And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
– Nehemiah 1:3 ESV

HEBREW
מְפֹרָ֔צֶת/mə·p̄ō·rā·ṣeṯ: busted through, dismantled

CONSIDER
On March 24, 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound. The reef it collided with ripped a hole in its hull, ultimately spilling 11 million gallons of oil in one of the most ecologically sensitive areas of the world. When the news of this incident spread around the world, the reactions ranged from anger to sadness to shock and confusion. The gaping hole in the Exxon Valdez caused these feelings, but no one felt them because the ship itself was damaged. It was what the ship was designed to protect as it carried oil that stirred up global outrage.
When Nehemiah inquired about how God’s people were faring in Jerusalem, the response was that the remnant “is in great trouble and shame, and that the wall of Jerusalem is mə·p̄ō·rā·ṣeṯ (busted through, dismantled), and its gates are destroyed by fire.” Nehemiah was gutted by this news, but not because he was hoping that the city was physically pristine. His concern was for the people of God that the wall was designed to protect. For decades, the city had been a pile of rubble and a physical reminder of the devastation Babylon had unleashed on Judah. And Nehemiah was stirred to action, not by refurbishing a mə·p̄ō·rā·ṣeṯ wall but by restoring a nation set aside for the glory of God. Whatever broken thing stirs our hearts, may we be honest enough with ourselves to consider whether God is moved by the things that move us.

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How will I leverage where God has me for his glory?

let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.
– Nehemiah 1:6 ESV

HEBREW
חָטָֽאנוּ/ḥā·ṭā·nū: have borne responsibility

CONSIDER
Nearly a century had passed since the walls were last intact. Decades of being uninhabited, coupled with the lack of a clear plan had kept them in disrepair. There was enough blame to be passed around, both generationally and regionally. But for all the finger-pointing that could have been done outwardly, Nehemiah begins restoring Jerusalem nearly 800 miles away from the city by pointing inward through prayerful repentance. He asks God to pay attention to his continual prayer of confession, because “Even I and my father’s house ḥā·ṭā·nū (have borne responsibility).” He lays the blame for the poor condition of God’s people squarely at their own feet rather than criticizing his ancestors for their neglect and competence. It’s this type of character and unwillingness to condemn others that proves Nehemiah is the right leader for the job of community building. It’s easy for us to look out on injustice or wrongdoing and find someone other than ourselves to blame. But the clearer we see the perfection of Jesus, the clearer our imperfections will become. Starting with confession for the way we ḥā·ṭā·nū is the most productive step in any rebuilding project to which God has called us.

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How will I leverage where God has me for his glory?

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O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king. – Nehemiah 1:11 ESV

HEBREW
וְהַצְלִֽיחָה־/wə·haṣ·lî·ḥāh: and advance the cause of
לְרַחֲמִ֔ים/lə·ra·ḥă·mîm: compassionate help

CONSIDER
How will I leverage where God has me for his glory? If we take a cue from the story of Nehemiah, this question begins with fervent prayer. Nehemiah knew that his mission was futile without the power of God working on his behalf, and so he asks that the Lord would hear his prayer wə·haṣ·lî·ḥāh (and advance the cause of) his servant. In scripture, this verb always denotes heavenly assistance, and Nehemiah’s use falls perfectly in line with this rule. But he doesn’t stop with a request for God to advance his cause; Nehemiah also asks that God would grant him lə·ra·ḥă·mîm (compassionate help) in the sight of this man, King Artaxerxes. When these two Hebrew words are used in the same context, we get a clear picture of what Nehemiah believes is required to leverage his position for God’s glory. There is nothing that can stop this servant of the Lord when God’s power (wə·haṣ·lî·ḥāh) is linked with his compassion (lə·ra·ḥă·mîm). This same potent combination is available to us today. When we begin the pursuit of leveraging our one and only life with prayer to the God of strength and mercy, there is no telling where those prayers will lead us!

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How will I leverage where God has me for his glory?

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And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. – Nehemiah 2:2 ESV

HEBREW
רֹ֣עַֽ לֵ֑ב/rō·a‘ lêḇ: internal anguish

CONSIDER
Theologian. Bishop. Author. Exile. The early church father Athanasius held all these titles, and how he is known by history incorporates each of them. In Latin he’s Athanasius Contra Mundum: Athanasius Against the World. And his life is a case study in taking a God-Risk.
When Athanasius was 23 years old, a Synod (regional church council) was held in his hometown of Alexandria that confirmed the Biblical understanding that Jesus was the Son of God. A church leader named Arius disagreed, and since he was older, well connected, and eloquent, he developed a massive following. Arius seemed to turn the entire world away from Orthodoxy into the belief that Jesus was just a man. For the next 52 years Athanasius fought diligently to uphold the Biblical view of Christ, even though it meant taking an unpopular position, enduring death threats, being exiled multiple times, and even narrowly escaping a mob’s attempt at murdering him while he was preaching. Although his life was far from comfortable, and at times it seemed as if he was the only person who believed the truth, Athanasius eventually saw the church reaffirm Jesus as the Son of God.
Nehemiah was tasked with a God-Risk that was just as dangerous. As cupbearer to the king, his role was to appear happy, healthy, and resolute. So when King Artaxerxes saw Nehemiah looking distraught in his court, he rightly understood that “This is nothing but rō·a‘ lêḇ (internal anguish).” As surprising as it may sound, this would be grounds for killing Nehemiah. And yet, as afraid as he was to do so, Nehemiah boldly requested that he be released to go repair the walls of Jerusalem. With so much to cause Nehemiah rō·a‘ lêḇ, he chose not to play it safe or act solely in his own interest, but to leverage his position and this moment in time for God’s glory. There was a real chance he might not live to see the next day, but he was led forward by a passion for God’s people and an understanding that his power was available through prayer. It would be nice if we had a guarantee that any risk we take would be worth the sacrifice, but if we did it would no longer be risky! Athanasius and Nehemiah, however, remind us that any God-Risk we feel led to take will begin with an internal anguish that we can no longer contain. As a result, we discover that quite often the risks that God will call us to will be the very experiences we can’t imagine our lives without.

