THE ONLY THING CONSTANT IS CHANGE: FROM AMBITION TO ADVANCEMENT (NEH. 2:11-20)
In the movie Braveheart about Scotland¡¦s struggle for independence from the English at the turn of the 14th century, William Wallace attempted to persuade the Scottish nobles to discontinue their ties with the English, unite the fragmented Scottish clans, and mobilize them to fight Edward Longshanks, the ruthless English king, and the superior English army. Joint effort from the Scottish nobles and the clans was the only chance for freedom; however, the nobles were often bribed by the English king.
One day, the usually selfish nobles, uncharacteristically, offered Wallace to unite behind him in battle. Hamish, Wallace¡¦s boyhood friend, loyal right-hand man, and army captain suspected the nobles were bribed to betray Wallace to the English, and appealed to Wallace, ¡§It¡¦s a trap. Are you blind?¡¨ Wallace replied realistically, ¡§Look at us. We¡¦ve got to try. We can¡¦t do this alone. Joining the nobles is the only hope for our people.¡¨ Wallace then asked an intriguing question, ¡§You know what happens if we don¡¦t take that chance?¡¨ Hamish shouted in despair, ¡§What?¡¨ And Wallace quietly but firmly answered his angry friend: ¡§Nothing!¡¨
Change is usually slow, often difficult, but always inevitable. Three sayings to bear in mind for changes. First, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Second, the only ones who welcome change are wet babies. Third, the only constant thing in life is change. Without change there is no breakthrough, no progress, and no advancement. A camper tipped me at a retreat: ¡§Change is inevitable except for a vending machine.¡¨ It¡¦s been said, ¡§¡§If you keep on doing what you always did, you’ll keep on getting what you always got!¡¨
Nehemiah was a man of prayer and a man favored by the king. He had come before God in Three Great Confessions in the first chapter. And in chapter 2, he answered Artaxerxes¡¦ three pointed questions to the king¡¦s satisfaction. He showed that he was ready. But how do you tell about a personal vision? Announce a group project? Or change things, convince people to accept change, and coordinate and cope with change? He faced the inhabitants and leaders of Jerusalem --the priests, nobles, and officials-- to tell them how God had revived him in a powerful way and how God had put in his heart a desire to rebuild the city. The Chinese say, ¡§Starting is easy, sustaining is hard.¡¨
EXPERIENCE AND INSPECT THINGS BEFORE YOU START
11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. (Neh 2:11-16)
When I first arrived in Riverside, California, for ministry, I discovered that the church had to make some physical changes to ready itself for guests and visitors. Change was due. The church was located in an unincorporated low-income area of Riverside County, in a small town called Mira Loma. The congregation sang hymns from two different hymnals to make up for a shortage of hymnals ¡V and consequently two different hymn numbers were printed in the bulletin for the same song. Further, 5 or 6 flies were often swarming around the Lord¡¦s table area during the worship hour, displaying their aerial skills and pesky label.
The real battle was with the men¡¦s restroom. The little country church restroom had big problems. For years, a flimsy curtain, instead of a wooden door, was used for toilet bowl partition. Further, yellow vertical lines were lining the urinal.
Cosmetic changes were needed. We bought new hymnals. The former board chairman replaced put in a wooden door. I got rid of the urinal lines myself. For good measure, we replaced the worn-out sanctuary and nursery carpets, thereby giving flies no reason to return. Later, I removed a flower vase in the women¡¦s restroom that had acted as a convenient doorstopper in the windy summer. An ecstatic board member shared that I had moved the church five years ahead in just one year.
I like Nehemiah. Much as he desired to help the rebuilding project, he was the kind of guy who either could or could not do it, who was for or against it, and who will begin and end well. After resting three days on arrival, Nehemiah kept the task to himself and tackled the task head on. He sat on beast and traveled by foot (v 12), probed for openings and roadblocks (v 14), and kept quiet and spoke up at the right time (v 16). He checked for himself the ruined city, broken walls, and consumed gates to experience the damage and dissatisfaction personally.
