Nehemiah : A Visionary Leader

The Book of Nehemiah is an important one for Christian Leadership. Much of the model of leadership on which this web-site is based is found in Nehemiah : the origin of vision through prayer, the need to share vision, and enable and empower others to become involved in making it happen, and the need to maintain leadership through periods of conflict and opposition. Nehemiah was cupbearer to the Persian emperor, Artaxerxes. This was a significant position of trust, for a member of a Jewish minority in the Persian court. Nehemiah would have established personal credibility in his character to receive such an appointment, and together with the job would come prestige and significance. Over 140 years have passed since the sacking of Jerusalem by the conquering Babylonians, and generations of Jews have been in exile.

As Nehemiah learns of the state of Jerusalem and of the remnant of the Jewish people living there, it clearly has a profound effect, moving him to a period of fasting and prayer. Out of this prayer Nehemiah senses a clear calling and vision, identifying with the Jewish people and confessing their failure to follow God's guidance. Nehemiah is clear that he is intrinsically linked with God's answer to the prayer he has prayed.

Nehemiah shares his vision with Artaxerxes, having carefully created an opening. Notice the immediate prayer of Nehemiah as the door of opportunity opens in verse 4. The result of sharing the vision in a non-threatening way is positive and Artaxerxes is supportive, agreeing to the requests for letters and allocating troops to go with Nehemiah. When the vision is shared with Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, the response is different. Nehemiah adopts a more assertive stance, yet one which is not confrontational. As Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem he carries out a strategic analysis of the situation, before sharing the vision with the Jewish remnant, in order to have a clearer view of the task in hand. The response of the Jews is positive, aided in part no doubt, by Nehemiah's experience of God's help in the conversations with Artaxerxes.

The Jews divide the task up among themselves and start working. The narrative does not relate whether this was an easy task or not. For many teams, the allocation of work does not come easily, as personal agendas and uncertainty over team roles may conflict with the trust needed to share out the work of a team in the early stages.

During these three chapters we see opposition on three levels. During Chapter 4, we see overt opposition to the task from those outside, coming with ridicule and threats. Nehemiah responds by bolstering the confidence of the builders by stationing guards behind the least exposed areas, which also signals determination to complete the task, and also reminds the Jews of God's hand of protection over them. In Chapter 5, the threat is coming internally, in the face of distractions over the culture and accepted norms of the society. Nehemiah's handling of this demonstrates openness (he called a large meeting), integrity in not demanding the rights of his predecessors, and a commitment to Godly principles. The final attack, in Chapter 6, is personal. Nehemiah discerns the motives of his opponents, and refuses to play into their hands. Again he turns to the Lord in prayer (v9) and is given the discernment necessary to avoid the traps laid for him.

This chapter details Nehemiah's second time as Governor of Jerusalem.

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