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What God-Risk do I need to take?

And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. – Nehemiah 2:6 ESV

HEBREW
וַיִּשְׁלָחֵ֔נִי/way·yiš·lā·ḥê·nî: to release me for a purpose

CONSIDER
The concept of being sent is indelibly linked with the concept of purpose. Even a request for a leave of absence from King Artaxerxes could have killed Nehemiah, and yet not only was his life spared, but Nehemiah records that “it pleased the king way·yiš·lā·ḥê·nî (to release me for a purpose) when I had given him a time.” What a miracle! The king clearly would never make any decision arbitrarily, and Nehemiah’s use of this Hebrew verb confirms that he was sent out for a purpose. The same verb is used twice in Genesis 8 as Noah sends out a raven, and then a dove, to search for the evidence of dry land. There is a clear purpose to these birds being sent, just as there is to Nehemiah’s. And as his story unfolds, we see God at work in ways that the king would never have envisioned.
But Nehemiah isn’t the only person in the Bible who is sent for a purpose.Jesus says in John 20:21 that he was sent by the Father, and as the Father had sent him, so he is sending us! Jesus himself has given us a purpose by sending us to bear his name in whatever sphere of influence we find ourselves. So as we consider what God-Risk we need to take, let’s remember that we have been sent out for a purpose, and that miracles can happen when we are bold enough to explore what that purpose might be.

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What God-Risk do I need to take?

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And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. – Nehemiah 2:8b ESV

HEBREW
הַטּוֹבָ֥ה/haṭ·ṭō·w·ḇāh: the pleasant, the beautiful

CONSIDER
For Nehemiah, the God-Risk he was called to could only come to fruition through supernatural means. He attributed the king granting him what he asked for to haṭ·ṭō·w·ḇāh (the pleasant) hand of God being upon him. The dual experiences of sensing the Lord’s leading and taking a risk is incredibly powerful. And as obvious as it sounds, taking a God-Risk will only be successful if God empowers a person to do it! But something that may get lost in translation is the adjective Nehemiah uses to describe the hand of God. To more fully understand it, we need to go all the way back to the beginning. In Genesis 1 God declared, “Let there be light,” and when he saw it he said it was good. God looked at the result of his word and liked what he saw. The descriptive word for good here is the same one used in today’s verse. His goodness isn’t simply moral and virtuous, it’s pleasant and beautiful! To be sure, God’s hand was “good” in the sense of being kind when guiding Nehemiah to Jerusalem, but it was also a pleasant and marvelous hand that worked a stunning miracle. Sensing haṭ·ṭō·w·ḇāh hand of God on our lives as we take a risk for him may seem like a nice by-product as we navigate uncertainty, but the closer we get to his presence the more we realize that proximity to his beauty is the thing we most need.

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What God-Risk do I need to take?

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Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode.
– Nehemiah 2:12 ESV

HEBREW
נֹתֵ֣ן/nō·ṯên: had specifically set

CONSIDER
The Rochester-based Nalge Company has been making laboratory equipment for nearly 75 years. It didn’t take long for founder Emanuel Goldberg and his team to lead the industry in technology that could withstand high temperatures with more shatter resistance than glass. Over 100 million directly interact with this company’s products everyday, but if it wasn’t for a poorly-kept secret, hardly anyone would know or care that they exist. In the 1970’s CEO Marsh Hyman discovered that several of his employees were secretly borrowing centrifuge bottles and filter casings and bringing them along on their hiking adventures as shatter-proof water bottles. Instead of getting angry, Hyman carried his own secret stash of Nalge products along with him on his son’s Boy Scout trip to field test. The campers loved how lightweight and durable they were, and eventually Nalgene would become one of the foremost producers of water bottles on the planet.
When an idea has the potential to revolutionize an industry, it isn’t a secret for very long. Those in the know leverage their time and energy into turning the hidden concept into a actualized product. Although Nehemiah told no one what his God nō·ṯên (had specifically set) into his heart for Jerusalem, he worked tirelessly to see it go from dream to reality. The idea had come directly from God – Nehemiah takes no credit for it – and as a result he is compelled to act. Nehemiah is not unique in this experience. By nature of our desire to follow Jesus, we too will be able to reflect on our lives and point to a dream that God nō·ṯên into our hearts. And much like Nehemiah, the question becomes, where has God called me to lead? In other words, where is the God-dream that my heart can no longer keep inside poised to take me? As we take the time to unpack our answer this week, may we sense God’s prompting in a clear and unique way.

