In this season of revitalisation, we’re praying for and working towards seeing our hearts and our communities renewed by the power of the gospel.
As I’ve been reflecting on where to glean guidance from Scripture, especially during Lent, I’ve been drawn to the post-exilic books in the Old Testament. Ezra and Nehemiah stand out in particular. These books, once known as one book in ancient Hebrew texts, were written in Jerusalem after the exile's return. They tell the story of God’s exiled people returning to their land, under Persian rule, and being allowed to rebuild Jerusalem.
The main narrative follows the restoration of God’s covenant people in fulfilment of God’s word. This restoration happened in three phases.
The first phase centres on rebuilding the temple and reinstituting worship (Ezra 1-6), led by Zerubbabel.
The second phase, led by Ezra over 50 years later, focuses on rebuilding the people – not the temple – by teaching them to obey the law of Moses (Ezra 7-10).
In the final phase, 13 years later, Nehemiah leads the rebuilding of the wall (Nehemiah 1-6), before teaming up with Ezra to restore the people (Nehemiah 7-13) as God's holy nation.
What can we learn from these books about rebuilding, restoration and revitalisation?
In these books we see a picture of God’s people, who are being regathered after exile. Their city is in ruins. They are subjects of a foreign king. Threats are pressuring them from within and without.
And yet we see the faithful hand of God, who, in his kindness, preserves his people according to his promises.
We may look around us and see church decline or moral ruin and think, will it survive?
We can have confidence that God will preserve and sustain his church.
Why was it important to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls?
Nehemiah 1:2-3 gives us a clue. He tells of what he heard about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
They said to me, “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.”
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
The lack of fortified walls around the city left the people shamed and unprotected against their enemies. Nehemiah is broken by this news, driven to his knees, appealing to God’s faithfulness to his covenant. Have a look at Nehemiah’s response after prayer:
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
Our hearts stir when we face, with honesty, the brutal reality of our situation. When we pay attention to what is broken and laid to waste.
What is stirring your heart? What causes you to lament, or gives you holy discontent about the state of the church or your community? As you walk around your neighbourhood, what do you notice that breaking your heart? What makes you sing?
May that stirring lead us to press into God in prayer. When we pray, God shows us what to do.
Nehemiah did not just pray, he also planned and worked.
Prayer and planning are not mutually exclusive. In Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah secretly surveyed the rubble of the former wall before even announcing his plans to the residents of Jerusalem (2:11-17). Apparently he wanted to know the size and scope of the work he was taking on before he publicly committed to doing it. He was being strategic.
“We prayed to our God, and set a guard as a protection against them day and night” (Neh 4:9).
Saint Augustine wisely said, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”
Nehemiah’s story is inspiring.
He mobilised a whole team to be involved in the rebuilding project. He couldn’t do it on his own. We see him delegating and inspiring to organise the project effectively. People shared responsibility to accomplish the vision. Nehemiah began with a few, then he expanded the team to include virtually everyone. The people committed themselves to the task (2:18). The skills of the people were acknowledged and deployed (chapter 3). Different people worked on different sections of the wall. People were assigned to work closest to their home
I also like the connection between the rebuilding of the temple and the rebuilding of its walls. God led Nehemiah, who was a civic leader as cupbearer to the king, to work on the walls, and he led Ezra, a priest, to work on the temple. Both were vital.
The ministry of all of God’s people, whether lay or ordained, is crucial in revitalisation. What skills has God given you that you could offer in revitalisation?
After mobilising the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah faced opposition. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem mocked and ridiculed Nehemiah and his team.
Nehemiah was dedicated to the rebuilding project. “The God of heaven will give us success,” he told his enemies. “We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it” (Nehemiah 2:20 – see also 4:8).
Nehemiah’s wall-building mahi was threatened, not just from the outside, but also by selfish leaders from the inside (chapter 5).
Nehemiah looked to God for success. “The God of heaven is the one who will give us success” (Neh 2:20).
The external and internal problems facing Nehemiah did not halt work on the wall, which was completed in only 52 days (Neh 6:15).
Upon the completion of the walls, Nehemiah wrote:
When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realised that this work had been done with the help of our God (Nehemiah 6:16).
Nehemiah encouraged his people not to lose heart because of opposition. “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
I love that! The good fight we’re on is for the glory of God, who is great and awesome, and for our communities, families and children – future generations.
“Our God will fight for us!” (Neh 4:20)
Nehemiah’s vision to rebuild the wall was important, but it was only part of what he was concerned about. The wall was a means towards a larger purpose.
Nehemiah, a high level public servant, chose not to enjoy or exploit the perks that come with the position. He chose to relinquish his rights and use his position to deal with injustice, rebuilding not only the bricks and mortar of the walls, but the ruins of the Jewish community.
He even refused to tax the people to pay for his personal expenses, unlike his predecessors (Neh 5:14-16). Instead, we see his manaakitanga as he generously invited many to eat at his table, paying from this expense from his personal savings without taxing the people (Neh 5:17-18). Nehemiah pursues justice, and puts people first.
“Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people” (Neh 5:19). What cost are you willing to pay to see hearts transformed and communities renewed by the power of the gospel?
As we journey through Lent, may this picture of restoration be one we own, embrace and give ourselves to. May God give us grace to be faithful in our generation.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations (Isaiah 61:4).
