Nehemiah 3 SENSIBLE LEADERSHIP A man who keeps in touch with God knows his own strengths and weaknesses. He is true to God and His principles and makes those principles his own. By prayer and personal devotion to God and His work, he is able to make wise decisions and plans for the work God gives him before starting it. To "wing it" or make snap judgments on the spur of the moment would mean there would be a lot of mistakes, and the work would have to done all over again. Fellowship and the teamwork necessary for a great work begins with the leaders having a clear understanding of the goal and how to reach it, and then being able to make that plain to those who will participate in the work.
The wall Nehemiah came to build, and the gates to be repaired and set in place were a means to an end. The trouble and reproach the people of God were in was a reflection on the God they knew and were supposed to represent. A haphazard approach to any work we are called to, testifies to our character. Nehemiah was a man of strong trustworthy character. The man himself was a motivating factor in the work ahead. He did depend on God, and did take the necessary steps to begin and maintain the momentum of the work before them.
Much of the work before the Jews was repair work. They had been living in their houses next to the piles of stones that had once been walls and had become used to looking at evidence of disaster and defeat. Then a man of vision and faith in God was able to describe a finished work before it even started - "We be no more a reproach (disgrace)." When all seems lost how wonderful it is when one person can see beyond what is wrong to what things are supposed to be like, and has the vision and venture to know how to get there.
Consistent with their spiritual leadership roles, the priests came out through the doors of their houses in work clothes and started to clear away the debris and build the Sheep Gate where the animals for sacrifices were brought to the temple. From there they built the section between the two towers that stood in place to guard the Sheep Gate (the spiritual life of the people) and the Fish Gate (the daily business life of the people). Our spiritual life as the people of God cannot be separated from those things in which we are engaged in day to day living. One has said, "What you do, speaks so loudly I can’t hear a word you say."
Likely after the first day's work was over and the sounds of active people working together for a common purpose, each group of people would be having something to eat and perhaps were rubbing some oil on aching muscles and blistered hands. But as they looked through the doors of their homes, they could see evidence of a great work that was started all around the city as the first layer or two of stones they laid were joined together with that of others. It would remind them of a soon to be finished work and each person who worked that day would feel a part of something big that was going on. There would be a sense of ownership in the wall that would be there for their whole lifetime.
A wise leader not only can see the big picture, but is also able to see individuals as a small part of that big picture. No one is unimportant. The Holy Spirit raises up "overseers" who can see over and above that which is right in front of them that everyone can see. The objectives of the work, worship and service of an assembly is clear in their minds and they have taken the time to plan how to reach that objective. But it is not enough to know that only themselves. As leaders they should be able and willing to make clear to the Lord's people the objectives and how the saints can participate meaningfully in that work. It is not right to drop an announcement on an assembly of a Gospel series beginning next week if they didn't know anything about it before.
Of great interest to the reader of the book of Nehemiah is that people came all the way from Jericho to assist in the work of rebuilding. Some from Tekoa, a couple of hours away, also came and worked along with those who lived in Jerusalem. With a certain degree of scorn Nehemiah mentioned, "Their nobles put not their necks to the work." They were not going to bear burdens probably because they thought they were above doing labor work. They may have been just plain lazy but for whatever reason, they would not help. Not everyone responds in the same way to a call to work for the Lord. For some it may be a brief adventure. Others may want to impress others temporarily. Still others may have had a real interest but found the labor part to hard for their liking. Goldsmiths were working on the wall, the son of a pharmacist, some women and others stopped their normal life and committed themselves to this great and urgent work. Nehemiah made special mention of Baruch who "earnestly repaired" a section of the wall.
To delegate work is one thing. To make it coordinate with the work of hundreds of others is quite another matter. People have to know someone is responsible for the overall project in order to keep a project on track. Those who lead need to be willing to delegate and then take their hands off the work of others as much as possible. People need to know they are expected to work and act responsibly and yet they need another qualified person to give advice, make corrections and provide the incentive to keep at the work until it is finished. When guiding a work in which quite a lot of people are involved, we still need to expect each person to do their best work in the same way we would when we are working for ourselves. "Second best" is not acceptable in the work of the Lord any more than in any other work. We are what we do "heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men."
Nehemiah gave the people sections of the wall to build close to where they lived. That would give them incentive to do good work, both for the quality of the work as well as it looked. Passers by can often judge the character of a person by their work even better than by their words. Those whose work was at the temple, built near the temple. By keeping the standards high and giving incentives for quality work there is a certain sense of accomplishment and pride in what we do that gives satisfaction.
When we live each day before the Lord conscious of the fact that we will "give account of the things done in the body" when we stand before our Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, then we will not be careless. Even the small things we do have value. People who were building the wall were known by name to Nehemiah. Personal interest in people and a knowledge of them by name is characteristic of a caring leader. Nehemiah recognized family groups, vocational groups and individuals. In that way he would have been able to encourage them all to enthusiastically press forward in the work. A "good and faithful servant" deserves some recognition even though he doesn't expect it and may even be embarrassed by it.
It we were able to have observed that work from above, we would have seen a remarkable sight. All around the city the ground would have been cleared first. Then like a growing thing the layers of stones would have been set and each successive day would reveal evidence of progress. The walls and gates would be rising as if it were alive. Enthusiasm, organized labor and a measure of excitement all make a work of God to progress well. Personal pride can be a deterrent to a project but unity and fellowship with others encourages everyone involved and produces wonderful results.