A MIND TO WORK

Israel learned a great historical lesson from her cycle of rebellions and restorations.
The nation had gone the route of one thousand years of repetitive rebellions and restorations
by the time God allowed Babylon to take the final two tribes into captivity. They
thus reaped the whirlwind of blowing against the will of God. The end result was
captivity, both Assyrian (722/21 B.C.) and Babylonian (586 B.C.). And at the end of
this history of turmoil, only a small remnant made their way back from captivity to
resettle the promised land. They learned through this divine discipline something that is
best discovered in their attitude and actions in rebuilding the city of Jerusalem after the
Babylonian captivity. They brought forth fruits of repentance.
When Cyrus came to the throne of the Medo-Persian Empire in 538 B.C., Israel’s
woes were over in reference to being in foreign captivity for their sins. It was a time in
536 B.C. for God’s people to start going home. Zerubbabel led an initial group of the
remnants in 536 B.C. This was followed by Ezra’s group in 457 B.C. And finally,
Hanani came from Judah to Nehemiah in the palace of Shushan in Babylon with a report
concerning the survivors of the captivity and the condition of the city of Jerusalem. The
report was not good. “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are
there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its
gates are burned with fire” (Ne 1:3).
When Nehemiah heard this report, he “sat down and wept and mourned for many
days” (Ne 1:4). He fasted and prayed. After confessing the rebellion of Israel – the
reason for their disbursement among the nations – Nehemiah recounted before God His
promise of their restoration to the promised land. God had promised, “… if you return
(This series of blogs compose a book that carries the title, “Justified By Works.” )

to Me, and keep My commandments and do them … I will gather them from there [the
land of their captivity], and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling
for My name” (Ne 1:8,9). And so it happened.
Nehemiah went to Judah. In the middle of the night, and in the company of a few
trusted friends, he surveyed the destruction of Jerusalem. He then presented his vision
to the officials. “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its
gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no
longer be a reproach” (Ne 2:17). After reassuring them that God would be with them,
he urged, “Let us rise up and build” (Ne 2:18). What happened next is one of the most
remarkable stories of history that is recorded in the Bible. It is a story of determination
and accomplishment. It is a story that reaffirms how God made us, that is, if we are
unitied in our goals, nothing will be withheld from us which we determine to do (Gn
11:6).
But before we get to the story of Nehemiah, we must take a brief look at what had
already happened in the restoration of Israel to their homeland. Ezra, a contemporary
with Nehemiah, recorded that the rebuilding of the temple began in the days of Cyrus
(Ez 3:8-13; 5:16). However, opposition arose from the Samaritans who were dwelling
in the land (Ez 4:1-5). The work subsequently ceased during the early reign of the
Medo-Persian Darius (Ez 4:24). While work was idle, the people focused on their own
living. They began to live comfortably while the city as a whole continued to lay in
ruins (See Ez 1:9). God then sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to motivate the
people to continue the reconstruction, which they did (Ez 4:24; 5:1ff). During the reign
of Darius, reconstruction of the temple was completed in 515 B.C. (Ez 6:13-16). However,
because of persistent opposition, work again ceased on reconstruction of the
remainder of the city. It was not until the coming of Nehemiah in 444, over ninety years
after the initial return of captives in 536 B.C., that work began in order to complete the
remainder of the city. It was during the first year after Nehemiah’s arrival that the walls
of the city were eventually completed and a national revival in faith occurred among the
Jews (Ne 12:27 - 13:31).
But it took the remnant over ninety years to get the job done. There is a lot to be
learned in this historical fact. I believe that the truths revealed in their inability to
accomplish the mission of rebuilding the city teaches some very valuable lessons.
When Nehemiah first went to the promised land, his mission was to complete
reconstruction of the city and to reform the spiritual life of the returnees. After he
surveyed the ruins upon his arrival, he gave a stirring exhortation to the residents. The
result of his exhortation was that “they set their hands to do this good work” (Ne 2:18).
And work they did. Against all opposition, they set themselves to the task of bringing
into reality their dreams. It thus took a unique leader to arise when the time was right to
stir a lethargic group into action.
