Nehemiah

Nehemiah Rebuilds the Walls around Jerusalem and Leads a Revival with Ezra

Engraved on the outer wall of Jerusalem’s Old City, not far from the Jaffa Gate is a Hebrew inscription. An English translation of it reads: “On the 20th day of the month of Tevet, 5730, the restoration of the Old City walls was completed.” The Jewish year 5730 was, on our calendar, 1969. But this wasn’t the first time the walls were restored. Nehemiah was the person responsible for the first restoration of the wall, completed a little over half a century after the temple, destroyed by the Babylonians, was rebuilt.

Nehemiah, the subject of the second half of what used to be one book, Ezra- Nehemiah, not only protected his people from invasion by building a wall, but he also helped protect his people from disappearing from history by prohibiting intermarriage with non-Israelites. But wait, didn’t Ezra already do that? Well, sort of. But sadly, his reforms were rather short-lived. Should we be surprised? Don’t feel smug. Haven’t most of us fallen short of our intentions to “change our ways” also?

What did Nehemiah do before he became a civil engineer, (building walls in Jerusalem) and a social reformer? Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king of Persia. The Persians were the ones who took over the known world from the Babylonians. A cupbearer had to sample the wine before giving it to the king because there was the fear that someone might try to poison him. Poisoning your enemies was a rather popular form of assassination back then. Afterall, they didn’t have forensic laboratories to detect poisons in the blood of their victims.

Today, it is alleged that poisoning is still the method of choice for Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. Vladimir Putin’s enemies appear to be at risk of dying under mysterious circumstances, oftentimes involving exotic, difficult to detect poisons. Georgi Markov was poisoned by the chemical ricin which comes from a castor oil plant. Ukrainian presidential candidate Victor Yushenko was poisoned with dioxin. He survived but was left with a heavily scarred face. Alexander Litvineko was poisoned with the radioactive element polonium. Several other enemies of President Putin have been sickened or died from exposure to nerve agents. Dioxin, polonium, and nerve agents are not exactly items that are easily found at your local retailer.

Now, back to Nehemiah. Being a cupbearer or “royal bartender” might not sound like a powerful position, but it was. I would suggest that Nehemiah was appointed cupbearer because he was not associated with any party involved in palace intrigue to depose the king. Bottom line, he was trusted by many and not thought to be a

threat to anyone. Trust was essential, especially considering that the father of King Artaxerxes was murdered by Artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard. The Talmud asserts that the plot involved, can you guess . . . yes, the king’s food was poisoned.

The cupbearer’s power didn’t come by way of armies that he commanded but by trust which gained him access to the king. And access meant influence. Everyone wanted face time with the king, and a cupbearer had it.

Other sources, such as the apocryphal Book of Tobit, went a step further in describing the power or influence of the cupbearer. More than a butler, valet, or bartender, he was also the keeper of the royal seal and calculator of the accounts. The royal seal was the “stamp” that authenticated all documents issued by the king. This made him second-in-command to the king. His position was like that of Joseph who was second only to Pharaoh. Another powerful person who had the “royal seal” was Haman, the evil antisemitic prime minister of Persia who is highlighted in the Book of Esther.

Everyone in power needs someone close to him who he can trust. King David had a man on his staff whose name was Hushai, the Arkite. His title was “the king’s friend” (2 Chron. 27:26). He had a shared history with David and was trusted implicitly. In the world of power politics, trust is a valuable commodity.

This book could be used in a course teaching leadership. The U.S. Army knows something about leadership. It defines leadership as “influencing others to accomplish a mission.” Perhaps we can learn from Nehemiah that power hungry people make themselves a target of others. Better to spend time gaining the trust of others than trying to take power away from them. Let’s make this Leadership Lesson One.

Nehemiah begins with a report he received on the status of the people who returned to Jerusalem. Sadly, the report wasn’t good. Neh. 1:3 “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire.”

