MPC, 4th June 2000.Nehemiah 1-4 - Hearts First
Phil Campbell MPC, 4th June 2000.
Robert Benn heads up the World Mission department for the Australian Presbyterian Church. And I heard him speak at State Assembly a week or so back. Robert's just spent some time in East Timor. And he said exactly what everyone else has said that you've heard from. That the DEVASTATION... is unbelievable. And he had the colour pictures to prove it.
Easy to be unmoved by it on TV. But one thing Robert did was highlight the BEFORE and AFTER situation. I mean, easy to be glib about it and say, well there wasn't much there before anyway. But there was. One example, a PROTESTANT CHURCH. Not just a little run down building on a corner in the suburbs. This is a church with a staff of 14. Two thousand members.
Now nothing. A shell. Are you going to rebuild it. Or give up in despair. Homes. Burned to the ground. Shops. Just walls. Rubble everywhere. Are you going to rebuild. Or give up in despair?
It's the same question facing Nehemiah. In the same sort of situation. A ruined city. Jerusalem. And a population that's lost the will to keep going.
You'll see it the first few verses of chapter 1. In this Old Testament book that's really a DIARY. A diary set in the final stages of Old Testament history. A time when THE WORST HAS HAPPENED. Israel's glory days are gone. The KINGDOM'S BEEN CRUSHED. The people have been scattered. The temple of Solomon, people used to come from all over the world to admire it. Now a heap of rubble. The walls of Jerusalem... just scattered stones.
And here's Nehemiah, expatriate Jew; working for a King in a far off country. Opens his diary to a blank page in the Month of Kislev, and starts writing these words. "The words of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah. In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I QUESTIONED THEM ABOUT THE JEWISH REMNANT THAT SURVIVED THE EXILE, and ALSO ABOUT JERUSALEM."
Nehemiah's an exile in a far off land. He's worked his way up the ladder til he's in a top job. But his heart lies somewhere else. His heart lies in his homeland. In the city of JERUSALEM. A city in ruins. The home of his forefathers. Some of the Jews have gone back, they've started rebuilding. Or that was the plan. So when Hanani and his friends get back from a tour of Judah, Nehemiah can't wait to ask him. How's it going? How's progress? Well, you can see the answer, can't you? And the news is all bad.
Look what they say. Verse 3. "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. THE WALL OF JERUSALEM IS BROKEN DOWN, and it's gates have been burned with fire."
It's worse than you think. Jerusalem's a mess. The Israelites who are back there already are being laughed at. Because it's all so pathetic. And Nehemiah sits down and weeps. And mourns for his city. And he fasts. And then he prays. And you can see what he prays in the rest of chapter 1. A prayer on behalf of the PEOPLE OF ISRAEL. Who have suffered for their sins. And learned their lesson. Or so you'd hope.
Will you notice, in the midst of everything else, it's a CONFIDENT PRAYER. A prayer that's based on one very simple fact. The fact that God is a God who KEEPS HIS WORD. And you can see that if you look at the first words of Nehemiah's prayer in verse 5.
"O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God WHO KEEPS HIS COVENANT OF LOVE with those who love him and obey his commands..."
God's a God who keeps his covenant. God's a god who sticks to his Covenant promises like GLUE. Only trouble is, the Israelites didn't. And you can see Nehemiah admits that in his prayer. The reason the Israelites were kicked out of Jerusalem, the reason everything's in ruins, it all comes down to one word. UNFAITHFULNESS. Because God warned them right from the start. Right back in the book of Deuteronomy when they were about to come into the promised land. God said, if you're unfaithful to me, YOU'RE OUT. Evicted.
And if you keep reading from the middle of verse 6, you can see that's exactly what Nehemiah says. He says "We've blown it. He says "I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. WE have acted very wickedly towards you. WE have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses." You told us what to do, and we didn't do it.
And let me tell you, it's true. The old testament's full of the stories of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. And the fact they simply refused to be different. Refused to stick with God and be his people. And so here they are, in exile. Scattered around the nations. Here's Nehemiah the Israelite. Cupbearer to the King. In Babylon. Because God said way back at the start, if you won't be my people, you're OUT.
Out until... you have a GENUINE CHANGE OF HEART. And here's the point of the prayer. You can see it in verse 8. Nehemiah knows God's a god who keeps his word. And he knows what God said. It's back in Deuteronomy 30, and we read it earlier. That the EXILE WASN'T THE END. And if there came a time that the Israelites turned back to him, if there came a time that the Israelites wanted to repent and start again, then he was waiting to forgive. And no matter WHERE THEY WERE, God would bring blessing again. And go even further. CHANGE THEIR HEARTS.
Take a minute to turn back there and see the promise. Way back to Deuteronomy 30. Because this is EXACTLY THE SITUATION Nehemiah and the people of Israel are facing. Dispersed among the nations. Here's the promise Nehemiah REMEMBERS. Deuteronomy 30 from verse 1.
