Nehemiah 2:11-16

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Night Rider

Who destroyed the walls of Jerusalem? Under whose leadership were the walls rebuilt?
What does the term “post-exilic” mean?
Why did Jeremiah make his inspection of the walls of Jerusalem in secret and at night?
What does biblical leadership involve? Why is Nehemiah considered a model for biblical leadership?
Inspection is an important step in both physical and spiritual wall building. Explain.

Destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian armies, and rebuilt under the leadership of Nehemiah.
“Post-exilic” means “after the exile.” After the Jews were in exile in Babylon for seventy years, God allowed them to return to their homeland in 538 BC. Some Jews remained in Persia, but they chose to do so.
He didn’t want to attract a lot of attention or arouse suspicions by the people in the surrounding pagan provinces.
Careful planning, prayer, getting the lay of the land, and checking things out. Nehemiah modeled leadership because he didn’t just jump in with his own preconceived ideas. He prayed, assessed the situation, and made plans accordingly. Then he shared his calling with a few trusted friends.
God wanted Jerusalem to be a strong city, one that could defend itself against the enemy. Similarly, God wants us to be strong Christians, having strong spiritual walls. We need to inspect our lives to see where our walls are broken down as individuals, as families, and in our churches. What needs repairing? What needs weeding out?

Check out your spiritual walls. As an individual, what debris needs to be cleared out? (Consider amount and type of TV you watch, what you read, leisure activities. Are you materialistic? Where are your priorities for spending money?) Where do you need to rebuild? (Prayer and Bible study time? Discipline in other areas?)
We are exhorted to be zealous. What are the restraints on zeal? Beware that zeal doesn’t take precedence over or prevent wise planning. We should not get carried away, and we should count the cost. We need to “think big,” but not rush ahead of the Lord.