Doing a Great Work

One Bible commentator said this of Nehemiah, "His career presents an exceptional combination of strong self-reliance with humble trust in God, of penetrating shrewdness with perfect simplicity of purpose, of persistent prayerfulness with the most energetic activity; and for religious faith and practical sagacity he stands conspicuous among the illustrious personages of the Bible."  Based on his account in the book of his name, I concur wholeheartedly—Nehemiah was really a remarkable example of determination and love of the Lord.  He was in a high position in Persia as the cupbearer of the king, and yet he willingly gave up all of that to go to Jerusalem to help his people in dangerous physical labor.  He had great empathy for his people in Judah who were "in great affliction and reproach," and he responded to that news this way, "I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments...  O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man" (Nehemiah 1:4-5, 11).  What love and devotion he had to them!  He yearned for them to be blessed and sought that earnestly from the Lord.  But he didn't just pray and hope for the best for his people—he decided that he could help them.  He made a request to the king that he be permitted to go back and build up Jerusalem: "If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it" (Nehemiah 2:5).  Leaving the comforts of his high position, he ventured out to save Jerusalem himself.  

One of the things that I love about Nehemiah is the faith he showed in his inspiring words that he left us.  He rallied the Jews at Jerusalem when he got there saying, "Let us rise up and build," and the account tells us that "they strengthened their hands for this good work" (Nehemiah 2:18).  In the face of the difficulty of rebuilding the walls he was undaunted, saying, "The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build" (Nehemiah 2:20).  They received a lot of opposition from neighbors who did not want the walls rebuilt, but he again inspired those who were helping to build the walls, saying, "Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses" (Nehemiah 4:14).  He had full confidence in the Lord to help them, saying, "Our God shall fight for us" (Nehemiah 4:20).  He was also quick to speak out against iniquity, telling those Jews who were mistreating their own brethren, "It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?" (Nehemiah 5:9)  Perhaps his most famous statement came when he was confronted by the Samaritans trying to stop him.  They wanted him to come down and meet with them, but he responded boldly saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?" (Nehemiah 6:3)  In the face of these adversaries, he prayed with his people, "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands" (Nehemiah 6:9).  He did not falter but relied on the Lord's strength, he did not come down from doing his great work, and the walls were finished in 52 days.  It was a feat so remarkable that even their enemies who were trying to stop it "perceived that this work was wrought of our God" (Nehemiah 6:15-16).  Nehemiah stands as a powerful example of persevering in the face of opposition and trusting in the Lord, and his story inspires us to not come down from the great work of the Lord that we are involved in today.