Character Profile: Nehemiah

"Then he said to them, 'Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is our strength." Nehemiah 8:10

Nehemiah was most definitely seeking after the fame of God. After the people returned to Jerusalem from Babylon and had rebuilt the temple, they had left the wall of the city neglected. When Nehemiah heard this, he fasted and wept for days without stopping. Why did he weep over something so seemingly inconsequential as the walls being done?

In ancient thought, the walls of the city were considered a sign of the favor of your god. For the walls of Jerusalem to be in rubble, it would say to the ancient world that God is weak, and that He is not looking after His people. Nehemiah was not weeping over the loss of protection the walls might have given, but rather the insult to the fame of God that was being perpetrated.

So he led a group of Jews back to Jerusalem, and amidts troubles galore, they worked night and day to finish the walls of Jerusalem. The walls were to be so big that people could have lived inside of them. They faced enemies with weapons, enemies with mocking, and enemies with political clout. Through all of this, the Jews worked. They finished these walls in 52 days, a serious feat! Such was the favor of God upon them.

Nehemiah returns to Babylon to report to the king. He made another trip back to Jerusalem later, only to find that the Jews had intermarried with Gentiles. He was furious, because God had commanded them to not marry themselves to Gentiles. So, in a righteous rage, he cursed them, beat some of them, and ripped out some of their hair. Now that's holy anger!

It would do well for us today to keep this model in our minds as to how to be consumed with the passion of the Lord. I urge you, today, brethren, to cry out to God that He would give you a passion for His name.