Nehemiah 2 - Moral Imperative

“So the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." – Nehemiah 2:2

The Book of Nehemiah is filled with leadership and faith lessons. But verse 2 shows the heart behind his journey. It shows the fact that Nehemiah’s desire to rebuild the wall was so strong, that it impacted his demeanor beyond his ability to conceal it. His passion was great.

We all have passions. Some are personal and self-serving. Some come from within ourselves and are for the greater good. And others are simply God ordained. How do we know the difference?

There are times we must take steps in the unknown, hoping that in faith we find our way. That’s part of the journey. But I also firmly believe that there is a place where faith in the unknown can be overtaken by a simple opportunity to follow in obedience. What I mean by that is when God makes it so obvious He is leading, that follow through becomes a moral imperative.

This is the place where passion is found. The place where the conviction is so strong, His hand is so evident, and His Word so clear, that it consumes us.

So what are we praying for? Are our prayers filled with the simple, mundane, or even selfish? While I believe God cares about the intimate details of our lives… we do not thrive in those things. We thrive in the areas of God’s great movement. We thrive in the areas where our passion focuses on something beyond us. We thrive in finding such a worthy calling as rebuilding the wall.

My wall has become obvious. It’s the bricks, the mortar, and the workers who have become my daily passion, and the city within.

“There was an immediate answer to his prayer; for the seed of Jacob never sought the God of Jacob in vain.” – M. Henry

1 Sam 26 - Making of a Man

This is a great look at the repetition of God’s faithfulness in his journey with Saul. And in it we find God’s dual purpose playing out (if not more). Along this journey is an opportunity, and as a leader, David jumps on it:

“David then asked…"Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?" "I'll go with you," said Abishai. So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.” 1 Samuel 6-7

Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won't strike him twice." But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go." – 1 Samuel 27:8-10

Here we certainly see the "making of a man". It’s a biblical and historical example of one leader investing in another. David did not need to bring anyone with him. It probably would have been easier and less risk to go alone. Yet he chose to. And he took the one who volunteered to go. Could you imagine the faith in a leader you would have to have, and the courage that you would have to possess, in order to walk into a camp like this with just the two of you?

God continued to build David's faith as well as Abishai's. He’s teaching us too. He’s teaching us that no matter our capability or our courage... we are nothing with out a word from God and a trust that when we follow it, God will be shown faithful.