When he arrived, Nehemiah inherited leadership over three distinct groups of returnees to the land:
• The returnees from 536-516 BCE, who lived and worked under Zerubbabel the governor, and were chastised by Haggai the prophet to get the work finished.
• The returnees from 458 BCE, who came to the land from Babylon with Ezra, the revivalist.
• The returnees that arrived in about 448 BCE with Nehemiah, the group most invested in following the leader of our story.
Add to that, each group of returnees found some Judeans who did not leave in the exile, as well as facing a number of men of other ethnicities that had no vested interested in seeing Jerusalem become strong and vital again
49,942 people
736 horses
245 mules
435 camels
6720 donkeys
Neh 7:1-5
Theres a lot of good information right here in these verses, which lead up to a list of names that most people just gloss over. But they are there for a reason.
The walls were not rebuilt, no church is built or improvements made so the people can look at nice walls or nice, new gadgets or technology. The walls, and improvements in churches are done so that we can worship God with greater glory and greater freedom than ever before. Every victory in our life should take us to a deeper mindset of praise. The amount of praise that we bring forth to God should be in comparison to the amount of victory that we feel we have. Even when you feel like everything is a lost cause, you still should praise Him because you have victory.
Many folks who aren't all that gifted - they can't sing, they can't remember a bunch of Bible verses, they don't have a knack for teaching, and so forth - can still be used greatly of God if they are faithful and fear God. On the other hand, many terribly gifted people may always be frustrated in serving God, if they are not faithful and fearing God.
In verse 3, Nehemiah gave them a curfew and set guards in place. Just because you go to church, or just because you read your Bible, or just because you are saved, or just because you minister…that means nothing when it comes to being prepared for an attack. The walls won’t protect themselves, what you do won’t protect you unless you are on guard. 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." You not only have to protect yourself, you also have to watch out for others and help each other out.
In the Christian life, often a victory is won and later lost because there was no guard. An enemy may come in because we are not watching. Walls can be climbed if there is no one there to stop the enemy, but an enemy is easily turned back from a wall by a guard.
Remember when I said the names were there for a reason? It shows that we are to be mindful of every person, place, and things that God has placed in our lives. We are not to use people or lead them half way or only when we feel like it. We are to be stewards of that which God has given us until the very time that God says we are done. Not when we think we are done.
GOD IS NOT ONLY CONCERNED WITH WHAT IS CREATED, HE IS CONCERNED WITH HOW WE TAKE CARE OF WHAT WE ARE STEWARDS OVER.
Nehemiah is moving from the building project itself, to steps that will insure that what has been built will be protected and preserved.
One of the saddest things that has taken place in Christ's church in the last 100 years is the number of churches, colleges, seminaries, denominations, and publishing houses that at one time believed the Scriptures and faithfully proclaimed the truth that no longer do so. What is also sad, is the fact that God has placed people into our lives that we minister to for a moment and then cast them to the side as if they were yesterdays news. We fail to follow up with them and help protect them from satan. We often go half way with those who we have discipled, and then drop them and expect them to go the rest of the way without our help.
Its a tragic thing to listen to groups and individuals that used to be fundamental in their beliefs begin to deny key doctrines of the faith.
- Warren Wiersbe said - "Every Christian ministry is one short generation away from destruction, and God's people must be on guard."
A BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW OF STEWARDSHIP can be consciously defined as: "Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation.” Basically, managing everything God brings into the believer's life in a manner that honors God and impacts eternity. It is pretty safe to say that Nehemiah was entrusted by God to be a steward over Jerusalem and the people. He had to manage the whole project of rebuilding the walls and take care of / watch over / settle disputes of many people for the sake of impacting eternity.
STEWARDSHIP BEGINS AND ENDS WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S OWNERSHIP OF ALL:
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:13)
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1)
"To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it." (Deuteronomy 10:14)
"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants." (Leviticus 25:23)
"Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me." (Job 41:11)
Stewardship is further supported and sustained theologically on the understanding of God's holiness. Without acknowledging that God is holy and separate from all the world, biblical stewardship would be non-existent.