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
In this season of revitalisation, we’re praying for and working towards seeing our hearts and our communities renewed by the power of the gospel.
As I’ve been reflecting on where to glean guidance from Scripture, especially during Lent, I’ve been drawn to the post-exilic books in the Old Testament. Ezra and Nehemiah stand out in particular. These books, once known as one book in ancient Hebrew texts, were written in Jerusalem after the exile's return. They tell the story of God’s exiled people returning to their land, under Persian rule, and being allowed to rebuild Jerusalem.
The main narrative follows the restoration of God’s covenant people in fulfilment of God’s word. This restoration happened in three phases.
The first phase centres on rebuilding the temple and reinstituting worship (Ezra 1-6), led by Zerubbabel.
The second phase, led by Ezra over 50 years later, focuses on rebuilding the people – not the temple – by teaching them to obey the law of Moses (Ezra 7-10).
In the final phase, 13 years later, Nehemiah leads the rebuilding of the wall (Nehemiah 1-6), before teaming up with Ezra to restore the people (Nehemiah 7-13) as God's holy nation.
What can we learn from these books about rebuilding, restoration and revitalisation?
In these books we see a picture of God’s people, who are being regathered after exile. Their city is in ruins. They are subjects of a foreign king. Threats are pressuring them from within and without.
And yet we see the faithful hand of God, who, in his kindness, preserves his people according to his promises.
We may look around us and see church decline or moral ruin and think, will it survive?
We can have confidence that God will preserve and sustain his church.
Why was it important to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls?
Nehemiah 1:2-3 gives us a clue. He tells of what he heard about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
They said to me, “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.”
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
The lack of fortified walls around the city left the people shamed and unprotected against their enemies. Nehemiah is broken by this news, driven to his knees, appealing to God’s faithfulness to his covenant. Have a look at Nehemiah’s response after prayer:
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
Our hearts stir when we face, with honesty, the brutal reality of our situation. When we pay attention to what is broken and laid to waste.
What is stirring your heart? What causes you to lament, or gives you holy discontent about the state of the church or your community? As you walk around your neighbourhood, what do you notice that breaking your heart? What makes you sing?
May that stirring lead us to press into God in prayer. When we pray, God shows us what to do.
Nehemiah did not just pray, he also planned and worked.
Prayer and planning are not mutually exclusive. In Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah secretly surveyed the rubble of the former wall before even announcing his plans to the residents of Jerusalem (2:11-17). Apparently he wanted to know the size and scope of the work he was taking on before he publicly committed to doing it. He was being strategic.
“We prayed to our God, and set a guard as a protection against them day and night” (Neh 4:9).
Saint Augustine wisely said, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”
Nehemiah’s story is inspiring.
He mobilised a whole team to be involved in the rebuilding project. He couldn’t do it on his own. We see him delegating and inspiring to organise the project effectively. People shared responsibility to accomplish the vision. Nehemiah began with a few, then he expanded the team to include virtually everyone. The people committed themselves to the task (2:18). The skills of the people were acknowledged and deployed (chapter 3). Different people worked on different sections of the wall. People were assigned to work closest to their home
I also like the connection between the rebuilding of the temple and the rebuilding of its walls. God led Nehemiah, who was a civic leader as cupbearer to the king, to work on the walls, and he led Ezra, a priest, to work on the temple. Both were vital.
The ministry of all of God’s people, whether lay or ordained, is crucial in revitalisation. What skills has God given you that you could offer in revitalisation?
After mobilising the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah faced opposition. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem mocked and ridiculed Nehemiah and his team.
Nehemiah was dedicated to the rebuilding project. “The God of heaven will give us success,” he told his enemies. “We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it” (Nehemiah 2:20 – see also 4:8).
Nehemiah’s wall-building mahi was threatened, not just from the outside, but also by selfish leaders from the inside (chapter 5).
Nehemiah looked to God for success. “The God of heaven is the one who will give us success” (Neh 2:20).
The external and internal problems facing Nehemiah did not halt work on the wall, which was completed in only 52 days (Neh 6:15).
Upon the completion of the walls, Nehemiah wrote:
When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realised that this work had been done with the help of our God (Nehemiah 6:16).
Nehemiah encouraged his people not to lose heart because of opposition. “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
I love that! The good fight we’re on is for the glory of God, who is great and awesome, and for our communities, families and children – future generations.
“Our God will fight for us!” (Neh 4:20)
Nehemiah’s vision to rebuild the wall was important, but it was only part of what he was concerned about. The wall was a means towards a larger purpose.
Nehemiah, a high level public servant, chose not to enjoy or exploit the perks that come with the position. He chose to relinquish his rights and use his position to deal with injustice, rebuilding not only the bricks and mortar of the walls, but the ruins of the Jewish community.
He even refused to tax the people to pay for his personal expenses, unlike his predecessors (Neh 5:14-16). Instead, we see his manaakitanga as he generously invited many to eat at his table, paying from this expense from his personal savings without taxing the people (Neh 5:17-18). Nehemiah pursues justice, and puts people first.
“Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people” (Neh 5:19). What cost are you willing to pay to see hearts transformed and communities renewed by the power of the gospel?
As we journey through Lent, may this picture of restoration be one we own, embrace and give ourselves to. May God give us grace to be faithful in our generation.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations (Isaiah 61:4).
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
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