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
WHEN YOU ISRAELITES RETURN TO THE LORD YOUR GOD. And obey him with all your heart. When you REALLY REPENT FROM THE HEART... then God will turn things around. It's like you say to your kids. GO TO YOUR ROOM... until you're REALLY SORRY. And don't come back til you are.
And Nehemiah knows they're right at that point in history. And it raises a question, doesn't it? ARE THEY? Are these people of Israel ready... to RETURN TO THE LORD with all their hearts? To TRULY REPENT? I mean, Nehemiah's PRAYING THE PRAYER FOR THEM... but what's in their hearts? That's what we're going to find out. Look at his prayer again. Verse 6 and 7. I CONFESS THE SINS WE ISRAELITES, including myself and my father's house have committed. We've acted WICKEDLY. We're ready to be blessed again. But the question is, Nehemiah prays it - but are the people of Israel going to LIVE IT? And really REPENT? That's the question to keep in mind as you read right through NEHEMIAH. Are they ready?
But let's keep going. Nehemiah prays. Flip his diary to the next page. Month of NISAN. We've got it as chapter 2. Nehemiah's carrying the drink tray, wine waiter to the king. And king Artaxerxes can see Nehemiah's face is a mile long. And the start of chapter 2, the king asks him. He says, Nehemiah, why do you look so sad. You're not SICK. What's the TROUBLE? And Nehemiah tells him. Verse 3. "Why shouldn't I look sad," he says, "when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire." So the King - he must be having a good day - he says, WHAT DO YOU WANT? Ask me.
And Nehemiah shoots up a quick prayer to God, and then he starts talking. He spells it out. Verse 5, he says, I want you to send me back home to Judah, to Jerusalem ... so I can rebuild it. And when the king says yes, Nehemiah pushes his luck even further. Can you give me letters to the local governors over there so they'll do what I say. And how about some timber for the gates and for a house.
And what do you know, the king grants it. Just like that. Because, Nehemiah says, because - end of verse 8 - because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the King granted my requests.
So off he goes. Calls on the governors on the way and drops in the Kings letters. He's on OFFICIAL BUSINESS. With the King's blessing. To rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Ready for the NEW PEOPLE with NEW REPENTANT HEARTS.
Just one small hitch in verse 10. These guys Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite. Not please at all. That someone's come to promote the welfare of the Israelites. Keep an eye on these guys - because they keep popping up right through the story. They're the bad guys. And they'll do whatever they can to get in the way.
But for now, let's follow Nehemiah. Verse 11 he's arriving in Jerusalem, and the first thing he does is take a look around in the middle of the night. A tour of inspection. Nehemiah on a horse, verse 12, a small group of men with him. In the darkness. With Nehemiah nursing in his heart the GREAT PLANS he's got. For Israel's NEW START. Out through the valley gate in verse 13; except it's just the blackened STUMPS of a gate. Towards the Jackal well and the DUNG GATE. Where there's always the bad smell. And bit by bit, he says he examines the walls that have been broken down. Along to the fountain gate in verse 14, all the way to the kings pool. And finally, when he can't get any further because of the rubble, back again. Still in darkness.
And so far, Nehemiah hasn't said anything to anyone. When he's checked it out, he gets the people together. And in verse 17, he hits them with a real PEP TALK. He says LOOK AROUND. He says, Can't you see the trouble we're in? Jerusalem's in ruins, the gates have been burned to a crisp. "Come on," he says, "let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we'll no longer be in disgrace."
Cause it's a fact. The Israelites were the laughing-stock of the middle east. In disgrace. Jerusalem, the city without a wall. Raiders could come and go as they pleased. Take whatever they wanted. Nothing to mark off the JEWS from anyone else. I guess there was nothing to protect. And all in all, it painted a sorry picture of what it meant to be the people of God.
So they start building. And there they are again. Sanballat the Horonite, verse 19, and Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab is with them as well - Nehemiah says they MOCKED AND RIDICULED US. "What's this you're doing," they asked, "are you rebelling against the King?" But he's not. The King's already given the go ahead. And more than that, God's behind it. Nehemiah says in verse 20, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, BUT AS FOR YOU... you have no share in Jerusalem, or any claim or historic right to it." This is the CITY OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD. This is our NEW START. And things are going to be different.
Now at this point, it's traditional for American preachers to start saying, well, gee, look at that. What a FINE LEADER this Nehemiah is. Great MOTIVATOR. And if you want to learn the 21 great laws of leadership, then WATCH NEHEMIAH. The man of FAITH. And at this point it's traditional as well if you're a church with a BUILDING PROJECT on the books, that you read this bit and you say, YEAH, NOTHING'S TOO HARD. We can do it.
