The next section [of the wall] was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors. Nehemiah 3:5
On the face of it, Nehemiah 3 is about as dull and irrelevant a Bible passage as you could wish not to find.
The people of Judah, back from captivity in Babylon, have at last got round to the job of rebuilding the ruined walls of Jerusalem. Spurred on by their governor, Nehemiah, they have come to see that this is an urgent task, and in this chapter we are given a lot of detail about who exactly built each section of the wall.
Dull? Perhaps. But in another way it’s quite a heart-warming chapter, because it gives us a picture of co-operation: groups of people with their sleeves rolled up working side by side.
Except, that is, for one jarring note... In verse 5 we read that a particular section of the wall was “repaired by the men of Tekoa”, only then to be told “but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work”. How sad is that!
What was wrong with these nobles of Tekoa? Were they just lazy? Or was this kind of manual work below their dignity? It’s hard to think of any other explanation. All we know is that they go down in history as petty-minded and, frankly, rather contemptible.
In church life, do you know people who are like the nobles of Tekoa? More to the point, are you - am I - one yourself? People who “don’t put their shoulders to the work”?
I think Nehemiah 3 in general, and verse 5 in particular, has two simple lessons we today need to get hold of.
First, all worthwhile church work involves whole-hearted co-operation.
Jesus gathered around him a group of followers - he didn’t walk the hillsides of Galilee alone. Paul’s letters show that he had a strong circle of friends and companions in his missionary work - no lone wolf, he. And if you want to know what the early churches were like, just riffle through Romans 16 (another “dull” chapter, basically just a string of names) and get a feel of the energy and commitment of those people. (Look out for the number of times we read about people “working hard”.)
Here’s a blindingly obvious fact that we tend to overlook: God has seen fit to gather his people into working communities. They are called “churches”, and within them we belong to one another and are answerable to one another.
A statement which, I must confess, irritates me every time I hear it is: “I am a Christian, but I have no time for organised religion”. I want to shout, “Well, what sort of ‘religion' do you want then? Disorganised religion? DIY religion? Personal religion that makes no demands? Religion that means you don’t have to put your shoulder to the work? Pah!” (I don’t, of course.)
Jesus didn’t found the church for fun, or on a whim. He didn’t found it so that we could look at it and say “Thanks, Jesus, for founding the church, but I think I’ll not bother with it if you don’t mind”. He does mind. The church, where we worship and serve together, and where we love and care for one another, is vital to God’s plans and purposes.
Just as the people of Judah in Nehemiah’s day were required to get stuck in to the work God had for them, so today are we. Is this something we need to do some serious thinking about? Is it time to shoulder a bit of responsibility?
Second, the person who opts out of the work also opts out of the blessing.
Here’s the good news. It is in working together that we grow and mature as Christians, and through which we experience joy and fulfilment.
I picture those mean-spirited nobles of Tekoa looking down their noses at the men (and some women - see verse 12) toiling away near them. What, I assume, they didn’t see was the comradeship that must have existed among those people - the way they encouraged one another when somebody looked tired or helped them out when they needed something.
I don’t know if what we call “banter” had a place in Hebrew culture, but I do hope so. In my experience it certainly does when Christians are working together - and it is one of the delights of Christian fellowship.
Anyone who has co-operated with others - perhaps in a special prayer session or some door-to-door evangelism, perhaps in doing the washing up or setting out chairs, perhaps in running an event or teaching a class - will know what simple, innocent joy it can yield. I hope that includes you.
In fact, on reflection I feel rather sorry for those mean-spirited “nobles of Tekoa”, don’t you?
The message, then? Thank God for the church - and get stuck whole-heartedly into its work and ministry. You won’t regret it.
Thank you, Father, for the joy and satisfaction of working together with my fellow-Christians. Please help me to be clear about exactly where you want me to “put my shoulder to the work”. Amen.
On the face of it, Nehemiah 3 is about as dull and irrelevant a Bible passage as you could wish not to find.
The people of Judah, back from captivity in Babylon, have at last got round to the job of rebuilding the ruined walls of Jerusalem. Spurred on by their governor, Nehemiah, they have come to see that this is an urgent task, and in this chapter we are given a lot of detail about who exactly built each section of the wall.
Dull? Perhaps. But in another way it’s quite a heart-warming chapter, because it gives us a picture of co-operation: groups of people with their sleeves rolled up working side by side.
Except, that is, for one jarring note... In verse 5 we read that a particular section of the wall was “repaired by the men of Tekoa”, only then to be told “but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work”. How sad is that!
What was wrong with these nobles of Tekoa? Were they just lazy? Or was this kind of manual work below their dignity? It’s hard to think of any other explanation. All we know is that they go down in history as petty-minded and, frankly, rather contemptible.
In church life, do you know people who are like the nobles of Tekoa? More to the point, are you - am I - one yourself? People who “don’t put their shoulders to the work”?
I think Nehemiah 3 in general, and verse 5 in particular, has two simple lessons we today need to get hold of.
First, all worthwhile church work involves whole-hearted co-operation.
Jesus gathered around him a group of followers - he didn’t walk the hillsides of Galilee alone. Paul’s letters show that he had a strong circle of friends and companions in his missionary work - no lone wolf, he. And if you want to know what the early churches were like, just riffle through Romans 16 (another “dull” chapter, basically just a string of names) and get a feel of the energy and commitment of those people. (Look out for the number of times we read about people “working hard”.)
Here’s a blindingly obvious fact that we tend to overlook: God has seen fit to gather his people into working communities. They are called “churches”, and within them we belong to one another and are answerable to one another.
A statement which, I must confess, irritates me every time I hear it is: “I am a Christian, but I have no time for organised religion”. I want to shout, “Well, what sort of ‘religion' do you want then? Disorganised religion? DIY religion? Personal religion that makes no demands? Religion that means you don’t have to put your shoulder to the work? Pah!” (I don’t, of course.)
Jesus didn’t found the church for fun, or on a whim. He didn’t found it so that we could look at it and say “Thanks, Jesus, for founding the church, but I think I’ll not bother with it if you don’t mind”. He does mind. The church, where we worship and serve together, and where we love and care for one another, is vital to God’s plans and purposes.
Just as the people of Judah in Nehemiah’s day were required to get stuck in to the work God had for them, so today are we. Is this something we need to do some serious thinking about? Is it time to shoulder a bit of responsibility?
Second, the person who opts out of the work also opts out of the blessing.
Here’s the good news. It is in working together that we grow and mature as Christians, and through which we experience joy and fulfilment.
I picture those mean-spirited nobles of Tekoa looking down their noses at the men (and some women - see verse 12) toiling away near them. What, I assume, they didn’t see was the comradeship that must have existed among those people - the way they encouraged one another when somebody looked tired or helped them out when they needed something.
I don’t know if what we call “banter” had a place in Hebrew culture, but I do hope so. In my experience it certainly does when Christians are working together - and it is one of the delights of Christian fellowship.
Anyone who has co-operated with others - perhaps in a special prayer session or some door-to-door evangelism, perhaps in doing the washing up or setting out chairs, perhaps in running an event or teaching a class - will know what simple, innocent joy it can yield. I hope that includes you.
In fact, on reflection I feel rather sorry for those mean-spirited “nobles of Tekoa”, don’t you?
The message, then? Thank God for the church - and get stuck whole-heartedly into its work and ministry. You won’t regret it.
Thank you, Father, for the joy and satisfaction of working together with my fellow-Christians. Please help me to be clear about exactly where you want me to “put my shoulder to the work”. Amen.
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