Nehemiah 3 (ESV) — 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 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.
The Response Of The People
It is always beautiful when people—even only a few—experience God's renewal. But when renewal hits an entire congregation or even generation, the results are breathtaking.
In our passage today, we will observe God's renewing hand impacting all the people in Jerusalem during Nehemiah's day. God did not do the work without them, but invited them into it, and because the vast majority responded, the walls went up, and the gates were repaired. Because they accepted God's invitation, within a matter of weeks, God's city and people were revived.
Up to this point in our study of Nehemiah, we've thought about how God renews his people by sharing his burden with us and awakening hope within us. God showed Nehemiah the gap between what was and what could be in the holy city of Jerusalem. The city that was meant to radiate with joy over God, to be the place Israel ascended for worship, was still in disrepair and defenselessness after all those years. Nehemiah responded in prayer.
Then God answered Nehemiah's prayers by supplying everything needed for a rebuilding effort to restart in Jerusalem—and this awakened hope in the people. Because they were primed with hope, after Nehemiah exhorted them to "rise up and build," the people "strengthened their hands for the good work" (2:18).
And what follows in Nehemiah 3 is a fastidious listing of the families and individuals who engaged in that work. Nehemiah traced the efforts around the city's perimeter from gate to gate—the Sheep, Fish, Old, Valley, Dung, Fountain, Water, Horse, East, and Muster gates are all mentioned. And between each gate, the walls were also repaired, some walls being longer than others, and some being more damaged than others. The chapters that follow this one will tell of the difficulties they encountered while rebuilding, but this chapter serves as Nehemiah's detailed record of who was where on the wall.
And though we might be tempted to skip past this record, we must allow this impressive feat of organization to speak to us today. God was at work among the entire congregation. Over forty sections of the wall needed constructing, so everyone was needed. And everyone was invited. And (nearly) everyone responded. And renewal came.
And God invites us today—every one of us. This is a vital step towards renewal. Without it, some will watch renewal happen for others without experiencing it themselves. Or so few respond to God that renewal is only felt by a small handful of people, and the larger work never gets accomplished. In short, the more people respond to God's invitation and allow him to dispatch them into his work, the more renewal will be felt within our lives and churches.
So what work did God invite these ancient Israelites into? And—by extension—what work is he inviting us into today?
1. God Invites Us To Protect The Sacred Space
What Set Jerusalem Apart
First, God invites us to protect the sacred space. I realize this isn't what we might first think of when surveying this chapter or thinking about our modern lives. But this is precisely what Nehemiah and the Israelites were doing. Jerusalem was not just any city; it was God's city, the place the temple of God dwelt. That temple had been prescribed by God first to Moses and then again to David and Solomon. Inside the structure was a room called the Holy of Holies. It was there that God's presence was meant to dwell most pointedly in Israel. So the nation would bring sacrifices and prayers to that place. They were meant to center themselves upon God's presence in that room in that temple in that city. And when the walls and gates that protected the city were in disrepair, the worship of God was jeopardized. An unprotected temple was an unused temple.
So when Nehemiah rolled into town and invited them to rebuild and repair the walls and gates, he was inviting them to build a structure that would protect the house of God within the city. To protect the temple meant they could use the temple. Once they solidified the city's perimeter, Israelites who wanted to prioritize God finally could.
This is hinted at with the record of the first individuals Nehemiah says rebuilt. Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate (1). So the priests got the entire project started because they recognized the importance of protecting the sacred space of the temple. They knew that as spiritual leaders, they needed to show everyone this was spiritual work. And after they repaired the Sheep Gate, Nehemiah wrote that they consecrated it and set its doors (1). None of the other gates are said to have been consecrated in this way. To "consecrate" is to declare holy—to claim something for God. For the priests to consecrate the Sheep Gate and—I think—the entire building project was a way to declare it as holy. To them, there was a direct correlation between the strength of those walls and the flourishing of the temple's worship.
The New Sacred Space
Jesus came as the complete and final sacrifice to be offered to God. All the blood of bulls and goats in the Old Testament era pointed forward and hoped in his perfect blood. Once he, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, came, the old temple system was fulfilled and made irrelevant. As Hebrews says of the New Covenant that came with Jesus:
Hebrews 8:13 (ESV) — 13 In speaking of a new covenant, (God) makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
This means the Old Covenant—including its temple system, would grow obsolete and fade away. And fade away it did. All that exists there now is the large patio foundation the temple used to sit on, but the temple is no more. Perhaps this is God's witness to history that he no longer looks for those sacrifices but the fulfilling sacrifice of his only begotten Son.
But if the temple has been fulfilled or abolished, does any other temple of God exist today? Yes. You and me. God no longer lives in a room in Jerusalem but within every person who has submitted to Jesus and his gospel. The Bible says:
Ephesians 2:22 (ESV) — 22 In (Christ), you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
and
1 Peter 2:5 (ESV) — 5 You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.
Working To Protect Our Sacred Space
All this means that we do not have a sacred physical space to protect but that we are the sacred space that must be defended and guarded lest the worship of God comes to a grinding halt. And, just as God invited the Israelites to work hard to rebuild the protections of that ancient sacred space, he invites us to work hard to protect the worship of God in our lives today. So what are some ways to build this protection into our lives?