Nehemiah checked the confines, then into conditions, and finally for contingencies. First, Nehemiah made sure he knew the confines ¡V the name of each place (v 13), the need at hand, and the peculiarities of the property. He went out at night through the Valley Gate, the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate (2:13). Next, he examined the conditions of the walls and the gates (2:13). How was it damaged? How extensive? How to get there?
Finally, Nehemiah checked for contingencies. He discovered that horses were unable to pass through at the Fountain Gate and the King¡¦s Pool (2:14); only pedestrians were able to pass, and even then only a few at a time.
Jesus says, ¡§Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ’This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.?(Luke 14:28-30) The Chinese calls this ¡§Courage without wisdom.¡¨
EXHORT AND INSPIRE OTHERS WHEN YOU SPEAK (2:17-18)
17 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.¡¨ 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. (Neh 2:17-18)
What is the difference between a mediocre teacher, a good teacher, a superior teacher, and a great teacher? Journalist William Arthur Ward said, ¡§The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, but the great teacher inspires.¡¨ (Bits and Pieces )
One of the most inspirational lines I have heard was uttered by a skater who was barely a teen then. Naomi Nari Nam was thirteen and sensational when she (2/27/99), was placed second to Michelle Kwan in the 1999 U. S. National Figure Skating Championship. She revealed to the TV audience what inspired her to her shock placing among the more experienced, skillful and mature girls. Nam said she adored Michelle Kwan and admired Tara Lipinski¡¦s performance in the Olympics. After watching the thrilling duel between her two favorite Olympians, the then pre-teen told and reminded herself countless times these six words while she was on the practice rink: ¡§One day that could be me!¡¨
What did Nehemiah say that got their cooperation, earned their respect and sustained the Israelites to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem? How did he say it? Why was it effective? Nehemiah persuaded them his might, pulled them to his side, and practiced what he preached.
Nehemiah persuaded them by referring again to the state of things: the broken walls and consumed gates (2:17, 2:13, 2:3, 1:3). Nehemiah laid down the fundamental rule of change: the dissatisfaction factor. To change, one must feel uneasy, be disgruntled, and show intolerance of current conditions. So Nehemiah told them honestly how bad, neglected, and unacceptable the situation was (v 17).
Then, instead of alienating others or pushing them away, blaming or rebuking them for the mess, making them feel lousy or inadequate, Nehemiah pulled them to his side by inviting their participation in the rebuilding project. Consider the personal pronouns Nehemiah used in 2:17: ¡§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.¡¨ Nehemiah considered himself an insider, one of them, put himself in their place,
Finally, Nehemiah inspired them by telling them the risks he took to return (v 18): how he put his job in jeopardy to follow God¡¦s leading, how one day the king started the conversation, and how he got the king¡¦s understanding, permission and help.
EXPECT AND INVEST ENERGY IN ORDER TO SUCCEED (20)
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?" 20 I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it." (Neh 2:19-20)
An American Indian tells about a brave who found an eagle’s egg and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.
All of its life, the changeling eagle, thinking it was a prairie chicken, did what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat. It clucked and cackled. And it flew in a brief thrashing of wings and flurry of feathers no more than a few feet off the ground. After all, that’s how prairie chickens were supposed to fly.
Years passed. And the changeling eagle grew very old. One day, it saw a magnificent bird far above him in the cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on the powerful wind currents, it soared with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.
¡§What a beautiful bird!¡¨ said the changeling eagle to its neighbor. ¡§What is it?¡¨
¡§That’s an eagle- the chief of the birds,¡¨ the neighbor clucked. ¡§But don’t give it a second thought. You could never be like him.¡¨
So the changeling chicken eagle never gave it another thought. And what did the eagle think it was all his life? And it died thinking it was a prairie chicken (Bits and Pieces 9/14/95).
Live like an eagle and not a chicken. Soar, don¡¦t scratch; glide, don¡¦t grovel; and fly, don¡¦t flap.
Before Nehemiah even had a chance to launch his rebuilding project, he was mocked and ridiculed by Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem. Nehemiah understood the obstacles, setbacks, and troubles were expected, and he did not let these things discourage him from starting and completing the job. He was more determined to last than ever.
