Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls (Nehemiah): When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, it was not guaranteed that anyone would want to join his project. But because of Nehemiah’s excellent leadership, the people rallied to the cause. The old proverb is true: If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. Recorded on Sep 20, 2026, on Nehemiah 2:11-20 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of our series, Nehemiah: From Ruins to Revival. When Nehemiah heard about the desperate needs of the people living in Jerusalem during the Exile, he was deeply moved. Someone had to do something! Nehemiah’s story is what happens when wise and courageous leadership has a God-given burden to help. Nehemiah faced significant opposition and leadership challenges while mobilizing thousands of people to complete a major building project. But through it all, one thing was clear: It’s amazing what can happen when God’s people get to work!
Sermon Transcript
57 years ago, Neil Armstrong stepped off the Lunar Module of the Apollo 11 spaceship and was the first person in history to walk on the moon. As 650 million people watched, he said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Now, only 3 people were there on the moon: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, but it took an enormous effort to get them there. NASA estimates that it took over 300,000 engineers, scientists, and technicians to put those 3 men on the moon. Imagine the incredible task of leading and coordinating that effort. It’s said that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. Well, today, we’re continuing a sermon series from the book of Nehemiah called From Ruins to Revival. We started this series last week, so if you missed the introduction, you can always watch or listen online if you’d like. But the book of Nehemiah tells the story of the Jewish remnant in Jerusalem at the end of the Exile. And it’s a story of when God’s people got to work, under the wise leadership of Nehemiah, as they rebuilt the wall around the city. This building project not only rebuilt the city’s defenses and the people’s dignity and security, but it rebuilt the people themselves—from ruin to revival. Last week, we saw that Nehemiah demonstrated wisdom and courage in how he asked the king of Persia, King Artaxerxes, to let him, as the cupbearer to the king, go from Susa, the capital of Persia, all the way to Jerusalem, to do something about the broken-down wall around the capital of the kingdom and the religion of his ancestors, the Jewish people. Today, we’ll see what happened when Nehemiah got to Jerusalem. Would the people there, people who had never met Nehemiah, welcome him and this huge project? We’ll see. But if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Neh 2:11. We’ll read through this passage, and we’ll unpack it as we go. Let’s jump in.
Nehemiah 2:11–16 (NIV), “11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.” So back in chapter 1, Nehemiah heard a report from his brother who had visited Jerusalem. He heard about how the city and wall around the city had been destroyed and hadn’t been rebuilt. And how the people there were vulnerable to attack from their enemies who surrounded them. Nehemiah was a Jew in exile in Persia, but he was the cupbearer to the King of Persia. By the grace of God, he was in a powerful position to do something about this need in Jerusalem. So Nehemiah made a plan, and he very strategically got the financial and political support of the king to accomplish his plan. Now here, he’s able to see for himself the condition of the people and the city and the wall. Back in v. 11, Nehemiah simply says, “I went to Jerusalem.” We don’t know exactly how long it took, but when Ezra the priest made the journey, he says it took them four months. It’s possible that Nehemiah was able to travel faster, but he doesn’t say. Either way, it’s possible that he rested for a few days before jumping into the task. He says, “after staying there three days, I set out during the night with a few others.” Again, it’s possible that he was tired from traveling, but from the rest of his story, we know that Nehemiah was very careful and deliberate in his planning and leadership. I think it’s more likely that he used the few days after his arrival to get to know some of the key leaders of the community. Remember, Nehemiah was a Jewish man, but he was born and raised in Persia. He had come from King Artaxerxes with letters from the king that could force them to join him. But that’s never the kind of partnership you want for a big project like this. And he didn’t know the attitudes of the people or their local politics. He could’ve easily killed his project before it even began. This explains why he went out to inspect the wall at night, and only with a few people. Nehemiah didn’t shoot first and ask questions later. He got to Jerusalem, he got to know the people, and he quietly gathered more information about what it would take to accomplish the wall project. How embarrassing would it have been if he got to Jerusalem and announced, “I’m here to lead you all to rebuild the wall!” and the people said, “No! And you can turn around and go right back to Persia!” So he did his research before he pitched it to the leaders and the people. But this totally fits a guy who spent four months praying and planning before approaching the king about the project. Well, how would it go? Let’s see.
