Bible Character Spotlight: Nehemiah

                           

Despite having a whole book in the Bible dedicated to him, Nehemiah isn’t one of the more well known figures in the Bible. His accomplishments may not have had the same theatrical flare as others like Noah or Moses, but he served God faithfully nonetheless. That alone makes him worth discussing.

Similar to Joseph, Nehemiah found himself serving a powerful empire. Specifically, he served the Persian Empire under the king, Artaxerxes. Being Artaxerxes’ cupbearer, Nehemiah could have just lived a good life, but he felt a sense of duty towards God’s people.

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. - Nehemiah 1:3-4

Nehemiah didn’t just use his position with Artaxerxes for his own benefit. Nehemiah chose to use his influence to help others in need. Again, in this regard, Nehemiah (and Ezra before him) is similar to Joseph in that he was able to serve a leader that wasn’t a man of God and use that position to help God’s people. Through Nehemiah’s service, Artaxerxes continued what had become a tradition of Persian kings not only believing in God’s power but also showing some favor to God’s servants. Nehemiah made the request to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls, and the king granted the request.

Nehemiah was true to his purpose. He traveled to Jerusalem and supported efforts to rebuild the wall that had been broken down. The people were diligent and worked hard to restore what was lost, but as is so often the case in life, their progress did not come without opposition.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. - Nehemiah 4:7-8

Israel’s enemies did not want to see it rise again, but Nehemiah made it clear that his faith was in God. Prayer was his response to the aggression of Israel’s enemies, and God responded quickly, foiling the plots of those enemies. Time and time again, no matter what the issue, whether it was enemy plots or worker shortages, God was with the people and Nehemiah was diligent in his efforts.

He helped manage the construction, tended to the poor, oversaw the Israelites’ confession of sins, and was eventually made the governor of the city. Israel’s leaders returned to Jerusalem, and Nehemiah set up a system allowing others to migrate to and live in the city as well. Nehemiah was so faithful, that despite investing so much of himself into Jerusalem, he did not forget his duty to the king. Once, he believed he had fulfilled his mission in Jerusalem, Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes’ service.

While he was gone, a priest named Eliashib acted against God’s instructions.

… and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. - Nehemiah 13:7

When Nehemiah returned to the city, he found that, in general, the people were not behaving in the way they should. Once again, Nehemiah had to take on the task of cleaning things up.

Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits.

Remember me with favor, my God. - Nehemiah 13:29-31

Nehemiah’s story is not one of glory. It is one of dedication and service. Nehemiah set a goal and worked toward it. Despite being a man of prominent position, he decided to serve. He worked hard, but more importantly, he kept God at the head of all his efforts. His story didn’t end with him being blessed with great riches or with him acquiring even greater power. Still, his story was important enough that it was included in the Bible. That means God believes it holds lessons that believers should learn, and maybe also that Nehemiah himself was an example that all of us should seek to follow in some way.

Chris Lawyer

Image Courtesy of wikipedia.org