Too Good for the Work

Nehemiah 3

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Nehemiah chapter 3 is one of those chapters in the Bible that is hard to read. It is not a genealogy, but rather a list of duty assignments. When I worked at Chick-fil-A, our managers would put up a list of who was on that shift, what time they came in, and their assignment for the shift. For example, by my name it might say "4:00 pm, drive-through". This let everyone know what they were responsible for. However, when the task you are working on is as big as building the walls of Jerusalem, there are a lot of worksites and family names to read about. Since we as 21st century westerners don't find a lot of significance in these family names, they tend to be boring to read about. Whats more, Nehemiah is filled with this kind of detail. That does not mean that these sections are useless. We simply have to read between the names.

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 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

Nehemiah 3:5

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Could you imagine reading this about yourself in the official record? What if you found out that God was going to have this recorded in His holy book for all eternity? Do you think this might have motivated the nobles to work with the "lower class" family members? I'm sure they were not pleased with Nehemiah about writing this. However, if they were concerned with what might be said, they should have worked.

The problems with the "nobles" is that building a wall, doing back breaking work, was beneath them. They were too good for this kind of work. I don't understand that mentality (I guess because I am not nobility). I didn't grow up dirt poor, but I certainly did not grow up rich. We were raised to work. I have been the lowest man on the totem pole, and I have moved slightly above the bottom. I have never officially been in a position of management. While there are certainly jobs I do not like doing (plumbing), it is not because I am too good for it.

What makes this stand out to me is that the building of the wall was not simply a job. There were multiple reasons for building the wall; chiefly national pride and security. Nehemiah left Persia and came to Jerusalem because he loved Jerusalem, a city that he had never been to. It was the home of his people. When he heard that it was broken and burned, he was heart broken. He was patriotic.

Also, because of the commission to rebuild the walls, the enemies had come out of the woodwork. They were harassing the Jews. What more evidence did these nobles need to help build? I'm sure this did not win them any friends.

When I worked at the prison, there were certain bad things that would happen, and I knew I was not going to be working an 8 hour day. The faithful workers would be busting their butts to try to finish the mountain of work that had to be done, and the others would be walking out the front gate. They did not care about their duties, or their co-workers. We could have been in the middle of a riot and some of them would have walked out. Needless to say, this created resentment.

Greater than people's memories of what we do (or don't do), God keeps a record. Just like he led Nehemiah to record this verse about the Tekoite nobles, he keeps a record of our diligence as well. What are we doing to help build our section of the wall? Are we building with our family? Are we protecting from the enemy? Are we keeping watch when it is our time? Or, are these jobs beneath us?

God has called each of us to service. Our first responsibility is to work with our family. This may mean keeping home and our children. It may mean working to provide for our family. It certainly means teaching our children about Jesus. Whether you work in the home or outside the home, neither should be beneath us. We should not refuse to put our necks to the work of teaching about Jesus. Just as the physical walls protected the people from the enemy, fortifying our family with the Word of God protects them from the enemy. Just as rebuilding the walls brought honor and beauty back to Jerusalem, the spiritual walls we build around our family through prayer and teaching bring beauty and honor to our families, because we are bringing glory and honor to God.

Father, help me to be diligent about the work you have called me to. I pray that I would never think of myself as too good to put my neck to the work. Help me to be an example to others of diligence and dedication to you.