Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, one of the performers, made repairs; and they fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.
--Nehemiah 3:8-9 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on August 11, 2013 of Psalm 136:1-15; Luke 12:41-59; Nehemiah 3-4.
Nehemiah served in captivity (please see "Discerning God's Will") as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, a position of responsibility (protecting the king from drinking poison) and some influence (he often had the king's ear simply because of his service). He was quite sad and wept when told that although the Temple had been restored, the holy city's walls still lay in disrepair, not yet rebuilt from their destruction, leaving the city and its inhabitants vulnerable to attack from their enemies. When the king expressed concern for his servant's apparent distress, Nehemiah requested and was granted permission to return to Jerusalem to lead the effort of repairing its walls.
Chapter three of Nehemiah's account chronicles the beginning of the construction of the walls and gates. Work crews gathered and the areas of their concentration were established, perhaps more by circumstance and consensus than by assignment. Some crews took on long stretches of repair, with one noted as rebuilding a gate and 1500 feet of the wall (the length of five football fields)! Some, maybe comprised of an individual or two, only made repairs to the section of wall directly opposite their houses. But maybe the most interesting thing we read is that all manner of people participated in the effort. The first name mentioned was that of the high priest, Eliashib, who along with his brother priests rebuilt the gate by which animals were brought in for sacrifice and the wall itself for a good distance to the west. All classes of people from all walks of life pitched in. Today's focus verses record the names of three men and their quite different stations in life. A goldsmith, likely very skilled in his craft, a performer, perhaps a Temple singer or musician, and a leader of half the city, all doing the coarse, rough, physical labor of cutting stones and hewing lumber and stacking them all up and fitting everything together to reform the walls and gates around their city. Even women joined the effort, as the daughters of another leader are specifically listed among the crews. And these people not only were tasked with the hard manual labor, but were also called upon to bear arms in defense of the people and their work, as recorded in chapter four. Only the nobles of the Tekoites failed to support and participate in this great effort.
The wall was finished to one-half its original height within fifty-two days, with all gaps filled in. In fifty-two days, without the benefit of modern tools or machinery, these dedicated people completed a daunting task. Through Nehemiah, God shows us just how much we can accomplish if we all work together. If we can only put aside our personal differences and forget about our position in life and our supposed rank within society and focus on a common goal, then we can do what might seem impossible, for God will bless our efforts and do wondrous things through our hands. Loving each other and working together is what our Lord wants us to do. Let's give Him what He wants. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we know from Your word and our own experiences that we can get more done when we work together than when we try doing things on our own. But sometimes we think ourselves too good or too important to join a common effort, like the nobles of the Tekoites. Please forgive us, Lord, when we put ourselves above others, when we refuse to serve as Your Son instructed us to do and as He did by example. Help us work together toward the advancement of Your kingdom. In the wonderful name of Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.
Chapter three of Nehemiah's account chronicles the beginning of the construction of the walls and gates. Work crews gathered and the areas of their concentration were established, perhaps more by circumstance and consensus than by assignment. Some crews took on long stretches of repair, with one noted as rebuilding a gate and 1500 feet of the wall (the length of five football fields)! Some, maybe comprised of an individual or two, only made repairs to the section of wall directly opposite their houses. But maybe the most interesting thing we read is that all manner of people participated in the effort. The first name mentioned was that of the high priest, Eliashib, who along with his brother priests rebuilt the gate by which animals were brought in for sacrifice and the wall itself for a good distance to the west. All classes of people from all walks of life pitched in. Today's focus verses record the names of three men and their quite different stations in life. A goldsmith, likely very skilled in his craft, a performer, perhaps a Temple singer or musician, and a leader of half the city, all doing the coarse, rough, physical labor of cutting stones and hewing lumber and stacking them all up and fitting everything together to reform the walls and gates around their city. Even women joined the effort, as the daughters of another leader are specifically listed among the crews. And these people not only were tasked with the hard manual labor, but were also called upon to bear arms in defense of the people and their work, as recorded in chapter four. Only the nobles of the Tekoites failed to support and participate in this great effort.
The wall was finished to one-half its original height within fifty-two days, with all gaps filled in. In fifty-two days, without the benefit of modern tools or machinery, these dedicated people completed a daunting task. Through Nehemiah, God shows us just how much we can accomplish if we all work together. If we can only put aside our personal differences and forget about our position in life and our supposed rank within society and focus on a common goal, then we can do what might seem impossible, for God will bless our efforts and do wondrous things through our hands. Loving each other and working together is what our Lord wants us to do. Let's give Him what He wants. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we know from Your word and our own experiences that we can get more done when we work together than when we try doing things on our own. But sometimes we think ourselves too good or too important to join a common effort, like the nobles of the Tekoites. Please forgive us, Lord, when we put ourselves above others, when we refuse to serve as Your Son instructed us to do and as He did by example. Help us work together toward the advancement of Your kingdom. In the wonderful name of Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.
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