Over the past several studies, we’ve seen Nehemiah being led by God in forming a vision for the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. Nehemiah had been a cupbearer to the King, a very prestigious and powerful position; he had a comfortable, prosperous life. But he had received news about the condition of Jerusalem and had been overwhelmed with sadness at what he had heard, so he’d begun praying about it, crying out to God on behalf of his people. And, as Nehemiah had continued in fasting and prayer, God had begun to lead him to become involved himself. After several months, he had spoken to the king and had received permission to travel to Jerusalem; he’d also been supplied with the material things he’d need to carry out the job.
It’s a great thing to have a concrete vision like this. There’s been opposition along the way, but, at the same time, all the pieces have been falling together. And yet, Nehemiah has taken a considerable risk. These people don’t know him, and they’ve already been beaten down by past experiences. What if they just aren’t interested in building the wall? What if they refuse to cooperate? Obedience to God doesn’t guarantee a successful outcome. Jeremiah had a genuine commission from God to preach a message of repentance to the people of Israel, and he did that faithfully for many years; but, on the whole, no one listened. Even though Nehemiah has been called by God and has experienced His blessing up to this point, it’s still possible that the people will reject his vision. It’s possible that they’ll rebel against God and refuse to engage in the work. And, if the people refuse to follow him, he’ll be in great danger. In that society at that time in history, the likelihood is not that Nehemiah will return to the capital in shame; the likelihood is that he’ll be killed. So Nehemiah has taken a considerable risk in stepping out like this.
But we saw in our last study that the people responded positively to his call: “Then they said, ‘Let us start building!’ So they committed themselves to the common good” (2:18). In chapter three we see the outworking of this. We see the people uniting together in the work. Up till this point, the story has been mainly between Nehemiah and God; now all the people in Jerusalem are involved. That the people are willing to unite with him in this way implies at least two things about them.
First, it implies that they’ve been humbled. Notice all the different kinds of people who are listed in this chapter, all uniting together in the work: priests, citizens of various regions in the area, goldsmiths, perfumers, rulers. The people are willing to work together, despite their different places and functions in society. The priests and rulers aren’t too proud to work beside the common people in this task.
There’s one exception to this, in verse 5: “next to him the Tekoites (except for their nobles, who wouldn’t work with their master and refused to get their hands dirty with such work)” (The Message). They thought it was beneath them. After I graduated from Messiah College, I worked at the college for a year as a custodian, and several years later as a construction worker. It was interesting to observe those professors who didn’t know me as a former student. Most treated me respectfully, like a human being doing a job, but there were a few who acted like I was beneath them. They didn’t see any need to treat janitors and construction workers with respect and dignity. That’s what the nobles of the Tekoites were like. They didn’t want to unite with these common people in doing the work. It was beneath them.
But they’re an exception. On the whole, the people of Jerusalem have been humbled by their situation. One thing that happens when we suffer is that we realize our own frailty. Difficulties and sorrow tend to destroy our illusions about ourselves. We begin to see ourselves more truly as we are. The people have gone through some hard times, and it’s humbled them. They’ve seen something of the truth about themselves; they’ve seen that they are not too good to engage in the hard work of rebuilding the wall.
The second thing about these people is that they’re willing to lay aside their own plans to do what God has called them to do. They’ve been humbled, and in their humility they’ve submitted to God’s lordship over their lives. It’s not that they have nothing else to do. These are people with trades, people who are seeking to make a living. Given the condition of the city, we can be sure that it hasn’t been easy for them. They don’t have a large bank account to sustain them while they’re working on the wall. They have other things to do, important things. But their primary call is to be God’s people, so they lay aside their plans and submit to His will.
One of the great dangers, in a situation like this, is to rationalize. We think, “of course, there’s a great need, but God doesn’t expect me to go out on a limb like that. It’s a great idea Nehemiah has, but I have other responsibilities. I have to make a living. I’ll pray for the Lord to raise up someone else.” When God calls us to lay aside our plans and step out in obedience to Him, the situation is usually not ideal. There are always many good reasons why we shouldn’t do what He’s calling us to do. But the people have been humbled before God. They’re more aware of their own spiritual poverty than they’ve been in the past. They realize their neediness, and this makes them willing to submit to His will and to trust Him with the outcome.
