Nehemiah 7:2- Then I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. NASB
Have you ever been to a church business meeting? They can be interesting events to attend. I’ve attended meetings where some members acted as if they had a right to try and embarass the pastor or other members of the leadership team. But I’ve also been in meetings with mature believers who were truly interested in the ministry of the church.
What I enjoy most about the meetings are the reports that are given from each of the ministries. Hearing about the souls that have been saved, the successful events that took place, and how the ministry is progressing encourages me to continue to give of my time and finances, and to pray for the success of the ministry.
In the seventh chapter of Nehemiah, we find Team Rebuilders have been busy. In chapter six, the walls are finished, and in chapter seven we find that even more progress has taken place. Not only that, Nehemiah starts addressing the needs of the city, or as some would say, getting things in order!
Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed..
Nehemiah 7:1 NASB
After the rebuilding the walls, Nehemiah had the doors installed and appointed gatekeepers. All of this was done to ensure the safety of the people who were living in Jerusalem. After taking care of natural responsibilities, he appointed singers and Levites to direct the people back to worship. For Nehemiah, everything that they had done was for one purpose, to lead the people back to God.
Isn’t that the purpose of ministry? To bring people to God? Whether they have strayed from Him or have never known Him, all that we do in church shoud be designed to bring people into a relationship with God!
Nehemiah doesn’t stop there! He chooses leaders for Jerusalem:
then I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.
Nehemiah 7:2 NASB
Nehemiah chose his brother Hanani to be in charge of Jersualem. Remember that the conspiracy theorist, Sanballat, tried to make it seem that Nehemiah wanted to be king! Hanani is the same brother we met in the first chapter who made Nehemiah aware of the state of Jersualem.
Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol, that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 1:1-2 NASB
As we can see, not only did Hanani share with Nehemiah what was going on, he also made the trek back to Jerusalem to help him rebuild the walls. No wonder Nehemiah decided that his brother should lead Jersualem. Nehemiah had firsthand knowledge of the concern that Hanani had for Jersualem and its inhabitants. He saw the dedication and hard work that Hanani put into the rebuilding of the wall. He was probably a counselor and a huge support to Nehemiah during the entire venture, so naturally Nehemiah thought he would be a great leader.
Sometimes when we see family members working in ministry together, we immediately think that nepotism has to be the reason. And in some cases, that may be true. But what could also be true is that the person is qualified to be in that position. That family member also probably earned the trust of their relative and was placed in the position because of it. Such was probably the case with Hanani and Nehemiah. So, yes, they were brothers, but Hanani brought the need to Nehemiah in the first place, demonstrating his great concern for his brethren.
Hananiah was also placed in charge of Jerusalem as a co-leader. Nehemiah said that Hananiah was a man who feared God more than most and he was also a faithful man. Faithful people who fear God are more valuable than talented people. Only a lot of leaders don’t truly believe that. They often take talented people over reliable people, later regretting it. Whenever I am leading a ministry, I am more interested in a person’s relationship with God and their faithfulness. I’m not interested in giving people positions who have already proven they are not trustworthy, or they don’t truly fear God. I find that kingdom work is too important to trust to people who are not committed to God and the things of God. That’s my personal opinion, but I’m backed by the word!
Nehemiah understood that he had to return to Persia to serve the king. But before he left, he wanted to make sure that all of his hard work would continue on and have every opportunity to be a success. I believe this was the motivation for him getting the affairs of Jerusalem in order. After appointing men whom he respected and who had earned his trust to lead the people of Jerusalem, he turned his attention to the protection of the citizens.
Then I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, the gatekeepers are to keep the doors shut and bolted. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.”
Nehemiah 7:3 NASB
Jerusalem now has leaders who will work to keep them unified and focused on God. All of this was important. But Nehemiah knew that there would be others who would want to attack Jerusalem, therefore, he instructed them to keep the doors to the city locked at night and to post guards at the gates to the city and in front of their homes. Sanballat and others like him didn’t want to lose control over the city they had been used to exploiting. They had already tried to destroy Nehemiah, so it was important to Nehemiah that the citizens be prepared to protect themselves from their enemies.
These verses in chapter seven bless me. Nehemiah was a strong, godly leader. As such, he was not only interested in his assignment of rebuilding the wall, but he was also interested in the people of the city. He wanted to provide them with safety, leadership, and protection so that they would have a greater chance of prospering.
The church has many great leaders who have the same heart for the work of God and the people of God that Nehemiah had. They work hard to meet the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of the people. They fear God and live to be faithful! They are not God, but they take their responsibilities from God seriously, and they have His people in their heart. I know quite a few of these leaders! They are a blessing!
As believers, our hearts response to the leadership of godly individuals should be to support them in prayer and be faithful workers who will get the job done! Tough decisions may have to happen when leaders are focused on their vision; but if we keep them in prayer, support them in the work, and endeavor to be faithful, I believe that God will bless us! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 