Nehemiah Knew When to Rest

The book of Nehemiah gives us a spectacular picture of godly leadership and initiative: Facing a run-down Jerusalem with a broken-down wall after the Babylonian exile, Nehemiah, the book’s namesake, leads the people in rebuilding the wall and rededicating the city and its people to God. Yet at the outset of the “great work” that Nehemiah accomplishes and the challenges that accompany it, Nehemiah 2:11 contains a simple sentence that we may be tempted to overlook: “I went to Jerusalem and was there three days.” Why “three days”? Based on all that we read in the opening sections of the book, we can reasonably imagine that Nehemiah was champing at the bit to get started with the rebuilding efforts. After months of travel, anticipating the opportunity for work, could somebody so keen to lead and be active waste his time like this? In fact, Nehemiah didn’t “waste” his time; he used it strategically, to rest from his journey. This is something that we do well to meditate on. By and large, our culture is reluctant to acknowledge what is an essential element in every task—namely, rest and relaxation. The models that young men and women in the marketplace are encouraged to follow are the ki...