Nehemiah is troubled by this report. Back in those days, if you didn’t have a wall around the city, you were very vulnerable to an attack and were not considered a real city. Walls provided protection for the people in the area, much like castles.

When an enemy army approached the area, the people in the surrounding countryside would head for safety behind the city walls. What was the point of returning to Jerusalem if they were attacked and wiped out by the surrounding hostile powers? If attacked, the people would probably complain like the Israelites did when they left Egypt. Ex. 14:11-12, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt (Persia) that you brought us to the desert (Jerusalem) to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt (Persia).” Without a wall the people could easily be pushed out of the area.

For several days Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed, not knowing what to do. Then, when Nehemiah brought King Artaxerxes his wine, the king noticed that Nehemiah wasn’t his upbeat, positive self. He looked rather depressed.

The King asked him (verse 2), “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

What’s wrong, you look depressed?” What does this comment say about the king? I get the impression that he was a sensitive person who is not always thinking about himself. He notices that something was bothering Nehemiah and expressed concern for him. So, not all leaders tend to be narcissistic personalities. Here’s Leadership Lesson Two: Know what is going on with your people. Prov. 27:23, tells us, “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” All leaders need to get out from behind their desks and walk around, making themselves accessible to others and observing what is going on.

Nehemiah replies to the king’s concern, verse 3, “the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.” Here Nehemiah is playing upon the sympathy and respect for his ancestors’ graves. Such respect was universal in the Middle East at the time.

Ok, I think we might have another leadership lesson. He didn’t rush into making any decision, he thought and prayed about what was going on and what he thought might be a workable solution. When asked by the king, like a good staff officer, he was well prepared to brief him on his proposals. Leadership Lesson Three: don’t be rash, take the time needed to think not only about the problem, but reflect on possible solutions. Be ready when asked for proposals.

The King asked, (verse 4) “What is it you want?” Before Nehemiah answers he says a quick, silent prayer and tells the king what he wants (verses 4-5). In verse 7 Nehemiah goes for broke. Besides asking for a leave of absence (with full pay and benefits?) to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, he asks for letters of transit from the king giving him safe passage and, while he was at it, (verse 8) purchase agreements to buy whatever building materials and tools he might need. The king was in a generous mood and authorized, without even being asked, army officers and calvary (verse 9). Why the military convoy? Probably because Nehemiah was not only given what he wanted; he was promoted, appointed governor of the province (5:14). This meant that among his benefits, he had a security detail.

As Nehemiah was walking out of the palace, with a huge grin on his face, I wonder if he thought to himself, “Well, that was easy. Maybe I should have asked for something more.” What else would you have asked for?

Why was the king so eager to help and so generous? Was there something in this for the King? It’s been suggested that he knew what kind of leader Nehemiah was. He knew that he could be of greater use to him as a governor than as a cupbearer. If so, then we have another Leadership Lesson Four. Don’t just look at what someone is, look beyond this to his potential. When Samuel went to anoint the next king of Israel, he identified David, the least likely candidate among the sons of Jesse. 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his

appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” The king saw more than a cupbearer in Nehemiah, he saw a strong leader.

The king may have wanted a trustworthy, strong leader, like Nehemiah, in place as governor to help the Persians maintain order in what could become an unruly province. Wasn’t Jerusalem described as “a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place of rebellion” (Ezra 4:15)? There was a concern that the returnees would seek greater independence from Persia.

Nehemiah was having a great day. In the morning, he was depressed over the situation in Jerusalem. By the end of the day, he had gotten a huge promotion and government support to go and rebuild the wall. Leadership Lesson Five: Don’t fall into hopelessness, things can change quickly, hopefully for the better. When we’re having a bad day, like Nehemiah started out having, we too should remember the good ones and how quickly things can turn around for us.

