Week 8, Nehemiah 6:15–7:73 - Hook

Main Point: Recognize and foster strengths in others. Current Event: Often people assume a leadership role and make the mistake of not investing and trusting in a team. Some leaders will make attempts to succeed on their own, controlling every detail or decision. Others choose to micromanage a project in order to make sure they feel comfortable and achieve the desired result. In chapter 7 of his book, Developing the Leader within You, former Pastor and renowned leadership expert John Maxwell focuses on the necessity of the leader to develop other leaders around him. In chapter 7 Maxwell’s thesis is “The more people you develop, the greater the extent of your dreams.” 1 Discussion Questions: Do you agree with Maxwell’s thesis? Why or why not? What are factors that stop us from developing others in places like the workplace or even church? Personal Story: Think of a time in your life when you had someone in authority over you (e.g., a boss, a coach/ teacher, a parent, a mentor) who encouraged and enabled you to excel at something beyond what you thought you could do.

1

Maxwell, John, Developing the Leader Within You, (Dallas: Thomas Nelson, 1993), 115.

Contrast that time with a time when someone in authority over you seemed to focus on the negative or was a control freak or micromanager. Discuss with the class how these two events shaped your life.

Nehemiah 6:15–7:4 - Book Main Point: Recognize and foster strengths in others. Text Summary: Nehemiah 6:15–7:73 The wall is finished. Nehemiah’s enemies try to scare him into ceasing, but he is undeterred and the wall is finished. Nehemiah lists the returned exiles from the time of Zerubbabel. 2 Nehemiah 6:15–16 (Read) Sub Point: Take courage from witnessing God’s hand at work and be quick to give Him glory. Now that the wall is complete, everyone knows what God did in Jerusalem. There’s no hiding it, the wall’s completion is a testimony to Him. Jerusalem’s enemies doubted their ability throughout the reconstruction. The enemy laughed in the faces of those whom they believed were wasting their time attempting to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. It was a joke. Jerusalem’s enemies were prideful, but verse 16 gives a nice conclusion to their arrogance and disbelief. This verse tells us that upon receiving word of the wall’s completion, Jerusalem’s enemies became fearful and “fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” The pride of the enemy disappeared. In the end, they were the ones who were exposed and discredited. God did what He said He would do and He finished what He started. Here in the story of Nehemiah and the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, we see that when God is up to something and God is moving, all glory and fame will be His and His alone. In the end, more will be impressed with God’s power and who He is than they will be with our ability and who we are. There’s a reason verse 16 doesn’t read, “…they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of Nehemiah.” Nehemiah knew that this was God’s victory and that this was His task and His mission. Nehemiah knew that he and the people of Jerusalem were merely participants in God’s vision and mission; they were servants of the Lord, put there to carry out the tasks God had assigned. The wall was completed in 52 days. During this time, Nehemiah was the people’s leader. If he hadn’t been careful, it would have been easy to slide into pride and the expectation of glory and credit for gathering and equipping the people to complete the wall’s reconstruction.

2

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 835.

Two months prior to these events, Nehemiah stepped on the scene and began organizing, planning, preparing, and doing whatever was needed to get the walls rebuilt. Now, just 52 days after Nehemiah’s arrival, surrounding the city of Jerusalem is a brand-new wall. The project is complete. And all who look at it and hear word of its completion take note of one thing: the hand and help of God. What comforts you about Jerusalem’s enemies noticing and admitting the presence of God at work? In the previous chapters, how has Nehemiah described his participation in the building project? How does one recognize his or her position of leadership without taking glory? Discuss events in your life, your family, your business or your church that were so tremendous they caused others to immediately recognize the hand of God.

Another Perspective: ESV Study Bible Elul was the sixth month (August–September), so it has been less than six months since Nehemiah spoke to the king. No doubt the speed of the building work itself contributed to the fear now felt by the enemies. Those enemies among the nations around us surely include Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, and their peoples (see 4:7). They perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. If God had helped the people of Judah so remarkably in this way, the nations feared that this same God would turn Judah into a powerful nation that would be a threat to them.3 Discussion: Discuss the fact that the work of the Lord caused Jerusalem’s enemies to fear His power. Are there movements or events that are taking place globally in the name of the Lord that would cause the Enemy to fear? How can your class support or become a part of that movement?

Nehemiah 6:17–7:4 (Read) Sub Point: In the appointed season, be willing to relinquish leadership to others. Nehemiah knew why he was called to Jerusalem. God was calling him there to help and serve the people of Jerusalem by way of helping them rebuild the walls and gates of the city. Nehemiah knew that God was leading him there for a time and a season. Not only does Nehemiah avoid being filled with pride regarding the wall’s completion, he steps out of his role of leadership and hands the reigns over to his brother, Hanani. Verse 2 in chapter 3

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 834.

7 tells us that Nehemiah gives Hanani charge over the city and that Hanani was a man who feared the Lord. Why does Nehemiah do this? He does this because he knows the time for which he was called to lead the people has passed. The rebuilding of the wall was his time. That was the Lord’s calling for him. Because of this, this man of God is able to affirm the abilities and giftings that he sees in someone else, in this case, his brother Hanani. What kind of process have you used when passing on responsibility to a successor? What is necessary before, during and after the transfer of leadership? What choices had Nehemiah made up to this point that made the decision to relinquish power easier? How do you know when it’s time to move on from something to which you once felt called? Nehemiah 7:5–73 (Summarize) Sub Point: Seek the Lord to hear His voice. Nehemiah maintains a close relationship with God, as evidenced by his frequent prayers and his clear convictions about God’s guidance. He now decides to take a census of the people, and is helped by the discovery of the book of the genealogy of the first returnees. 4 The list in this section is virtually identical to the one in Ezra 2. Therefore, its purpose is not to give new information but to highlight Nehemiah’s next concern after completing the walls, namely, to repopulate Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 7:4). He may have had prophecies such as Isaiah 62 in mind. 5 How was Nehemiah positioned to hear from the Lord, as described in verse 5? What council would you give to a fellow believer who feels that God hasn’t spoken to him or her recently?

4 5

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 835. Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 835.

Nehemiah 6:15–7:73 - Took

Main Point: Recognize and foster strengths in others. In Today’s Culture: In his book, Leader Who Last, Dave Kraft writes: “The reason there is a dearth of leaders today is that too little of the average leader’s time is focused on leadership development. Only when current leaders become leader-makers will our organizations, churches, and groups begin to develop the numbers and kinds of leaders needed to make significant impact for Jesus. The single greatest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development.” 6

Class Exercise: Ask your class for examples of things we can focus on to develop and raise up new leaders. What is the biggest barrier to developing new leaders? What qualities do you look for in a potential leader? How do you select new leaders to develop? Challenge: Dave Kraft gives several suggestions to enable you to begin to develop new leaders: 1) Make it a priority and have it reflected in your goals, schedule and time with people. 2) Pray for God-hungry potential leaders. 3) Select a few to start with. Look for teachable, available, growing disciples who might already be leading. 4) Assemble subject material to cover under the following three major categories: character, caring and competence. 5) Adapt your plan to each individual. 6) Give added responsibilities incrementally. 7) Continue to encourage and express belief in them. 7 Nehemiah was a man who recognized God’s calling on his life and recognized God’s control in his circumstances. This enabled Nehemiah to raise up a leader in his place to preside over the work. May we be people who desire not only for God’s glory to shine in our lives, but also who seek to encourage and affirm talents and abilities in those whom God places in our lives, on our 6 7

Dave Kraft, Leaders Who Last, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2010), 139. Ibid., 141-142.

teams, and in our care.