Nehemiah 2
After his time praying for the exiles who had returned back to Jerusalem with its walls in ruin, Nehemiah approaches the king determined to do something. But after getting permission from the king to rebuild the wall arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah makes a statement that complicates the narrative. Take a look at verses 19-20:
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it. [Italics added for emphasis]
The story of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall is not a moral tale intended for the modern reader to inspire them to do big and bold things for God. It is much more complex than that. It is yet another story in the narrative of scripture that uses broken people to show our need for a Messiah who will ultimately renew us and all of creation. Let’s dive into the complex nature of Nehemiah's mission to rebuild the walls.
Just 80 years before the events of Nehemiah, the prophet Zechariah pleaded with Israel on behalf of God to repent and return to the ways the Lord had instructed them to live. God used prophetic dreams to speak to Zechariah, and in Zechariah 2, an angel says this:
“Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’”
And
“Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people.”
So if the Lord had already revealed through Zechariah that his intention for Jerusalem is to be a city without walls for many nations, what was Nehemiah doing building walls and telling people they had no share in Jerusalem? Did God really tell him to do it or was Nehemiah misled by his emotions and bias? Is God’s purpose changing for this moment? If so, why? Sometimes, rather than giving us simple answers, the bible leads us to ask and meditate on more questions.
The narrative of scripture is filled with people who are both boldly faithful, yet also fall to their own pride and sin. Abraham and Sarah were faithful servants, but after forcing their slave to be impregnated by Abraham, they abandoned her in the desert. Jacob sought the Lord, but he also tricked his elderly father and stole his brother's blessing. Here, we see Nehemiah saying bold prayers for God’s people in Jerusalem, and courageously taking action on their behalf. But, isn’t it a bit ironic that the exiled Jews are now making exiles of the other nations?
As you read this chapter and the rest of the book, consider how Nehemiah courageously organizes the rebuilding of the wall. What does his example teach us about taking action on behalf of the hurting downtrodden around us?
We must also consider how he points to a better leader and messiah. One who does not construct a kingdom fortified by walls that is exclusive to one ethnicity, but instead, inaugurates a kingdom that is open to all people and surrounded by God’s glorious presence.
