Nehemiah 3 Commentary
The primary purpose of the scriptures is to reveal the LORD Jesus Christ to mortal man. But the saint can find a lot of other guidelines for daily living. Chapter 3 is yet another chapter full of leadership and management lessons. It is a real beauty!
The chapter can be summarized as a boring and unending list of workers on the wall project. Of course, to the careless reader. But there is importance in this list. It is an acknowledgment of the many partners that the LORD called together to work on this project. Nehemiah didn’t work alone. Ministers of the gospel may take all the glory – to their own destruction in pride, but the reality is that there is an army of saints behind the work.
The list is long. That is a huge credit on mobilization. Nehemiah and the leaders did a good job.
The list reveals other important details about the workers and the work they did; where they came from and the worksite. All these details are revealing something about the project.
The project attracted people from all walks of life and from every location. It was a national project involving everyone. Individuals, groups of individuals, families, businessmen, professionals, leaders, institutions, and regions. Planning was deliberate and quite detailed.
Some workers worked on sections that lay next to their homes. Why not? Make it easier for the workers. Let the gifting match the work. Let technical people maintain the church building and let the teachers help with Sunday school. Don’t swap the roles. It is an easy pick from chapter 3.
The volume of work was not the same for everyone. The scope of work was different for each section. Let each church department have the color of the workers. It is a scandal when the signature of the leading pastor is everywhere in the church.
With all these willing workers and available workers, one is tempted to ask: why was the wall in a bad shape in the very first place? Lack of leadership. Yes. Nehemiah teaches us the value of leadership.
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