As good a day as Nehemiah had, Sanballat, Tobiah and other enemies of the Jews, were having an equally bad one when they heard that Nehemiah had arrived. Verse 10, “They were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.” And not just anyone, but someone with authority, resources, and a strong personal relationship with the king himself. I don’t know how many governors there were of the many provinces in Persia, but I imagine that Nehemiah was one of the governors who was closest to the king. This made him even more powerful than other governors. Leadership Lesson Six: Personal relationships matter. Cultivate them when you can. Some of the top American army generals during World War 2 had known each other for decades. Generals Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, etc. had a long history together. This helped everyone’s careers.

Sanballat felt threatened, and who could blame him? He ruled Samaria, just to the north and Nehemiah, being governor of Judah meant Judah was no longer incorporated as part of Samaria. And Sanballat wasn’t the only one who felt threatened. Nehemiah knew that the nobles and priests probably felt that their position, privileges, and power were at risk, and they too wanted to maintain the status quo. People in power feel comfortable. For them, the political system worked just fine. Any change can be viewed as a threat.

In the corporate world, when there is talk about merging with another company, those in power feel threatened. A merger can mean massive layoffs. Those in power don’t want their positions placed in jeopardy.

Knowing all this, Nehemiah makes it to Jerusalem and waits three days before going on an inspection tour of the walls (verse 11). No, he wasn’t suffering from jet lag. He took a few days to get his bearings and to observe the people, trying to decide who he could trust and how he would inspect the walls, which was his first priority. His inspection tour was done with just a few men and was done at night (2:15). He didn’t want the officials in the city to take him on this inspection tour to see only what they wanted him to see. This was more like an unannounced visit to your military unit by an inspection team. They want to get an honest look at how the unit operated, not a staged and guided tour like you might get when you visit North Korea. Leadership Lesson Seven: Seek out firsthand, objective data rather than relying on others to tell you what you “need to know.”

This reminds me of an old movie entitled, The Devil and Miss Jones. It’s the story of the president of a department store who was having labor issues. He disguised himself as a shoe salesman to determine where the labor problems were coming from. He wanted to see for himself rather than rely on the views of others.

In verse 17 Nehemiah gave the people his official report on the status of the wall. To paraphrase the executive summary, found in the first paragraph of the official report it read: “We’re in trouble . . . we have no gates to protect us. This is an utter disgrace!” That was the bad news. Then, after a dramatic pause, Nehemiah reported the good news. “The king has given me a huge budget to take whatever measures are necessary to make things right!” And the people replied, “HUAH! Let’s do it!!!!!” “HUAH” sometimes spelt HOOAH, is a military expression that means. I heard (H), I understand (U), I acknowledge or agree (A). It is like what we say in church after someone says a prayer, “AMEN”.

Again, everyone was happy and excited, except for, you guessed it, Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab. These three tried to undermine Nehemiah’s efforts using several methods. They started off by mocking the Jews and accusing them of rebelling against the king. Verse, 19, “What is this you are doing?” they asked, “Are you rebelling against the king?” I would have liked to have seen the look on his face when Nehemiah shows him the documents authorizing him to do what he is doing.

Nehemiah’s group responded, (verse 20), “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start building, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.” 

Chapter 3

Nehemiah gives us a detailed roster of those who participated in the wall’s reconstruction. Everyone got involved including the priests and nobles whose support Nehemiah needed. People from all ranks of society were involved and they were assigned portions of the wall that they had the greatest interest in. Nehemiah manipulated the assignments to appeal to the self-interest of those being recruited for the construction project. For instance, the High Priest and his colleagues were tasked with rebuilding the area of the Sheep Gate, the gate nearest to the temple. Other gates were reserved for prominent citizens to rebuild. Nehemiah knew that it you had to rebuild your city roads, you would take a greater interest in repairing the road in front of your house than one located elsewhere.



I wonder if Nehemiah was a born leader or whether he attended some sort of leadership school while in the Persian army. Leadership Lesson Six: Assign duties to people who have a vested interest or passion for getting the task done rather than making assignments randomly. In today’s churches we should get people involved where they can use their gifts rather than just look for a warm body to fill a slot.

