In these first chapters we learn something important about the secret of Nehemiah’s success as a leader and man of God. This is a place to review these leadership characteristics. There are five of them.
1. Nehemiah’s closeness to God, his prayerfulness. Nothing is more characteristic of Nehemiah than his closeness to God, expressed most often by his praying to God on all occasions. We have seen it before. We see it two more times in this chapter (in vv. 9, 14). Nehemiah saw everything that happened to him within a spiritual framework.
2. Nehemiah’s sense of calling to a task. In secular terms it is a matter of objectives. Robert Townsend, author of Up the Organization and Further Up the Organization, writes that “one of the important functions of a leader is to make the organization concentrate on its objectives.”1 Nehemiah had a strong sense of his one great initial objective, which was to rebuild the wall. But it also went beyond that. Above all, he knew himself to be God’s man and to have a call to God’s service.
3. Nehemiah’s self-awareness, his knowledge of his own worth. This was not a vain self-assessment. The gifts Nehemiah had were from God; he would not have had them otherwise. But this aside, he knew that he had them and was therefore not the least bit overawed by the task he was given or intimidated by his adversaries. We should have an equally strong sense of personal value. We should know that we are equipped by God for whatever task He has for us.
4. Nehemiah’s extraordinary discernment. Nehemiah also showed great discernment, being able to detect in every subterfuge of the enemy exactly what was going on. Where did he get such discernment? Some of it may have been a natural gift, of course. But a large part of it must have come from his spiritual experience and understanding. Do you remember those words spoken about Jesus near the beginning of John’s gospel? Jesus had cleansed the temple and was creating a great stir. Many who saw His miracles were believing on Him. “But,” we are told, “Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man” (John 2:24-25). Jesus did not have exalted opinions about human beings. Therefore, He was able to keep His perspective and pursue His own course. It was the same with Nehemiah. He knew what was in man. Therefore, he was not beguiled even by the most subtle devices of His enemies. He was able to focus on the real issues and priorities.
5. Nehemiah’s great courage. We must not forget this element, for many have had other important gifts and yet have failed in times of testing because of a lack of it. “Should a man like me run away?” Nehemiah asked (6:11). John White comments, “The words echo across the centuries to us. Like Nehemiah we live in days when we must let our courage be seen by the way we act and speak. It will help us, perhaps, to realize that true courage does not consist in the absence of fear but in doing what God wants even when we are afraid, disturbed and hurt.”2
Who is not afraid at times? Who is not disturbed? Who is not hurt? We all are. Yet it is precisely when we yield those fears to God and press on that we show leadership.
1Robert Townsend, Further Up the Organization (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984), 155.
2John White, Excellence in Leadership: Reaching Goals with Prayer, Courage and Determination (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 104.