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Where has God called me to lead?

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.”
– Nehemiah 2:17 ESV

HEBREW
חֶרְפָּֽה/ḥer·pāh: injury, shame, or embarrassment at the hand of the enemy

CONSIDER
The Book of Psalms contains a number of Messianic songs. These are psalms that prophetically refer to the One who would be sent by God to rescue his people from their sin. Psalm 69 is full of verses that specifically detail the character and actions of the coming Messiah, and verse 9 reveals a difficult part of his ministry. The verse declares that “the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” Taken in context, the Anointed One was prophesied to bear the sin of everyone who has sinned against God. And as the Bible unfolds, we see that not only does that include all of us, but Jesus was sent by God the Father to be the Messiah who would do something about our sin sickness.
The noun used in Psalm 69 is a variation of the one that Nehemiah used in today’s verse. He led the people of Jerusalem to action by encouraging them to build the wall around their city, “that we may no longer suffer ḥer·pāh (injury, shame, or embarrassment at the hand of the enemy). Nehemiah’s approach was to cast a compelling vision about how to avoid shame and injury. No one wants to feel the effects of ḥer·pāh, and yet nearly all of us recognize that there is opposition hoping to thwart the plan of God in our lives. This opposition is poised to injure and embarrass us every chance they get. But the good news is that Jesus has taken that ḥer·pāh upon himself! We had no part to play in the removal of our disgrace. Now as we go where God has called us to lead, we too can cast a compelling vision for our neighbors and friends as we point to the One who has freely removed our shame from us.

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Where has God called me to lead?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
– Nehemiah 2:18 ESV

HEBREW
נָק֣וּם/nā·qūm: let us reposition ourselves appropriately

CONSIDER
It’s been said that the best leaders see things that others don’t. This concept almost instinctively makes us think of someone who was brave enough to take action. You might picture a young Jeff Bezos in his garage full of books and a dream to leverage the internet to sell them. Or this idea might conjure up images of explorers who braved the unknown because they were convinced the world was bigger than anyone else dared dream. Regardless of what comes to mind, just about all of us likely recognize that visionary leadership and timely action go hand-in-hand. Nehemiah was just this kind of leader. He was moved to act for a cause that few others could see the scope of, and inspired people to join him in working toward his goal. As he shared with his constituents just how many miracles had been performed to get them to Jerusalem, the people declared, “nā·qūm (let us reposition ourselves appropriately) and build.” What an encouraging statement! Nehemiah had successfully cast such a compelling vision to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem that it inspired those in the city to change their posture. Where the people at one time held to a self-centered fixation, they suddenly recognized the importance of working for a greater purpose. As we consider where God has called us to lead, we must keep this concept in mind. The prompting of the Holy Spirit could very well cause us to see things that other people just don’t see. And if we are to be faithful to heed his prompting, we may be asked to reposition ourselves – and those we lead – for the task at hand. The job may be enormous and the assignment larger than your natural capabilities, but if God is doing the calling, we can trust his Spirit to help with the proper repositioning.

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Where has God called me to lead?

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Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated itas far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.
– Nehemiah 3:1 ESV

HEBREW
קִדְּשׁ֔וּהוּ/qid·də·šū·hū: dedicated it to the Lord as holy

CONSIDER
How do you eat an entire elephant? One bite at a time.
We all have asked the questions that inevitably come from starting a big project. Where should we begin? What is the most important thing to get done? How can the plan unfold in the most efficient way possible? As Nehemiah organized the people of Jerusalem – and beyond – to begin the daunting task of rebuilding the wall, there seems to have been a clear first step for him. He begins his list of workers with the priests of God, and records them building the Sheep Gate. This was the gate in the north-east part of the wall close to the temple where the sheep would have entered the city for sacrifices. Not only did the priests take on this project, they also qid·də·šū·hū (dedicated it to the Lord as holy). These men clearly recognized that their labor was more than physical remodeling; they were ensuring that God would be properly worshiped in the city where he had chosen his name to dwell (Nehemiah 1:9). They knew their work and their city belonged to him alone.
This is an important mindset to have as we assess where the Lord would have us serve. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:16 that because of Jesus, WE are the Temple of God and that God’s Spirit resides in us. As a result, what we do has a direct impact on how God is worshiped. As we do what it takes to ensure our lives reflect God’s glory, can we say that we have qid·də·šū·hū completely to him? Reframing our work to see that it belongs to the Lord is a significant first step.

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Who is God asking me to work alongside?