However, when good things are about to happen, we cannot expect Satan to stand in
applause in the bleachers. Quite the opposite. The determined workers faced the
opposition Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem. Nehemiah said, “They laughed us to scorn
and despised us” (Ne 2:19). So he answered their ridicule by encouraging the workers,
“The God of heaven Himself will prosper us” (Ne 2:20). But the workers’ antagonists
persisted. They mocked the zealous workers (Ne 4:1). “What are these feeble Jews
doing?” (Ne 4:2). “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down
their stone wall” (Ne 4:3). And so the opposition continued. There were continued
threats. Continued ridicule. Slander. There was even a conspiracy to kill Nehemiah
(Ne 6).
But through the persistent encouragement of Nehemiah, the determined workers
persisted. They were able to persist against such great odds because of a spirit that
Nehemiah generated in their hearts. That spirit was, “The people had a mind to work”
(Ne 4:6). If they had not this spirit, they would certainly have succumbed to the tremendous
opposition they faced during the reconstruction. But because the people had a
mind to work, the walls and city were rebuilt. Good leaders know how to stir up the
group to love and do good works.
In Genesis 11 it is stated that God came down from heaven during the days when
men sought to accomplish the misguided goal of building a tower whose top would be in
the heavens. Though their goal and purpose was wrong, God made a statement about
the nature of man which He had created: “… nothing that they propose to do will be
withheld from them” (Gn 11:6). God created us with this nature. If we make a plan,
establish a goal, have a united mind to work, nothing will be withheld from us which we
determine to do. This is our blessing from our Creator. It can be used for great things.
In the case of the tower of Babel, this nature was used to accomplish a goal that was
contrary to the will of God. Nevertheless, we can do fantastic things if we have a mind
to work in unison toward a common goal.
Judah’s situation during the days prior to the arrival of Nehemiah, as well as
Nehemiah’s leadership, does illustrate a problematic condition that often sets in among
disciples. Think about this for a moment. The first captives arrived in 536 B.C.
Nehemiah did not arrive in Judah until 444 B.C. I realize that we do not know the exact
dates of the specific events, however, just for speculation, subtract 444 from 536. The
result is ninety-two years. The walls of the city and the city itself lay in waste until
ninety-two years after the initial return of captives from Babylon. In fact, the whole
generation of older returnees would have died before Nehemiah arrived on the
scene and did his work of reconstruction and completion of the walls of the city.
I suppose the initial returnees had accomplished their own personal goal. They did
make a decision and carry out the goal of returning to the land. In their enthusiasm,
these first returnees did begin the work of reconstructing the temple, which task was
completed. However, their goal of rebuilding all the city stopped in the face of opposition
from the residents who were already in the land upon their arrival.
The returnees then focused on building a comfortable life for themselves. In reference
to the Jews’ initial goal, the opposition to rebuild the city prevailed during the
ninety-two years of idleness. Satan had accomplished his goal of discouraging the
people. Whatever the situation was at the time of Nehemiah’s call, it was a situation
over which Nehemiah cried and grieved for many days when it was first reported to him
(Ne 1:4). After ninety-two years, the job had not been done. I suppose that is something
over which any serious leader would cry and grieve. A ninety year old dead
church is nothing about which to rejoice, even though its attendance might be in the
thousands. It would be something that Nehemiah, the preacher, cried about. And in this
case, the people needed to repent and get to work.
Is there any crying and grieving among us today concerning the incompletion of
building the church throughout the world? Where are our crying Nehemiahs? Does a
whole generation of discouraged and lethargic churchgoers have to die before there can
be a revival? The initial returnees had dreams. But because of opposition, their dreams
faded away in the midst of their building a comfortable life for themselves. Is this
necessary with God’s kingdom business today? When a lethargic culture is established
in a church, must that whole group die before a church can get growing again?
Why would a generation of returnees sit idly by while the city laid in ruins? There
is at least one reason why this can happen. When a group, or society as a whole
establish a norm in behavior, the few cannot overcome the masses who maintain
the norm. It takes exceptional leadership to revive dead movements, if the movements
can be revived at all. The leadership that is necessary to revive dead dreams must be
willing to take the blows. As Nehemiah, they must be willing to endure ridicule (Ne
2:19), mocking (Ne 4:1-3), conspiracy (Ne 6:1,2) and slander (Ne 6:5-7). If the
leadership of a restorational paradigm shift is not willing to accept what comes from the
opposition, no walls will be built, no cities rebuilt, no world will be evangelized.