Chapter 4

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed.  He ridiculed the Jews and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, said, ‘What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall?” Then Tobiah the Ammonite had to open his big mouth and mock them, also.

Did you notice that not only was Sanballat there, but also his army, to intimidate and mock the Jews. He couldn’t do much more than criticize and mock knowing that Nehemiah was a royal official. Sanballat had to remain in the good graces of the king. This was not a happy period in his career. Do you think his wife found him easy to live with during this time? I can imagine her greeting him at home, “Hello dear, how was your day at work today?” as he scurried over to the liquor cabinet.

Nehemiah was surrounded on all sides by enemies. The Samaritans to the north, the Arabs to the south, the Ammonites to the east and the Philistines in the province of Ashdod to the west. What was Nehemiah’s response? “Verse 9, “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” Nehemiah was not going to allow his people to develop a false sense of security like Israel developed before the Yom Kippur War in 1973, He took the threat of invasion seriously. He was prepared to fight, if need be. Leadership Lesson Eight: Don’t be complacent, always be prepared for the worst-case scenario and pray for guidance.

Verse 11 tells us that the Sanballat had plans to kill the Jews, but Nehemiah had spies among his enemies. Verse 12, “the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Jews who lived outside areas under Nehemiah’s immediate authority were forced to serve in his enemies’ armies. They were able to provide Nehemiah with intelligence to help him organize his defenses in the most efficient manner.

This reminds me of what Jesus told his disciples when they were preparing to travel in Matt. 10:16, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Nehemiah wasn’t naïve. He didn’t ignore the dangers that he faced, he prepared himself for them. Then he stood up and gave a rousing speech to encourage the troops. Verse 14, “don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” A great leader knows the value of words of encouragement spoken at the right time. Remember Winston Churchill, who stood alone against Germany, he gave those rousing speeches to his people saying, “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; We shall never surrender." Another great quote was, “"We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle, nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job." Leadership Lesson Nine: Know how to use words to inspire people. Words are a force multiplier, which is something that makes a military of equal size more effective, such as technology, training, morale, etc.

Verse 16, “From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor.” Yes, he armed his construction workers. He didn’t just tell his people, “We’ll pray for protection.” He led his people to do what they could to assure their own security. God can fill in the gaps between what they could do for themselves and what they needed to get done.

Even Jesus promoted self-defense measures. In Matt. 26:50-54, “Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Jesus wasn’t shocked to see Peter in possession of a sword. He didn’t say, “Peter, what are you doing with a sword, don’t you know that we are pacifists?” Nor did he tell him to get rid of it. But he did know that that was not the time to resist his arrest. A small group of untrained disciples couldn’t succeed in fighting off a squad of trained, armed soldiers. Peter put everyone at risk by drawing his sword at that time.

Using a weapon or any form of deadly force to defend yourself is perfectly ethical. Ex. 22:2, “If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed.”

In Luke 22:36, Jesus told his disciples that if they didn’t have a sword, to go out and buy one. He wasn’t using the word sword metaphorically. The use of the word sword is not a metaphor, Jesus knew that Peter had a sword when he cut off the soldiers ear. A good leader, like Nehemiah, would make sure that his people had the tools and weapons to do their job and to be kept safe. Leadership Lesson Ten: Provide your people with the tools to do the job.

Notice also that Nehemiah and other officials worked alongside the workers/soldiers. Verse 16 “The officials posed themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Verse 23, “Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.” Leadership Lesson Eleven: Lead by example.

Chapter 5

Nehemiah then has to deal with another issue. Some poor people were going hungry and being taken advantage of by wealthy landowners. How did the few become wealthy at the expense of others?

If you go back to the Law of Moses, the land of Israel was “leased” to all the people of Israel, not just to a few. To prevent a minority of people ending up owning the majority of the land, land could not be sold in perpetuity. Lev. 25:23-24, “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.”

