Firsts are always fun to celebrate,….well….most of them
anyway. A first Date, first kiss, first child, first car, first job—whether you
remember these with joy in your heart or a knot in your stomach, firsts cannot
be soon forgotten. My position at this church has come with its own list of
firsts—first baptism, first wedding, first funeral, first building project, first
event, first victory/defeat—that have taken me to the school of hard knox and
taught me some important lessons of what to do and what not to do in any number
of situations. More recently, my first major construction project, has come
with its own exciting list of firsts—first meeting with contractor, first blueprint,
first sign of moving dirt, and the list goes on! Though you may not be able to
learn all that I have learned from these “firsts” in my life, all of us can
learn from the firsts that Nehemiah experiences in 2:11-20. As Nehemiah and his
people go about the business God gave to them, we are able to learn so much
about how we ought to go about the business God has handed to us. 
1. The Initial Inspection-2:11-16
As the story continues, Nehemiah recalls, “So I came to
Jerusalem and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and a few men
with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for
Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was
riding…” (2:11-12). Though Nehemiah had been granted permission to rebuild the
wall and had already saturated this endeavor in prayer, Nehemiah was cautious
from the beginning so as not to create unnecessary complications. Had Nehemiah
immediately set out to work and make God’s plan public without an initial
inspection, he would have no doubt opened up the floor to all kinds of
discussions and debates for which he would have been unprepared. In any new
endeavor, it is important to think things through and gather an accurate assessment
of the variables so that problems can be avoided and answers can be acquired to
the many questions people will inevitably have about what is taking place. This
is why Nehemiah waits “three days” before making his initial inspection and
confides in only a “few men” once he decides to begin his survey. In an effort
to remain inconspicuous, Nehemiah even limits himself to only one animal as he
moves about the city of Jerusalem.
In order to avoid letting others know his plans before they
were firmly fixed in his mind, Nehemiah “went out at night by the Valley Gate, in
the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate inspecting the
walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by
fire…” (2:13). The cover of night no doubt cast an ominous shadow on the
trouble Jerusalem faced because of what Nehemiah beheld in the twilight. These
troubling observations are made even more frightening when Nehemiah passes
several sinister landmarks along the way. The “Dragons’ Well” was a mythical
place where many at the time believed water monsters dwelled and the “Refuse
Gate” led to the trash heap in the Hinnom Valley where infant sacrifices were
conducted in the days of Manasseh. These were not the landmarks you would write
home about or take pictures of. However, Nehemiah mentions these in order to accentuate
the dismal and troubling scene around him. The initial report Nehemiah had heard
in Chapter 1 was confirmed—the wall was destroyed and the gates were burned.
As Nehemiah continues his unfortunate survey he says, “Then
I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the king’s Pool, but there was no place
for my mount to pass…”So bad was the rubble in this one area that there was no
room for his donkey to get through! This statement from thousands of year ago
was confirmed in a modern day excavation of this region in 1961. There on the
original hill of Jerusalem just south of the temple area, scientists uncovered
the remains of the terraces built and maintained originally by David and
Solomon. On what these excavators found it was reported, “the tumble of stones
uncovered by our Trench…is a vivid sample of the ruinous state of the eastern
side of Jerusalem that balked Nehemiah’s donkey…” (Kenyon, 107-8). What Nehemiah
saw was not only disturbing, but the destruction was acute.
The survey Nehemiah made would normally not be something to
get excited about. Things were really bad. However, though many may have been
tempted to stop short and call it quits, Nehemiah presses on, “So I went up at
night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate
again and returned…” (2:15). Although decay and destruction faced him at every
turn, Nehemiah makes a complete circuit around the city and gathers all of the
data necessary to put a plan in place.
Nehemiah reminds the reader at this point that “the
officials did not know where [he] had gone or what [he] had done” (2:16). This
is because he had not yet told the “Jews, the priests, the nobles, the
officials or the rest who did the work” (2:16). In protecting the mission and
keeping nay-sayers and complicators at bay, Nehemiah holds his initial inspection
close to the chest and makes as objective an assessment as possible. In fact,
Nehemiah was uniquely qualified to make a promising assessment of the situation
following this initial inspection because of his relative disconnect from Jerusalem
over the last couple of decades. Had Nehemiah returned with the others years
ago or had he revealed God’s plan too early to the wrong people, he may have
been brought down by the learned helplessness of his countrymen and tempted to
abandon what God had in mind.
The initial inspection reveals that things are not just bad,
they are abysmal! It would be a huge undertaking to fix what Nehemiah beheld as
he made his difficult journey around Jerusalem. However, though this account
serves to highlight how desperate the situation was for the Jewish people it
also indirectly demonstrates how the mighty hand of God would have to intervene
to accomplish the impossible.
