Nehemiah 2:17-3:32
"17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision." 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, "Let us rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" 20 Then I replied to them, "The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim (or memorial) in Jerusalem."

Rebuilding the Wall
3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.

6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Gate of Yeshanah. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 7 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mezpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River. 8 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabeneiah repaired. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.

14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

15 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the
mighty men. 17 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. 18 After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress. 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22 After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired. 23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and to the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. 27 After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.

Nehemiah uses incredible leadership skills here to motivate an incredibly unmotivated group of people to accomplish an immeasurable task. He casts a compelling vision, gives very clear direction on how to accomplish it, and rallies unskilled people to do a very skilled job.

1.  Importance of a wall: At this time in history, walls meant more than we might picture today.
   • In Nehemiah’s time, walls were as essential as any of our infrastructure services today (water, electrical power, police force, etc.). They offered safety from attack and symbolized strength and peace to the citizens living within. In today’s terms, the situation the people of Jerusalem were living in would be similar to not having a front door to your house.
   • This historical account resonates well with me. I was a civil engineer in the Air Force for 4 years and I am well acquainted with rebuilding walls.
2. Nehemiah relies fully upon God in order to be an incredible leader who is able to accomplish this daunting task.
   • Every time that Nehemiah needs guidance, runs into opposition, or makes a big decision, he prays and consults with God.
   • While there were likely many more instances where he prayed, the book of Nehemiah documents his prayers on 7 different occasions, with each usually accompanying a significant event or decision.
   • Specifically, leading up to today’s passage, during his conversation with king Artaxerxes of Persia

Nehemiah 2:4-5

4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it." The result? Nehemiah was granted every single request that he made: time off, safe travel, resources for the wall, and an actual military escort to travel with.

Call to action: After his preparatory work and assessing the damage to the walls, Nehemiah makes a bold proclamation and call of action to the Jewish priests, nobles, and officials.

Nehemiah 2:17-18

“17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

It will not be easy. From the very beginning, Nehemiah encounters resistance from 3 different people: Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab.

• Nehemiah responds simply and confidently. Nehemiah 2.20 “I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”

3. Although Nehemiah is the star of this story, he could never have done it without the people who decided to rally around him. God needs great followers just as much as He needs great leaders.
   • Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem rallied together and accomplished God’s work themselves. Being empowered by the faithfulness of God and desiring to serve him, they rallied together and GOT IT DONE. From the book Visioneering by Andy Stanley “It is interesting that Nehemiah never prayed for God to rebuild the wall. What he prays for is an opportunity to go rebuild it himself.” (p.34)

Nehemiah 1:11

“Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

Don’t be a dreamer who simply thinks about how nice it would be for something to be done.

Be a visionary who asks God for an opportunity to do something.

This undertaking was truly a team effort. Every resident was responsible for their own section of the wall. From Nehemiah’s account in chapter 3, occupations of
people that helped to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall: priests (high priests), neighboring towns (Jericho, Gibeon, Mizpah, Meronoth, Zanoah), goldsmiths, perfume- makers, rulers of Jerusalem, temple servants, and merchants.

People got outside their comfort zone and did what was necessary to accomplish the mission.

Learning to be a good follower is every bit as important as learning to be a good leader. Do you think the perfume-makers wanted to build a wall?

One of my favorite aspects of this account is that there is no explicit miracle. The wall did not miraculously build itself. This is the story of a God-fearing man who decided one day (God put on his heart) to take the initiative to change the world around him.

From the book Visioneering by Andy Stanley, “God has you where he wants you. He is the master strategist. You are an important component in his strategy. He is the head. You are a member of the body. He is in control. You are to surrender to that control.” (p.51)