Bible studies: Leading Through Crisis
Memory verse: Nehemiah 5:19
Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
Lesson outline
- Courageous and decisive leadership
- Bold and unselfish leadership
- Perceptive and persistent leadership
Courageous and decisive leadership – Nehemiah 4:1-18
(a) praying and trusting God. As soon as Nehemiah and the Jews began rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem the governor of the samaritans and his allies became hostile to the Jews. They first verbally insulted the Jews, and plotted to attack them. Throughout this ordeal Nehemiah prayed and left the matter in God’s hands.
(b) organising for success.Nehemiah set the Jewish workers up at intervals along the wall. The workers were armed with swords, spears, bows and armour. While they worked they remained vigilant and prepared for battle. The governor of the Samaritans thought he and his army could ambush the Jews but the Jews were well prepared and ready to resist attack.
Nehemiah 4:1-11 NIV
4 [a]When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”
Nehemiah 4:3 – 5
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
- Bold and Unselfish leadership
(a) rebuking evil doing. While Nehemiah was attempting to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem an internal problem among the Jews came to light. The nobles and rulers who were rich were exploiting the poorer Jews. On hearing this Nehemiah first called a private meeting and sternly rebuked them for their wrongdoing. Nehemiah then called a public meeting to warn the nobles and rulers of their lack of reverence for God, how their behaviour weakened their fellow Jews, and made their nation vulnerable to their enemies.
(b) correcting injustices. In the public assembly the wealthy Jews promised to restore to their fellow Jews all they had taken from them unjustly. However now Nehemiah did not seem to trust their promise to do what was right so he called for the priest of Israel to come and take from each man an oath before God that he would do all he had promised. Nehemiah illustrated what would happen to them if they failed to fulfil their promise to God.
During the time Nehemiah never required anything from his fellow Jews which he could have easily taken by law instead he and his brothers provided everything for themselves from their own wealth
- Perceptive and persistent leadership
(a) depending on God for strength. The governor of the Samaritans and his army were enemies of Nehemiah. When the Jews failed to stop rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and the wall was complete except for setting up the gates the governor came up with a scheme to lure Nehemiah away from Jerusalem to a private meeting with them where they plotted to murder him. Nehemiah wisely refused to meet with his enemies and prayed to God to strengthen his hands and strengthen him spiritually morally physically and with great wisdom.
(b)Standing boldly for God. Shemaiah, a man who was reputed to be a prophet invited Nehemiah to his house on the pretext that for some reason he could not leave his house and go to him. When Nehemiah visited Shemaiah he prophesied to Nehemiah that they both should lock themselves in the temple to be safe from killers who planned to murder Nehemiah during the night. Nehemiah’s Immediate response was to say he would not be intimidated by his enemies. He added it would be inappropriate for him, the governor and leader of the Jewish people in Judah to hide from his enemies in the temple. It turned out that Shemaiah was hired to scare Nehemiah off but it didn’t work. Nehemiah stood boldly for God.
