Yesterday we were studying in the third chapter of Nehemiah. While Nehemiah was yet in the Persian Empire he dedicated himself to the huge task of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. There is a leadership matter here that causes me great appreciation for the man, Nehemiah. There was no conceivable way that he could accomplish the task that he had given himself to. Success would require the willing agreement and involvement of hundreds of other countrymen and this would be men and women he had never even met. I simply admire the courage and vision of such a man. And in reading the text we find no indication of how he enlisted, organized or trained these people who actually did the work. The text does tell us that the workers were divided into forty-two different groups and they were comprised of a widely assorted crew of folks and none of them were recognized as masons, carpenters or builders of any sort. However, they fully accomplished their task, under quite adverse conditions and in very short order.
This puts me in mind of when Moses was assigned the construction of the tabernacle and all of its instruments. God had already recognized and equipped labors for the work and simply informed Moses of whom the personnel were to be. From a pastor’s point of view as I look upon the task that lies before us, I would become quite discouraged if I did not believe that the same God who called and excited Nehemiah for his duties is yet active in the hearts of His people to urge them to the task also. Nehemiah’s great success was found not in his great skill, but rather in the calling and equipping of God to bring together a large host to do the job. It reminds me of this portion of Scripture in the book of Luke:
Luke 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
There is a great work for God’s people today, will you enter into it with faithfulness and courage?
