MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(This is the seventh of a Leadership series featuring Nehemiah. Some ideas & illustrations in these messages were based on or benefited greatly from, to varying extents, the book “Hand Me Another Brick” by Charles Swindoll.)
INTRO: I have always considered myself a rather practical individual. "How do things work? Is there a better way to do them?" Maybe deep down I’m just a frustrated efficiency expert. However, I’m fairly sure that my wife would call me "frustrating" instead of "frustrated," & she probably wouldn’t use the word "expert" either.
But whatever the case, the Book of Nehemiah appeals to me because it is such a practical book. As we go through its pages & look at the life & experiences of Nehemiah we find again & again that Nehemiah deals with problems & decisions that are very relevant to us today.
A. During these past few weeks we have seen Nehemiah being called by God to leave his very important job in the palace of King Artaxerxes of Persia to go & rebuild the walls & city of Jerusalem.
Since then Nehemiah has faced great adversities: criticism, plots by his enemies, complaints by the workers, famine, inflation, greedy merchants, & much, much more. But step by step, problem by problem, Nehemiah has gone to God for help & guidance, & now the work on the walls is nearly done!
B. Adversity is a painful teacher. The dictionary says that "adversity" is "marked by unhappiness, hardships, & distress." Nehemiah experienced all of that, & to one extent or another, so have we.
It may have been the heartache of an unhappy job, or the discouragement of losing a job. It may have been the feeling that no one needs you or wants you anymore. It may have been the embarrassment of standing in the unemployment line or having to ask for help to make ends meet.
ILL. Thirty years ago the hottest thing going in the Houston area was the space program at NASA. People with PHD’s who were involved in the space program felt secure. There were planets to explore - rockets to be built - shuttle systems to be designed. It seemed that their task would never end. But almost overnight, for some, their dreams became a nightmare.
Space projects were shelved - contracts withdrawn - jobs terminated. Men & women, highly educated & skilled, suddenly found themselves either demoted or fired - & disillusioned. And some PHD’s were mowing lawns & pumping gas because jobs in their fields were gone. And now it seems to be happening again.
C. But that isn’t Nehemiah’s problem. In fact, as we look at Nehemiah 5:14 we find that Nehemiah has just been promoted. King Artaxerxes has appointed him Governor of Judah. Nehemiah is now the highest official in all the land.
So we can assume that Nehemiah’s adversities are over. He is Governor, & all of his problems are gone.
PROP. Don’t you believe it! If Nehemiah thought he had problems as a wall builder, wait until he comes face to face with the adversities of being the Governor. In fact, he soon found himself having to deal with 2 major problems.
I. THE PROBLEM OF CORRUPTION & OPPRESSION
The first problem Nehemiah faced was corruption, the corrupt practices of former governors. We read about those in vs. 15: “But the earlier governors – those preceding me – placed a heavy burden on the people.” In other words, taxes were too high.
Then it goes on to say “…& took 40 shekels of silver from them in addition to food & wine.” That is payola bribery. In other words, people came around & said, "Say, if you want to get your street paved, a little bread & wine & a few shekels of silver will sure go a long ways toward getting your job up toward the top of the priority list."
Vs. 15 also goes on to say that, "Their assistants also lorded it over the people." The people had been overtaxed, oppressed, & intimidated by a corrupt government that was caught up in an abuse of its power.
ILL. When Nehemiah walked into his office that first day in the governor’s mansion, I imagine the room was full of people waiting to see him. "Gov. Nehemiah, we’re so happy that you’ve been promoted to this exalted office. There is a lot of responsibility & you’re going to need some help. But we know exactly how things work around here, so leave it to us. We’ll take care of the details for you."
Maybe someone even whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry about it. That is just the way the system works. And if you have some buddies who need a job, nobody will squawk. So enjoy your position. You have the perfect setup here.”
Do you know how Nehemiah responded to all of that? In vs. 15 he says, "But out of reverence for God I did not act like that." Nehemiah said, "This may have been the way some have ruled in the past, but I will not do what they did. Now God’s law will guide us, & the new policy is that of righteousness."
Proverbs 29:2 says, "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan." The word "thrive" could also be translated "promoted." So "When righteous people are promoted - when they rise to prominence & power - then the people rejoice. But when wicked people rule, then the people groan."
No matter what political party or administration, we need someone with the character of Nehemiah in the White House. We need righteous, honorable people in Congress - & in our state & city offices. We also need righteous, honorable newsmen, entertainers, & editors. We need to restore honor & righteousness in our nation.
Why? Because "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”" And we who are voters need to exercise the power that is entrusted to us to let these people know that we expect only the best from them.
II. THE PROBLEM OF POWER & PRIVILEGE
A. The 2nd problem Nehemiah faced was in deciding how to handle the power & privileges that went with his promotion. And one of those privileges was an almost unlimited expense account that included a generous food allowance.
