Nehemiah is the kind of guy who likes to get things done.  He is a member of the king’s court, and lives in the world of politics and bureaucracy, but I’m not sure he is a man who naturally enjoys ‘red tape’.  In a very matter of fact way, he relates his journey to Jerusalem and a period of rest – and then he turns to the task in hand.  He is appropriately discreet (2:12 & 16), and quietly surveys the reality of the situation.  Only when he has examined and assessed the condition of the walls, and understood the undertaking before him, does he share his God-given vision to rebuild.

As we began to see last week, there is more going on here than merely the rebuilding of a city walls.  The state of the walls is a visual parable of the state of the Church.  Jerusalem is not merely another ancient city, despoiled by war and ravaged by the militaristic expansionism of ancient civilisations.  There have been many such tragedies in the history of empires.  Jerusalem is the promised city, and like so much of the Mosaic Covenant points beyond itself to heavenly reality: Zion.  The New Creation is portrayed throughout the Bible as a New Jerusalem (see Rev.21:2).  As with life in the land more generally, life in Jerusalem – centred as it was on the Temple – was designed to show the world what life could be like under the reign of Christ, lived in the shadow of the Gospel. 

We continue that privileged ministry of modelling the life of the New Creation before a watching world.  The writer to the Hebrews puts it like this:

‘...you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel’.

(Heb.12:22-24)

The story of Nehemiah is nothing like as remote as it may first appear.  We are still involved in building the life of the heavenly city.  And we have much to learn from Nehemiah about how to do that.  One of the first critical lessons is the way everyone gets involved, regardless of their perceived skill sets, gifting, experiences or preferences.  A wall needs to be built, and Neh.3 points us to the fact that building it isn’t the preserve of a few dedicated individuals.  In fact, Nehemiah is conspicuous by his absence.  The expectation is that everyone is involved – to the point that those who aren’t are named (e.g. Neh.3:5).  Everyone works to the vision Nehemiah has cast.  They are recognised and honoured for their contribution.  They are aware they are contributing to something greater than their own specific contribution.  The responsibility for the work is de-centralised.  And the result is that more is achieved than is humanly possible.

Questions:
What is the connection between the dereliction of the walls, and the disgrace of the people (2:17, though see also 1:3)?

Is Nehemiah right to not include too many people in the initial part of his assessment and strategizing (2:12)?  How would you have felt realising you weren’t included in that first part of the planning, but were now expected to deliver against a vision you had no part in developing?

Should the setting of a Church’s vision be a collaborative effort?  How should a Church’s vision be shaped?

Is Nehemiah right to reject the help of Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem (2:19-20)?  Should the Church follow this example and still not accept help (or funding?) from those who aren’t Christians? 

What would have happened if people had not worked within the context of the vision Nehemiah had set, recognising they were part of something bigger than themselves and their own contribution?  What has this to teach us about the ministry we are involved with in the life of any Church?

Is Nehemiah right to identify those who weren’t willing to get involved (3:5)?  Would it be appropriate for anything like this to happen in today’s Church?  Why / why not?

Nehemiah 3 is a roll call honouring the work done by so many in the life of the ancient Church?  How could we honour the work done by folk in our own Church?  How appropriate would it be to do so?

Remembering that Nehemiah is a foreshadowing of Christ (the Church Builder, Matt.16:18), what can we learn about Jesus’ vision for Church life and ministry in this section?