Scripture Daily

Context No. 3144 of 4322 · Nehemiah

Context · Reflection

Nehemiah 3:28-32: in context

28Above the horse gate, the priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house. 29After them, Zadok the son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. After him, Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate, made repairs. 30After him, Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another portion. After him, Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs across from his room. 31After him, Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths to the house of the temple servants, and of the merchants, made repairs opposite the gate of Hammiphkad and to the ascent of the corner. 32Between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

This is a section of the list of those who rebuilt Jerusalem's wall: priests, goldsmiths, merchants, gatekeepers, each repairing a stretch of the wall. And a phrase keeps recurring: each one made repairs opposite his own house.

The wall got rebuilt because many people each took responsibility for the stretch nearest to them, the section they could see from their own door. No single person built the whole wall; each did the part in front of him. It is a picture of how a great shared work actually gets done, not by a few heroes doing everything, but by many ordinary people each tending the piece closest to them. And there is wisdom in it: you are more invested in, and better able to maintain, the part of the work that stands right in front of your own life. God's work advances as each person faithfully repairs the wall by their own door.

Am I faithfully repairing the "wall across from my own house," the part of God's work nearest to me, rather than waiting for someone else to do it all?

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