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Nehemiah 7:1-3 – The New Governor

The reason that Nehemiah had taken the enormous step of returning to Jerusalem and dedicating all his energies and abilities to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was not for his own political glory or the advancement of his own career. He had been called by God to do a particular work and when that work completed, he was quite willing to hand it over to somebody else. It was not that he was giving up the work nor that he was unwilling to play any part in seeking the stability and progress of Jerusalem, it was simply that he did not think, as some church leaders do, that he was the only one capable of doing the work.

Nehemiah decided to hand over the responsibility of governing the city to two men. One was his brother Hanani, the man who had first travelled to Susa to tell Nehemiah about the sad condition of Jerusalem. This was a potentially dangerous appointment for Nehemiah could have been accused of favouritism and nepotism in appointing such a close relative to such an important task. It is always important in the work of the Lord to make sure that there is no suspicion of favouritism, but sometimes it is necessary for the good of the work that we be prepared to risk misunderstanding so that the work is not held back. Nehemiah had always acted for the glory of God and in the ‘fear of the Lord’ 5:15, and that is precisely how he acted in the appointment of Hanani. It is obvious from the little that we know about Hanani that he was a man who was well qualified for the onerous task of governing Jerusalem. He was so concerned about the state of Jerusalem that he was prepared to make a difficult and dangerous journey to inform those who were still in exile with the hope that there would be those who would do what Nehemiah did. He had a heart for the people of God and the city of God, he was courageous and resourceful, just the kind of man needed for the work!

Questions

  1. Did Nehemiah think he was the only one who could do the job?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that we would be humble in our work for the Lord.
  2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
  3. Pray for family matters.