And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.
– Nehemiah 3:5 ESV

HEBREW
הֵבִ֣יאוּ צַוָּרָ֔ם בַּעֲבֹדַ֖תלֹא־/lō hê·ḇî·’ū ṣaw·wā·rām ba·‘ă·ḇō·ḏaṯ: did not put their shoulders to the work for

CONSIDER
In Luke 14, Jesus famously taught that anyone who considers embarking on a new endeavor should “count the cost” before agreeing to put in the work. Whether someone is building a tower, buying a vineyard, or following Jesus, it’s important to recognize that there will be a price to pay. When rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem, Nehemiah cast such a compelling vision for the project that people from no less than eight other towns and villages counted the cost and were represented in the list of workers. These families would have had little to no direct benefit from Jerusalem’s walls being rebuilt, and yet they stood shoulder to shoulder with other like-minded servants to get the job done. In view of this grand a sacrifice, it would be easy to point an accusatory finger at the Tekoite nobles, who lō hê·ḇî·’ū ṣaw·wā·rām ba·‘ă·ḇō·ḏaṯ (did not put their shoulders to the work for) their Lord. These political leaders were simply buying into the cultural norms of their day, but in doing so they stand in stark contrast to the rest of the builders. The nobles counted the cost and decided that the physical, social, and even financial burden was beneath them. They were certainly too important to stoop to serve. This attitude begs the question: Where have we allowed the norms of our workplace, family or society to keep us from working shoulder to shoulder with others? If leaving Heaven and emptying himself to rescue us from sin wasn’t too lowly a task for Jesus, there is clearly nothing he can ask us to do that we should consider beneath us.

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Who is God asking me to work alongside?

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Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. – Nehemiah 3:14 ESV

HEBREW
שַׁ֣עַר הָאַשְׁפּ֗וֹת/hā·’aš·pō·wṯ ša·‘ar: Refuse Gate, Ash Heap Gate

CONSIDER
When Nehemiah surveyed the condition of Jerusalem’s walls, he discovered they were in such disrepair that the animal he rode on was unable to fit through them. The gates must have been completely destroyed and the rubble too much to travel through. Now consider how much refuse would have been piling up after 90 years of the local dump/sewage station being shut down! That’s how important repairing the hā·’aš·pō·wṯ ša·‘ar (Refuse Gate, Ash Heap Gate) was. A quick scan through the chapter might leave the impression that Malchijah drew the short straw and was stuck with the task of repairing the city’s most repugnantly named gate, but this project was one of its most crucial. This gate was closest to the pit where ash, manure, and any other unusable garbage would be heaped up. The job needed to be done quickly and effectively if the city was to operate the way Nehemiah prayed it would. This job required someone with specific skills and attention to detail. Although Beth-haccherem was located a few miles south of the city, the ruler of this district put his shoulder to the task of clearing the debris and building it anew. Beth-haccherem translates into English as “House of the Vineyard,” so Malchijah would have been the governor of an area where the meticulous work of grape-growing flourished. He must have had a clear vision of the importance of his task to leave this position for even a short time. And even though his name is forever connect to the hā·’aš·pō·wṯ ša·‘ar and not as the leader of a prestigious area of Judah, the people of God were incredibly grateful for his interesting legacy. When the motivation for our work is to serve the Lord and not people (Col. 3:23), we can see the importance of the job we are called to do regardless of where the work takes us.

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Who is God asking me to work alongside?

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Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.
– Nehemiah 4:1 ESV

HEBREW
וַיַּלְעֵ֖ג/way·yal·‘êḡ: mocked, derided, ridiculed

CONSIDER
When psychologist and author J. Stuart Ablon set out to research why grade-school students bully other kids, he originally held the assumption that bullying happens when a person sets a goal to harm another person. Their intent is to hurt others physically, emotionally, socially, or any other way. But Ablon discovered that the root of bullying is a lack of learned skills to achieve a specific goal, and as a result, the bully sees people as obstacles to their dreams, rather than teammates or classmates or friends. Simply put, a bully is someone who has the selfish perspective that they are on the throne of their lives. With that definition in mind, we can clearly see that every human has what it takes to become a bully, much like we see Sanballat doing in today’s verse. He saw God’s people rebuilding the wall as a threat to his power and the text says it made him angry and greatly enraged. As a result, he way·yal·‘êḡ (mocked, derided, ridiculed) the Jews. Scripture teaches that this kind of opposition to God’s work always has a spiritual genesis (see Ephesians 6). Whether we have a Sanballat in our own lives or recognize that our anger has led to a bullying attitude in us, there are spiritual forces at work that hope to halt Heaven’s progress on earth. And if we’re not prepared for that reality, we could respond to the opposition by fighting the wrong combatants. May we be moved to prayer as we consider that the battle we are engaged in is being fought beyond our natural senses.

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How am I preparing myself for spiritual battle?

