Sometimes You Have to Be Discreet About Things
So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
. . . The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. Nehemiah 2:9-18.
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
. . . The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. Nehemiah 2:9-18.
Nehemiah had a divine mandate and favor from the king to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. He had been given letters directly from the king to the governors to ensure that he would be accorded the necessary protection and given the needed assistance to enable him to accomplish his vision. He even traveled with a royal regiment of army officers and cavalry. Nehemiah had everything that could have caused him to ride into town with a chip on his shoulder. Instead, Nehemiah went about things in a very discreet way.
Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah waited for three days and then he set out at night to examine the task at hand with just a few other people. In his own words: "I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem . . . The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing because as yet, I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work." Nehemiah's approach was full of wisdom.
First, he took the time to examine the project at hand before announcing the purpose of his trip to Jerusalem. Nehemiah carefully examined the broken walls and torn gates so that he could speak intelligently about what needed to be done for the rebuilding project. He allowed himself time to become conversant with the problem at hand before talking about the solution.
Second, when he gathered the leaders and other officials who were going to work with him on the project, he did not present himself as the "savior" who had just ridden into town on a shiny white horse to bring deliverance to a needy people. Nehemiah identified himself with the plight of God's people by saying: "You see the trouble we are in . . . Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and we will no longer be in disgrace." He saw himself as one of them. He also told them about how gracious God had been to him. By so doing, he was able to get the support of the necessary people who needed to be involved in the arduous task of rebuilding the wall. Because of his wise and humble approach, the people responded: "Let us start rebuilding."
Unlike Nehemiah, there are many who would have ridden into town and thrown their weight about because they had a "mandate from God" and the political backing of the king. But Nehemiah was very discreet in his approach. He was humble in his dealings and thereby enjoyed the support of the leaders in Jerusalem. Sometimes, it is best to approach our "divine vision" in a very discreet way because no matter how gifted we are or favored by God, arrogance and pride will only cause people to oppose us out of mere spite. Think about it!
Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah waited for three days and then he set out at night to examine the task at hand with just a few other people. In his own words: "I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem . . . The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing because as yet, I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work." Nehemiah's approach was full of wisdom.
First, he took the time to examine the project at hand before announcing the purpose of his trip to Jerusalem. Nehemiah carefully examined the broken walls and torn gates so that he could speak intelligently about what needed to be done for the rebuilding project. He allowed himself time to become conversant with the problem at hand before talking about the solution.
Second, when he gathered the leaders and other officials who were going to work with him on the project, he did not present himself as the "savior" who had just ridden into town on a shiny white horse to bring deliverance to a needy people. Nehemiah identified himself with the plight of God's people by saying: "You see the trouble we are in . . . Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and we will no longer be in disgrace." He saw himself as one of them. He also told them about how gracious God had been to him. By so doing, he was able to get the support of the necessary people who needed to be involved in the arduous task of rebuilding the wall. Because of his wise and humble approach, the people responded: "Let us start rebuilding."
Unlike Nehemiah, there are many who would have ridden into town and thrown their weight about because they had a "mandate from God" and the political backing of the king. But Nehemiah was very discreet in his approach. He was humble in his dealings and thereby enjoyed the support of the leaders in Jerusalem. Sometimes, it is best to approach our "divine vision" in a very discreet way because no matter how gifted we are or favored by God, arrogance and pride will only cause people to oppose us out of mere spite. Think about it!
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the vision you have so graciously given to me. I pray for humility and the wisdom to go about things in a very discreet and respectful way as I share it with others whose support is needed to accomplish it. Amen.