The Benefits of a Building Project

Nehemiah 3 picks up the story of a building project seemingly underway instantaneously. Just before, in chapter 2, Nehemiah was only inspecting the walls and hearing the threats of his enemies. He had just finished calling upon the men to join him in the work and declared that God’s hand would be upon them and they would prosper. How was it that this man got the people to work so fast after decades of inactivity? 

Nehemiah 3:1 (ESV) Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.

This is how the chapter begins and ends… a long list of men who rose up to build. But there is a consistent refrain in the passage and a consistent reality that runs through the text like a thread yielding an insight into this building project we should learn well. 

First, the phrase, “next to” appears repeatedly among the over 40 family names here. Second, the name “son” and “daughter” appear throughout the list. A few examples:

Nehemiah 3:2 (ESV) And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

Nehemiah 3:4 (ESV) And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired.

Nehemiah 3:12 (ESV) Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.

Here’s a simple hint at how you rebuild a city. You get families and neighbors working together. Families are the backbone of a society. Any society that devalues the biological family God intends is headed for disaster. Such a nation becomes a collection of individuals bent on their own desires and “dreams” at the expense of everyone around them. Secondly, any society that forgets we are all family through Adam and therefore neighbors of each other will divide and be conquered. This seems to be what’s happening in America right now. Our hyper isolation fed consistently by i-devices that segregate us alone with strangers on a screen yelling at us about how bad the “other” people are is really starting to take a toll. We’ve stopped building our cities and started using them for selfish gain leading to either apathetic wealth or abject poverty. 

Thirdly, in Nehemiah’s project people from all kinds of stations in life were involved. The perfumers built, the priests built, the rulers built and the temple servants built. This is a community that has bonded together for ONE purpose and in that moment they were not defined by their status but by the project they worked on together - the city of God. 

This is what the church needs to see today. We are all kinds of different people from all kinds of background but we are ALL involved in building the church. 

We are built together…

Ephesians 2:22 (ESV) In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

We belong to each other…

Romans 12:5 (ESV) so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

And we are alive together. 

1 Peter 2:4-5 (ESV) As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, [5] you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

What binds us together - the body of Christ - is more important than any distinction that could drive us apart. In a world of hyper-connected disconnection, the Church can be a counter society of community and care that tells the world there’s a better, richer way to live. 

May God awaken us to what He’s building us to be. Amen.