And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.
– Nehemiah 4:8 ESV

HEBREW
תּוֹעָֽה/tō·w·‘āh: wandering

CONSIDER
We’ve all experienced the pain of taking a wrong turn, but Edward Rosenthal’s wrong turn nearly proved deadly. Rosenthal took an afternoon hike through a desert in Joshua Tree National Park, and as he headed back to his car he quickly discovered he had veered off course a bit. Recognizing his vehicle couldn’t be too far away, he kept retracing his steps and trying different directions, but by nightfall he had no idea where he was. For six days Rosenthal wandered around the desert and when he became too exhausted to walk, he sought shelter in a small canyon and only moved to keep in the shade. After nearly a week exposed to the elements and 24 miles of walking in circles,  Rosenthal was rescued by a helicopter.
It doesn’t take much for a person to veer off course, either physically or spiritually. Edward Rosenthal became a bit confused about where his car was and, before long, was found in a life-threatening experience. And those opposed to the work that the people of Jerusalem were doing knew that the best way to fight against the work of the Lord was to cause tō·w·‘āh (wandering) in it. This battle plan has nothing to do with exerting power over an opponent; rather it seeks to cause the enemy to wander away from a particular endeavor. This can be successful because any lack of focus on the direction of our efforts can get us “turned around” and focused on less important things. If the enemy can get us fixated on something else – even if it’s close to the work God intends for us – he knows that kind of tō·w·‘āh will result in unproductive sideways energy. Sometimes being spiritually equipped means recognizing those tactics that are designed to tempt us to take a wrong turn.

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How am I preparing myself for spiritual battle?

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And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” – Nehemiah 4:14 ESV

HEBREW
זְכֹ֔רוּ/zə·ḵō·rū: be mindful of, be motivated by

CONSIDER
As slaves in Egypt, God’s people must have felt forgotten. They had gone from honored guests to captive laborers in a relatively short time. Their plight became more and more severe until God heard their groanings and remembered his covenant with their ancestors (Exodus 2:24). Had the fact that his people were slaves slipped God’s mind? Did their prayers fall on deaf ears until the Lord felt like doing something? Scripture records that instead of this being true, God was motivated to act because he takes his commitment to his people seriously.
As Nehemiah prepared God’s people for the looming battle their opponents promised, he chose not to motivate them with fear, anger, or resentment. He did, however, recognize that the beauty and character of the Lord was more than enough to galvanize those working to restore Jerusalem. They were to zə·ḵō·rū (be mindful of, be motivated by) the Lord, who is great and awesome. This Hebrew word has the same root as the one that God used in Exodus 2. When we find ourselves in a battle, losing focus on the glory of the Lord can easily become our default mode. But as Nehemiah rightly understood, only God’s greatness is weighty enough to build the foundation of our lives on. The ability to zə·ḵō·rū the Lord is one of the most effective ways to prepare ourselves for spiritual battle.

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How am I preparing myself for spiritual battle?

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So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?
– Nehemiah 5:9 ESV

HEBREW
לֹא ט֥וֹב/lō ṭō·wḇ: is not right; is not agreeable

CONSIDER
Before God spoke creation into existence, the book of Genesis records that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). The Spirit was present at creation and when God said “Let there be light” he saw that the light was ṭō·wḇ – good. As we fast forward to the story of those in Judah rebuilding Jerusalem after the exile, Nehemiah saw the exploitation being perpetrated by his own people and said, “the thing that you are doing is lō ṭō·wḇ (not right; not agreeable). This phrase may be the inverse of the word God uses in Genesis 1, but the concept is very similar. God saw something in creation that was the way it should be, and it was ṭō·wḇ, but Nehemiah saw something in God’s people that was not the way it should be and it was lō ṭō·wḇ. The attitude and approach to others that Nehemiah saw was the opposite of good, and linking it to the fear of God, he leveraged his position to make a difference. Unfortunately, the injustice and lack of empathy that Nehemiah saw is still rampant in our world today. There are many things that we could look at and declare this is lō ṭō·wḇ. But in John 14 – 16, Jesus promised that God would provide the Holy Spirit who would guide us into all truth, and would help us clearly discern what is good. The same Spirit that was hovering over the chaos waters in the beginning has been promised to us as we are created anew! He was instrumental in the goodness of creation, and he will be with us as we leverage what we’ve been created for to show compassion in a world that often is lō ṭō·wḇ.

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What will I sacrifice in order to show compassion in my world?

I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.
– Nehemiah 5:16 ESV

HEBREW
הֶחֱזַ֔קְתִּי/he·ḥĕ·zaq·tî: strengthened my resolve; became more resolute

CONSIDER
According to research being conducted at Boston University, Christianity is growing in China at an unprecedented pace. According to their estimates, in the last 40 years the number of those who follow Jesus have skyrocketed from 1 million to 100 million. As exciting as that is, what many people (believers and otherwise) find fascinating is that this growth happened in a region of the world that is among the most hostile to Jesus and organized religion in general. So what do researchers believe the impetus for such growth is? When spiritual explanations are left out, what remains are conditions that leave no gray area regarding how to faithfully live out what a person believes. It turns out that there is far less apathy in people when what they believe may actually lead to their death!
Nehemiah was a man who became more resolute in his beliefs as he looked out on conditions that were just not right. He saw the people of God overcharging their own family and friends to make a buck, then turning their attention to work that was designed to protect people and glorify God. When he linked the need for change to their relationship with the Lord, they repented and promised to reverse their exorbitant charging practices. For some leaders this would have been enough, and they could have very easily been tempted to consider the issue rectified. But Nehemiah refused to play it safe or let apathy take root, and instead he records that this situation caused him to press on. “I also he·ḥĕ·zaq·tî (strengthened my resolve; became more resolute) in the work on this wall” Nehemiah stated. What a statement from a dedicated leader! He couldn’t live with submitting to the opposition or solving less weightier problems. Nehemiah continued to lead by example, strengthening his resolve to sacrifice as much as necessary to care for his people and honor his God.