Not only was it unlawful for a few to own the majority of land, the lending laws were designed to prevent the poor from remaining poor by having to pay interest on the loans. Money was loaned to fellow Israelites interest-free. Ex. 22:25 says, “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him NO interest.”

The only time money was loaned to others was to help them get out of poverty. We’re not talking about loans for mortgages or starting a business. These loans were small amounts of money. To charge their fellow Israelites interest would lead to a cycle of never-ending poverty.

Apparently, the landowners were charging interest on loans and keeping the poor impoverished, even leading to them having to sell their children into slavery.

When Nehemiah heard about this, he was very angry (verse 6) and said to the nobles, “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen! Verse 9, “What you are doing is not right.”

Verse 10, “I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, and also the usury you are charging them.

Surprisingly, the nobles agreed (verse 12). They may have had a guilty conscience. And why not, they probably already made a lot of money on those loans, etc. Not entirely trusting the promise of these so-called “nobles” and officials, Nehemiah summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised (verse 12). Just like with a nuclear arms treaty, “trust but verify.”

How did the people respond to this proposal by Nehemiah? The whole assembly said, “AMEN!” or “HUAH!” and praised the Lord. And the people (the nobles and officials) “did as they had promised” (verse 13).

In verses 14-15 Nehemiah tells them that even though he was appointed to be the governor, he didn’t act like previous governors who placed a heavy burden on the people, took financial advantage of his position or treated the people harshly. “But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that.” Verse 16, “Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.”

Nehemiah told the nobles that they should have been dispensing charity to the poor, not extracting interest on loans and foreclosing mortgages that should not have been made in the first place.

He also set for them an example by rolling up his sleeves, and with his staff and working on the wall (verse 16) and even paid the cost of entertaining dignitaries out of his own pocket rather than placing the burden on the taxpayers. He wrote, verses 17-18, “I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.”

Like all great leaders, Nehemiah was setting an example. Like I said, Leadership Lesson Eleven: Lead by example. We were taught this in the military. The officers who are willing to get out from behind their desks and work with the soldiers are the ones who are respected the most by their soldiers. Get out there and work side by side with the soldiers. You will gain their respect, and loyalty.

Chapter 6

New threats emerge for Nehemiah. The enemies of Nehemiah, (you know them by now, Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem), invited Nehemiah to meet with them in a village on the plain of Ono (verse 2). Why Ono? No, it wasn’t an upscale resort area. It was both a remote location and had a non-Jewish population who would not be very sympathetic to Nehemiah if something “unfortunate” happened to him.

Nehemiah was no fool. He wasn’t naïve, either. He knew that assassinations were not unheard of in Israel and Persia. King Joash of Judah was assassinated by his own servants (2 Kings 12:19-21). Joab assassinated Absalom, King David's son (2 Sam. 3:26-28) and King Sennacherib of Assyria was assassinated by his own sons (2 Chron. 32:21).

His response to this invitation was, verse 3, “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” There are always going to be critics who want to “discuss” an issue with you. All they want is to distract you from completing your mission. Nehemiah didn’t give them the time of day. Leadership Lesson Twelve: Don’t let others distract you from your mission. A leader can’t always respond to his critics, nor should he allow himself to be distracted from the mission by them.

Sanballat was persistent and not to be denied, he sent the invitation for a meeting five times. The last invitation came with the accusation that Nehemiah and the Jews were planning on revolting against the king, making Nehemiah the King of the Jews. He then threatened Nehemiah that if he didn’t come to meet with him that he would send a letter accusing him of treason to the king of Persian (verses 6-7). This was a serious threat. Treachery on the part of governors was commonplace in the Persian empire. This was a charge that the Persian king would take very seriously.

Nehemiah replied, verse 8, “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” I imagine that Nehemiah’s first draft of his response was a bit more colorful.

