Seven Lessons in Servant Leadership: Nehemiah

Lesson Four
The Importance of Delegating Effectively

Reflection
Rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem was undoubtedly no small feat. The wall carried tremendous significance for the city. Not only would it serve as a means of security for its inhabitants from wild animals, bandits, and foreign adversaries, but without a wall, it would have been unlikely for any city in the ancient Near East to survive. The wall, along with the Temple, rebuilt under the direction of Zerubbabel in 515 B.C., would also serve as symbols of restored identity and unity of purpose for the Jews who recently returned from exile. *see notes below.  To complete such an enormous task, he would have to delegate responsibility to the city's people, putting his leadership and organizational skills to the test. Chapter three provides more insight into how Nehemiah went about executing his plan.

As noted in previous lessons, Nehemiah took deliberate steps to assess the situation. However, before jumping to action in conventional terms, Nehemiah took the matter to the Lord in prayer. (Neh 1:4-11) After he arrived in Jerusalem, Nehemiah spent three days before heading out at night with a small band of trusted allies to inspect the wall. The biblical text does not explicitly state what Nehemiah did during those first three days; however, one can speculate that the time he spent before physically inspecting the wall allowed him to evaluate the city's atmosphere and identify key individuals he would need to complete his mission. After examining the wall, Nehemiah put his plan into action. 

Application

A close look at chapter three provides a comprehensive list of individuals Nehemiah selected to tackle specific portions of the wall. Eliashib and the high priests built the Sheep Gate (Neh 3:1); meanwhile, the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. (Neh 3:3) Note that the text explicitly names the individuals Nehemiah selected, giving them ownership of that particular task.  He chose from various professions and skill sets and assigned them to specific portions of the wall. It is one thing for a leader to delegate responsibility; it is important, however, to assign the right people to the appropriate task according to their experience and ability. 

Amazingly, the carefully coordinated effort only took 52 days to complete, highlighting the efficiency with which they worked. Nehemiah selected the right people for the work and gave them specific tasks, and due to the speed with which they successfully completed the project, one can assume that he supported them by ensuring they had the resources to complete the job. The project, however, was not without controversy. 

In the next reflection, we will look again at Nehemiah to learn how leaders can successfully handle opposition from both expected and unexpected sources. 

Yours in Christ,

Brad

*Historical Background
Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, initiating the 70-year Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people. (2 Kings 25:1-6) (Jeremiah 39:2) The Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem by King Cyrus of Persia in 536. B.C. (Ezra 1:1-11) Zerubbabel, the appointed governor of Judea appointed by the Persians, led this first group of exiled Jews.  Zerubbabel, along with another group of exiles led by the scribe and scholar Ezra, was permitted to return during the reign of Persian King Artaxerxes I in 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-26, 8). The final group of exiles returned to Jerusalem under the direction of Nehemiah in 444 B.C.

*Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.,A History of Israel: From the Bronze Age through the Hewish Wars. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 1998.