I love learning about leadership. I’m thankful for an immense collection of resources on the subject: John Maxwell books, Craig Groeschel podcasts, and Empowerment Mentoring calls. But for me, my first and foremost source for wisdom on leadership will always be the Bible.
I’ve read Nehemiah before, but until recently I never knew it was a book filled with leadership principles. This time as I was reading I tried to collect the lessons I learned from its pages specifically about godly, effective leadership. Nehemiah is one of my new favorite dudes.
It was really cool to read something familiar and still gain new knowledge. I love that the Holy Spirit is an unlimited source for wisdom. If you want to learn more about leadership while reading the Bible, tell him! It’ll start to seem like it’s on the surface of the text–you won’t believe you’ve never noticed it before!
But that’s how the Lord works. He won’t bother us with his knowledge and wisdom if we don’t yearn for it. Ask, and you’ll receive. Knock, and he will open the door.
Leadership in Nehemiah
Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. (2:4)
One of the first things I learned about Nehemiah is that he prays a lot. I love this verse because it shows his wisdom about the order of our steps. Before he tells the king he wants to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, he prays to God. He knows that, without the King of Heaven’s favor, he would never be able to gain the favor of an earthly king. He also knows that God’s way is the best way.
And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. (4:9)
Prayer is powerful by itself, but a godly leader knows that we have to move forward if we want to see results. Nehemiah doesn’t just sit in his room and pray all day–no, he takes action. He trusts God to protect his people and the work they’re doing, but he also knows that he ought to do everything in his power to make sure his people prosper.
As soon as I heard [the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down] I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (1:4)
Nehemiah prays out of pure passion for his people. David writes in Psalms that God gives us the desires of our heart, but he doesn’t just mean that God grants us the desires of our heart. He means that, when we love God, our desires become God’s desires. We want what God wants. And, clearly, God wants freedom and restoration for his people in Jerusalem. Nehemiah, out of love for God and people, desperately wants the same. This passion spurs him to movement, prompts him to take on his leadership role in rebuilding Jerusalem’s defenses.
And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of [our enemies]. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” (4:14)
This verse, along with the descriptions of building the wall in chapter 3, shows us that Nehemiah promotes hard work as well as unity among the people. He encourages them as equals, from the wealthy to the servants, to be bold in their work and not to fear opposition. He also delegates effectively–in order to rebuild the wall in such a short amount of time (51 days to be exact), he knows the people of Judah have to work hard, and work together.
But Nehemiah doesn’t just command the people to do all the work themselves. The most effective and beloved leaders participate in the work. They’re humble, and because of their passion to accomplish what they’ve started they will do anything to see it completed. This kind of humility is contagious, and attracts attention and favor from other leaders as well.
I said to the king [in Susa], “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” (2:5)
Humble leaders are also sure that their leadership doesn’t harm their followers. Nehemiah refuses to take the governor’s daily ration, because he knows that it raises taxes and becomes a burden for the people. He strives to provide for others before he provides for himself. His sacrifice also holds him above the temptation of corruption.
The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration […] but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. (5:15)
This wisdom to avoid the snares of corruption and pride could have only come from the Holy Spirit, who also provides Nehemiah with discernment about Shemaiah’s evil intentions.
And I understood and saw that God had not sent [Shemaiah], but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because [our enemies] had hired him. For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin (6:12-13).
Nehemiah’s discernment isn’t the only reason he is able to avoid this setback. He is so focused on rebuilding the wall that he refuses to leave, saying, “why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (6:3), and thereby escapes another plot to destroy his leadership.
Yet, Nehemiah does not value his leadership so much that he neglects to raise up other leaders. He realizes that he is only one man, and he must empower other leaders to finish the work they’ve started.
I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. (7:2)
He understands the most important qualifications for leaders: faithful, and God-fearing. He delegates, but he doesn’t delegate to just anyone. In chapter 11 he also appoints leaders for various positions within the city of Jerusalem, to take charge over the temple as well as the defenses, all who were “valiant men” (11:6).
And all the people went their way […] to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. (8:12)
Of all the leaders Nehemiah empowers, he is able to influence them because he relates to them in a way they identify with and understand. He treats them as equals, as fellow participants in rebuilding the holy city, instilling in them his same joy and passion for God’s work.
For all these people, Nehemiah is the first to sign a covenant to endorse and support their community’s continual relationship with God. This covenant ensures that the people will devote their tithe to the temple, take part in commemorative feasts, and obey the Sabbath.
And yet, the people break their word. Nehemiah returns to find that they have disrespected the Sabbath and neglected the temple of the Lord. Rather than blaming them for their sin, as their leader Nehemiah takes responsibility for their actions.
Remember me, oh my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service. (13:14)
He repents for the people, and makes things right again. He appoints new leaders, confronts the people’s sins, and commands that the covenant will not be broken. He cleanses the people and provides a way for them to turn from their sin.
These are the ways of the godly leader. Nehemiah wasn’t perfect, but he’s a great example of a leader in the Bible. His devotion to God is his main weapon against evil forces–if met with opposition, he’s confident in the power of prayer, hard work, and unity. When met with failure (because every leader encounters failure at some point), he fails forward. He maintains a positive attitude rooted in God’s unfailing mercy, and uses others’ failures to provide him with wisdom for moving forward.
He’s profoundly spiritual, yet humbly practical.
At the end of the book, he reveals his goal (which should be our cry as well): “remember us, oh God, for good!”
mary[elizabeth]taylor 