Nehemiah was not motivated by catchwords but by convictions based on three captivating phrases in Hebrew: ¡§God will prosper us,¡¨ ¡§We will rise and build,¡¨ and ¡§You¡¦ll have no part in this.¡¨
In chapter 3, rulers and citizens, sons and daughters, and priests and merchants showed up in force, in unity, in hope. They worked side-by-side, climbed up and down, and repaired the inside and outside. Everyone did their part. Some worked by themselves, some worked in a cluster, and some work in their family or clans. No one felt unimportant or worked less or begged off. They used their knowledge, experience and skills to get things done. They depended on one another. The Hebrew word ¡§next¡¨ appears 16 times in chapter 3. The men of Tekoa did double duty (3:5, 27). Priests (3:1, 22, 28), perfumers (3:8), Levites (3:17), temple servants (3:26), goldsmiths and merchants (3:31-32) learned new skills and were turned into handymen. Even ladies of privileged background (3:12) pitched in.
Why did Nehemiah and the Israelites reject the offer of others and do the work themselves? Relying on outsiders, strangers and bystanders would bring more harm than good because of the introduction of questionable motives, methods, and mission.
Conclusion: Death, taxes, and change are the three certainties of life. Things, people, and situations change from time to time, from place to place, and from one instance to another. Michael Eisner, the CEO of Walt Disney said, ¡§Everyone needs to renew himself or herself once every seven years, or they become stale.¡¨ Maybe you should consider some sound changes in your life, maybe your family should, or maybe the church should. Change need not be extensive, costly, or immediate, but change is inevitable, healthy, and constant.
NO MORE MR. NICE GUY: FROM ALARM TO ASSERTION (NEH 4)
I went into a small post office in Pasadena that had only 2 workers on call. Taped to the side of the sales window was a smiley face minus the smile. In its place was a glum, flat, expressionless line of a smile. Words on top of the round face say ¡§I can only please one person at a day and today ain¡¦t your day.¡¨ At the bottom of the full size paper was a message in parenthesis: ¡§Tomorrow ain¡¦t looking too good either!¡¨
Some people have the mistaken notion that a Christian should be nothing but sweet, mild, and nice. Nice guys do not have to finish last. They do not have to be like doormats, wallflower, or tofu
Mark Galli tells this story about Francis of Assisi who had commanded his friars not to touch money. One day a worshipper left a coin offering in the church, and one of the friars, for whatever reason, saw the money and immediately tossed it over a window sill. When Francis learned he had touch money, Francis rebuked him, commanded him to use his lips to pick up the coin, and place the coin in a pile of ass¡¦s dung with his lips (¡§Saint Nasty¡¨ Mark Galli, Christianity Today 6/17/96).
In Nehemiah 4, Sanballat and Tobiah, the Ammonite official of chapter 2 (2:19), returned with more trouble. This time, Sanballat laughed at the Jews in their face, ridiculed their rebuilding project before it reached the halfway stage, and returned later with more trouble when the wall was near completion.
Israel¡¦s enemies labeled them feeble, called their city a dump, and described their work as inferior ¡V even a fox can break it. How did Nehemiah respond? Nehemiah was still nice but never to a fault. He never allowed people to walk all over him and he did not back down when he and others with him were at risk, in danger, or being threatened. Note also that Nehemiah did not pick a fight, worsen the situation, or start a shouting match either. He immediately brought the matter before God, quickly organized the Israelites to take action, and aggressively overcame the threat of their enemies.
What healthy, active and yet powerful steps did Nehemiah take to counter hostile opposition?
DIGNIFY YOURSELF AND DEFER TO GOD
4:1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble-burned as they are?" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building-if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!" 4 Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders. (Neh 4:1-5)
A company sent me a Christmas catalogue one year, and an Old Gaelic Blessing plaque from the catalogue humored me. It says, ¡§May those who love us, love us. And those that don¡¦t love us, May God turn their hearts. And if He doesn¡¦t turn heir hearts, May He turn their ankles So we¡¦ll know them by their limping.¡¨
If you have seen Fiddler on the Roof, you may remember what the rabbi of a tiny Jewish community in Russia said to student who asked him concerning prayer for the Tsar of Russia. When the song ¡§Tradition¡¨ was being played, a student came up to the rabbi, the town¡¦s most important person, and asked about prayer for the powerful Tsar: ¡§Rabbi, Rabbi, may I ask you a question?¡¨ ¡§Of course,¡¨ the rabbi said. ¡§Is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?¡¨ The Rabbi said, ¡§Blessing for the Tsar? Of course. May God bless and keep the Tsar¡K.. far away from us¡¨
Nehemiah¡¦s prayer when he was despised and insulted was not nice; it was controversial but it was honest. Before you agree or disagree with Nehemiah¡¦s prayer, consider the facts. He was not on the offensive but on the defensive; he did not invite insults on his enemies, but returned insults to their owners; he did not ask for himself, but for people whose lives were endangered; and he didn¡¦t say it to his enemies but made it known to God.
