Nehemiah | The One Who Comforts
“And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.’ Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, ‘Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?’ Then the king said to me, ‘What would you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.’ Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, ‘How long will your journey be, and when will you return?’ So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. And I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.’ And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.” Nehemiah 2:1-8
NEHEMIAH LEADS THE PEOPLE
Many have leaders who they call “great.” Maybe it’s a pastor, politician, famous ministry developer, life coach, or possibly it’s someone they know personally, like a boss, ministry teacher, or friend. Four out of ten people you meet daily are involved in leadership in one capacity or another—a mother, father, pastor, or corporate leader. However, simply having the responsibility of a leader doesn’t necessarily make that person an effective leader, let alone a person having the spiritual gift of leadership.
Can you imagine the cost Israel would have undertaken if Nehemiah had wavered in his leadership? The price tag would be that Jerusalem would not have been prepared for the arrival of the King of kings.
While leadership is a gift from the Lord, all those in leadership positions need to learn Nehemiah’s model. With a little study, humility, and hard work, all those in a leadership role can learn to lead effectively.
LEADERS EXPECT PERFORMANCE
Even though indwelt believers are not to emphasize performance, the responsibility of carrying out the leadership tasks assigned to each is imperative—gifted or not. Quality leadership starts with quality submission; any assigned tasks by an authority figure must be considered top priority and completed as your primary objective. Always remember that if an authority figure gives you a task, you are a part of their leadership team. All leaders are, or should be, under authority themselves and should be guided and directed by the original mandate given by the highest authority. Nehemiah was under the authority of the king, who permitted him to take on this task, and more significantly, he was under the orders of God the Father.
“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1).
God is the origin of power and the Supreme Source of earthly established authoritative positions. It is His job to delegate authority and tasks to whomsoever He determines and wills. Ironically, the earthly governors themselves may not be of God or indwelt by His Son in most cases, so this is where our greatest leadership challenge lies—at the feet of all forms of government.
FLOW OF AUTHORITATIVE ORDERS
In God’s structure and system of functioning under authority from Heaven downward, He is the one who delivers the orders; He gives the orders to Jesus Christ, and since Jesus is 100% obedient to His Father’s plans and requests, He passes them down to the Holy Spirit. Now, if we are believers in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us, so the third element of these orders manifests in the minds of true indwelt believers. We can be guaranteed that God the Son and the Holy Spirit will be 100% responsible for fulfilling God the Father’s mandates and orders. The question then becomes, what happens when indwelt believers do not listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and carry out the plans of God the Father?
In the original structure of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all are in harmony, but if the indwelt believer rebels or pulls away from this structure, there will be no rebuilding in the sphere God has them influencing. It is a complex idea to many people when it is very simple. Those under authority, which is everyone, should simply carry out the orders given to them without hesitation.
CARRYING OUT YOUR ORDERS
Nehemiah understood that forming a group of quality leaders who answer to him started with those willing to obey their leader’s decisions. It is a method ordained by God, and Nehemiah knew it was imperative for the Lord’s success. In Nehemiah’s case, any hesitation would have been a loophole for the enemy to get into Jerusalem once again, causing God’s entire plan of rebuilding the walls and securing the city to come to a screeching halt. Nehemiah and his God knew that the Jew’s healthy and protected environment for rebuilding would result in anarchy and a chaotic attempt to fulfill God’s mandate if there were any rebellions.
In traditional ancient times, God, in His Godological manner, appointed leaders who were willing to be used for His Divine purposes. God has been doing this since the days of Noah, Moses, Joshua, the Hebrew judges, and the civil societies that He established under each one. In all cases, exemplified by our Lord, we find this method used for rebuilding the Hebrew community, with those grafted into the Hebrew community, by assigning tasks to willing followers. God uses this method to keep His Supreme Power in play throughout the centuries.
Therefore, you will discover Nehemiah’s skill, where he constantly analyzes the performance of his workers. Nehemiah understood that identifying where they were, activated the need for planning where they must go. He explored the weaker side of his workers to empower them as workers of excellence. Most leaders understand that knowing where they need further development will enhance their skill level and assist them in achieving their objectives.
One of the worst behavioral dysfunctions today is people procrastinating on the orders of their leader, and then when something goes wrong in their life, they wonder why. Orders are given to leaders and their followers to carry out, which ultimately protects and preserves them. In our society today, this is rare.
Watch the video for the full message.
Stephen Phinney
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