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What will I sacrifice in order to show compassion in my world?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.
– Nehemiah 5:19 ESV

HEBREW
זָכְרָה/zā·ḵə·rāh: be mindful of me

CONSIDER
What will I sacrifice in order to show compassion in my world? No one would argue with Nehemiah if his response to this question was just about everything. Nehemiah was a leader who gave up a life of comfort, power, prestige, and reputation to pursue the plan of God in Jerusalem. And even though his new role as governor came with certain meal and land perks, he refused to accept them and even used his own wealth to feed hundreds of people. When we think of a selfless public servant, Nehemiah could easily set the standard in our minds. But the reality is that Nehemiah was a flawed, sinful human just like the rest of us, and as noble as it may seem to pray “Zā·ḵə·rāh (be mindful of me) for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people,” his prayer actually hinges on personal merit. If God were to zā·ḵə·rāh all of Nehemiah’s deeds in totality, would he want God to act accordingly? Would we?
In Psalm 103:10, David tells us that God “does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” The gospel shows us that Jesus went to the cross so that his sinless life could be conferred to us. This truth is good news because without it we would by necessity have to find ways to prove that our deeds were worth God remembering. So now that we no longer need to put up a facade to hide our shortcomings, any sacrifice we make to show compassion can be regarded as worship for the compassion his sacrifice made possible.

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What will I sacrifice in order to show compassion in my world?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
– Nehemiah 6:3 ESV

HEBREW
אַרְפֶּ֔הָ/’ar·pe·hā: I abandon it, I relax from it, I slack from it

CONSIDER
There isn’t a much surer thing in sports than a 33-0 lead in the third quarter of an NFL game. No team had ever gone into the locker room at halftime trailing by that much and still won the game, until the Minnesota Vikings did so at the end of the 2022 season. Their opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, were so confident in their victory that they “let off the gas” and chose not to play the second half of their game with the intensity it takes to succeed in the NFL. As a result, they gave up five touchdowns in seven possessions and found themselves on the wrong side of history as they watched the Viking’s Greg Joseph kick a game-winning field goal. When reflecting on the loss, many of the Colts players lamented that they lost their focus and didn’t regain it until it was too late.
The ‘22 Colts provide us with a metaphor for Nehemiah’s apprehension to stop rebuilding the wall. His opponents did all they could to coax, coerce, and compel Nehemiah to discontinue the work in which he was engaged. But he knew the importance of the task at hand, and asked them, “Why should the work stop while ’ar·pe·hā (I abandon it, I relax from it, I slack from it) and come down to you?” For Nehemiah, taking a break from what he was doing was tantamount to relaxing and slacking off, and it became crystal clear that this was the tactic his enemies were trying to use on him. He recognized the lie being told and doubled down on the truth that he was called to keep his focus on the work assigned to him. As we spend time in God’s word, we gain clarity about what God is asking us to focus on with intensity. And as that mission comes into focus, it will become easier to identify the tactics our adversary uses to disrupt it.

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What lie will I replace with Gospel truth?

And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
– Nehemiah 6:12 ESV

HEBREW
שְׁלָח֑וֹלֹֽא/lō šə·lā·ḥōw: had not extended himself through him

CONSIDER
The ability to discern between a lie and the truth can sometimes be perceived as a mystical skill. In other words, we can falsely believe that unless someone directly informs us that we are being lied to, there is no way to detect it. This kind of thinking paints humans as too passive and naive to make wise decisions. But if we were to pause and look around at the situations we face, there are typically multiple warning signs that do not require a way to predict the future. Case in point: when Noah and his family had spent 40 days in the ark, Noah sent out a dove to find signs of land three different times. The first time, the dove returned just as it had left, the second time it returned with an olive branch in its beak, and the third time it never returned. Should Noah have thought, “How can I be sure the dove found dry ground? Maybe it drowned in the waters… I’m too afraid to leave this ark!” Of course not. Noah had sent the bird as an extension of his plan to find dry ground, and he knew what it meant when it didn’t return. The same Hebrew verb that Genesis used to describe Noah’s action of sending the dove is used in today’s verse. Nehemiah knew that God lō šə·lā·ḥōw (had not extended himself through [Shemaiah]) but instead had been hired as a false prophet. The verb Nehemiah uses is expressly used to indicate God extending himself through particular means. And because Shemaiah’s request both pulled him from his work and was contrary to God’s law, Nehemiah was crystal clear on the fact that God was not extending himself through this man’s lies. Scripture is the “released dove” for our lives, giving us concrete evidence that a word is sent from God or not. We may not receive a literal olive branch to counteract the lies of the enemy, but God’s word is still enough to discern the truth in a world of falsehood.

