“The
former governors who were before me (Nehemiah) laid burdens on the people and
took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their
servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of
God.” (v.15)
When Israel was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem under hard and
dangerous conditions, their leader Nehemiah took his turn at both building and
standing guard. Special food was allotted to him as the leader, but he refused
to accept it, unlike his predecessors. He ate from the same rations that were
offered to everyone else (v.18).
As a result, Nehemiah dramatically affected the lives of those
around him. Even rich nobles and high officials listened respectfully as he
rebuked them (vv.7-12). Why? Because of the quality of his life. Whatever he
asked of others, he was willing to do himself. And because Nehemiah joined in
the hard work and refrained from using his position to accumulate wealth, the
leaders couldn't help but listen to what he said.
Nehemiah chose to be a “servant leader” taking his orders from
the LORD and serving those in need, instead of lining his own pockets. What a tremendous example for us to follow
and a foreshadowing of life of Christ as well.
The Truth: “For the
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)
