Scripture Daily

Context No. 1973 of 4322 · Nehemiah

Context · Reflection

Nehemiah 2:11-20: in context

11So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. 12I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There wasn’t any animal with me except the animal that I rode on. 13I went out by night by the valley gate toward the jackal’s well, then to the dung gate; and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire. 14Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass. 15Then I went up in the night by the brook and inspected the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned. 16The rulers didn’t know where I went, or what I did. I had not as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work. 17Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.” 18I told them about the hand of my God which was good on me, and also about the king’s words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?” 20Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.”

Arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah does not rush into action. For three days he says nothing of his plans; then he rises by night with a few men and quietly inspects the ruined walls and burned gates, surveying the situation without announcing anything. Only after he has seen the state of things for himself does he call the people together, lay out the need plainly, tell them of God's hand upon him, and rally them to build. And when opposition and mockery come, he answers, the God of heaven will prosper us; we will arise and build.

Nehemiah's approach is a model of wise preparation before action. He came with a burden and a mission; but he did not launch in immediately, announcing grand plans before he understood the situation. Instead, he quietly assessed the state of the walls for himself, by night, surveying the ruin, gathering the facts, before he spoke a word of his intentions. Only when he had seen the reality clearly did he present the need to the people and call them to build. His action was preceded by careful, quiet preparation. There is wisdom here worth learning. We are sometimes prone to rush into a project or a cause with enthusiasm, announcing plans and launching in before we have understood the situation, counted the cost, or laid the groundwork. And such haste often stumbles. Nehemiah shows a better way: to assess the situation carefully first, to understand the reality before acting, to prepare quietly before announcing, and then to move. Which of you, Jesus said, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost? The plans of the diligent, the proverb says, surely lead to profit, but everyone who is hasty surely rushes to poverty. Careful preparation is not a lack of faith or zeal; it is wisdom, the groundwork that makes zeal effective. And notice that Nehemiah's preparation was joined to prayer and to a sense of God's hand upon him; his careful assessment was not a substitute for dependence on God but a partner to it. When he did rally the people, he pointed them to the hand of God upon him, and met opposition with confidence in God: the God of heaven will prosper us. So wise preparation and trust in God went together. When we take up a task or a cause, the example of Nehemiah calls us to prepare carefully, to assess the situation before rushing in, to lay the groundwork quietly, and to join our preparation to prayer and trust in God, rather than launching in with untethered enthusiasm. He surveyed the ruined walls before he called anyone to build; and the wise, likewise, prepare before they act.

Am I prone to rush into a project or cause with enthusiasm, announcing plans and launching in before I have understood the situation and laid the groundwork, or can I learn from Nehemiah, who quietly surveyed the ruined walls before rallying anyone, to prepare carefully and assess the reality before acting, joining my preparation to prayer and trust in God?

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