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What lie will I replace with Gospel truth?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid andfell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
– Nehemiah 6:16 ESV

HEBREW
וַיִּפְּל֥וּ מְאֹ֖ד/way·yip·pə·lū mə·’ōḏ: incredibly fearful and disheartened; lost

CONSIDER
In Ancient Ireland, there were few things as terrifying as the Féár Gortach, or Hungry Grass. This was a parcel of land covered in grass that would cause anyone who stood on it to starve to death no matter how much food they ate. What made the Féár Gortach so terrifying was that it could be located anywhere in Ireland, so one was never sure if they were inadvertently causing themselves to waste away to nothing simply by walking through unfamiliar territory. The only way to counteract the effects of the Féár Gortach was to either carry bread crust in one’s pocket or sprinkle bread crumbs on the Hungry Grass itself. Imagine being so afraid of where you stepped that it kept you from venturing out into the unknown!
Fear, in general, is a liar. It causes us to play it safe when we should take risks, and to stay put when we should venture outside our comfort zone. But fear can also be leveraged by God for his plans. When those who opposed the people of God in Jerusalem heard of the miraculous work being done by them, they became way·yip·pə·lū mə·’ōḏ (incredibly fearful and disheartened; lost). This phrase indicates that they were literally unable to move forward with their plans when they sensed God working on behalf of his people. The only difference between the lie and the truth that fear communicates is what it does with the Lord’s plan! When aligned with it, feeling way·yip·pə·lū mə·’ōḏ is a tactic of the enemy, but when opposed to his plan, it is a right response to standing against his sheer omnipotence. Replacing a lie with Gospel truth is sometimes simply a matter of recognizing where we stand and what we stand on.

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What lie will I replace with Gospel truth?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.
– Nehemiah 7:2 ESV

HEBREW
אֱמֶ֔ת/ ’ĕ·meṯ: firm, reliable

CONSIDER
Climbing Mount Everest is one of the most difficult and dangerous endeavors any human could embark on. Risking one’s life more than once to re-summit the world’s tallest peak is exponentially rarer and riskier. So in May of 2023 when Sherpa Kami Rita broke a record by climbing Everest for the 27th time, people from all over the world wanted to talk to Rita about his experience. But just days later when global media members requested an interview, he was unable to be reached. Why? Sherpa Rita was busy breaking his own record by summiting Everest for the 28th time! He has made a career out of guiding and assisting climbers in their pursuit of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. On a mountain in which progress is measured in yards and each step taken could easily be the last, Rita has logged over 300 miles assisting others in reaching their goals.
It’s been said that diligence can be defined as careful and persistent work or effort. And as perfectly as it fits the description of this Sherpa, diligence is what led Nehemiah to appoint Hananiah the governor of Jerusalem. Nehemiah tells us that Hananiah was a more ’ĕ·meṯ (firm, reliable) and God-fearing man than many. In an age when it was hard to distinguish a friend from a foe, the quality of being firm and reliable was critical to navigate the dangers posed therein. What was needed was someone who had already proven their ability to endure hardship and maintain focus in the most severe conditions. To this incredible leader, faithfulness was more important than being a military strategist or a communications expert. Sometimes the best way to achieve success in difficult circumstances is to simply remain careful and persistent in the work to which God has called us.

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Where in my life do I need to remain spiritually diligent?

I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.
– Nehemiah 7:2 ESV

HEBREW
וְיָרֵ֥א הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים/wə·yā·rê hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm: awed by God

CONSIDER
Psalm 33 is classified as a praise Psalm. It charges God’s people to worship him for his majesty and splendor, and instructs us to use instruments to celebrate his work. But in the midst of all this festivity, verse 8 tells the whole earth to fear the Lord for his creative prowess and expertise. So are we to be joyful when we see what God has done, or be fearful at the thought of his immense power? According to this Psalm, both responses are fitting. But the Biblical concept of fear has little to do with being scared or worried about something. Case in point: when Nehemiah was looking to appoint someone to take charge over Jerusalem, he recognized that Hananiah was the right fit because he was a more faithful and wə·yā·rê hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm (awed by God) man than many. Hananiah wasn’t someone who was panicked by what God was up to; he was awed and amazed by the attributes of God. And this trait caused him to be the type of leader that could be entrusted with great responsibility, because it meant that he would be motivated by honoring the Lord and glorifying such a prodigious Creator. As difficulty arose, Hananiah wouldn’t tap out, give up, or slow down. When it comes to remaining spiritually diligent, fixating on the awe that God evokes makes it nearly impossible to give fear, doubt, or worry any authority in our lives.

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Where in my life do I need to remain spiritually diligent?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.”
– Nehemiah 7:3 ESV