Nehemiah knew what his enemies were up to. “They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’” But then, he said, “I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands” (verse 9). 

Sanballat is certainly persistent. His next move was to have a priest by the name of Shemaiah urge Nehemiah to seek safety in the temple. Shemaiah tells Nehemiah, “Let us meet in the house of God. . . because men are coming to kill you” (verse 10).

Nehemiah responded to this invitation, (verse 11), “Should a man like me run away?” If someone wants to kill me, they’ll know where to find me.” Nehemiah wasn’t going to be killed in some back alley or secret place. If someone wanted to assassinate him, they are going to have to do it in public, in daylight.

How could Sanballat get any real work done? It seems to me as if he spent most of his time plotting against Nehemiah.

How many invitations had Nehemiah refused thus far? He wasn’t being antisocial, but selectively social. He wasn’t going to meet with people he had no interest in meeting with or with those who were trying to harm him. He didn't let others distract him from his mission.

Meanwhile, construction on the wall continued uninterrupted. Nehemiah and his workers kept at the task and in only 52 days, the wall was completed (verse 15).  This must have been a great accomplishment because when their neighboring nations heard about it, they realized that it must have been done “with the help of our God” (verse 16). So, unlike many government projects, this project was completed ahead of schedule and probably under budget. 

Chapter 7

As chapter seven begins we find that the walls have been rebuilt, gates were in place, external enemies seem to be in disarray and internal opposition, at least for the time being, was under control. It seems that the goals that he had in mind were accomplished. But rather than returning to the Persian capital, he saw that he had more work to accomplish if the impact that he has had is to have any permanence. He had to diminish the power of those who were not supportive of his reforms and increase the power of those who were. He could not rely on the loyalty of the priests since some of them had ties through marriage with his enemies. He couldn’t remove the priests from power because their jobs were inherited. But he could dilute their power and influence. He did this by elevating the role of the Levites.

He restored the Levites to their traditional role as singers and security guards at the temple. Their duties would be enlarged, and they would be armed.

He also limited the time of day the city gates would be opened. Verse 3, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot.” Normally the gates would be open at dawn, but now they were opened later in the morning when most of the people would be up and about.

And, just as workers who rebuilt the walls were assigned parts where they had a vested interest, so the guards were to guard that portion of the wall that was closest to their residences.

Let’s make this Leadership Lesson Thirteen: If you can’t remove personnel, change their job descriptions.

Chapter 8

In this chapter we find the physical structures, the temple, walls and gates, have been restored, and the people were settled in their towns, now it was time to work on the people themselves. Verse 2, “On the first day of the seventh month all the people assembled.” This would be the Feast of Trumpets. They needed a refresher course in the Law of Moses. And who better to lead this huge bible study than Ezra, the priest/scribe. The crowd gathered in the square near the Water Gate, (no, not Watergate, this is Jerusalem, not Washington). Ezra brought out the Book of the Law of Moses and verse 3, “He read aloud from daybreak till noon. . . in the presence of those who “could understand.” How did they choose those who could understand? Did the visitors have to show their transcripts of grades in school, or high school diploma? And since they didn’t have microphones and speakers, “Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion.” And as he stood to read the Law, “the people all stood up (verse 5).

In some churches the congregation still stands when the Bible is read. I’ve been to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, an Orthodox Church in Minsk, Belarus and noticed that there are no pews there. Everyone stood. There were pictures (icons) on the walls and pillars. It appeared more like an art gallery than a church. The Jews stood for the reading. I wonder if they brought blankets to sit on.

Ezra didn’t just read the law, he explained it, what we would call expository preaching (verse 8). He read the law, explained to them what it meant and then told them how they were to apply it in their lives.

Let’s make this point Leadership Lesson Fourteen: Give people the reasons why things are to be done, not just what must be done.

How did the people respond to the messages? Verse 9, “All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.”