One of the clearest ways the sacred space is harmed halted is when the protection of our time is eroded. What I mean is that our schedules can often crowd out the worship of God. As we will see later in Nehemiah, many of these same Israelites struggled to keep the Sabbath. It became difficult for them to preserve a day for God for many of the same reasons we struggle to do so—they had financial commitments and desires that tempted them to fudge on their time for and with God.
In our fast-paced world, but also in our entertained and distracted world, it requires a level of determination to protect time for God. A day each week (or part of a day as we have here on Sunday mornings) for public worship with your church family is worth defending. And a time each day for personal worship on your own is also worth defending. It was work to rebuild that wall thousands of years ago, just as it is work to worship with your church family or worship to start your day, but the work is worth it if you want to experience renewal.
Another major way the sacred space is harmed is when we allow our bodies to engage in behavior unbecoming of God. We are his dwelling place. So we should not drag his dwelling place into an activity that he deems unhealthy for our lives. Paul referred to this in the context of living out biblical sexuality. He said:
1 Corinthians 6:18–19 (ESV) — 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.
Brothers and sisters, the cross of Jesus Christ has turned you into the new sacred space of God. The Father wants to engage in close friendship and fellowship with you—within you!—because you are his new temple. You are his dwelling place. Defend his new sacred space. Don't allow hobbies and interests and temptations and proclivities into your life that will crowd him out and erode your worship. Honor him with your life and time and energy. Protect the sacred space.
2. God Invites Us To Engage Our Portion Of The Work
Planning And Organization
But God also invites us to engage our portion of the work. The planning and organization are off the charts here. There is a man named Nehemiah that appears midway through the passage, but it's not our Nehemiah, the leader of this rebuilding effort. That Nehemiah isn't mentioned at all, but this is all his work.
God used this man with a clear administrative gift to organize and deploy his people on the wall. It took thought and planning to dispense the forty sections to different families and groups. It took planning to make sure no one had too long (or short) of a section. Nehemiah had to know which parts of the wall were mostly standing and which parts were mostly ruins. It would be unfair and unrealistic to charge one group with a very long stretch of terribly broken wall while another group had only a small stretch of mostly standing wall. So Nehemiah planned it all out and delegated accordingly.
Christ Our Head
In this, Nehemiah displayed the spirit of Christ. After Jesus rose from the dead, he ascended to heaven. From there, Ephesians tells us he poured out gifts on the church in the form of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. And other passages show us he also poured out the Spirit on his church—and the Spirit distributes abilities, callings, and gifts on us as he sees fit.
And just as Nehemiah was not mentioned as being on the wall but was certainly the mind behind the rebuilding project, Jesus is now the head of the church. He is not just a figurative head, either, but is the head of a body—and his church is that body. As Paul said:
Ephesians 4:15 (ESV) — "We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ."
This means that much of what the word-based offices and officers he's given to the church are meant to do is help the rest of us connect more strongly to our head. Our goal is that the thoughts, will, feelings, and commands of Christ would direct more of what we do on earth today.
This can be illustrated by the power of an internet connection. We've all felt what it is like when your connection is weak. Videos take forever to download, websites take forever to load, and messages take forever to appear. But when our connection is strong, the information comes in a steady stream, and it feels like there is little to no delay.
This is what we are trying to mature into in Christ. We don't want to be those with a terribly weak connection to our head. When his thoughts, impressions, truth, and commands are barely buffering, we are bound to live in disconnection to his thoughts, impressions, and truth. So the more we "grow up in every way"—the more every part of our existence is directed by Jesus as our brain—the more effective and renewed we will become.
Our Portion
I should also point out a strategy from Nehemiah that Christ also employs. Some of the builders were not commuters from afar but lived next to or in the broken city. All throughout the passage, it's clear Nehemiah commissioned these locals to build the wall or repair the gate that was nearest their home. Jediah repaired opposite his house (10). Benjamin and Hasshub did the same (23). All the priests who lived near the Horse Gate repaired, each one opposite his own house (28). And a man named Meshullam—likely a single man with a studio apartment—repaired opposite his chamber (30).
So Nehemiah directed them into the work, but he was wise enough to get them building near their homes. He knew it would be more motivating for them to see the results close by. He also cut out the waste of commute time. If they were under attack, they would be less prone to flee because they were defending their homes. And the entire family could get involved because they were building near home.
To me, this speaks of our Lord inviting us into our portion of the work. We have lives and families and churches to build for his glory. We cannot work on everything there is to work on in God's kingdom. But we can work on our portion of his kingdom, and our portion begins with our personal lives.
But I hope you can see how this invitation to build our portion impacts everyone else. If one of the gates or a portion of the wall remained in disrepair, the entire city would be vulnerable.
