OK, I admit it – this was probably quite a turgid read today! A long list of who built what along the length of the wall. There are some fascinating titbits along the way, though: the fact that some of the upper classes felt that the work was beneath them (v5); on the other hand, Shallum’s daughters put the nobles to shame, by rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in (v12). Even the priests joined in the collective endeavour (v28).
What’s the basic point here? Everybody matters. Everybody has a part to play. This wall was not built by experts, but by a significant chunk of the whole population giving their time and energy, each playing their small part; together, hundreds or even thousands of ‘small parts’ achieved a great task.
In church, we encourage people to find their true gifting, and that’s absolutely right. However, there’s also a flip side to that coin: God values everything we offer, and sometimes a willing offering of some time, enthusiasm and basic hard graft is exactly what’s needed. No doubt there were leaders and experts in charge; many of them are listed at the start of each paragraph (and let’s take a moment to note again how amazing Nehemiah’s leadership skills were, that in such a short space of time he could identify and galvanise such a large group of people). However, all these figureheads needed people to (literally) do the heavy lifting.
Someone once observed to me that 50% of discipleship is just turning up; and the older I get and the longer I stay in Christian leadership, the more I think that person was absolutely right. This side of heaven, we’ll never know the names of Shallum’s daughters who helped to repair the Tower of the Ovens; but, like all the others who joined in this momentous task, they gave what they could, and the Lord blessed it.
Mother Teresa observed: ‘We cannot do great things; we can only do small things with great love.’ What small thing can you do today? Where could you give a bit of time and enthusiasm this week – or simply ‘show up’ as an encouragement to somebody?
Everybody matters to God; everybody matters in the work of God’s kingdom. May God bless the work of your hands today, this week and always.