Taking One Game at a Time

“We take it one game at a time.” It’s one of the classic pieces of folks call “coach speak.” It’s the way leaders in sports remind their players how they can’t play more than one opponent at a time. You can’t mope around after your last loss. You can’t keep celebrating your last victory. You need to move on and move forward. Here in Nehemiah 7:1-4, we see the governor moving forward after completing the massive project of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days. Immediately after they lay the last stone and hang the last gate, Nehemiah finds out some of the most influential families are still playing footsie with the enemy, Tobiah the Ammonite (Neh 6:17). Come to find out, this outlaw is one of their in-laws (Neh 6:18). The walls may be up but the city is still in great danger. Nehemiah keeps Jerusalem at DEFCON 1. He maintains a Homeland Security Threat Level Red. He does this not because of his lack of faith but because it is so deep. Because he trusts God, he takes the next step. He moves forward. Nehemiah’s a man who puts his deep faith into quick action.

Once again, the governor reminds us that the city’s defenses are back in a position the people haven’t seen for 140 years. “The wall had been built and I had set up the doors” (v2). God has used Nehemiah and the people to pull off the miraculous reconstruction project in just 52 days (Neh 6:15)! For you Trekkies out there, this is when Spock reassures Captain Kirk that the shields are back up on the Starship Enterprise. The people of Jerusalem are in a position to defend themselves once again. But this involves so much more than simply sitting behind the brand new walls and kicking back with a cold one. Nehemiah appoints “the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites” (v1). Gatekeepers. That makes sense. But what do they have to do with the singers and Levites? How is the security detail related to the worship team? As they sing on Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the others.” Flip back over to the roster Ezra lists and you’ll see they are part of the same department (Ez 2:40-42). This is actually a typical grouping of personnel. Keeping the city and God’s people safe are a big part of reestablishing worship of God in His temple.

Okay, the walls are up. The doors are in place. The guards and worship team are ready to go. Nehemiah’s next step is handpicking two men who will essentially act as the new co-mayors of the newly walled city. “I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem” (v2). Just last year, Nehemiah’s brother first brought him the news about the Jerusalem crisis (Neh 1:2). We see that his bro has made the trip back from Susa to play a major role in the city’s renewal. Nehemiah names Hananiah as his brother’s partner. Hananiah has proved he’s a legit leader as “the governor of the castle” (v2). This is the fortress right around the corner from the temple. As the governor of Judah (Neh 5:14), As a humble servant leader, Nehemiah knows he can’t do it all himself. He shares the load of leadership by passing off the critical role of watching over the newly-walled Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah.

While the governor knows his brother is the real deal, he goes out of his way to describe just what a quality leader Hananiah is. “He was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many” (v2). In describing his dependability, Nehemiah drops the Hebrew term ‘emeth. It means firm, stable, reliable, true, and sure. He’s a lot like similar the dudes Nehemiah places in positions of responsibility for the storehouse “for they were considered reliable” (Neh 13:13). But it also lets us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hananiah swims in the deep end of the pool when it comes to his faith in God. Nehemiah doubles down on that idea when he writes that Hananiah’s a “God-fearing man” (v2). That does NOT mean that he’s cowering in fear that God will zap him with a lightning bolt the next time he messes up. It’s the Bible’s way of painting the portrait of a worshiper. Hananiah loves and worships the LORD more than he’s concerned about pleasing people. We’ve already seen the fear of Yahweh play a big part in Nehemiah’s leadership. When the governor puts a stop to the mortgage, he encourages folks “to walk in the fear of God” (Neh 5:9). And he opens up his home and invites 150 people over for dinner every night “because of the fear of God” (Neh 5:15).

Hananiah’s reliability on the job and faith in God are in contrast to the nobles of Judah who were passing notes back and forth with Tobiah, one of the key thugs trying to bully God’s people (Neh 6:17). Hanani and Hananiah could be replacing the the rulers listed in back in chapter 3. “Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem” (Neh 3:9) and “Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem” (Neh 3:12). With the walls and gates in place, the situation in the city has changed. Nehemiah may well see the need for a new season of leadership and a new kind of leader. Rephaniah and Shallum have apparently been faithful leaders during a very difficult time. They hand over the stewardship of the city to the team of Hanani and Hananiah. It’s a reminder that our role or position may not be for a lifetime. It may simply be for season. Since God gives it to us, He has every right to reassign it. As Andy Stanley says, “Leadership is stewardship.”

Meanwhile, Nehemiah gives his new co-mayors specific instructions in guarding the city and using the walls and gates to their greatest advantage. First of all, “let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot” (v3). The threat level is incredibly high. Just because the walls are up doesn’t mean danger has disappeared. Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the rest of Jewish enemies are still out there. Just because the walls are up, don’t let your guard down. Normally the gates are opened at sunrise. Nehemiah wants them to take a little extra caution. Let’s wait just a little bit longer. Let’s wait until a little later in the day. Let’s wait until everybody is up and at ’em. Let’s avoid a sneak attack at sunrise. Secondly, he tells the co-mayors to “appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (v3). Those people living in the city will be the most committed to protecting it. The citizens of Jerusalem have skin in the game. Their families, homes, and businesses are on the line. 

The author then gives us an overview of the situation inside the newly built walls of Jerusalem. “The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt” (v4). This is a very big city with a very small population. There are a handful of folks living there but it’s basically still a ghost town. Most of the Jewish people who have returned to the Promised Land under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah are living in the suburbs and surrounding towns. One reason is that there are few places to live. The rebuilding of the wall took priority over reconstructing homes within the city. The focus of all the resources was on rebuilding the barrier. That’s going to change soon. But for right now, Jerusalem is all but deserted. 

Nehemiah took his leadership one game at a time. It’s not like he didn’t celebrate the completion of the wall project. But the governor of Judah knew that would all get flushed down the toilet if he didn’t take the next steps to protect the city. Jerusalem needed new leadership. The city needed a security detail. The people needed to remain on high alert. The walls are up but they couldn’t let down. Godly leaders keep their eyes on the next objective. They take it one game at a time.