THE BUILDER-LEADER

“...The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will ARISE and BUILD… ” – Nehemiah 2:20b

Nehemiah presents the Pattern of the BUILDER-LEADER in the Bible: “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will ARISE and BUILD, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem” (Neh.2:20b). Nehemiah, an offspring of captive Jews in Persia, along with Ezra and Zerubbabel, was instrumental in rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. He led the post-exilic Jews in the monumental task of rebuilding the walls in a remarkable fifty-two days, despite significant opposition. His account offers a compelling example of how a leader should function. Nehemiah defined the reality of the situation, named a vision, made clear decisions, and then engaged the people to accomplish them.

This Jew had risen to a prominent position as cupbearer to the Persian Emperor Artaxerxes I, the most powerful ruler of that day. A type of top security agent, he must have been chosen for well-tested personal qualities, some of which became glaring in his God-given rebuilding mission. While serving, he got news that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, and its gates destroyed by fire. A man of prayer, his initial response was to weep, fast, and pray, signifying a leader's heart for the distress of his people and a reliance on God's guidance before taking action (Neh.1:3-4). He prayed to the "God of heaven" before making his request to the king for permission, resources (timber), and protection to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls.

Nehemiah leveraged his position for God's purposes. The king granted his requests because of God’s good Hand upon him. A great planner and administrator, he knew what to do, how it had to be done, who was to do what, and when (vv.4-9). After conducting confidential research, secretly inspecting the ruined walls, Nehemiah cast a vision for the people to rise and rebuild (vv.17-18). By inspiring their collective action and unity of purpose, the people enthusiastically chose to rise and build (v.19).

As construction proceeded, the builders faced ridicule and threats of attack from neighbouring adversaries like Sanballat and Tobiah (Neh.4:6-23). Nehemiah adapted a strategy of balancing diligent work with vigilance and prayer: having half the men work on the wall, and the other half stood guard with weapons – their swords strapped to their sides. When attempts were made to distract him, he famously declared, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down…” (Neh.6:3).

The strategies of this man of character were effective through the quality of his character (Neh.5:14-19). He achieved perfect coordination which enabled the work to be completed in record time of 52 days. Every man had his assignment, place, position, and responsibility. Eventually, the enemies were disheartened as they perceived that the work was accomplished with God’s empowering Hand of Help, not by human effort alone (Neh.6:15-16).