Can I say to you, don't go down that track too soon. Because there's still a question... and it lasts all the way through to the very end of the book before it's answered. It's ONE THING TO REBUILD A WALL. But how do you REBUILD A PEOPLE? It's one thing to lay some bricks. But what if your HEARTS AREN'T RIGHT? Nehemiah can organise the shovels and the picks alright. But ultimate success is MORE THAN A WALL. So we need to keep reading.
Chapter 3, looking good. Everyone's doing their bit. It's an amazing sight. Start at the sheep gate in verse 1. You've got Eliashib the high priest. Stripped to the waste, lugging stones. And setting in the doors. Verse 2, the men of Jericho, just out of town; come to give a hand. Verse 3. The fish gate. The sons of Hassenaah. And on it goes. A list of all the people rebuilding the city walls. You've got the goldsmiths giving a hand in verse 8. And Hananiah, one of the perfume makers helping on the next bit.
Huge job. Broken into bite sized bits. Everyone doing their bit. Poor Malkijah down in verse 14 drew the short straw and has to fix the Dung Gate. And on it goes. And by verse 32, we're back where we started. A round trip, and we're back at the sheep gate. With workers hard at work all the way around.
Turn over to verse 6 of chapter 4 and you'll see how they're going. Nehemiah says "We rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, FOR THE PEOPLE WORKED AT IT WITH ALL THEIR HEART." This is good stuff. It's going up. It's a labour of love. And everyone's giving it everything they've got. And then a bit more. And that's in spite of opposition. And persecution. And threats.
You've got it again at the start of chapter 4. Sanballat. And Tobiah. Getting a little bit nervous when they see what's happening. And ANGRY. Mocking. What do you reckon you're going to do with a pile of old burnt rocks? He says, you can't build a WALL from a RUBBISH PILE. You'll never make it. And Tobiah. Verse 3."What they're building - if even a fox climbed up on it, he'd break down their wall of stones."
Which might have been pretty true. I mean, it mightn't have been the best wall you'd ever seen. But the point was, THEY WERE DOING IT. And the opposition wasn't going to stop them. Because they're confident that God is a promise keeping God. Who promised that if they came back to the promised land with TRUE REPENTANCE, then he'd bless them like he had before.
And the thing they need to remember... and we need to remember as well; is that their REAL GLORY is never going to be in the quality of their wall. Or their buildings. Their REAL GLORY will be in the quality of their REPENTANCE. Of their sincerity of heart. As they say they're coming home to be the REAL PEOPLE OF GOD again.
As it is for US. The Kingdom we're called to be part of, it starts at the very same point. REPENTANCE. A true turning to God. Doesn't matter how fine your church buildings are, doesn't matter how much things might appear fragile and weak; the REAL ISSUE is on the inside. In the hearts of people like you and me.
And Nehemiah's leadership that so many commentaries and books want to make an example of... well, in the end, it won't be measured by the quality of the WORKING BEE he's organised to fix the walls. It's going to be measured in whether he can bring that GENUINE CHANGE OF HEART that he prayed for at the beginning. To these stiff necked people of Israel. We're going to see in these next few weeks what happens. But can I say in advance, don't be surprised if you read ahead and find HE CAN'T. That Nehemiah is NOT THE ONE... who brings the true repentance... and circumcised hearts... that Moses talks about in Deuteronomy 30. ONLY JESUS can do that. And he has. And over these next few weeks in Nehemiah we're going to see I guess what true repentance looks like. And what it doesn't. We're going to see a story of failure. Where in the end only Jesus succeeds. And we're going to be invited... LONG AFTER the time of Nehemiah... to NOT BE DISCOURAGED, no matter WHAT we see around us. But to celebrate the fact that we're included... as part of the family God promised to GATHER BACK TO HIMSELF... with new hearts. And the promise of LIFE.
In the end we're going to see it's a matter of HEART FIRST. Which is something we need to keep in mind as a church, isn't it. In whatever we do. In the way we set our priorities. Because at some point even though we might need to do some of the BRICK sort of building, there's another sort of building that's more important. HEART FIRST.
Funny, it hasn't been there in the message that we've given out to the world over the years, has it. Why is it, for example - and survey after survey shows this - why is it the world thinks THE CHURCH ONLY WANTS YOU FOR YOUR MONEY? We give that impression, don't we. So there's this long standing idea from people outside the church that it's a good thing to HELP THE CHURCH. Make a donation. Help at the working bee. Even though your HEART'S MILES AWAY. We had a lady in our last church, she INSISTED on being on the Church cleaning roster. Never came to church. Not at all interested in following Jesus. But she wanted to DO HER BIT. Can you see, doing that, being on committees, helping out; it's NOTHING... if you haven't first heard the call of JESUS to come back to God with all your heart. And we should be clear about it. God doesn't want your money or your bricks... until he's got the undivided attention of your heart. The whole orientation of your life. And we're going to see here in Nehemiah, the wall's not the thing that counts at all. HEART FIRST. And let everything else follow.