Unmotivated citizens will allow the city of God to remain in ruins until leadership cries
and mourns over the incomplete work of God in our lives.
The problem with the initial leadership that arrived in Palestine was that their
bodies had arrived in Judah, but their minds were still held in captivity back in
Babylon. When the generation of the initial returnees died, they had passed on to their
sons and daughters an insecure spirit that easily succumbed to opposition. Their fathers
had been second rate citizens in Babylonian captivity for so long that they could not
think for themselves. They had been told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, for
so long, that they could not make their own decisions. There was a real insecurity
among the initial returnees, so real that they could not emotionally prevail against the
opposing leadership who were in Judah upon their arrival, which leadership still prevailed
at the time of Nehemiah’s arrival. The local leadership, a cross between Jews
who had been left from previous destructions and those imported into Palestine by
Assyria and Babylonia, and a few Arabs, had established their own culture. They
controlled the local scene, and thus they imposed on the returnees that they had to fit in
with the established norms of the culture. Thus, the new arrivals seemingly had no
chance for a spiritual revival that would be symbolized by the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
The local, established culture was too great, and the minds of the returnees were still
suffering from the bondage of a seventy-year captivity in Babylon. Among a resident
people who no longer considered Israel the covenanted people of God or who considered
the purpose of God to be accomplished through Israel, there was great oppostion
about the Jews establishing any identity for themselves
Does this sound like a modern-day church drama? Are there churches that have
compromised the purity of their Christianity with the culture of indifference in which
they live? Are we led by insecure leaders who have no guts, grit and gall to stand
against ridicule, mocking, conspiracy and slander? Have surrounding religions established
the status quo to the extent that our desire to fit in is stronger than our desire to
build the city of God? Do we fear men more than God? Is it that we leave our
Nehemiahs out there to take the blows of opposition in order that they be brought back
into line with the norms of lethargy? Does our existing leadership fear the established
religious culture of the society in which we live more than they fear the God for whom
they should be working in order to accomplish God’s mission? Has living comfortably
become more important than building the temple of God among the nations of the
world? Have we simply just forgotten who we are, and thus we have given ourselves
over to become like the religious nations around us?
We must give credit to the initial returnees of Israel. After all, they had a “mind to
work” upon their arrival in Palestine. The temple was rebuilt. But they eventually
became intimidated by their circumstances, and thus gave up the mission to rebuild the
entire city. They became discouraged by opposition, and subsequently, died. Every
Sabbath they sat there in their pews, reading in the prophets about great times in the
past, the way it was. They read about the great stories of how their forefathers defied
the Pharaoh of Egypt. They read about how Samson beat up on the Philistines, how
David led the nation to have a national identity, and how Hezekiah prevailed against the
armies of Assyria. Those were great stories. For ninety years they were told every
Sabbath the glories of their heritage. But they did nothing! A whole generation died
off and a new, more secure generation that did not have the insecure mindset of captivity,
came on the scene. It was now time for God to raise up a new leader for a new
generation.
When the time was right, God sent a new type of leader to Palestine. Upon his
arrival, the situation of the opposition was so bad that Nehemiah had to survey and plan
in secret before he launched his appeal to the people. And when the new generation of
people caught the vision of his appeal, and was inspired by the strength of Nehemiah’s
leadership, the challenge brought to life a mind to work. And work they did. Within a
year after Nehemiah’s arrival, the reconstruction of the city was completed.
Where are the Nehemiahs among us who have the strength to lead the church off
pews and into the hedges and highways? Where is the leadership that is necessary to
bring to life a “mind to work” that lies within the heart of every believer? Leadership
means that some individuals must be willing to take the blows from Satan in order to do
that which is right. Leadership means that there must be those who can risk standing
above the norm in order to bring out of those who maintain the norm, a mind to work,
and thus launch a restoration to what it was when we came out of captivity.
