To be or not to be

It isn’t often that I find myself laughing when reading the Bible in the morning; but today I found myself chuckling into my bran flakes when reading the book of Nehemiah.

The little book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament has been a personal favourite for some years now, it is a microcosm of human behaviour within a very confined and difficult set of circumstances.

A number of years ago I was asked to lead a Bible study in our home and (after a lot of prayer) we chose this book as our study text. For the next year we looked at the passages in great detail week by week and learned a tremendous amount of relevant lessons.

This man Nehemiah was an extraordinary leader, but he was first of all a man of great spiritual depth; he fasted and mourned over the state of his people while himself living in enforced exile in a pagan nation.  He had responsibility for carrying the Kings cup (one of the most trusted positions in the land) and had access to power which he used responsibly.

He carried a burden in his heart for many months after his fasting before receiving an answer and authority to rebuild Jerusalem.

What these people achieved under the leadership of this man was nothing short of incredible; in fifty two days (not months or years) they totally rebuilt a ruined city wall and made it secure. They did this against a backdrop of opposition and a continuous barrage of vitriol from the local leaders

The work was delayed because they needed to have armed guards (who should have been working as well) protecting them as they worked. People worked on the reparations who were jewellers, perfumers and priests; some worked under duress and others tried to profit from the whole enterprise.But in spite of everything, the wall was completed and dedicated, a passover feast was celebrated and there was great rejoicing.

So what was it that made me laugh today?

Well, in the list of food provisions for the governors table of 150 covers per day was this statement

“And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine”

This was over the course of his twelve year tenure; now I hear many church people taking a large intake of breath at this point and that is exactly the point I want to make.

This Godly man who accomplished one of the most startling regeneration projects in the Bible in the face of insurmountable odds, who kept his head and kept the peace while keeping everyone encouraged to complete the task assigned; on a daily basis got through a mountain of wine.

Frankly, I am not that interested in the many for and against debates; I understand and agree with both. However,  the thing that struck me upon reading this statement was how insignificant a matter it was in the grand scheme of what was being accomplished.

That’s the point,  when people are busy, the little arguments that come up are quickly redirected into action. In a church setting there are desperately hurting people sitting in pews and comfy seats listening to polished sermons about what they ought not to be doing while dying inside with no one to understand.

The preacher is talking about ‘to drink or not to drink’ while the person is sitting like Hamlet wondering ‘to be or not to be.’ (literally, to live in not to live)

Of course there are many intricacies to each situation, but my concern is for the hurting souls in the house of God.

We need to look at the Why of people’s actions and address that instead of jumping on the What

Paul in 1 Corinthians 8 said

“But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.”

God help us to learn again to build together and may He raise up men like Nehemiah with the vision to lead.