17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.” 18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work.
Nehemiah 2:17-18 (NASB)
We
Nehemiah finishes his assessment and presents his “pitch” to the remnant. Notice how he does not accuse them or shame them for not already doing this work of rebuilding. We learned yesterday that there was a ban of sorts on any further development of the city beyond the temple.
He could have stood aloof and reprimanded them or said, you have this problem. Rather than that, he identifies with them. He repeats “we”. He’s in this with them. He’s here to help with this Jewish nation, this Jerusalem issue; this God issue.
Explaining the issue was not all he did – for they all knew the problem. No, he goes beyond that and tells them of the plan (given by God) to address the issue: build the wall! It’s not just talk, it’s action.
Nehemiah also declares the motivation – to bring glory to God by restoring His city.
Savior
Nehemiah comes into town with fanfare, the right credentials, the king’s full support as well as resources to do the work. Prior to this, the Jews there in Jerusalem had been without hope; they had settled for the status quo. But when Nehemiah arrives on the scene, he is like a savior.
Arise and build
How do these folks respond? They are fully on board. They yell out in unison, “arise and build”! This is the response you get when 1) God’s hand is in the work and the work is put in God’s hands. 2) All effort is made to properly plan and prepare. Nehemiah sets a good example for us.
RЯeflection
- Many church building / expansion projects use this theme of “arise and build” but it can be applied to any work we do for the Lord. What’s the good work God has called you to do? Are you doing it? Are you preparing for it?
Good insights. I guess it helps when you ran it by me first. We don’t usually get it the first time, but it will register when we do it again. So I encourage everyone to read it at least twice if you want to an impact on your study.