There is always chaos produced when norms are changed. Paradigm shifts in
society come with great pain. Nevertheless, leadership is identified by the ability to
survey the needs, determine that which must be done, and then call on those who
maintain the norm to break into a new paradigm. Those leaders who are insecure
cannot do this. Their insecurity is always soothed by fitting in with the established
culture of the majority. We might say that the insecure can never lead God’s people to
where God wants them to be simply because their faith is in the type of leadership that
is demanded by the masses, not in their conviction to follow God’s desires at all cost.
They are thus leaders who are called by churches that seek preachers who will scratch
their itching ears.
We must remember that insecure leadership will never complete the job. It takes
leadership that knows how to mourn, pray and fast over the ruins of the city. These
leaders can inspire people to have a mind to work. Unfortunately, the leaders who are
produced by a lethargic church culture cannot get the job done. It often takes an imported
leader to get the people off the benches and into the work.
I do not know where Nehemiah gained his sense of confidence. It could possibly be
the result of the situation he was in while still in Babylon. He was “in Shushan the
palace” (Ne 1:1). It was over eighty years since Cyrus came to the throne of the Medo-
Persian Empire and made the decree to send the first captives back to their homelands.
Nehemiah, therefore, was born into and grew up as a free man in Babylon. He grew up
in a palace culture which evidently instilled within him a culture of confidence. Though
a Jew in the land of Gentiles, he grew up a free man. His mind was free from the
“bondage mentality” of his forefathers. His thinking had not been molded by the
indifferent culture of the Judean people who had ceased rebuilding the city.
Nehemiah represented a new generation of leadership. He was not a captive in
Babylon. He grew up when the apartheid of Jewish slaves was over in Babylon. He
was a full citizen of society, and thus had the opportunity of having the prominent work
as a cupbearer for the king of Babylon (Ne 2:1). He was simply a free Jew living in a
prominent place in Shushan.
Nehemiah was the new “postmodern” Jew with a vision for greater things. Many
years before, the fathers of Israel had already returned to Judah with Zerubabbel. Their
leadership at least took Nehemiah’s fathers back to the land. Though that generation of
leadership accomplished some good things, they failed to rebuild completely the city of
Jerusalem. They continued to suffer with the complexes of the captives. They were
insecure. They were men who found it difficult to dream, have visions of great things,
and lead against the consensus of their captors.
Nehemiah’s generation of leadership, however, was quite different. They grew up in
a time when a Jew was no longer a captive in Babylonian territory. In fact, the deliverance
of the Jews in Babylonia during the days of Esther advanced the Jews to prominence
throughout the Babylonian Empire. Nehemiah’s generation, therefore, was a
people with confidence. They were people who could think for themselves. They grew
up in a situation where freedom allowed them to make and accomplish goals. And so,
God waited for Nehemiah’s generation of leadership to arise before He called a leader
who could overcome great opposition in order to accomplish the final rebuilding of the
mother city, Jerusalem. The time was right for a man as Nehemiah.
The problem with culturally prepared leadership is that the leadership is always
loaded with the baggage of the culture. This is both good and bad. It is bad in the sense
that “captivity cultures” bring forth insecure leadership. However, it is good when the
bells of freedom ring. Cultural changes will then produce a more confident leadership.

Free people can think freely, dream to the limit, and have a mind to work for their
dreams. The nature of man – “nothing will be withholden from them which they
determine to do” – can be realized only in a culture of freedom. And now we
understand why Jesus brought us freedom from the bondage of legalistic religiosity.
When we are free indeed, then indeed we can dream and work. Only truly free people
can bring to the surface their mind to work. Only truly free people can break the
bondage of lethargy and rebuild the city. Truly free churches develop Nehemiahs. This
is thus a great thing for churches that break free from a culture of legalism and political
religious bondage. They can truly produce a new secure leadership that can take
disciples out of stagnation into an era of growth. When men’s minds are set free, they
have an opportunity to excel in all things to the glory of God.
This new leadership will take disciples back to work. It will no longer be satisfied
with sitting idly as spectators listening to sages from the stages. It is a leadership that
will lead people to hands-on involvement. It is a leadership that will lead from the front
with a sword in one hand and a working instrument in the other. It will not focus on
endless “business meetings” of discussions of the old days and what we should be
doing. The business meetings will be gone as a course of personally involved workers
drown out the voices of those who said it could never be done. We thus call for those
Nehemiahs among us who will bring out of us a mind to work.