2. The Initial
Report-2:17-18
With the inspection complete, Nehemiah offers his initial
report that is equal parts honest, purposeful, inspiring, and effective. He
begins by stating the arrestingly obvious, “Then I said to them, ‘You see the
bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by
fire’…” (2:17a). Though it might seem unnecessary for Nehemiah to make this statement,
it is quite possible that the rubble had been around so long that the citizens
of Jerusalem became accustomed to the site and forgot their dire straits. In
many cases, those who have been subjected to problems/limitations the longest
are those who are blinded to how bad things really are. This new comer-stands
out in front and says to them, “Guys, things are bad!” Not the easiest thing to
hear—but absolutely necessary if something is to be done about it.
This is exactly what Nehemiah calls for in his next
statement, “let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a
reproach” (2:17b). Ultimately, Nehemiah says “Let us do something about it! Are
you not tired of being a disgrace to those around us?” Though many had lived
among the rubble for years, Nehemiah is the first one to actually dare to fix
it! What Nehemiah calls for, rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem would take a huge
effort. However, what they had to gain would be worth it—they would “no longer
be a reproach” but instead could once again be used to bless the nations.
Though being brought face-to-face with how bad things were would
have been motivation enough for some, others who had a worse case of learned
helplessness or skepticism would have needed more convincing. This is why Nehemiah
gives the people good reasons to join him by saying, “I told them how the hand
of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had
spoken to me” (2:18a). According to Nehemiah, the people of Jerusalem should
follow him for two reasons: 1. God had proven to be with Nehemiah in the way he
orchestrated things back at the Persian Capitol, and 2. They had the blessing
of the sitting king Artaxerxes. This was not just a pie-in-the-sky idea that a
single individual cooked up. This was God’s will confirmed by the King of Kings
and made possible in part by the king of Persia.
Nehemiah’s report had its desired effect. The people respond
with “’Let us arise and build’…” and “they put their hands to the good work…” (2:18b).
Awakened from their inactivity and despair, the people join Nehemiah on mission
and begin the long overdue project that God was bringing about.
This pattern of honesty, mission, confirmation, and action witnessed
in Nehemiah continues to this day. When the people of God are honest about what
surrounds them (death, decay, and destruction), are confronted with the mission
of God (to make disciples), and see the confirmation of God (in the many
blessings and victories He provides), they respond with action and join the
effort to see lives changed as they are about the business of building His
kingdom.
A reinvigorated population in Jerusalem is galvanized to
action once again. Before they were inactive and dysfunctional. Now they were
united and eager to join the mission. But this is not the last of the firsts in
this passage.
3. The Initial
Confrontation-2:19-20
Immediately following this amazing report, Nehemiah reveals
that the initial confrontation quickly follows, “But when Sanballat the
Honorite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they
mocked us and despised us and said, ‘What is this thing you are doing? Are you
rebelling against the king?’…” (2:19). The busy-body-up-to-no-good home-owners
association of rural Persia (which has grown from two representatives to three)
is not down with the new project all of its Jewish neighbors are excited about.
Sanballat (sin gives life) and Tobiah are joined by Geshem (bulky) the Arab and
collectively call out insults to those living down the street. This initial plan
of attack, although relatively superficial, had the potential of being quite
affective in lieu of the fragile historical realities surrounding the Jewish people.
It would not have been too far a slip for these relatively manic people to go
from determination back to despair again when confronted by discouragement.
However, things were different now. God had sent Nehemiah who did not have a
history of being intimated by this unsightly bunch.
Unfamiliar with how things normally went down in this
neighborhood and unacquainted with the usual power structure, Nehemiah actually
responds to the homeowners association saying, “The God of heaven will give us
success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion,
right or memorial in Jerusalem” (2:20). In other words, Nehemiah says, “This is
going to happen and you have no say in the matter.” What gave Nehemiah confidence in the face of
this intimidating bunch? Answer, God. Once again Nehemiah brought the task—both
in the eyes of Judah and now in the eyes of his enemies—into clear focus. Their
dependence in completing this project was not on their abilities, human
resources, personal genius, or local approval. Their hope and assurance was in
the God of heaven!
So What?
This is a passage of firsts. The first inspection is
conducted, revealing a God-sized problem. The first report is given,
demonstrating a pattern of honesty, mission, confirmation, and action. And the
first confrontation is presented in which discouragement is met with hope from
God. This series of firsts is not unlike what we experience today as disciples
of Jesus Christ. When we inspect our world around us, we observe God-sized
problems—growing numbers of the lost, societal decay, persecution, and (closer
to our church home) a neighborhood unconvinced that it has any real need for
God. It is important for us, as it was for Nehemiah and the people of Judah to
be honest about this and come face-to-face with our God-given mission to reach
into these situations to make disciples and build the kingdom of God! God has
confirmed that He is with us by bringing us all here to such a place as this
and giving us the resources He has gracious provided (money, a place, opportunities,
blessings, growth, etc.). Therefore, we must take action to do something about
it and face the opposition we will inevitably confront with the hope and
assurance that comes only from God!
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