah's heart-yearnings were similar to the Psalmist's, " If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning ". This zeal for God's house had far-reaching effects in Nehemiah's life. It meant leaving home and friends, giving up his employment for a period of years, and in its place there would be trials and difficulties associated with conditions in Jerusalem. His decision resembles that of Moses in many respects. They were both leaving a king's palace; and the position of cupbearer was highly regarded in those days. They were both concerned with God's people. They were both willing to share ill-treatment with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of this world. We would do well at times to sound the depths of our concern for God's house and God's people today. Do we really care?

He was a worker

With the king's permission, Nehemiah went to Jerusalem. As soon as he arrived, he went directly to the problem area. He examined at first-hand the damage done by the enemy. His decisions were then made, based on personal experience and not on hearsay or rumour. This is a very important Pont indeed for leaders of God's people. He was also a man of faith and courage. Many would have given up immediately, but in spite of their own weakness and the strength of the enemy, Nehemiah after stating the facts of the case, inspired the people with the words, " Let us build the wall ". Very soon after this, the people said, " Let us rise up and build". When the building commenced, Nehemiah was on the wall with the workers, experiencing all their hardships, fears and labours, and staying with them day and night until the work was done.

Nehemiah's faithfulness

In any endeavour of God's people, the enemy works both outside the camp and within. It is true today as it was true in Nehemiah's day. The enemy outside had caused the wall to be broken down and when this happens there is the double danger. The enemy can come in and God's people can go out. In addition to this, Satan works within the heart of God's people and weakness sets in. It seems that some were exploiting the situation to take advantage of those who were working on the wall, and of those who were in debt and this made Nehemiah angry. The strength of this man is seen in his subsequent actions. First, he consulted with himself. Then he met with the rulers and nobles and faced them with the facts, "Ye exact usury etc."; after which he met with the priests and took an oath of them so that the people would become free of debt and could enjoy the land. Nehemiah was not one-sided, however, and whilst he held a firm hand on separation and brethren's dealing with one another, yet he had strangers from the nations around at his table. This showed the true love that was in the heart of this man, not only for God's house and God's people but for the "stranger that is within thy gates

Even from this brief survey of Nehemiah's life we can see that he was an outstanding man. He was one who put aside personal ambition so that God's will could be carried out. He was also a man of great wisdom. When the enemy tried five times to lure him away from the work in Jerusalem, he saw through their wiles. Like a true leader he went beyond the call of duty, and although the position of governor carried with it the privilege of taking bread, wine and silver from the people, yet he did not take advantage of these things. As a result of this man's dedication and God's work through him, the services of the sanctuary were restored. Praise God for such worthwhile results. May He raise up more Nehemiahs for His service today!

N. MacKay, Hamilton, Ontario | Aug 1969
Character Studies