My students at the university don’t usually weep when they listen to my words, perhaps when they get their test scores, but not in class. Why were the Israelites weeping? Perhaps it was because they realized, as never before, the gravity of their sins in disobeying God.

Nehemiah, being the sensitive leader, knew what they needed after an emotionally draining morning of Bible study. “Nehemiah said, (verse 10), ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.” Verse 12, “then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” This was followed celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles (verse 14). The Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated with GREAT joy not seen since their ancestors entered the land in the days of Joshua (verse 17), For seven days they read from the Law and celebrated the feast for seven days. Then, “on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly” (verse 18). What was that last assembly like? After seven days of intense study and celebration do you think they were exhausted and bleary eyed? Perhaps they gave the people a safety briefing, urging them to be careful on their return trip home. Then had them line up at the wall and walk through town to police up the area of all the trash and garbage, then they had a closing prayer, and they went home. What do you think? I think we found another Leadership Lesson Fifteen: Know the emotional state of your people and how much they can tolerate.

This was very much like what the righteous king Josiah did in 2 Kings 23. He stood and read the Law, and this led the people to renew their covenant with God. This suggests that if you want a renewal of passion in the church, begin by getting them into serious study of the Word of God.

Chapter 9-10

Verses 5-37 consists of a long prayer where God is recognized as the one true God. How important as it for them to focus on the ONE true God? Well, it goes back to the time of Moses where the Israelites were told to recite a prayer or statement affirming that there is but one God. Neh. 9:6 begins, “You alone are the Lord.” The prayer goes on to praise God for his creation and choosing Abraham with whom he “made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, . . .” (verses 7-8). “Who sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh” (verse 9). “Who led them with a pillar of cloud by day. . . (verse 12). “You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven (verse 13). Verse 15, “In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst, you brought them water from the rock.” “But they became stiff-necked, and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore, you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god. . .” (verses 16-18). “Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow you law” (verse 34). After all this talk, do you think God might have glanced at his watch and wondered, “When is he going to get to the point?”

In Verse 38, he gets to the point. “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing.” I hope Ezra was there because he was a scribe, just the man who could put this in writing. Then there is a list of those who signed off on this agreement/covenant.

Chapter 10:1-29 lists those who signed the agreement, followed by some of the provisions of the agreement. If you look at the list, you might notice one prominent name is missing. Ezra’s didn’t sign it. The reason might be because this was a civil not a religious document. Another explanation given is that by this time Ezra was old and pretty much out of the picture.

Verse 30, “We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us.

Wasn’t intermarriage dealt with by Ezra about 12 years earlier by Ezra? Well, yeah, but Nehemiah found that some of these families were reunited. Nehemiah also realized that the dissolution of families was more destructive to the community than the results of intermarriage. In other words, the cure was worse than the disease. Nehemiah decided to focus on the future, not the present, a more practical approach. With this compromise, one that the people were willing to adhere to, intermarriage would come to an end, not immediately, but in the next generation. So, he would use a different method to combat men’s tendency to marry outside the faith. He would not break up families but prevent future marriages outside their faith.

Verse 31, they also agreed to not do business on the Sabbath, to observe the land Sabbath and cancel all debt every 7 years.

Verse 32, they agreed to pay their dues to cover the expenses of the temple and in other ways, we will not neglect the house of our God (verse 39).

Chapter 11-12

In Chapter 11 we find Nehemiah dealing with another issue. Imagine a visitor from the capital of Persia came to visit. Nehemiah would give him a grand tour of the new wall, the temple, etc. But there might be one thing missing. The city was sparsely populated. A nearly empty city would pose a security problem for them. Also, Nehemiah didn’t want the city to become a “gated community” for the elites, the government and temple officials.

So, Nehemiah instituted a relocation program to move some of the country dwellers into the city. The first group to move in would be the “leaders of the people”. But Nehemiah needed more people to move, so the people cast lots to bring 10% of the population into Jerusalem. They couldn’t rely on volunteers. They had to “draft” more families.