Nehemiah 2:17-18 (NIV), “17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.” So here, Nehemiah made his pitch. And because of the brilliant way he communicated the need and what they could do about it, they responded, “Let us start rebuilding,” and they began. Let’s do it! Let’s go! We’re totally on board. But how did he do it? How did Nehemiah convince a bunch of people he’d never met to give up their time, resources, blood/sweat/tears, and agendas to do his project? Nehemiah showed strategically wise, godly leadership. He’s one of the best examples of leadership in the Bible. Leadership is using your influence to move someone from where they are to somewhere better. It’s influence that doesn’t use people (that’s manipulation), but it’s influence that serves people. Nehemiah couldn’t rebuild the wall without a team, just as the Apollo astronauts couldn’t reach the moon without a team. He needed to use his influence to move a whole lot of people from where they were (with a broken-down wall and broken-down city, vulnerable to attack, and defeated in heart and mind) to somewhere better. Nehemiah had the position of leader from King Artaxerxes, but at this point, he needed the people to actually follow him, which is what leadership is all about. Author John Maxwell writes, “He that thinketh he leadeth, and hath no one following, is only taking a walk.” (Maxwell, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (p. 20). (Function). Kindle Edition.) Now, before we finish our passage, I have to share four observations about Nehemiah’s pitch. It drives me nuts how often people say that something is a masterclass on social media. It’s usually not. But in just two verses here, Nehemiah gives a masterclass in leadership. First, he clearly defined the problem. “Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.” That’s it. You couldn’t miss the problem. Now, I’m sure the people knew how dangerous it was to have a city with no wall. But Nehemiah spoke to how it affected their identity. They hadn’t only felt vulnerable, which they certainly were; they felt disgraced. They knew all their neighbors looked down on them. You can’t solve a problem you can’t articulate. But Nehemiah could, and he did. These people lived and worked and worshipped next to that crumbled wall every day. Did they not see it as a problem? Well, maybe they saw it as simply how their life was, and not the problem that it was. It’s funny, but once someone clearly defines the problem, the solution often seems obvious. Second, Nehemiah humbly identified with the people. He said they should do this project so that “we will no longer be in disgrace.” He didn’t claim to be better or smarter than them. Coming from the capital of Persia, he was likely better dressed and more educated than they were. He certainly would’ve known all the latest trends from the king’s court there in the capital of Susa. But he didn’t say, “You have a problem, and I have a solution”; he said, “We have a problem, and we are going to solve it.” The next time you encounter a problem at work or with your kids (even if your kids brought it all on themselves), try to identify with the people who need to be part of the solution. We have a problem here, and this is how we are going to fix it. Identifying with the people would have made Nehemiah a leader that people would love to follow. Third, he didn’t play favorites or politics. There were priests and nobles and other officials there in Jerusalem. I’m sure there were factions for and against all sorts of things. Instead, he gathered all the people to make the pitch. He needed the hearts of the people, not just the hands of the people. With the authority of the king and the small army that he brought from Persia, again, he could’ve forced the people to do the work. But instead, he appealed directly to them, and he won their hearts and hands, which was necessary, given the opposition they would face. Fourth, he told them about the gracious hand of God on his life before his arrival. He shared his testimony that God was already at work, providing favor and resources for the project. Now, this would’ve been a huge encouragement for people who likely felt like God had forgotten about them in the Exile. Scholars estimate that there were only about 50,000 people left living in Judah and maybe only 1,500 people living in broken-down Jerusalem at this time. They were a long way from the glory days of King David and King Solomon some 500 years earlier. But I don’t think this was only an effective leadership strategy (although it was that too). This is who Nehemiah was. We see his faith every step of the way in this project. Did you notice all the personal language around God in chapters 1-2? (e.g., “the gracious hand of my God,” “I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart,” “I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me,” and so on. We’ll see more examples as we go.) It’s definitely been my experience that the bigger the project that God places on your heart, the bigger the faith you need to make it happen—the more you’ll need to pray, the more you’ll need to read the Bible, the more you’ll need to worship, the more you’ll need to cry out to God for wisdom and strength and courage. But I think this was simply Nehemiah’s way of life. But with all this, it’s no wonder that the people are willing to join the team! They don’t argue or negotiate. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” Ok! With such a strong start, surely they wouldn’t immediately face opposition, would they? Yes. Yes, they would.
