Nehemiah had received news from his brother Hanani that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down. The Babylonians had been to Jerusalem many years before and had destroyed it, taking many of its people into exile. Subsequently, the Medes and the Persians ruled and now Nehemiah, one of the Jews in exile, served Artexerxes as his cupbearer.
Nehemiah was heartbroken at the news that the city of Jerusalem was in ruins. He immediately threw himself into prayer, fasting, and most importantly, repentance. At the same time, as he prayed, he asked God to remember back to his covenant with his people, that if the people of God would follow the Lord’s commands, then God would rescue them, gathering them from the scattering that God had done to them from amongst the nations.
So Nehemiah receives permission from the king to go. He receives permission to rebuild the walls. And he even receives letters that he can give to the nobles and rulers of the area showing that his permission to do what he is doing comes directly from the king.
As Nehemiah goes, he surveyed the walls and saw the true state of the ruin of the walls and the gates of Jerusalem. It was completely destroyed and it was a mess! He hadn’t said anything to anyone about his mission. He had initially just been there to see the situation and to survey the work that needed to be done.
But then came the call. Nehemiah wasn’t a construction worker. He was a cupbearer. But he knew that the men of Jerusalem could rebuild the walls, and so he called them into the work. He called them to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
So what can we learn from this? Maybe a few things:
First, let’s ask this question: Did the people of Jerusalem not see the state of destruction of their city? Of course they did, but they had two significant problems:
First, they had a problem of permission. They didn’t have permission to rebuild the walls. To do so could be considered an act of sedition, an act of rebellion against the prevailing kingdom over that area, the Persians, and that is definitely not a situation that they wanted to put themselves in. They didn’t want to be considered rebellious. They knew from experience what would happen if they rebelled against the king of Persia.
Second, while they could see the state of the walls, it was actually just their normal. They hadn’t acted because, well, that’s just how it was. Their walls were broken down. That’s how it is. Jerusalem is defeated. They were used to that idea, and so they didn’t need to spend a lot of time thinking about how it should be different. It didn’t need to be different because that is how it was.
But before the king, living in Susa, Nehemiah wasn’t used to those ideas. He happened to be relationally, or at the least, professionally related to the king. And the king had given him permission to rebuild the walls. He didn’t have a problem of permission.
And second, he wasn’t used to the idea of broken walls and gates. He lived at the citadel. The gates were strong and the walls were high, as they should be. He was able to see things as they should be, and he knew that Jerusalem was not as it should be.
At the same time, Nehemiah couldn’t do this work on his own. He needed others. Many others to be able to complete the work.
Yet at the same time, they also needed him. To begin to move, they needed permission. To begin to move, they needed a new vision. So Nehemiah, coming with a different vision from the outside, partnered together with those living in Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace. ” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
Nehemiah 2:17-18
Together is how it is done. One or more from the outside. Many from the inside. That is frequently how God accomplishes his plan, and that is how we see the story of Nehemiah begin.