Nehemiah’s Leadership Lessons in Ch.4

In Chuck Swindoll's "Hand me A Brick", he mentioned:

God’s will didn’t allow the wall to be built without opposition.

It was before the wall was half-finished that the workers began to be bombarded with the sarcastic words of the critics. While not all criticism is of the devil, this criticism was. It was destructive and disturbing. Every leader must develop the ability to measure the value or worth of criticism. He has to determine the source and the motive, and he has to listen with discernment. Sometimes the best course of action is to respond to criticism and learn from it. Other times, it must be completely ignored. I don’t want us to miss three very practical truths that can be gleaned from Nehemiah 4 about criticism.

1. It is impossible to lead anyone without facing opposition. The leader must learn to take the heat. He will face opposition—its an occupational hazard of every leader. Darts will be thrown.

2. It is essential to face opposition in prayer. The first response to opposition must be prayer. Prayer is the single, most-often-overlooked discipline in the Christian life among leaders. This principle should be applied in business, at home, and at school, as well as at church. Never am I used of God more significantly than when I am praying for my critics. But what do we do when a harsh word is spoken to us? We usually shout louder. The recent argument in your home lasted as long as it did because one of you kept yelling. Arguments are never a one-way street. They run in twos; sometimes in packs. If you want to stop an argument, close your mouth. The other person will usually just run down. If you want to keep the argument going, answer the complaint or criticism in a harsh way.

3. Prayer is not all that is necessary if opposition grows. That was true of David. He prayed when Saul was after him, but he also ran like mad! When opposition intensified, he ran faster. When it got worse, he hid in more obscure places. In most cases, the critic isn’t worth the worry. But if the leader has prayed and yet finds himself facing intensified opposition, common sense must be employed.

Critics demoralize. Leaders encourage. When the critics spoke, the workmen heard them and were demoralized. But when the capable leader stepped up and said, “Let’s look at it God’s way; stay with the job,” the crew members were back in there with those trowels and wheelbarrows, putting together the stone and the mortar, the gates and the hinges.

Intensified opposition against the will of God calls for an intensified response. Nehemiah not only heard the opposition, but he also analyzed available data, prayed, and took decisive, practical action. He said, “Let’s set up a guard against them.” That was a common-sense response. He persisted by taking up arms.

But then Nehemiah faced the next challenge: discouragement. It came first from Judah, which was very surprising, and next from those Jews who lived near the critics—which was very significant. Nehemiah rolled up his sleeves like a good leader and dealt with the discouragement. I find five techniques he employed that worked for him and will still work today:

1. Unify Your Efforts Toward a Goal. The first thing Nehemiah did was unify the people around the same goal. According to Nehemiah 4:13, The builders have been scattered all over Jerusalem working together with stones, water, and mortar, and yet separated from their families. Nehemiah unified them according to families and gave each one a common goal—preservation. He turned their attention from themselves to the enemy, from the discouragement of self-pity to the goal of self-preservation. He “tightened the ranks” and thereby encouraged the disheartened.

2. Direct Your Attention to the Lord. Next, he directed their attention to the Lord (Nehemiah 3:14). They were looking at the rubbish. They needed to be looking to the Lord.

3. Maintain a Balance in Your Thoughts and Actions. What did Nehemiah do next in his attempt to thwart discouragement? He encouraged the Jews to maintain a balance. Nehemiah 4:17 is a basic fact of the Christian life. I’m really weary of Christians who do nothing but fight, but of equal concern is the Christian who says there is never a reason to fight. I heartily agree with a balanced philosophy of life that encourages both building and batling.

4. Determine a Rallying Point. The fourth thing that Nehemiah did was to provide a rallying point. What was the rallying point? First of all, it was a place, but it also suggests a principle. The place was wherever the sound of the trumpet was coming from. Nehemiah ordered, “Whenever you hear that trumpet sound, you come running to the spot where the bugler is standing.” The principle: Don’t try to fight alone.

5. Develop a “Serving Others” Ministry. The fifth and final thing that Nehemiah did to dispel all signs of discouragement among his people was to occupy them in a ministry of serving others. Nehemiah 4:21-22 tells us that they carried on the work. Do you want to know how to be miserable? Be like the late Howard Hughes; live only for yourself. Use I, me, and my as often as possible. Turn all your love inward. Think only about your own needs, your desires, your wants, your pleasures. Refuse to love and be loved. Nehemiah said, “Let’s not sit around and lick our own wounds. We need help from one another. Let’s get at the business of caring. Let’s serve. Let’s minister.”

Criticism and discouragement may be tough to handle, but it’s certainly not impossible. Remember, it is not a terminal disease.

J. Oswald Sanders said, "No leader is exempt from criticism, and his humility will nowhere be seen more clearly than in the manner in which he accepts and reacts to it." Pastor Charles Stanley said, "Disappointment is inevitable. But to become discouraged, there's a choice make. God would never discourage me. He would always point me to himself to trust him. Therefore, my discouragement is from Satan. As you go through the emotions that we have, hostility is not from God, bitterness, unforgiveness, all of these are attacks from Satan." May God lead you on.