Christian Jobs, Church Employment - Advice, Tips, Help

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

Lessons From Nehemiah: Unexpected Leadership

  • Christian Personal Finance Contributor
  • Updated Feb 19, 2013
Lessons From Nehemiah: Unexpected Leadership

This article originally appeared on Christian Personal Finance. Used with permission.

The book of Nehemiah is nestled so snugly in the Old Testament that we often pass right by it. I bet that’s how Nehemiah felt as a cupbearer to the King. He was always around and was a crucial part of the king’s court, but I’m sure he felt that he was overlooked at times.

A lot of us are probably like Nehemiah. We have a comfortable job, get a decent paycheck, but there’s a burning desire to do something more. The problem for many of us today is that we struggle to find purpose and often think, “I don’t know what to do with my life.” Nehemiah could have stayed content with his cushy job, but decided to step up to a challenge that no one accepted for 140 years: rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

The Challenges of Rebuilding the Wall

The story of how Nehemiah found his purpose in life is inspiring, and is centered on one tenet: prayer. He was constantly going to the Lord in prayer, which is how he became aware of the ultimate challenge to rebuild the city walls in Jerusalem.

The task was far from easy and Nehemiah had many obstacles to overcome including:

  • Finding food for the families and workers who were rebuilding the wall.
  • Managing resources during the time of famine.
  • Protecting workers from outside raids from neighboring countries.
  • Defending the poor who were being exploited by moneylenders.

Building the wall was the easy part – managing the obstacles was the challenge.

One day Nehemiah was a cupbearer and the next day he was the governor of Judah managing project that seemed impossible. This unexpected leadership role probably felt a little overwhelming at times for Nehemiah, but he was able to lead with integrity because of his faithfulness in working for the king all those years.

Nehemiah’s Leadership In Action

Aspiring leaders take note of Nehemiah. Here’s a man who petitioned the King of Persia to allow him to move up from his position as a cupbearer to the governor of Judah. Talk about a bold request for a promotion!

But it wasn’t done on the fly. Nehemiah carefully planned his approach and was a prudent leader, which makes for an excellent challenge to those who want to do the ‘impossible.’ Here are three characteristics of Nehemiah:

A Master Planner

At the core of Nehemiah’s planning was prayer. Too often, leaders will dive into a project without seeking God, and rely solely on the plans they’ve made. The other extreme is to ignore your planning altogether because you figure that God will “make it all come together.” Both extremes are the opposite of good leadership. Trust God, but also use the resources God has given you.

God has blessed us with intellect and the ability to plan ahead. Nehemiah reflected strong leadership as he made prayer the center of his plans. When he presented his plan to the king, God’s favor rested on him and the challenge to rebuild was underway.

An Excellent Delegator

Everyone wants a say as to how things should be done, right? When it comes to rebuilding miles of city walls around Jerusalem, there had to be some opinions thrown to Nehemiah.

While we don’t know how many opinions were given during the build, we do know that Nehemiah divided the labor into segments to rebuild sections of the wall. In fact, this is one of the most incredible stories in the Bible that highlights the concept of the division of labor. Nehemiah was able to communicate to the groups of Israelites that the wall would be built faster if teams focused on making their section the best possible.

That theme holds true even in the New Testament when Paul speaks about the body of Christ and how it’s made up of many parts. Israel needed direction and Nehemiah delivered from a management perspective.

A Servant’s Heart

Most of all, Nehemiah led the entire project with a servant’s heart. While the phrase may seem cliché today, Nehemiah was literally a servant leader. As part of the king’s court, he was essentially the chief servant in charge of serving drinks to the king’s table. As the new governor of Judea, Nehemiah took the challenge and lead as a servant.

Unlike other governors, Nehemiah refused to collect taxes from the poor who had been burdened by famine and economic stress. He also refused to take any land as payment while governing Judah, showing the nation of Israel that his priorities weren’t self centered but outwardly focused.

Under the leadership of Nehemiah, the walls of the city of Jerusalem were rebuilt in 52 days. A task that had been left undone for 140 years was completed in just 52 days through the leadership of a former cupbearer who approached everything in prayer and careful planning.

How many times have you told yourself, “I’m just a [fill in the blank with your current job].” Nehemiah was just a cupbearer but God used him to do great things because he was willing to lead with integrity and with a servant’s heart.

Has God put a desire in your heart to make a difference in this world? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Tim, founder of Faith and Finance, is a Christian, husband, MBA grad, and entrepreneur. Business is in his blood.  While in college, he spent his free time creating an auto detailing business, a lawn care business and traveling to South Africa and China to study even more business.  After competing a full-time MBA in less than one year (crazy? yes) he and a fellow MBA grad started a marketing firm designed to help small businesses with their online presence.

You’ll find his approach to personal finance to be straight forward and practical.  His love for learning and teaching others is what drives him to write such interesting articles and eBooks.

Publication date: February 19, 2013