A Call to Action

Taught by Annie
Notes by Linda

Today Annie taught on Nehemiah Chapter 2. She began her lesson by asking the class some rhetorical questions: Are you happy? Are you satisfied with your life? Does what happens in the world effect you? Does it make you sad? She proposed that we have three options when confronted with the injustices we see in the world: 1) we can be sad, 2) we can choose to ignore, or 3) we can take action.

As chapter 2 opens, we see that Nehemiah is serving the king in the position of cup bearer. “In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before” (Neh. 2:1). It is significant to note that the king noticed Nehemiah’s sadness. As the king’s servant he would have had to keep all emotions private. In the following verse we see “I was very much afraid” (Neh. 2:2b).

Annie asked us how we would respond when in the same position. When the king questioned Nehemiah about his sadness, he replied “but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" (Neh. 2:3). The king then asked Nehemiah what it was he wanted. Nehemiah’s immediate response was “ Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king” (Neh. 2:4b-5a). Annie noted that his prayer was not a long, audible petition to the Lord but probably a silent plea for wisdom or aid.

Annie classified Nehemiah’s actions into five categories:
1) He recognized something was wrong. (Neh. 2:2-3)
2) He prayed. (Neh. 2:4-6)
3) He requested help with respect. (Neh. 2:7-10)
4) He planned. (Neh. 2:11-17)
5) He motivated others. (Neh. 2:17-20)

Annie then took these five categories and paralleled them to what we should do when we are confronted with issues or situations that we take notice of in the world around us.

After Nehemiah recognized what was wrong, He took it to the Lord. Then as he asked the king with boldness, we also can petition our our King. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16). When Nehemiah’s request of the King was granted he rightly gave the credit to the Lord. “And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests” (Neh 2:8b).

Annie pointed out that Nehemiah showed respect to King Artaxerxes as the political leader of the day. The Lord commands that we do this as well. “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves" (Romans 13:1-2).

In verse 10 we see that Israel’s enemies are once again trying to put a stop to the work of the Lord, the rebuilding of the walls. As we have studied in the book of Ezra time and time again Israel’s enemies attempted to stop the rebuilding of the temple and then of the walls. They had been successful for a time. This is something that could have caused discouragement. Instead of giving way to this, Nehemiah choose to plan.

Nehemiah could have walked into Jerusalem like a hero but he waited three days before he made himself known (see Neh. 2:11-16). He and a few of his man assessed the situation by cover of darkness. He did not do anything to call attention to himself. Annie pointed out that many times when we, as Christian, are met with a situation in which we feel we need to do something about but we do not handle it as Nehemiah did. We jump ahead of God instead of waiting on Him and seeking His direction.

The physical condition of the walls must have looked overwhelming. Annie pointed out that when we see ruins today they are usually in an accessible condition. The rubble has been cleared and what remains can be admired. This is not what Nehemiah saw. He was surrounded by ruin and destruction. (The present condition of Haiti comes to mind). Nehemiah did not turn back from what God had called him too. He made a plan.

The next step Nehemiah took was to motivate those he would lead. “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace. I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me’. They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding’. So they began this good work” (Neh. 2:17-18). Nehemiah conveyed excitement through his words. Annie pointed out that Nehemiah made himself a part of the situation. He did not blame others. He conveyed to those he was leading that he would be a part of what they would be doing. She compared this to what we are facing right at this very moment at MWC as we move to the new building . We have been asked to join in the effort by cleaning and packing. She encouraged us to become a part of this work, not in guilt or self-righteousness, but with a joyful and humble spirit.

Annie also mentioned that sometimes we can live in ‘ruins’ so long that we do not recognize that this is what we have done. Our ‘ruins’ may be sin or even a bad family situation. Sometimes we need someone else to point this out to us. The ruins in Jerusalem were both literal and spiritual. Their physical protection had been compromised as had their spiritual situation as a result of the sins of the nation. Annie proposed that we need to make sure our own spiritual walls of protection are strong.

In verse 19 the enemies of Israel have resumed their attack, this time by intimidation and bullying. “But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?" (Neh. 2:19). This is a similar tactic that they used in Ezra, chapter 4. Annie pointed out the power of negative words. She asked us if we had ever been stopped from what we were doing because of the words of others. We may have been ridiculed because of our faith, our values, or our walk with the Lord. Annie also spoke about how this can negatively effect us and asked why it is that we should really care. She pointed to the words of Nehemiah “The God of heaven will give us success” (Neh. 2:20). She then brought us to the ‘Hall of Faith’ that is in Hebrews 11. The Lord commended all these people for their faith despite the persecution they suffered. This persecution far outweighs anything that we will experience in our own lives yet the Lord promises that we will face it.

Annie ended her lesson with asking us if our faith has called to action. She gave several examples of people who acted on their beliefs to make profound changes in our world. Some of those she mentioned were: Wilbur Wilberforce – who persevered 20 years in the quest to end slave trading, William & Catherine Booth – founded the Salvation Army, Martin Luther King – Civil rights movement, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton – Women’s suffrage. She encouraged us not to be moved by the enormity of the issues that face us today. As a start, we can rebuild the walls in our own lives we will make changes from the inside out. She also encouraged us to look at our own spiritual gifts, the needs in our church, and what is important to us and trust that God will direct.