May the mumbling commence!
Our brothers and sisters and friends tell us about a
condition that is disgraceful – just as Nehemiah had heard about Jerusalem. So, what is the first thing that we do? We try to make it possible to see the
disgraceful condition for ourselves.
Once we get there, who do we trust? If the condition of… say the Body of Christ… is
disgraceful, then the people already present have allowed such disgrace to
happen. Once we arrive we inspect the
condition for ourselves. Trust not
completely to hearsay. And we inspect on
our own… without the knowledge of those present. Read how Nehemiah preceded from Nehemiah
chapter two:
Three days after my arrival at Jerusalem, I slipped out during
the night, taking only a few others with
me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had
put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with us, except the
donkey that I myself was riding. I went
out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal's Well, and over to the Dung Gate
to inspect the broken walls and burned gates.
Then I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but my donkey
couldn't get through the rubble. So I
went up the Kidron Valley instead, inspecting the wall before I turned back and
entered again at the Valley Gate.
The city officials did not know I had been out there or what I was doing,
for I had not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not yet spoken
to the religious and political leaders, the officials, or anyone else in the
administration. But now
I said to them, "You know
full well the tragedy of our city. It lies in ruins, and its gates are burned. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and
rid ourselves of this disgrace!" Then I told them about how the gracious hand
of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king.
They replied at once, "Good! Let's rebuild the
wall!" So they began the good work.
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the
Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed
contemptuously. "What are you doing, rebelling against the king
like this?" they asked.
But I replied, "The God of
heaven will help us succeed. We his servants will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no stake or claim in Jerusalem." (Verses 11-20)
Nehemiah did not put his trust in those who had
power. But Nehemiah did not go alone
either. He took a few others with
him. Were they some others from
Jerusalem that he felt he could trust?
It seems likely enough, for they would know where to look. They could be guides. But we do not know for sure. They may have simply been some of the men that
the king sent to protect Nehemiah on his journey.
After seeing the condition of the city, Nehemiah’s
conviction stuck. So, the pattern so far
is listen/hear, inspect, be convicted. After these things are complete, then
Nehemiah confronted the people in power with a situation they already knew had
existed.
Nehemiah sought to inspire the leaders into action by the
bold actions that he had taken… and by the knowledge of the king’s
support. Once again, they could be
servants of God. And the work to repair
the city and the Temple began as a community effort – read the third chapter
for those details.
Seemingly hopeless situations will be solved when we
seek to serve God together. So, push
on! Working for the Lord is never a
useless task. Read from First
Corinthians chapter fifteen:
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady,
always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is
ever useless. (Verse 58)
Grant us strength and steadiness to do Your work, O God. Give us enthusiasm to complete the tasks You
have given us. Though we may be blunt
tools, nothing that we do in Your Name will ever be counted as useless.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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