Nehemiah 2:19–20 (NIV), “19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.” This is God’s word. Chapter 2 closes with the first round of the opposition Nehemiah and his team faced from their critics and enemies. And Nehemiah’s response is fascinating. He didn’t just tell them to take a hike. This was a serious threat. But why? Who were these guys? Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were political leaders of nearby territories. Sanballat was the governor of Samaria, the territory to the north of Judah; Tobiah was the governor of Ammon, the territory east of Judah, across the Jordan River; and Geshem was likely from the territories in the Arabian desert to the south of Judah. So right out of the gates, as we could see, Nehemiah faced opposition from more powerful neighbors on all sides. They were surrounded. We’ll talk more about overcoming opposition when we get to chapter 4, but let’s briefly consider what happened here. You might not think that mocking and ridicule is that big of a deal, but remember that the people of Judah felt their condition was disgraceful. If they thought this project was doomed from the start, their lack of morale could kill it before it began. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of ridicule, you might know how they would’ve felt. We know that Jesus was mocked and ridiculed many times during his ministry, and he was the perfect man. Maybe it’s worth reminding you that this broken world is not a neutral playing field; it’s a spiritual battlefield with real enemies who seek to steal, kill, and destroy. This rebuilding project threatened the surrounding territories politically. Especially with Nehemiah’s relationship with the king! He was a political threat to their authority and influence in the region, and that was the only lens they had to understand what he was doing. They thought he was building up Jerusalem to make himself king in rebellion against King Artaxerxes. But Nehemiah didn’t respond with a political argument. He could’ve given them copies of the letter the king had given him to authorize this project, but he didn’t. What did he do instead? He didn’t leverage politics at all to defend himself. He said this was a spiritual project, not a political project. v.20, “I answered them by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.’” This was the Promised Land given to the Israelites by God. They were exiled for their covenant unfaithfulness by God. And now God was leading them back to the Promised Land, not even King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah firmly believed this was what God was doing. Amazing. First, because it was true! But second, because it undercut the political plots of these three opponents. And third, because it was exactly what the people of Judah needed to hear so they wouldn’t worry about what these guys had to say. Nehemiah was definitely the right guy for the job, although he will be tested again and again before we’re done. But today, how might we apply this text to our lives and our leadership? How might we apply this to our parenting? After all, what is parenting but using your influence to move someone (i.e., our kids) from where they are to somewhere better? Well, just like the astronauts of Apollo 11 and just like Nehemiah and his rebuilding project, you also need people. If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. As you plan your work, you’ll need to answer the question: Who do I need to make this plan work? Who needs to be involved? Who needs to be at the table? Do I need a big team, like Nehemiah? Or do I just need a few key people involved? We could look throughout the Bible and find perhaps hundreds of examples when God called a person to do something, and they needed to build a team to accomplish their calling. Even Jesus, the Son of God sent from heaven, the perfect man, called people to follow him. What are the twelve disciples but the team that Jesus built in order to establish his church in the world? Don’t give in to the voice of our culture or your pride that says you’re ok all on your own. God is the only truly independent being in the universe. God is totally sufficient in himself. God doesn’t need us, but this is one of the crazy-good aspects of creation: God wants us. A thread that runs throughout the Bible is God’s great heart to be with his people. God is constantly saying, you will be my people, and I will be your God. In the future, when Jesus returns and ushers in a new heaven and earth, the best thing about that is that there will no longer be any separation between people and God. God will dwell with us. You know, God could’ve saved us from sin and death without adopting us into his family. A firefighter can rescue a child from a burning building but is not obligated to take them home and become their father. But because of God’s great love for us, he not only wanted to save us from the power of sin and death; he wanted to be our Father in heaven. He wanted us to be his children. And if this is God’s heart for us, and if this is what God is doing in the world through the person and work of Jesus (including our eternal future!), then we must work together—as friends, as a church, as a denomination, as a nation, in every way possible. We too must resist seeing everything through a political lens. Like Nehemiah, our first lens should be spiritual. And in this broken world, with so many potential God-given burdens for so many needs, it is certainly true that if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. And who knows what God might accomplish through us, his beloved children, as we work together. Let us pray.