Let me say right here, that while trying to be a steward of what God has entrusted to him, Nehemiah faced many battels that came in the form of man, woman, neighbor, ‘brother’, ‘sister,’ friend, etc. 4 of the types of battles that he continually had to face are…
1. The antagonist—“I wont let you”
a. 1 John 1:7-- For many imposters (seducers, deceivers, and false leaders) have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge (confess, admit) the coming of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) in bodily form. Such a one is the imposter (the seducer, the deceiver, the false leader, the antagonist of Christ) and the antichrist.
b. Definition of an antagonist: someone who on the basis of non- substantive evidence, goes out of their way to make insatiable demands, usually attacking the person or performance of others; these attacks are selfish in nature, tear down rather than build up
2. The alarmist—“Its not safe”
a. Chicken little the sky is falling
b. Doomsday is approaching
3. The traditionalist—“Its not how we do it”
4. The Defeatist—“Its not possible”
We are each going to be held accountable to God because we, just as Nehemiah in this story, are the stewards of what God has entrusted us with. God, as the owner has the right to a full disclosure of what’s being done with His property and that which he entrusted us to take care of. Ultimately, we have never been under a job performance evaluation like the one we are going to be under when we give an account to God for how we lived our lives.
Romans 14:10-12(AMP)-- 10 But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you again, why do you look down on your [believing] brother or regard him with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God [who alone is judge]. 11 For it is written [in Scripture], “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Have you ever wondered why the Bible says that "God loves a cheerful giver?" (2 Corinthians9:7). Joyful giving is a sign that the givers understand the owner-manager relationship. Cheerful giving can only come from a heart set on things above, not on earthly things (see Colossians 3:1). God loves a cheerful giver because such givers are investing in heaven, which reaps eternal dividends.
Cheerful giving does not only apply to tithing. We are to be cheerful as stewards in everything we do.
Each will give a personal account to God. God will want to know what we have done with the possessions He has entrusted into our care. Here are a few areas of inspection.
A. Ourselves
The Owner will check how devoted we have been to Him. That's why Paul wrote in Romans 12:1, "Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship." (HCSB) Paul says a proper and spiritual act of worship is to give yourself fully to your Owner to be used as His servant.
B. Our possessions
He will also hold me accountable for what I've done with the things He has entrusted to me. One of the final parables Jesus gave concerned a master who entrusted his possessions to three servants while he was away. The master, after returning, held each servant responsible for how he had used or invested what had been entrusted to him (Matt. 25:14-30).
This includes our finances. Every dollar is made up of 100 pennies. The money we spend tells the story of our lives. Someone said that it is easy to tell the character of a person by looking at the checkbook register.
God needs to have ownership of all of our finances. You may be thinking that he only wants 10%. God only asks for 10% to be given back to his storehouse to help further his kingdom on earth. However the other 90% is his as well. We are to be stewards of it. We are to use it in ways that will glorify His name. God desires that we bless others less fortunate that ourselves with the gifts that he has given us. All of our finances belong to him and we need to use them in ways that are biblical. There is nothing wrong with having money and using it. We just need to keep God first.
C. Our time
Look at Ephesians 5:15-17: "Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk - not as unwise people but as wise - making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." (HCSB)
We will be held accountable for how we used each "day the Lord has made" and given to us (see also Ps. 118:24 and 74:16).
Each of us is given 1440 seconds per day that we are responsible to manage. God will hold each of us responsible for how we spend those seconds. The second is the building block of the rest of time. Every second is to be managed and used in ways that please God. This does not mean that every second of the day will be spent reading the Bible and praying and singing Amazing Grace. We have lives to live, but we must live them moment by moment for Jesus.
D. Our abilities
The owner will examine what we have done with the gifts and abilities He has granted us, (Read 1 Pet. 4:10). God, my Owner, expects me to take the spiritual gifts and abilities He has handed me and use them for His glory.
God has entrusted to my management time, possessions, abilities, and even my very being. All are to be used for His honor. I will be accountable for all these things and how I used them. God has high expectations that I will serve Him and grow to think and care and love like He does.
Conclusion
If the examination were tonight, if the Owner called you to give an accounting this evening, what would the record say about your giving? Would it reflect a humble belief that you are only managing what He owns? Would joy and cheer mark your life as one who gives generously because you know your investment is gaining heavenly treasure for you? Some of us need to rethink how we're spending our resources for Christ and His kingdom.