The enemies used a rare word - ¡§feeble¡¨ - to describe the Jews in verse 2. It means weak, almost sick. Nehemiah dignified himself by bringing his prayer before God. When he was provoked, despised and insulted, he requested God be his defender, aggressor, and vindicator.
Nehemiah did not mince, sanitize or regret his words. He told it as it is. The Jews were being despised (v 4), another irregular word. Nehemiah complained that the Jews were held in utter contempt, blatant disregard, and verbal scorn. He asked God to return the favor on his enemies¡¦ head, to reverse the roles of the hunter with the hunted, and to make the enemies a victim of their own violence.
Serving the Lord is never easy. Critics, troublemakers, and faultfinders make it their business to put people in their place, to force their opinions on others, and to impose their expectations on others. Pour your heart out to God, tell Him if you are insulted, despised, or sinned against, you don¡¦t need to accept bad treatment from others, deny it¡¦s not there, or take it into your own hands. Bottling up on our own feelings is never any good. Excusing our enemies is not honest.
DEFEND YOURSELF AND DISCOURAGE YOUR ENEMIES.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. 10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." 11 Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work." 12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us." 13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." 15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. (Neh 4:6-15)
An old Indian legend tells about a vicious snake that terrorized everyone in the neighborhood until the day he met a wandering holy man. The snake couldn¡¦t hurt the holy man, so the holy man gave the snake a stiff lecture on being nice to people, and they went on their own way after the snake promised not to bite anybody.
The snake kept his promise but his patience was often tested. His neighbors thought he had grown too old to fight, so they threw rocks at him, and shouted insults at the increasingly bitter snake.
By the time the holy man visited him again, the snake was in bad shape. ¡§You and your ideas!¡¨ he yelled. "Look at me, I did what you told me, and I almost got killed.¡¨ ¡§My friend,¡¨ said the holy man, ¡§I told you not to bite anybody, but I didn¡¦t forbid you to (stick out your tongue, show off your fang, swirl your tail, and) hiss (your head off).¡¨ (Adapted from Paul Lee Tan, 7,700 Illustrations # 7375)
The next time Sanballat and Tobiah returned, they recruited the Arabs, the Ammonites, and men from Ashdod to fight the Jews when the wall was almost done. The Jews were scared out of their wits. Nehemiah prayed again but he also took action: he posted a guard day and night to meet the threat (v 9). When the threat sounded deadly, the Jews came to Nehemiah more than ten times (4:12), repeated the same words, and brought panic, disorder, and nervousness all around. Nehemiah could not ignore the threat against their lives. He fortified the exposed areas, armed families with swords, spears and bows, posted them to guard the wall, and rallied them with a Winston Churchill-type ¡§fight on the beaches, the landing grounds, in the fields and streets, in the hills; we shall never surrender¡¨ speech: Fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives, and homes (v 14).
Fighting is always the last resort and never the first instinct. It is not an offensive but a defensive move It is about being vigilant and not being militant. It seems extreme to fight, but extreme times call for extreme measures. Sometimes you have to send your enemies a ¡§Don¡¦t Mess with Us¡¨ message, discourage them from getting wrong ideas, and let them do the worrying. As a conflicted man, whose views on war waver, once moaned, ¡§I’m 51 percent for the war and 49 percent against it!" (New York Times 3/18/03, ¡§For Immigrants, Mixed View of War¡¨)
The purpose Nehemiah ordered the Jews to be prepared to fight was not to claim a prize, a scalp, or a turf, but to claim a psychological advantage over the enemies and to secure a physical distance from them. God-fearing people fight to combat evil, overturn wrongs, and to seek justice. The enemies retreated when they discovered that the Jews were not unprepared, or untrained, or unwilling fighters. One last warning about fighting: Even though Nehemiah challenged his people to fight for their brothers, sons, daughters, wives, and homes (4:14), he did not tell them to fight for God (4:20).This is to prevent a descent into the madness of religious wars.
