Nehemiah. Who was he? A lot of people don’t really know. “Some guy in the Bible, who did something,” they might say. However, Nehemiah’s story is quite interesting and surprisingly relevant to us today.
Nehemiah, who was a captured Jew, was serving as cupbearer to a Persian king, when he found out that the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins. This news distressed him greatly, and Nehemiah asked the king if he may be allowed to travel to Jerusalem, so that he might rebuild its walls. The king granted his request. To make a long story short, with a little opposition, Nehemiah and the Jews succeeded in in their reconstruction mission.
What can be learnt from Nehemiah’s story? First, when Nehemiah learned of a problem, he did something
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Countless people began to weep, as they realized that they had failed miserably in keeping the Lord’s commands. However, Nehemiah (and other Jewish leaders) reprimanded the people, saying that they had just completed the wall, and they should celebrate. This section of Nehemiah’s story illustrates the fact that although conviction about our shortcomings is important, we cannot live in guilt. The time comes when we must choose to forgive ourselves, rejoice, and move into the new life that God is offering us.
Lastly, Nehemiah’s story teaches us the valuable lesson of unity among God’s children. Every family participated in building the wall, not only the stonemasons. Surprisingly, each family worked side by side, no matter what their profession. Today, we must not discriminate between children of God. The Lord desires for all of His people to work together in harmony to complete his work.
The life of Nehemiah is filled with wonderful stories, whose principals remain relevant to us today. God not only placed Nehemiah’s story in the Bible to give us a history of Jerusalem’s walls, but also to teach us how we should