November 21, 2023

Joy in Working for the Lord

Nehemiah 2–3

Ashley Vickers
Tuesday's Devo

November 21, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

November 21, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

November 21, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

November 21, 2023

Big Idea

Start with prayer.

Key Verse | Nehemiah 2:5

And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it."

Nehemiah 2–3

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem's Walls

9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim 1 2:20 Or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Rebuilding the Wall

1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them 2 3:2 Hebrew him Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord. 3 3:5 Or lords

6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Gate of Yeshanah. 4 3:6 Or of the old city They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 7 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River. 8 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of 5 3:9 Or foreman of half the portion assigned to; also verses 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 Jerusalem, repaired. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits 6 3:13 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.

14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

15 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king's garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men. 17 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. 18 After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress. 7 3:19 Or corner; also verses 20, 24, 25 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired 8 3:20 Some manuscripts vigorously repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22 After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired. 23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and to the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. 27 After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, 9 3:31 Or Hammiphkad Gate and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.

Footnotes

[1] 2:20 Or memorial
[2] 3:2 Hebrew him
[3] 3:5 Or lords
[4] 3:6 Or of the old city
[5] 3:9 Or foreman of half the portion assigned to; also verses 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
[6] 3:13 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
[7] 3:19 Or corner; also verses 20, 24, 25
[8] 3:20 Some manuscripts vigorously repaired
[9] 3:31 Or Hammiphkad Gate

S2:227 Nehemiah 2-3

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Dive Deeper | Nehemiah 2–3

As we read about the life of Nehemiah, we see that he serves as an inspiring example of praying always, seeking the Lord, trusting Him in the midst of opposition, and working not for man but for the glory of God (Colossians 3:23).

We learn in Nehemiah 1 that Nehemiah had heard that the walls of Jerusalem were broken, and the people were in great trouble and shame. Although hurt over the news of this, Nehemiah's greater concern was for God's people and for the glory of God's name. This concern moved him to action!

His first action? Prayer. For FOUR MONTHS!  How often do we (me included) use prayer as a last resort? Nehemiah knew that God was the only One who could restore what was broken in Jerusalem. So, he prayed. As 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: "[P]ray without ceasing." 

His next step was to boldly go before the king and humbly make this request in Nehemiah 2:5, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it." I believe that Nehemiah's prayer prepared him to approach the king with such a request and then to see the king grant the request! The Lord works sovereignly in everything!

What I love about Nehemiah is that he acknowledges his success to the Lord. I am reminded that we work for God's glory and not in any way to exalt ourselves (which is hard in a world that is constantly telling us otherwise). Prayer should always go before planning. It is through our prayer that we should present our plans to God.

As we move through the story, and at the center of God's will, Nehemiah faces opposition. But he remains steadfast!  God calls us to be faithful right where we are—in the really big or the really small.

Finally, chapter 3 is a beautiful display of how God uses everyone. To accomplish God's will, His people must be deployed and surrendered in order to fulfill the work He has given them.

This month's memory verse

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Discussion Questions

1. Our lives are full of waiting and opposition.  List some ways you've experienced this in your own journey with the Lord.

2. Do you tend to work to be "seen," to gain all the credit, to puff yourself up? Or do you work (whether in work, school, chores) to honor the Lord?

3. Do you use prayer as a last resort, or is it your first line of defense? God knows us, but still delights in us talking to Him!