And in the body of Christ, when members decide not to adhere to the will of the head, everyone else in the body is hurt. Even our personal lives—the decisions we make about our time, energy, and priorities—affect everyone else. So God invites us to engage in our portion of the work.
3. God Invites Us As One People
(Nearly) Everyone Involved
Finally, God invites us as one people. Clearly, throughout the whole work, the idea of teamwork is present. The phrases "next to the" or "after them" are repeated around thirty times. Like sprinters in a relay race, the baton of the work was handed off from group to group. Everyone did their part.
This oneness is also demonstrated in the varied types of people that built-in Nehemiah's day. Nehemiah's list included addresses, ranks, occupation, and specific assignments. And, in reviewing the list, it is clear that every segment of society was represented. Everyone worked.
For instance, every professional guild was likely involved, but a few of them were noteworthy to Nehemiah. He said Uzziel's family of goldsmiths built, along with Malchijah the goldsmith (8). Next to them, Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired (8). Along with these professions, merchants and rulers were also mentioned throughout the passage. It was notable that goldsmiths, perfumers, and merchants put their work on hold to build up the wall. Though they were wealthier than most, they did not think the work was beneath them.
There was one group, however, that resisted: The Tekoite nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord (5). This is a glaring and stunning statement. In a sea of zealous cooperation, these nobles refused to submit to Nehemiah's (and God's) leadership. This shows that not everyone was enthusiastic about the work. But it also shows that most people were—these Tekoite nobles were the rare exception.
Earlier, I said the synergistic work together was like sprinters successfully handing off the baton during a relay race. But have you ever seen a baton handoff go badly? You cannot win the race without a successful transfer. And, because these Tekoite nobles wouldn't do their part, it was as if they were fumbling the transfer.
Christians believe in a doctrine called "the priesthood of all believers"—it means that every believer had direct access to God. We don't have to appeal to a string of priests with varying degrees of authority and access to God. We don't have to appeal to saints. We obtain the access Christ has to the Father by the blood of Christ.
But this doctrine is also a responsibility. As God's priesthood, each of us has an assignment. As one man, we must join together to do the work.
Benefits
One attribute many employers will look for is an "all-in" attitude. I know I look for it here at Calvary—is a potential or current staff member all-in or are they divided? Am I all-in or divided?
But what is the benefit of such an "all-in" attitude? What happens when we wholeheartedly embrace God's mission and partner with others? Here are a few benefits:
First, there is the speed of progress. The wall was built in fifty-two days because of the group collaboration. Because everyone worked, they speedily got the job done. And progress comes more quickly to a church where most engage in the work.
Second, there is enthusiasm-induced momentum. Because they were all-in on this project, enthusiastically working and laboring, the enthusiasm became the cultural norm. Enthusiasm, or a lack thereof, is contagious.
I recently took my family to see the new Spiderman movie. My kids are Marvel-heads, and they've recruited me to be one as well (although Star Wars for life!). So we went to the opening Friday night. The theater was absolutely packed. And, because it was opening weekend and you had to purchase tickets in advance, the theater was filled with true fans. And the experience of watching the movie with all these die-hard fans was so fun. They were into it—they got every joke, gasped at every big reveal, and cheered at moving moments!
When a church is enthusiastic in its worship and service and attendance and engagement, it is contagious. Every single one of you—your enthusiasm for Christ matters.
And one final benefit of this all-in attitude is that the worship of God flourishes. When the temple was lit up with sacrifices and praise, God's glory descended and reverberated throughout Israel. Eventually, the nations would know God was there. And when a church is all all-in, we more fully worship and praise our God, and the community hears.
The Grace Of God
All of this is God's grace, by the way. The wall-builders had been butt-sitters for decades, but when Nehemiah came, they started afresh. These imperfect people with a long track record of disobedience were quickly forgiven and given another opportunity by God. This is God's grace.
Nehemiah's name means "comfort of God." It reminds us of the Holy Spirit, who is called the comforter of God (John 14:16). He, like Nehemiah, helps and encourages and pushes and plans for us. And sometimes, he will help us reenter the things of God.
At the beginning of the book of Ezra, the people were trying to restart a building project of their own. They gathered their resources and leadership. Then the Bible says they "made a beginning, together" (Ezra 3:8).
And I propose we do just that—let's make a beginning together. Because we have Jesus and his glorious gospel, a message that enables us to "forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead," we are able to begin again (Philippians 4:13). As Covid and the strains of our time have done their worst to tear us apart, let's forget what was behind and press forward together. Let's be all-in on being a renewed church that pursues Christ to the fullest.
I sat down recently to interview my father for the Jesus Famous podcast. He pioneered this church in 1979, led it in rented facilities until 1996, and then pastored it at this location until 2006. So I wanted him to tell our church's origin story so that current and future generations of the church could be edified. As we talked, I was struck by how many different moments a community-wide faith was required. Every time they shopped for land, obtained permits, and embarked on new stages of development as a church, it was a new beginning. Times of renewal came. And an all-in spirit was required.