The Conception of Leadership

Nehemiah 1

One of the favorite Old Testament books to preach from is Nehemiah. I think this is probably because it is easy to pull encouraging and inspirational messages from. I'm certainly not saying this critically, Nehemiah is an outstanding book with a lot of great content. I enjoy reading and preaching from Nehemiah. I am glad that we have finally made it here.

In chapter 1, Nehemiah is at work. He is the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia. This was a prestigious position for a servant. In our modern way of thinking, Nehemiah would have had to possess a top secret security clearance simply for the information he overheard. Of course Nehemiah would have never thought of sharing national secrets, he would have been executed over the slightest suspicion. Think about the stress of all of this, and then add to it that his primary job was to taste food and drink before the king, just in case someone was trying to assassinate the king by poison. That is the pressure that comes from high level appointments, even high level servants.

While at work, Nehemiah had visitors. Hanani and other Jewish men had returned to Shushan (or Susa) and visited with Nehemiah. He asked a report of what Jerusalem looked like, but did not like the answer he received. The men told him that the walls were torn down and the gates were burned. The city was a wreck. While not recorded in the text, the probably also told of how they had been forbidden from rebuilding the walls when the false report about Ezra went to the king.

Just to recap, Ezra was sent back to rebuild the Temple. When they started working, some of the gentile locals tried to stop them. They even went as far as accusing them of trying to rebuild the walls so that they could stage a rebellion. Ezra had to convince the king to check the records to see that a previous king had indeed commissioned the rebuilding of the Temple. Then they were allowed to rebuild the Temple, but not the walls.

Upon hearing that the city was in such disarray, Nehemiah's heart breaks. Though he has never been to Jerusalem, it is home. This is the land of his heritage. Jerusalem is where his heart is. It is extremely difficult for Americans to understand the draw that many Jews had/have for their Israel and Jerusalem.

Because of his broken heart, Nehemiah goes into a period of mourning and prayer. He fasts and prays that God would hear his prayer and keep his word. Yes, Nehemiah prayed scripture. While we tend to cling to II Chronicles 7:14, Nehemiah went back even farther. II Chronicles 7:14 is rooted in the promises of words of Moses. Moses told how if the Jews turned away from God that they would go into captivity.

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And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 64  And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. 65  And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind.

Deuteronomy 28:63-65

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Not only did Nehemiah recognize the judgment of God for sin, but he also knew the promises of God regarding repentance. The whole Tabernacle/Temple form of worship was a picture of forgiveness of sins. Nehemiah knew that if he confessed his, and the nations sins, that God would hear and forgive. This wasn't a flippant prayer, but an earnest heartfelt prayer.

Finally, Nehemiah prays for the king to have mercy. Nehemiah wants God to use the king to allow the rebuilding of the city. Nehemiah is asking God to change the king's heart. He understood that God can do all things, but he often uses men to accomplish those things.

Nehemiah probably had no clue how his prayer was going to be answered. He knew he wanted the king's heart changed. He also knew that he wanted to go to Jerusalem. He wanted to be a part of the rebuilding. However, he may have had no aspirations of being a national leader. What he did know was that he had a burden on his heart for his home. This burden was not a fleeting whim, but a persistent nagging. It would not leave him alone. All he could do was pray and seek God's guidance. A burden and prayer are the womb in which Godly leaders are conceived. The burden and prayer did not make Nehemiah a leader, but it began preparing him for what God had in store.

God places burdens on our hearts today as well. When he does, we should respond like Nehemiah. We should pray and seek God's guidance. This is difficult for many like me. I tend to react and try to fix things, until I realize that the situation is beyond my control. Instead, I should follow Nehemiah's example and pray first.

God, help me to be a man of prayer when you place a burden on my heart. Help me to seek you first, rather than try to do it on my own. I pray that when you place a burden on my heart that it would nag me like Nehemiah's burden, and not be a fleeting whim. Make me the leader you desire me to be.