HEBREW
מִשְׁמְרוֹת֙/ miš·mə·rō·wṯ: guards, watchmen; protectors

CONSIDER
We have a Because and Therefore statement at Centerway that goes like this: Because he uniquely created us we value COLLABORATION therefore we enjoy how God has wired and gifted each person and take more ground as a result. We partner with like-minded individuals and organizations to advance God’s kingdom.
Understanding that no single person or organization can accomplish everything that the Lord has planned for the world, we celebrate and link arms with groups like Convoy of Hope. Their mission is “to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response.” Our hearts are no doubt stirred by the dream of ending childhood hunger, but it’s going to take more than a dream to see that realized. And while it’s true that all it takes is God’s hand on one person to make a significant impact, leaning into the setting God has placed us in, and leveraging the way he has uniquely created us as his body can change the world exponentially. In short, we need each other if the God-sized dreams we have are going to be accomplished. 
Nehemiah was keenly aware of this truth. In fact, when he appointed Hananiah to govern Jerusalem, he commissioned him to “Appoint miš·mə·rō·wṯ (guards, watchmen; protectors) from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” This Hebrew noun refers to people who accept a call to look out for other people. There may have been a temptation once the wall was built to think that the work of protecting the city was finished and that its people no longer had to rely on one another… like uniting for a big project was the only purpose the Lord had in mind for his people. But Nehemiah knew that Jerusalem and its inhabitants needed miš·mə·rō·wṯ because more could be done to fulfill God’s work together than it could individually. Not only did this tactic provide safety and security for the city, but it also provided clarity around the necessity of working together. Nothing can stop the people of God when spiritual diligence meets gospel collaboration.

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Where in my life do I need to remain spiritually diligent?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it: – Nehemiah 7:5 ESV

HEBREW
וַיִּתֵּ֤ן אֶל לִבִּ֔י/ way·yit·tên ’el lib·bî: moved me with the idea

CONSIDER
Wow – It’s hard to believe that we’ve arrived at the final week of this incredible series! As we reflect on what we’ve learned these past nine weeks it seems appropriate that Nehemiah continues a familiar theme. In the first six chapters of this book we have yet to see this leader make decisions based solely on emotion or intellect. He has continually been guided by God through prayer, fasting, and spiritual prompting. Now that the wall has been built and the administrative work is in full swing, we might expect to find Nehemiah changing course and resting on his political experience in Persia. After all, he was a high ranking official in a much larger city not too many months prior. Instead, Nehemiah records that God way·yit·tên ’el lib·bî (moved me with the idea) to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. This leader is still making decisions based on his relationship with God, even though the work has gone from military and engineering strategy to regulatory procedures. Not only does this show that God cares deeply about every aspect of our lives, but it reveals Nehemiah to be a man who moves to the rhythm of God’s prompting. The Hebrew phrase lib·bî – my heart – can be translated to mean the internal seat of my decision-making. That place can translate to mind, soul, heart, or gut. So regardless if someone is wired to make decisions cerebrally or emotionally, being led by the Spirit of God is possible in every situation.

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What will generosity look like in my life?

These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town.
– Nehemiah 7:6 ESV

HEBREW
מִשְּׁבִ֣י/ miš·šə·ḇî: from being held prisoner

CONSIDER
What will generosity look like in my life? For many of us, true generosity arises from giving God access to the places we most want to keep him away from. Maybe it’s a really busy season of life but we sense God asking us to donate some time to help someone who is hurting. Perhaps the last thing we would consider when we get home from work is leveraging our skills to serve a neighbor, but we do it anyway because the prompting from the Lord is so strong. As we come to the list of people of the province who came up miš·šə·ḇî (from being held prisoner) of those who were carried into exile, we see generosity in a similar way. The fall of Jerusalem wasn’t a quick event – Babylon would have surrounded the city and held it under siege until it surrendered. This brought on some pretty dire times physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Scholars point out that being taken prisoner would have been a relief to some, because of the inevitability of it all. So when these people were given the opportunity to return to their former homes, it likely wasn’t an easy “yes” for many. They had heard stories of how terrible those last weeks were, and some probably remembered the devastation first-hand. Not only that, but life in Babylon wasn’t as difficult as we sometimes imagine. Still, these men and women agreed to put their God above any comfort, convenience, or excuse they had to withhold an area of their lives. Their sacrifice points to a greater One, who didn’t just agree to move someplace difficult, but actually left Heaven to fulfill the Father’s plan! Because of his generosity, we have been given everything we need to live with joy and unselfish surrender. Jesus made it possible for us to be generous with every aspect of our lives.

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What will generosity look like in my life?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!

And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns.
– Nehemiah 7:73b ESV

HEBREW
בְּעָרֵיהֶֽם/ bə·‘ā·rê·hem: were settled with excitement in their communities

CONSIDER
Looking back on the lessons learned throughout this series, it seems significant that we find ourselves between Thanksgiving and Advent. Both seasons invite us to reflect on something that has happened in the past while allowing that event to influence how we live in the here and now. Thanksgiving reminds us that we have much to be thankful for, while Advent gives us the opportunity to reflect on the generosity of God in sending his Son Jesus to us. The end of Nehemiah chapter 7 reveals the returned exiles to doing those things as well by telling us that when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel bə·‘ā·rê·hem (were settled with excitement in their communities). As a result of the work that had been done and the way they were being built into a community, there was significant emotion being experienced by all. In fact, the root word for a walled place to live in Hebrew carried with it the idea of big emotion. For the people of Israel, the knowledge that they would be living in proximity to others who would help take care of their needs for safety and security was a cause for excitement. They were now free to live differently moving forward because of the work that happened in the recent past. Often, what generosity looks like in our lives is contingent on the community we have chosen to be part of. God leverages the experiences we’ve had and the relationships we foster to showcase his heart for giving through us. May the truth of the gospel and the reality of Jesus’ birth compel us to be generous with every gift we’ve been given.

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What will generosity look like in my life?

To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!