Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
And so on. We usually see this when the situation continues for so long, it is hard to record it all. Yet in Nehemiah, all of chapter 3 is devoted to naming the workers who stepped up to do the work and what they did. It can seem tedious and unnecessary until we get to chapter 4, where two oppose the work and seek to stop it. Then we see how important these people were who, as Nehemiah describes later in chapter 4, led the response to the opposition.
So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
When people have a mind to work, a lot of work can get done. But when Jesus Christ said he will build his church and called us to follow him, he equipped us to set our mind to the work. He assured us in Matthew 16 that no one would be able to thwart the work of building the church, not even the gates of Hell. All through chapter 3, you will see the phrase, “and next”. Let’s see today what’s next in God’s plan for his church.
Dear Lord, thank you that you call us to set our mind to the work. Thank you that you are the builder. May we be the next to work with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church