Nehemiah tugged his cloak more tightly about him as the group

Transcription

1 2 WEEK Nehemiah Plans to Rebuild the Wall Nehemiah 2:11-18 MEMORY VERSE Colossians 3:23a NIrV Nehemiah tugged his cloak more tightly about him as the group of horsemen plodded across the rough ground. It seemed as though they d been traveling for years instead of months on the long journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. Though Jerusalem was the home of Nehemiah s family, he d never actually seen the city. The Israelites had been taken captive over a century before. Though some had been allowed to return and rebuild the Temple, Nehemiah knew his hometown was in rough shape. He had even gained permission from King Artaxerxes to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. And at last, he was nearing the home he d never seen. There it is! he cried out. In the distance, they could see rough piles of rock and stone. One of the men traveling with Nehemiah raised an eyebrow. We ll call him Jake. You call that a city? Jake wondered. Just needs a little work, Nehemiah assured him. Night was falling as they finally reached the broken gates. It was too late to examine the damage to the city walls. 1

2 Better to check everything out in daylight, anyway, Jake pointed out. No, my friend, said Nehemiah. I don t want our people here to see what I m planning until I discover how bad the wall really is. Aha! said Jake. I see what you re doing. What am I doing? You re giving yourself a chance to back out of this whole wall-building gig. No! I m not. I don t want people telling me it can t be done, explained Nehemiah. Jake looked up at the charred beams and scattered stones that had once been a broad, high city gate. It can t be done, he said. I don t want people telling me it can t be done, explained Nehemiah. We ll circle the city at night, Nehemiah decided. Soon. After we ve had a rest. Inside the ruined walls, the men found more devastation. While the rebuilt Temple stood high on the ridge, streets and houses were in shambles. Firelight flickered from a few scattered homes that had been repaired. Where s the Welcoming Committee? grumbled Jake. 2

3 Nobody responded except a scruffy, knobby-kneed donkey who wandered up to chew on Nehemiah s saddlebag. I think this little fellow s it, said Nehemiah. Over the next few days, Nehemiah greeted the priests and officials living in Jerusalem. But he didn t tell them why he d really come. At night on the third day, he gathered Jake and a few other friends to check out the wall. You wanna ride the donkey? Jake offered. It s probably more sure-footed than I am, said Nehemiah. So... sure. The small group snuck out through the nearly destroyed Valley Gate in Jerusalem s western wall. What wall? asked Jake. All I see is rubble. By moonlight, the men picked their way over small stones and around huge boulders that had once been part of the wall. Nehemiah pointed. That s the Jackal Well ahead. And there... the wall starts to curve back north at the Dung Gate. The men followed the remains of the wall around the southern end of the city and doubled back north. Nehemiah s heart sank as moonlight outlined the jagged mounds of charred rock just ahead. That must be the Fountain Gate, he said. Can you still call it a gate if you can t actually get through? wondered Jake. The donkey balked and brayed. Let s go around, little fellow, prompted Nehemiah, but the donkey still refused. If the donkey can t make it through, I don t think any of us can, Jake pointed out. 3

4 Finally, Nehemiah turned back to return the way they had come. He stared at the jagged wall rising to their right more gaps and holes than actual wall. The wall is so long, he said. And thick! And tall! Taller than several of you standing on each others shoulders! Haha, laughed Jake. You actually thought you could rebuild it! I still do, said Nehemiah. With God s help. My friend, said Jake, this is a fantastic job... for someone else. I ll tell everyone our plan tomorrow, said Nehemiah. Let the officials know. What, you re serious? asked Jake in disbelief. No! Come on. Let s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah must have known the job was nearly impossible. But the next day, he shared his plan with the priests and nobles and officials who gathered before him. You can see the trouble we re in, he told them. Jerusalem has been destroyed. Fire has burned up its gates. Come on. Let s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. [If we have walls,] then people won t be ashamed anymore. 4

5 The people were surprised and amazed, but Nehemiah didn t give them a chance to doubt. God is gracious, he assured them. He s already helped by giving me favor with King Artaxerxes. We have his permission, and we can even use trees from the royal park for beams! The God of heaven will give us success! The people cheered, excited to begin. Nehemiah grinned as he gathered several of the officials to start planning. The job was big but Nehemiah knew that God had chosen him for the work and would give him the strength to carry through. Let s Talk! You see a kid sitting alone at a lunch table. Do you think, Hey, someone should sit with him? Or... do you take your lunch and go sit beside him? It s really easy to see something that needs to be done and assume that someone else will take care of it. But if everyone thought that way nothing would get done! It s up to you to take initiative instead of waiting for someone else. Brainstorm some things you ve seen that need to be done that your family could do together. Maybe it s inviting a new family in the neighborhood for dinner, or cleaning up the trash in an empty lot. Then... don t wait for someone else to do it. Instead, plan a time this week for your family to jump into action. Pray together and ask God to help you follow through. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER S VERSION 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. 5