Like safety experts warned that if no one is at home, if a house has no alarm, and if you do not own a dog, it is wise to put up a ¡§Beware of Dog,¡¨ ¡§No Trespassing,¡¨ or ¡§Protected by Alarm Company¡¨ sign.
DISCIPLINE YOURSELF AND DEPEND ON ONE ANOTHER
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. 19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" 21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, "Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day." 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water. (Neh 4:16-23)
The Lakers¡¦ fall from grace after three straight NBA championships was written on the wall when their star player Shaquille O¡¦Neal ballooned from 300 pounds to 355 pounds in three years, with 18-20% body fat. Their come-from-behind heroics against Portland and Sacramento in their championship years made them feel invincible.
Worse, he did not go for a toe surgery in the off-season and delayed his surgery, consequently missing training camp. The Lakers got off to a terrible 11-19 start in its first 30 games and were last at one time in the Pacific Division. Shaq defended, ¡§Since I suffered the injury on company time, why shouldn’t I also be able to get surgery and do recovery on company time?¡¨
When the 2003 playoffs began, the game¡¦s Most Dominant was dominated by Tim Duncan and a San Antonio Spurs team brimming with young, fit, and flee-footed players. The 31-year-old Shaq huffed and puffed throughout the series. His lack of conditioning finally cut short the Lakers¡¦ season. The Lakers thought they could dismiss the regular season and flick a switch and win, but this time they couldn¡¦t. Shaq¡¦s indiscipline and arrogance knew no bounds. The $25 million-a-season player cost the Lakers $2million for every pound he added to his weight. The day after the defeat, he failed to meet with the staff for a scheduled post-match meeting. Players laughed behind his back, calling him ¡§Fat Albert.¡¨ Shaq not only let himself down, he also let his team, the players that depended on him, and the fans, the people who believed in him, down.
Discipline is not the addition of a skill or attitude when circumstances change and things threaten; it is present, available and developed before something happens.
Our inventiveness, intelligence and improvisation can only get us so far without initiative, industriousness, and intensity. Howard Hendricks said, ¡§Discipline people are the people who can do what needs to be done when it need to be done.¡¨ Discipline is not denying oneself of necessities for the sheer act of deprivation; it is freeing oneself of encumbrances for the necessary advantage of preservation.
Amazingly, from verse 16, the Jews disciplined themselves even when the threat was gone, when the enemies were quiet, and when the victory was won. The way they disciplined themselves were fascinating: half the men worked, the other half guarded (v 16); the working half labored with one hand, and armed with the other (v 17); and everyone was on the alert from sunrise till sunset (v 21) and overnight (v 22).
They depended on one another to respond if anyone was under attack. Their discipline was eye-opening. They worked day, night, and after dark (v 22); they never took their clothes, pants, or boots off (v 23); and they carried ¡V five instruments are listed - spears, shields, bows, armor (v 16) and sword (v 18). Their discipline of time, lifestyle, and skill were sorely tested. Of course they could not live that like forever. They just had to discipline themselves until the task was completed.
Depend on one another, two is better than one, and in unity there is strength.
Conclusion
Don¡¦t allow others to put you down, make you lose heart, or think God has let you down. Hold your head high and pray honestly, strongly, and earnestly to God. Protect yourself and make your enemies think twice before they act funny, try anything foolish, or vent on you. Look out for one another - either work or guard or pray. If you are not repairing the wall, you should hold a weapon or sound the trumpet. Isn¡¦t it time for passivity to take a back seat in your life, and assertion to croupy the driver¡¦s seat?
Victor Yap
http://epreaching.blogspot.com/
www.riversidecma.org
www.preachchrist.com (Chinese sermons only)