Respond to Today's Passage

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HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Ashley! LOVE this from your devo plus your Colossians verse. Its among my favorites. [Nehemiah] “serves as an inspiring example of praying always, seeking the Lord, trusting Him in the midst of opposition, and working not for man but for the glory of God (Colossians 3:23).” Also this truth, “Nehemiah knew that God was the only One who could restore what was broken in Jerusalem.” (Or what was broken in me, (2 Corinthians 5:17).) Q1. Waiting and opposition- On waiting, I am “forced” to wait when I finally realize that “trying harder” is exactly the wrong solution. Nehemiah is a GREAT example of “pray, trust, wait”. I am moving in that direction as I internalize what God tells me about the sovereignty of Him versus the sovereignty of Hugh, (John 3:30). Primary example is “waiting” while the LORD does His work on my unsaved children. Over a decade now. We see signs but nothing definitive. I am counseled to wait & let the LORD work. In this, to accept my role as parent to model a father as “God’s man”, pray to see them as he does so that I can better love them in ways that are more like His. It’s another exercise in “pray, trust, wait”. Q2. :Work to be seen?” Linking back to Colossians 3:23. Several years ago I put this verse on my work monitor and my home monitor. Fatigue draws me to short cuts and half efforts. This verse reminds me that I work for Him, not me. BC I was focused on the opposite goal. AD - I learned fairly quickly that the spiritual rewards were much greater than the material ones. Not even close. Q3. Prayer as a last resort? It’s as slow a learning process as the rest of the spiritual practices. Constant reminders plus the work of the Holy Spirit have helped me to move much closer to “pray first”. —————————— Reprising these short summaries from the ESV SB- Neh. 1:1–2:20 Nehemiah Returns to Jerusalem to Rebuild Its Walls. This section recounts Nehemiah’s burden for and first efforts in rebuilding Jerusalem. He learns of Jerusalem’s decrepit condition (1:1–11), gains permission to rebuild the city, inspects its walls (2:1–16), and endures the first wave of opposition (2:17–20). Neh. 2:1–16 Nehemiah Gains Permission to Return and Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls. Nehemiah makes his petition to the king and is allowed to go to Jerusalem (vv. 1–8). He surveys the walls, finding them in very poor condition (vv. 9–16). Neh. 3:1–7:4 The Wall Is Built, Despite Difficulties. This section records the building and repairing of the walls by all the people of Judah, despite the efforts of certain groups to stop them. Excavations on the Ophel hill of Jerusalem have uncovered remains of Nehemiah’s wall system. This wall system apparently incorporated walls from previous ages. It was not strongly built, and it reflects Jerusalem’s diminutive size at the time (see illustration). Neh. 3:1–32 The People Work Systematically on the Walls. The building work is described, and the workers are named, section by section. The point of this account is to show that the people as a whole responded to Nehemiah’s challenge and believed that God would give them success. The description of the work demonstrates the concerted effort of the people.
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Hugh Stephenson

Among the most amazing revelations of the Word of God for me is His limitless capacity to speak to me in new and powerful ways. As I’ve noted, I love how He reveals Himself in presenting dichotomies and contrasts in the Biblical figures He uses to teach me. What is fairly new to me is how He uses “triads” to teach me in even more powerful ways. In prior chapters He presented Saul, David, and Jonathan; David, Nathan, and Uriah; Moses, Aaron, and Joshua. There are so many! In these passages I see the triad of Ezra, Zerubbabel, and Nehemiah. Each with very different roles- Priest, Builder, Servant Leader. https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Ezra.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Zerubbabel-in-the-Bible.html https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Nehemiah.html They all join together to take the very small number of returning Israelites and accomplish extraordinary things in amazingly short periods - all by total and complete surrender to the “hand of God” to work through them. It’s an incredible model for me to emulate. Each of them speaks to a characteristic that must be present in my heart in order for me to live out His purposes in my life. He has given me gifts to work for Him just as He has these three men. Whether the results are large or small or known to others or not known to anyone but Him isn’t mine to affect. No doubt there are hundreds or even thousands of people who faithfully followed these three leaders yet remain unnamed. Yet their impact has been eternal – to an innumerable number of students over the millennia, (Matthew 6:19-21).
HS

Hugh Stephenson

For me, the note below underlines the truth of God’s mercy and the promise that it’s never too late and you’re never too far gone. “Neh. 2:18 the hand of my God. See also 1:10; 2:8; Ezra 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31, and chart. This recurring expression recognizes that God was orchestrating blessing for his people. The people had to see that their bad situation was not irreversible because God could change things.” The leadership skill of patience when necessary- “Nehemiah prayed for four months about conditions in Jerusalem before he spoke to Artaxerxes about them (cf. 1:1; 2:1). “ “Nehemiah realized that the moment had arrived for him to ask Artaxerxes to revise his official policy toward Jerusalem. Artaxerxes had previously issued a decree that rebuilding in Jerusalem should cease (Ezra 4:21). This change, along with Nehemiah's sadness, could have incurred the king's displeasure.” The leadership skill of prayer and surrender to his Father- “Nehemiah's walk with God is evident in that he talked to God as he was conversing with the king (v. 4; cf. 1 Thess. 5:17). Verse 4 contains a beautiful example of spontaneous prayer, one of the best in the Bible.” "One of the most striking characteristics of Nehemiah was his recourse to prayer (cf. 4:4, 9; 5:19; 6:9, 14; 13:14)." This passage and this note teach me that “last minute drive-by prayers” are the wrong approach. "Quick prayers are possible and valid if one has prayed sufficiently beforehand. In this case Nehemiah's prayer is evidence of a life lived in constant communion with God. Nehemiah had prayed for months, but he knew he was completely dependent on God's work in the king's heart at this moment." Divine working and human planning are not necessarily contradictory. "Prayer is where planning starts." This note emphasizes Nehemiah’s overall leadership acumen. “Tacked on to the end of that block of Scripture [i.e., Neh. 2:4b-6], in the words 'and I gave a definite time,' is an important leadership quality: the ability to plan and organize.” As does this one - "There was more than protection to be gained from the military escort. It meant an arrival in style, impressively reinforcing the presentation of credentials to the neighbouring governors, and making very plain the change of royal policy ..." Aka “There is a new sheriff in town”. The leadership skill of acting quickly when necessary- “He wished to lay his plans without any possibility of leakage to the enemy before their execution began, and then to let the execution be so swift that the work would be finished before they could successfully appeal to the king against it once more."
GJ