Part of what it means to be God’s people is that our lives are no longer our own. When He calls us into His kingdom, He claims our lives for His own and calls us to surrender to Him in every area. This was true for the people in Israel. God had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and had called them to be His own people. Their lives were not their own to simply do whatever they wanted to do. Every area of their lives was to be transformed by their relationship with Him. And this is even more true for us today, as Christians.
Some of the Christians in Corinth were misusing their bodies in sexual sin, and they were justifying themselves by saying, “All things are lawful for me.” So Paul responds: “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You are not your own. This applies, not only to the specific sin Paul is addressing here, but to every area of our lives. We are not our own; we’ve been bought with a price and are called to glorify God in our bodies. Our primary calling in life is to be God’s people, living in obedience to His lordship.
This is the difference between the people in Nehemiah’s time and the people living under Jeremiah’s ministry. These people who are working together with Nehemiah still experience failure and outbreaks of rebellion; we’ll read about these things as we continue our study. They’re not perfect. But they’ve been humbled before God. They’ve seen the truth about themselves; they realize their spiritual poverty. The people listening to Jeremiah persistently refused to face the truth, and because they refused to face the truth, they were unable to see their need of repentance. They refused to be humbled.
And, at the same time, they refused to lay aside their own plans to submit to God’s will. That’s why there were so many false prophets in the nation at that time. The false prophets were telling the people what they wanted to hear. They were telling the people: “go ahead, do what you want; God is with you and everything is going to be fine.” They were telling the people: “you can have it both ways; you can grasp after the best for yourself and still be on good terms with God.” That’s what the people wanted. It made them feel good. But the results were disastrous. It destroyed them and led them into the period of captivity in Babylon (from which they’re just beginning to recover under the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra). The people who are working with Nehemiah aren’t perfect, but they’ve humbled themselves before God and they’ve submitted to His lordship. And because of this, they’re able, and willing, to unite together in this work to which He’s called them.
In the Church, we celebrate two things that emphasize these realities in our lives. First, we receive Christ in the Eucharist, remembering that the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, became a man and died in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. Celebrating communion reminds us of our spiritual poverty, that we always come to God with empty hands, depending on His grace and mercy. And, as we take the bread and the cup, we receive Him in ways that go beyond our understanding.
And before we receive the Eucharist, we enter the Church in baptism. In baptism, we enter into fellowship with Christ in His death and resurrection. In baptism, we’re saying “good-bye” to our old lives in the world. We’re pledging ourselves to God and His kingdom. Here’s a good description of the meaning of baptism: “When we enter into the waters of baptism, we enter into a divine connection with the suffering of Jesus and with his resurrection. We are brought into a pattern of life that is an actual identification with Jesus. Baptism is therefore not only an identification with Christ but a calling to live the baptized life. The calling which baptism symbolizes gives concrete form to our spirituality” (Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Faith, p. 110). Saving faith is not only something that happens within us; it takes concrete form in the things we do. Baptism is a tangible identification with Christ in His death and resurrection and a tangible break from our old way of life in this world.
As you take part in these things, enter into them with an awareness of what you’re doing. Come and take communion, not because you’re worthy, or because it’s just the thing to do, but because you’re in need of Him and He offers Himself to you in this sacrament. Come to Him in faith, with a humble sense of your spiritual poverty. And when you participate in a baptismal service, renew the vows you’ve made to the Lord in your own baptism. “Baptism is... not only an identification with Christ but a calling to live the baptized life,” a life in which we recognize that our lives are not our own, that we are bought with a price. And if you haven’t yet submitted to baptism, ask God whether He might be calling you to take this step in the near future. It’s as we humble ourselves before God and lay all our hopes and dreams at His feet that we are able to unite together as a body of His people, doing the work He’s called us to do.
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