Nehemiah eleven deals with the establishment of new form of society. In chapter 1-6, we saw the building of the walls. In (8-10), we saw the spiritual instruction of the people and signing of the covenant.

Chapter eleven picks up where chapter seven left off. The sparse population of the city of Jerusalem makes it extremely vulnerable to its' enemies. A plan for 'urban renewal' must be organized and carried out for the benefit of all. Here we see again the importance of good leadership. Nehemiah carefully organizes the people, surveys the needs and administrates the colonization of the land for the benefit of all. Human government certainly can be to ones advantage as long as it functions as a servant of the people and the people respect its' rules and regulations.

OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER:

I. INNOVATION AND ORGANIZATION

II. PATTERN AND PROCESS

III. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

IV. THE WILLING UNKNOWNS

V. CONCLUSIONS

I. INNOVATION AND ORGANIZATION -

Again Nehemiah comes to the forefront of our study. All of the groundwork has been laid. The walls were rebuilt, there was spiritual revival, unity and dedication. Yet this was still but a small part of the overall plan. God wanted his people back in the land, not just barely existing, but prospering. with the initial work complete, the people now have time to be reminded of their past differences and "roots". There are a number of what might be termed "strange bedfellows" here. Suffice it to say there were various interest groups involved, for example: children of Judah, the Levites, children of Perez, the porters, the Nethinims, the children of Benjamin, etc. Each of these groups had their own roots, their own way of doing things and in some ways had some past differences. What a responsibility the leader has. He must, first, consider God's will; he must, secondly, consider the good of all involved; while lastly trying to make everyone happy, avoiding any possible problem situations. (See Rom. 13:1-5; Neh. 9:37)

 

II. PATTERN AND PROCESS -

In the absence of a king in Judah, and God's rule over His people through a local representative (commonly called theocracy), a form of democracy prevails.

Someone once said if a theocracy is rulership by God, "theos", then a democracy is rulership by demons, "demos". Practically speaking there is much truth in that, (see Eph. 6).

What may at first sight be regarded as another dry list of names, takes on new significance when we consider the political structure and administration of the city. The various historical backgrounds of these people, complicated by the fact that just recently, new leadership had been selected (Neh. 7:1,2), made the administration and manipulation of these people a very difficult task. There was a major problem that confronted the people. Jerusalem itself was underpopulated. This jeopardized all the work that had thus far been accomplished, who would 'stand in the gap'?

Nehemiah's handling of the problem of the new residents is explained in (11:9). Whether the leaders mentioned in the text were appointed by Nehemiah or not, is not stated. Regardless of the method by which they were chosen, these men were obviously acceptable to the people. Two important principles are seen in Nehemiah's handling of the situation. First, Nehemiah bases his administration on equity and equality; secondly, there is adequate representation of the people.

Structurally, if you look carefully, there is a chain of command and a clear distinction of job function. There can be little doubt that the reality of the spiritual revival led the people to subordinate their own personal desire and seek the good of all.

 

III. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE -

Religion in its' purest form was the superstructure that the Jewish state was built upon. "Separation of Church and State" is one of the fundamental principles of our government. That concept or idea, is often perverted. The concept of the separation was spawned out of the desire of the people to keep government from interfering with the church. In other words the "sovereignty of God" and His church was to be protected, not the sovereignty of the state! Both cannot be sovereign! "Sovereign" means chief, highest, paramount; in dealings with each other, one must be higher.

It was the intention of the framers of our constitution, to have the church influence and rule over the affairs of the state, never the opposite. Chapter eleven shows us the handling of this delicate (and today controversial) situation. The priests and Levites carried out functions commissioned by God. Nehemiah was very careful not to (as a political official) interfere with their ministries. (See Uzziah 2 Chr. 26:1-23)

A strong religious commitment is essential if a democratic form of administration is to succeed. Without adequate spiritual values it is hard, if not impossible, to obtain and maintain the idea of obligation and responsibility.

 

IV. THE WILLING UNKNOWNS -

(See 11:2; 11 Chr. 17:16; 1 Thess. 2:8; 2 Cor. 8:5). Two dangers lurk in the shadow of leadership. One is the reluctance on the part of the leader to become virtually unknown, forgotten, and overlooked in the accomplishment of the objective. The second is the negligence of strong, natural leaders who fail to recognize others who really deserve much of the credit.

All of us can name leaders who become almost obscure for the sake of getting the job done. God is ready to bless those, leaders and subordinates, who genuinely do not care if they are recognized by man or not for their accomplishments. The record books are kept in Heaven. It is refreshing to run across someone who does not have to be a 'superstar', but is willing to labor in obscurity and remain one of those unknown, authentic servants.

In (Neh. 11), we find five specific groups who willingly gave something:

[1]. Those who willingly moved into the city (vs. 2).
[2]. (Neh. 11:10-12) 822 people who willingly worked within the temple.
[3]. Those in charge of the outside work of the House of God. (vs. 15,16)
[4]. Mattaniah, the prayer warrior (vs. 17).
[5]. Uzzi, the singers for the House of God. (11:22)

 

V. CONCLUSIONS -

A. Your gifts and service make you valuable although not necessarily famous.

B. Every labor done in love is remembered by God. He will reward you accordingly. (Gal. 6:7-9)

C. Our final rewards will be determined on the basis of faithfulness, not public applause.