Listen to vs’s 17-18: “Furthermore, 150 Jews & officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. Each day one ox, 6 choice sheep & some poultry were prepared for me, & every 10 days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds.”
There must have been an almost overwhelming temptation for him to give in to the luxuries that surrounded him. It was all there - luxurious housing - fine wine - all that the world has to offer. But Nehemiah did not give in. Nehemiah had been sent by God to build that wall & the wealth that surrounded him never got the best of him.
Listen to the last part of vs. 18. “In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.” Nehemiah says, "I never abused my power. I never took advantage of the taxpayers’ money."
B. But power often gives rise to many kinds of temptations. Now that Nehemiah was the highest official in all the land, he could do anything he wanted to do. And when you feel yourself to be superior to others, then it is easy to begin abusing your power.
ILL. Isn’t that basically what often happens in Washington? Isn’t it possible that some get so obsessed with the privileges & power of their positions that they feel free to ignore the rules & guidelines?
But Nehemiah didn’t. Despite all his new authority & power, Nehemiah remained faithful. He had a job to do. In vs. 16, Nehemiah says, “I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.”
Neither Nehemiah nor any of his administration took advantage of insider information. They were faithful to the task they were chosen to do. Oh, how we need men like that today!
III. THE KEY – A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY & REVERENCE
The last thing we need to note here is that with promotion comes responsibility, responsibility to people. Nehemiah never lost his sensitivity to the people.
Certainly, he had privileges & power - & certainly he had a project that needed to be finished, but the most important thing as far as Nehemiah was concerned was people. He never got so caught up in what he was doing that he lost the heartbeat of the nation their hurts & cries & tears. He never lost touch with the people!
That brings me to a couple of little sections of scripture that I think our nation & its leaders particularly need to consider today.
In the last part of vs. 15 Nehemiah says, “Out of reverence for God I did not act like that.” He is saying, "The reason that I did not abuse the privileges - the reason that my policies were policies of integrity - the reason I kept my eye on the project of rebuilding the wall - & the reason I never lost sensitivity to the people is because of my reverence for God."
That made all of the difference to Nehemiah. God was his Lord, & because of that he was a different kind of leader. Because of his relationship with God He would not abuse the people or the rights that were theirs. Because God was his Lord he was determined to act righteously & not abuse his position or his power. Oh, how our leaders need to have that spirit today!
Then in vs. 19 he prays, “Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.” When you serve God as you ought, & when you use the positions that are yours as you ought, then God remembers you & never forgets the service that you have rendered to the glory of God.
ILL. It is interesting to note that the 13 original colonies included in their constitutions the requirement that all those elected to public office must affirm their faith in God and their belief in a day of judgment before that God.
Why? Because they were convinced that it wasn’t enough for an official to be accountable to the voters who put him in office. He must also believe that someday he will have to give an answer to God for what he had done.
“Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.”
ILL. Dr. Paul Brand, a well known doctor & author, was raised in India. His parents were missionaries there. In his book, titled "In His Image," he writes about his mother. It is one of the most touching stories I’ve ever read.
He writes that when his mother was 75 years old, she was still walking miles every day, visiting the villages in the southern part of India, teaching the people about Jesus.
One day, at age 75, she was traveling alone & fell & broke her hip. After two days of just lying there in pain, some workers found her & put her on a makeshift cot & loaded her into their jeep & drove 150 miles over deep rutted roads to find a doctor who could set the broken bones. But the very bumpy ride damaged her bones so badly that her hip never completely healed.
He said, "I visited my mother in her mud covered hut several weeks after all of this happened. I watched as she took two bamboo crutches that she had made herself, & moved from one place to another with her feet just dragging behind because she had lost all feeling in them."
He said, "At age 75, with a broken hip, unable to stand on her own two legs, I thought that I made a pretty intelligent suggestion. I suggested that she retire. She turned around & looked at me & said, `Of what value is that? If we try to preserve this body just a few more years & it is not being used for God, of what value is that?’"
So she kept on working. She kept on riding her donkey to villages until she was 93 years old. At age 93 she couldn’t stay on her donkey anymore. She kept falling off. But she didn’t stop teaching. Indian men would carry her in hammocks from one village to another. And she continued to tell people about Jesus until she died at age 95.
Paul writes, "My most vivid memory of my mother is of her propped up against a stone wall as people are coming to her from their homes, schools, & places of work. I can still see the wrinkles in her face, & her skin so tanned by the weather & the heat.
"I saw her speaking to those people. I looked at them & saw the sparkle in their eyes, & the smiles on their faces. And I saw them deeply moved by the message of God’s love, spoken by this old woman. I knew what they saw was not an old woman who had passed her prime, but a beautiful person bringing tidings of love straight from heaven."
"Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.”
INVITATION
