Around 600 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar razed Jerusalem, destroying the wall that surrounded the holy city. Nearly 200 years later, God gave Nehemiah a strategy for rebuilding that wall. Though the temple and other parts of the city had been rebuilt, the wall that protected Jerusalem was still in disrepair. Through Nehemiah’s story, we can learn profound lessons about the requirements and results of godly collaborations.
Christians entrusted with little or much have the ability to gather together to pray, fellowship, and strategize to see the Lord’s kingdom expand throughout their own cities and countries. This is not a new idea. God gave Nehemiah a vision and a strategy for his city. But it could only be accomplished through the cooperation and collaboration of God’s people … starting right outside their own front doors.
The priests began the work on the gates and their own homes, dedicating what they built to God as they went. Others fell in line, and people from all walks of life joined in, with everyone doing as much as they could, beginning in front of their own homes. Nehemiah 3 is a fascinating look at how, piece-by-piece, the wall came together through the collaboration of the remnant people of Israel.
The priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.
– Nehemiah 3:28
The model Nehemiah implemented was simple, yet highly effective, and it wasn’t just the priests. It involved every family – thousands of them – building the walls in front of their own homes. This kept them focused on what was right in front of them and kept them from becoming overwhelmed by the complexity of the need of the entire community.
But that was only half of the strategy.
Rebuilding the section of wall in front of their own homes was the start, but the overall task of repairing the city wall would not be completed until these individual sections were connected to become part of something greater. They had to collaborate with those on their left and on their right, which required them to build community as they built their own portion of the wall. Genius!
According to Nehemiah’s plan, each family was uniquely called to a specific task. But that task connected their individual calling to the calling of others – in collaboration.
The Scottish economist Adam Smith is credited with coining the term “division of labor.” But you can see how God orchestrates this in Nehemiah, long before Adam Smith. Division of labor works like this: An individual is given a specific task that is different from others, but each task creates a reliance on others working toward completion of the same goal. This kind of collaboration produces community success and in Christian collaboration, can lead to God’s blessing.
For the people of Jerusalem, it ended in victory and an enormous celebration (Nehemiah 12).
Without everyone doing their part and relying on one another, no one would have had the means to achieve the grand goal of rebuilding the wall around the entire city. We won’t accomplish our task either, if we don’t divide the work while depending on God and our communities. When we are giving, it is easy to feel isolated and to feel the weight of large projects depending entirely on us. But Nehemiah’s model is one of a shared burden. We join with others and divide the labor so we can accomplish more together while growing alongside our fellow workers.
Businesses know this. Companies require collaboration and division of labor for effectiveness and efficiency. Why should we think that our efforts for God’s kingdom should be achieved without the same? The plan laid out for Nehemiah was not only effective, it produced results beyond just building a wall. As a formula, it looks like this:
- Everyone is called to a unique task, creating reliance on one another within a family and within a community.
- It ends with achieving the goal.
- It results in everyone becoming part of something greater than themselves.
- In Nehemiah’s day, it produced national transformation in record time.
- And it resulted in hearts turned to God (chapter 8).
Though the task was monumental, and though they faced repeated opposition (chapters 2, 4, and 6), the project led to justice and mercy and caring for the poor (chapter 5). It paved the way for more people to return to the safety of their city (chapter 7), but it also led to repentance and recommitment to God (chapters 9-10).
By starting with what was in front of their own homes, these families practiced collaboration for their holy city, each fulfilling a unique task and accomplishing what many couldn’t if the plan had been organized differently. Starting in front of their own houses, the people of Jerusalem not only rebuilt but restored their devastated kingdom. They also built a unique community of trust, shared commitment to, and dependence on God.
So, how do you see yourself in this story? Do you have a vision for a big project you think God is calling you to do? Consider praying for God to show you an opportunity to share it.
Can you see yourself doing your part in helping establish a vision God has given to someone else? Let someone know you’re willing to help. Are you someone who would pray that the project would lead to confession, repentance, turning to God, and to worship as it did in Nehemiah’s story? Do you collaborate with other givers or wish you did? The opportunities to emulate this kind of collaborative work are everywhere if we pray for God to open our eyes to them. And imagine what could be accomplished!
The best way to start is to look for what is right in front of your own house, do your part, and collaborate with your neighbors – whoever that might be. Pray that God will show you what comes next.
