Biblical Leadership & Ethics

Week Four – Case Study:

Nehemiah: God's Project Manager

1. As Nehemiah became aware of what God was calling him to do, what sequence of actions did he take before finally receiving authorization and committing to go? Would this approach still be appropriate today?

Nehemiah's first action was to pray and seek what action God wanted him to take. He was able to carefully prepare his plan. It was a fully planned action that he wanted to take and was able to develop all the details that he would need to accomplish the task. He estimated how long his task would take and what supplies he would need to complete the job. By asking the King for letters of approval to accommodate each leg of his journey, the building project, and finally the ongoing needs of the city.

Today this approach would still seem to be appropriate. It is to everyones benefit if the plan is well thought out and planned in a way that identifies where possible problems may arise and have the action ready when difficult circumstances are presented. I tend to be a planner by nature and have recently been forced into acting before the plan is laid. It has helped me to improvise on the go, but it has not been easy or comfortable for my employees to follow that kind of leadership.

2. When Nehemiah had assessed the task God called him to undertake, how did he exercise exceptional leadership in enlisting support and motivating his followers?

One of the keys to the successful completion of the plan was enlisting the support of the highest possible authority. This guy (the king) had power and by his reaction to Nehemiah, some authority as well. It was important that the King was on his side from the beginning. Once Nehemiah was on the way and gathering his countrymen, he was continually reminding them of truth that God had promised them. This was the place of His dwelling and the land he had promised to the Israelites many years before. Although the encouragement helped, it was also the input that he solicited form the people and getting their “buy-in”. Then he was able to delegate the project to the people who would do the work and gave personal responsibility that mattered to each one. It is interesting to note that many of the people who were working on rebuilding a section of wall were building the section that protected their personal home. Not only were they rebuilding the city but they were also fulfilling the psychological need for security.

3. Much of what can be taken from the record of Nehemiah’s actions is implied and not directly stated. From the way he organized this project, what can you infer about his ability to balance the dynamics of task and relationship with his followers? Use specific examples.

He was trying to accomplish a task, rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. To do this required a lot of planning and the participation of many people. He got them personally involved by reminding them who they were as a nation, reinforcing the promises they had received through their fathers from God, and getting them to contribute to the well being of their families by fixing the wall nearest their homes. I think all three of these contributed to the personal involvement of each person and their willingness to sacrifice for the persecuted nation whom God loved.

4. Based on the actions he took when he learned that external enemies planned to disrupt his project and harm his workers, what needs did Nehemiah meet for them that enabled them to stay on task? What steps did he take to meet them?

Safety during the building project was always an issue. They were in a land occupied by other nations that were desperately trying to keep them down. These are the same people God had earlier defeated when he gave the Israelites their promised inheritance. Now because of sin, God had allowed them to dominate their nation and even taken them into captivity. When Nehemiah heard of the plan to attack the workers, he did two things correctly. First, he told each person that the risk of attack was present, which was probably not a great way to encourage a people who are working at an incredible pace to keep the tight schedule. Although it was uncomfortable for Nehemiah to tell them the opposite of what they wanted to hear, he was able to establish trust that he was looking out for the workers. Then, he informed them of the plan to mitigate the severity of the attack. Posting guards and having each man work with a weapon handy in case of attack, enabled that fear to be reduced. They had a plan and were ready for anything but they also knew that God was ensuring the success of the project.

5. In the course of obeying God’s calling and completing the task he was charged with, Nehemiah received delegated power from the king. How did he go about establishing the authority he needed to be a credible leader?

Once he had rebuilt the wall the next task was to reestablish the temple and the city in general. He served 150 men at his table and went through incredible amounts of food. It is noted that Nehemiah was serving these people from his own pocket and on top of that he did not even collect the “taxes” he was authorized to take. His entire focus was on ensuring the people who would be left to run the city were prepared. He preached many sermons to expose some of the problems the rulers had fallen into and God turned their hearts to actually do the right things. They stopped forcing those who were in debt to sell their property or their families into slavery. All of Nehemiah's actions showed that he was more concerned about the people and God's promise being fulfilled than his own personal gratification.

6. When immoral and unethical behavior threatened to destroy the project from within, how did Nehemiah resolve the crisis? What different roles did his power and authority play?

While the building project was still ongoing the leaders of the city were forcing the builders to continue paying “usury”. These were the same builders who were making the sacrifice of their time and willingly putting themselves at risk of death for the safety of the rest of the city. God used the words of Nehemiah to soften and change the hard hearts of the unreasonable nobles. They turned from the unethical ways and became supporters of the cause. That is where he was able to use the authority gained earlier to change the thinking of these people. Then he exercised his power by forcing them to commit to the change of heart; he made them swear before God that they would then support them. If he had not forced the oath, it is likely that the leaders and nobles would return to the unethical policy in a short while.

7. When the building project was complete, what steps did Nehemiah take that demonstrated his concern for the sustainability of the rebuilt city? The sustainability of the temple and the priesthood?

Sustainability was obviously important to Nehemiah because every action that he made was in support of the people and the processes God required for Israel to continue. He set up the food and supply chain for the Priests and the others who served in the Temple. He allowed the people to keep more of their wealth by not collecting the taxes that he could rightfully collect. He gave incentives to entice people back to the city to ensure that the infrastructure would be cared for. All these actions were for the people, but they were directed by God. He was the master planner but Nehemiah was ready to listen, serve and carry out the His will.