Nehemiah 3:1 – 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 the Hananel.
As we examine what is considered by many to be the most boring and irrelevant chapter in the entire book, it’s curious to note that some Bible commentaries skip it altogether. For those who are willing to read chapter 3 carefully and prayerfully, there is much that God will impart to them because if something is in the Bible, it must be significant. Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Sometimes, our “good work” involves a hard day’s labor, just like our Lord who spent 90% of his life swinging a hammer.
In this chapter, we can glean eight principles that are important for leaders to consider when they’re tackling a task.
8 Principles for Leaders
- Everything rises and falls with leadership.
- Singular headship, plural leadership.
- Delegate and elevate.
- Look for “old stones” to repurpose.
- Look outside your team to round out your team.
- A diverse team is the best team.
- A culture of honor is godly. A culture of dishonor is ungodly.
- A unified team without a superstar is better than a superstar without the team.
In reading the long list of names, we see how God acknowledges and even honors the hard work of those who love Him and labor to make His name great. In the spirit of Nehemiah 3, it is encouraging to make a habit of acknowledging and thanking people who are humbly serving in your ministry, doing the hard work that no one sees but that everyone benefits from.
What importance do you see placed on healthy, unified, hard-working teams in Nehemiah 3?