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Nehemiah did not live in his natural man but in resurrection; he was aggressive, but his aggressiveness was accompanied by other characteristics:
１
In his relationship with God, he was one who loved God and also loved God’s interests on the earth, including the Holy Land (signifying Christ), the holy temple (signifying the church), and the holy city (signifying the kingdom of God) — 1 Kings 8:48; cf. 2 Tim. 3:1-5.
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As a person who loved God, Nehemiah prayed to God to contact Him in fellowship; for the rebuilding of the wall, Nehemiah stood on God’s word and prayed according to it — Neh. 1:1-11; 2:4; 4:4-5, 9.
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Nehemiah trusted in God and even became one with God; as a result, he became the representative of God — 5:19; cf. 2 Cor. 5:20.
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In his relationship with the people, Nehemiah was unselfish, without any self-seeking or self-interest; he was always willing to sacrifice what he had for the people and for the nation — Neh. 5:10, 14-19.
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Nehemiah, as the governor, in the position of a king, was a man with a pure heart for the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall in carrying out God’s economy; he was a pattern of what a leader among God’s people should be — cf. 1 Tim. 3:2-7; 1 Pet. 5:1-3:
１
Unlike many of the kings of Israel and Judah, Nehemiah was not selfish, did not seek his own interests, and was not indulgent in sexual lust.
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As the commander-in-chief, Nehemiah was among those who were ready to fight against the enemy, and he took part in the night watch; he did not leave these matters to others but participated in them himself — Neh. 4:9-23.
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He and his brothers did not eat the food appointed for the governor for twelve years because of the fear of God — 5:14-15.
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Nehemiah applied himself to work on the city wall without any kind of payment; instead of being self-seeking, he fed others for the purpose of building up the wall — vv. 16-18.
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Although Nehemiah was the ruler, he was altogether not ambitious; this is indicated by the fact that in reconstituting the nation, he recognized his need of Ezra for the reconstitution of the people of God with the word of God — 8:1-10; Phil. 2:3-4.
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Nehemiah was the perfect leader, the best leader in human history and the best example of what an elder should be; it is surely worthwhile for us, especially the leading ones in the churches, to consider his example so that we may be a pattern of gaining God and flowing out God to others in order to turn the age — Neh. 5:19; 13:14.
Morning Nourishment
1 Kings 8:48 And if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul..., and they pray to You toward their land..., the city that You have chosen, and the house that I have built for Your name.1 Pet. 5:2-3 Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing...willingly, according to God;...eagerly;... by becoming patterns of the flock.
Nehemiah was one who lived not in his natural man but in resurrection. He was aggressive, but his aggressiveness was accompanied by other characteristics. First, he loved God…. He also loved the Holy Land (signifying Christ), the holy temple (signifying the church), and the holy city (signifying the kingdom of God). He loved God and, in typology, he loved Christ, the church, and the kingdom. As a person who loved God, Nehemiah was one who contacted God, ...prayed to God (Neh. 1:4)…. Nehemiah trusted in God and…became one with God.
Nehemiah was an aggressive person who loved God, the Holy Land, the holy temple, and the holy city, who contacted God and had fellowship with Him, who trusted in God, and who was one with God. As a result, he became the representative of God. (Life-study of Nehemiah, p. 15)
Today’s Reading
In Nehemiah 5:14 through 19 we see Nehemiah’s good example….Nehemiah and his brothers did not eat the food appointed for the governor for twelve years because of the fear of God (vv. 14-15).Nehemiah applied himself to work on the city wall. He, his brothers, and all his servants... did not acquire fields. This means they did not receive any kind of payment. Rather, he fed richly at his table one hundred fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to him from the surrounding nations, not demanding the food appointed for the governor, for the building service was heavy on the people (vv. 16-18).
Nehemiah, as the governor, in the position of a king, was a man with a pure heart for the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall in carrying out God’s economy. He was not selfish, he did not seek his own interests, and he was not indulgent in sexual lust like all the kings, including David. Therefore, he was qualified to enjoy the top portion, the kingship of the good land promised by God to His elect. Instead of being self-seeking, he fed others for the purpose of building up the wall. In human history he might have been the only leader of a nation to behave in such a way. As a result, he was used by God.
Nehemiah received help from God to carry out a great success in the work of rebuilding the wall of the city of Jerusalem. It is surely worthwhile for us today, especially the leading ones in the churches, to consider his example. Nehemiah was a head, a ruler, of a nation, but he was altogether not ambitious, ... indicated by the fact that he recognized his need of Ezra. In reconstituting the nation, Nehemiah realized that he did not know God’s Word. But Ezra, who was famous for his knowledge of the Word of God, was still alive, and Nehemiah was willing to go to Ezra for help. Many of today’s leaders would not seek help in such a way…. Nehemiah knew that without Ezra he could not reconstitute the people of God.
Nehemiah was the perfect leader, the best leader in human history. Only under the leadership of such persons as Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah could Israel be reconstituted to be the testimony of God, the expression of God on earth, a people absolutely different from the Gentile nations. This is a type of what God wants the church to be today.
There were no complaints about Nehemiah from the people. Everyone appreciated him and was grateful for him. We may say that Nehemiah was an outstanding elder, the best example of what an elder should be. I hope that all the elders in the churches today will be like Nehemiah. (Life-study of Nehemiah, pp. 6-7, 32-33, 31)
Further Reading: Life-study of Nehemiah, msgs. 3-5