So Your Called to Minister—Studies from Nehemiah
NKJ Nehemiah 3:1-8 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. Next, to Eliashib, the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. Also, the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. Next, to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next, to them, Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. Next, to them, the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord. Moreover, Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the residence of the governor of the region beyond the River. Next, to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
The wall was built and the gates put back in place because everybody put all their effort into the job at hand, even the priests, goldsmiths, and perfumers. Not once do you read of one group being a concern with what the other group was doing or where Nehemiah was?
Genesis 11:6 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
The Genesis text comes from the story of Babel, but the principal is still the same. One vision, one voice, one goal, working with God and you have a recipe for success. From my thirty-five plus years of ministry, I have seen the work of the Lord thwarted because everybody wanted to but his or her nose into everybody else’s business. In the text this morning, only the nobles refused to put their shoulder to the work of the Lord. They must have thought more highly of themselves than they should have.