Greg Jones

You have a dachshund named Moose! I could stop reading right there and it would make my day. Thank you for making a difference in Dallas at the porch. 1. Our lives are full of waiting and opposition.  List some ways you've experienced this in your own journey with the Lord. Without being specific I say understanding who God is, who I am, what’s my purpose, is a layered question and answer. So asking it in seasons of waiting can reveal one answer. Asking it in a season of opposition can reveal another answer. So you start layering those different reveals and you start to gain a depth in what you consider your engagements with God are and how those answers start to develop. 2. Do you tend to work to be "seen," to gain all the credit, to puff yourself up? Or do you work (whether in work, school, chores) to honor the Lord? I’m a total introvert so I have to be the latter…right? 3. Do you use prayer as a last resort, or is it your first line of defense? God knows us, but still delights in us talking to Him! I have a confession to make. I’m not a big prayer list guy. Honestly most of the time most of the things that make those lists don’t stay on my mind once I put the list down. If not sooner. I get and appreciate all prayer warriors praying over list. But I’m not that guy. Doesn’t mean I’m not thankful when the things on those list go well. First line of defense? Not sure. Getting to a point where I was honest about that I had to find an alternative to the prayer list type of prayer. Q1 I totally stole a line Hugh uses a lot. I pray “God be in my thoughts”. For me, within the process of mining God out of my thoughts is the process of working through some of or all of Hugh’s mantra. Waiting and opposition are both prompts for me to naturally start thinking. Last resort? No I would not say so. Thanks you Ashley great questions.
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Sue Bohlin

So good, Ashley, thank you! What a blessing to see how the Spirit of God had Nehemiah record in God's eternal Word the names of the men who worked on rebuilding the wall! (But first, demonstrating his excellence in leadership, this new arrival to Jerusalem personally investigated the people and what they were contributing to the project--by name.) These names mean nothing to us ("old dead guys," right?) but they matter to God, and their work mattered to their descendants. This encourages me in that there is nothing I can do in serving God and loving others that He does not see and will reward if my motivation is right. Almost 20 years ago I read a game-changing book by Doug Sherman and Bill Hendricks called "Your Work Matters to God." I just re-read the article I wrote about it on the Probe website and it freshly blessed me to be reminded why our work matters to God. https://probe.org/your-work-matters-to-god/ P.S. Shout out to the daughters of Shallum in v. 12, who helped rebuild the wall!!
TS

Tonni Shook

Much like Hugh & Amy, I am praying & believing God will save my daughter, Tara. In the waiting, He has restored that broken relationship. Each time I talk to her, I see her heart softening. While she still doesn’t want to talk about Jesus, she is talking to & with me about life. God is moving and I’m here for it!!!
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Michael Scaman

Ironically Nehemiah started sad in the pressense of the king would later be saying 'the joy of the LORD is your strength'
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Hugh Stephenson

Love reading these. Thanks to all. Hugh.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. I have had “a ha” moments in areas like money and work. I made the commitment to change practices in these areas and use God’s Ways. It takes time and frustration sets in but making positive changes has been worth it. 2. Credit deserves to be where it is due. It is worthless to work for nothing. By honoring the Lord in giving or earning credit, everything turns out ok. The Lord helps us do our best. 3. Prayer is a first line of defense and a last resort for me. Prayer is available whenever needed. Prayer is helpful and helps improve how I approach life.