Why wouldn’t people want to live in the city? Unlike the rural areas, cities are usually more crowded, smelly, noisy, and more expensive since food had to be transported in. On the other hand, some sought city life because they perceived that that was where the seat of power and influence was. Perhaps there was the ancient equivalent of professional football teams, opera, art galleries, etc. By choosing by lot, no one could accuse Nehemiah of favoritism. Verse 2, “The people commended all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” I wonder how they were commended. Maybe a Welcoming Committee gave them nice gift baskets filled with bottles of wine and cheeses, and gift certificates from local merchants. Maybe they were given tax breaks. 

Chapter 13

In chapter 13 we find that the corrupt high priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He provided Tobiah with one of these rooms which was used to store grain offerings, incense and temple articles, and tithes of grain and wine (verse 5).

How did Nehemiah respond to this? He wasn’t happy. Verse 8, “I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.” I’d love to have been there to see that. There is no video of this on YOUTUBE. Nehemiah turned into the Incredible Hulk. This reminds me of the time Jesus was “greatly displeased” and turned over the tables of the money changers at the temple.

Nehemiah then gave orders to purity the rooms and then he put back into them the equipment of the House of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.

I bet you Tobiah kept a very low profile in the days that followed. 

Why would these storerooms be empty? The people had stopped tithing. All those who were dependent upon these tithes left their jobs and returned to their fields (verse 10).

Nehemiah put an end to the neglect of tithing. Would you be surprised to hear that the people were also violating the Sabbath? Of course not. On the Sabbath, it was business as usual. Verse 17, “I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing desecrating the Sabbath day?” He reminded them that it was for this sin, among others, that God brought calamity upon them (verse 18).

Every year, everyone in the Army had to sit through a series of briefings to retrain them on issues such as communication security, the laws of war, how to deal with prisoners of war, etc. Here we have another Leadership Lesson Sixteen: People can quickly forget what they have been taught. Retraining on key issues sends a message of its importance.

But at least they hadn’t returned to the practice of marring outsiders. No, they did that, also. Verse 23, “I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.” There was no prohibition against marrying women from these areas during the first temple period, so long as they converted to Judaism. The implication is that these women had not done so. Intermarriage posed a threat to their religion as well as the nation’s cohesion.

Verse 25, he “rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said, “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves”.

One commentator wrote that “there is some ambiguity regarding the precise nature of the flogging.” Was it typical flogging as with a whip or a slap on the side of their heads. And then there is the pulling out of their hair. Did he grab them by the hair as he slapped one or two who talked back to him or was it something more severe? Either way, the people got the message.

The book ends abruptly. Sort of like the Book of Jonah where the people of Ninevah were saved from destruction after hearing the message from Jonah. One of the few prophets to have been successful in turning the hearts of men back to god. He was (verse 9), “angry enough to die.” Well, he was successful, but never described as being compassionate. Then God says to the pouting prophet, (verse 11), “Should I not be concerned about that great city”? That’s where the book ends. There’s no verse 12, there’s no chapter 5.

At the very end Nehemiah says, (verse 31), “Remember me with favor, O my God.” There is nothing said of his later years. That’s because the book is not about him, it’s about the people and their return to their homeland.

Throughout his years of service, his motive was to please God. He was a man of many roles. He was a senior government official, governor, statesman, legislator, religious enforcer, and social reformer by providing a social safety net for the poor. But he was a visionary without being a prophet, a man who was able to revive in his people the sense of religious and national commitment that was lost while in captivity. He made a backwater town in a desolate provincial province into the heartbeat of a nation. And he could sing like a bird and do card tricks. I made up that last part.

Leadership is defined by the Army as influencing others to accomplish a mission. This book could be used in any leadership class. Though we might want to leave out the beating of some of the men and pulling out their hair.