Nehemiah, chapter 3 | Pablo Rios

Team work.– God planned for man to share the work, there is a special blessing when we work in teams.

Our verse of reference in Nehemiah 3 is:

“Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.” (Nehemiah 3:20 NIV).

Reflection

Workign in teams strength speeds-up the work.

Historical Commentary.- The general population were all encoraged and filled with patriotism. Men of influence organized the people into groups according to various categories, and each leader was responsible for building part of the wall. It has been writen that “each in front of his own house.” Nehemiah’s energy did not decreased and tireless guarded and oversaw the construction, he guided the workers, looked after the hardships and attended to all emergencies. Throughout the entire three miles of the walls [five kilometers], Nehemiah’s influence was constantly felt. With timely words he encouraged the fearful, woke up stragglers and praiced the diligent PR 472.

Include women in the work groups.- It is unusual to find this in the Old Testament, it was a patriarchal culture, but the bible says: “Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.” (verse 12), thesewomen did some heavy work. I encourage all readers to involve the women in decision making. God gave them insight and vision, which are complementary to that of men.

There is strength in numbers.- The preliminary report of Nehemiah in Chapter 3, there are the names of the leaders who shaped their teams to the reconstruction of the wall and their doors. Nehemiah gives us examples of participative leadership, because he managed to motivate the people and include them in the Work, and many did it with great enthusiasm. When a project becames “every body’s project”, success is assured, pray and ask God to achieve this unity in our work and church.

Prayer

Dear wise Father, grant us a portion of your wisdom to work together and form teams that can overcome the spiritual, intellectuals and professional challenges we face. In the name of Jesus, amen.

By Dr. Franz Rios and Pablo Rios.

List of Adventist Universities