Side by Side: The Power of Biblical Community

By Dean Collins

You have heard and likely said these phrases a few times:

“It takes a village to …”

“There aren’t enough hours in the day.”

Reading the book of Nehemiah, it seems that all or both of these things were true. The Jewish exiles had arrived back in Jerusalem in waves. Zerubabbel and Ezra arrived well before Nehemiah. The alter had been built. The temple reconstructed. Religious life had restarted. But the walls of the city were still piles of stones on the ground. There was no unified plan as pockets of people acted, as we often do, more focused on their own needs and not the needs of the whole community.

Upon hearing the news of the condition of the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah did what we sometimes forget to do first when facing a challenge. He prayed. Chapter 1 of Nehemiah contains the beautiful and humble prayer of repentance for the failure of God’s people that got them into this situation in the first place: their failure to obey God.

 As Nehemiah ended his prayer, he prayed that God would give him success and mercy in front of the king. The prayer doesn’t tell us exactly what Nehemiah planned, but we learn that as we continue reading each chapter. It seems apparent that through prayer, God had stirred Nehemiah’s heart and mind to take action.

In the second chapter, we watch as Nehemiah the cup bearer of the king allowed the king to see the grief in his heart. He thought it was hidden, but it was obvious to the king that there was something different and difficult going on in Nehemiah’s heart and mind. As Nehemiah opened up to the king, he cast a vision for Jerusalem and asked for both the time and resources to address the situation in Jerusalem.

 We also learn in chapter two that upon arriving, Nehemiah did an assessment of the situation. If we don’t take time to assess, it is hard to do something that fits the need! Nehemiah then laid out his plan to a few others, and in chapter 3 the work of rebuilding began.

I love chapter 3. It isn’t the best or most interesting narrative in the book. In fact, it is rather boring, as the chapter goes on and own with the names of individuals and which gate or door that this person or that person repaired. What makes it beautiful is that we quickly see the power of Nehemiah’s leadership. He had prayed, collected resources, cast the vision, and solicited a few coworkers. But then, one by one, family by family, a community was forming on the joint project of building the walls of Jerusalem which would help protect everyone. 

In chapter 3 we read phrases over and over:

…and next to them, they set the doors.

…and next to him, the placed the bolts and bars.

There weren’t enough hours in the day or days on the calendar for Nehemiah to repair the walls by himself. It did indeed take a village, a community to do the job. And as a result of working together under the leadership of a godly leader, great things were accomplished.

Fast forward hundreds of years later. The resurrected King Jesus commissioned a few to spread his gospel and make disciples of all people. The church was born, and in every case individuals came together side by side to do the work of the king. 

The New Testament is filled with the grand narrative of how the kingdom of God was expanding and how the church was growing. And as you read the New Testament, you find a familiar phrase over and over. Jesus and Paul often spoke of doing things to and for one another.

Love one another.

Honor one another.

Show hospitality to one another.

Be kind to one another.

Forgive one another.

Encourage one another. 

These are just a few of the many things that followers of Christ are to live together. And when we do these things, we will discover what Nehemiah saw with his own eyes. Community will be formed. And when a community begins to do things next to each other, they will discover that walls that need built for someone in need will become possible. When food is needed by someone in the community, they can be fed. Shoulder to shoulder, practicing the “one anothers” of scripture, there is nothing that can stop the church from expanding throughout the whole world. 

Father, thank you for the example of Nehemiah, who showed the people of Jerusalem how to work together to accomplish the things of God. Thank you for the teachings of the New Testament that show us the same. Lord, today show us who we need to stand with to do the work you call us to in the places where you have shown us we need to serve. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Your Time with God’s Word
Nehemiah 1-3 ESV

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