Nehemiah 3

In verse 1, Nehemiah mentions that the high priest, Eliashib and his brothers worked rebuilding the wall. The Expositor's Bible Commentary points out that it was fitting that the high priest should set the example by joining the work on the wall. It also points out that in ancient Sumeria the king himself would carry bricks for building the temple. The fact that the high priest contributed to the work also underscores that there doesn't have to be a difference between work that is sacred or secular. The idea of work being either sacred or secular didn't appear until the Middle Ages. This means that God sees value in our work, and it can be used for his kingdom whether it's as a pastor, janitor, missionary or hamburger fixer. There is inherent value in our work.

The idea that God has a task for us goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, even before Adam and Eve sinned. That also means that work is not part of the curse of sin, though toil being added to the way we get our food is part of that curse (Genesis 3:17). Genesis 2:5 mentions that at the beginning of creation there were no shrubs or plants, because God had not yet sent rain on the earth. It also mentions that there was no man to cultivate the ground. This implies that taking care of what God had created was a task God had for humanity even before sin entered the world.

For most of the rest of chapter 3, Nehemiah mentions people from various families who make repairs to different parts of the wall. The only thing we know about nearly everyone mentioned in the chapter is what this book tells us about them. This book is also pretty much the extent of our knowledge of the man, Nehemiah, as well. But that also underscores the fact that a person doesn't have to be well-known or high-profile for their work to be important and effective. More often than not, that's not going to be the case. It does show that everyone's talents are needed to complete this major project that God has for them to do. This is also the case with us. God gives each person a different set of spiritual gifts and a different sphere of influence in which to use our gifts. God uses these to bring others to faith in Christ and then help them grow in their faith after finding salvation in Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 talk about this extensively.

The fact that everyone has a different sphere of influence shows the need for everyone to know and exercise their spiritual gifts. This means more than just the pastor or the church leadership. The people of the congregation have opportunities to share the gospel with people that the pastor will likely never meet and may be able to help them come to faith in Christ in a way that the pastor is unable to do. The building of the wall could never have been accomplished if only the high priest were doing the building, or even if all the priests worked together. It took people from every tribe and every aspect of Israelite society to accomplish the task. That is also true of Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). The church needs everyone in the body of Christ to accomplish that task, not just one segment of the congregation.

The fact that the high priest and the Levites are mentioned in verses 1 and 17 shows that sometimes the task may require stepping outside our career training or our spiritual gift set. Although I don't have the spiritual gift of evangelism, I am no more exempt from sharing the gospel with others than someone who does have that gift. If God has a task for us to do, we can trust him that he will supply the talent and resources to accomplish the task, whatever it may be.

Verse 5 mentions that the nobles refused to join the effort to rebuild the walls. The text doesn't give the reason they refused. It is possible that they thought the task was too menial or that manual labor was beneath their station in life. We do get a sense of Nehemiah's disapproval of their attitude when the passage mentions their refusal to help rebuild the wall. The ancient Greeks had a similar disdain for manual labor. They saw manual work as beneath them, possibly thinking that performing manual labor would reduce them to the level of a slave. It could very well be this very attitude that Paul addressed in 2 Thessalonians 3:10,11, in which he said, "If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies." It does need to be pointed out here that Paul is referring to those who are unwilling to work, rather than those who are unable to work due to disability or a lack of available jobs.

Nehemiah mentions that some joined in the work because their house was attached to part of the wall, and they restored that part of the wall. But even many people restoring parts of the wall for that reason still adds up to major portions of the wall being restored, and God evidently used even that motivation to get the wall and the city rebuilt. He mentions in verse 32 that goldsmiths and merchants were helping out with the restoration. This job was certainly stepping outside of what the were accustomed to doing in their careers, but it shows that God is not limited in what he can do by our skill set. Our availability is much more important.