Page 25 - Principles of Leadership - Nehemiah

Remember that as long as the walls of any conquered city lay in ruin, that city would pose little threat to the
Persian administration.

As I taught this class, a student asked me an exceptionally good question, and it demonstrated the importance
of good questions. He said that Nehemiah had prayed for over 100 days, and faith should have overcome all
fear. Why did he fear? I John 4:18 says, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear… he who fears is
not made perfect in love. My response to this student was this. Nowhere in the scriptures do I find God
covering up the shortcomings of His servants. I thank God that over and over, we find that even the heroes of
the faith had times where they failed God miserably. Isn’t it wonderful that this saint slipped into sin even after
100 days of prayer, but he was restored to dynamic faith with just one short prayer?

Nehemiah realized that what he was about to say could be treasonous. Therefore, he said, “May the king live
forever! Or, to put it another way, he was saying, “Long live the king.” This comment was made to assure the
King that I am a loyal servant to you, and I hope your kingdom continues forever. However, he asked the King,
“Why should I not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been
destroyed by fire?” Many commentaries bring to our attention that Nehemiah made no mention of Jerusalem.
They believe that this was intentional because the King had already issued a stop-work order on Jerusalem
many years before. This proclamation is found in Ezra 4:11-21. So Nehemiah's request was for the King to
change his mind about an earlier decision he had already made. Therefore, he spoke about a city where his
ancestors were buried rather than mentioning Jerusalem. “Nehemiah avoided an unnecessary polarization and
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preserved the unity of their relationship.” Asking King Artaxerxes this question did not put him on the
defensive by calling attention to an earlier decision he had made. Rather, it expressed an ancestral reverence
that even King Artaxerxes could relate to.

As I look at how Nehemiah handled this situation, I find that Nehemiah incorporates two laws of leadership.
The first law of leadership that Nehemiah Incorporated in this conversation was the law of influence. This law
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teaches us that “if you don't have an influence, you will never be able to lead others." Nehemiah had worked
extremely hard to gain his influence with the king. Therefore, he was about to cash in on the influence he had
gained from his hard work and loyalty. The second law of leadership that Nehemiah used in this conversation
was the law of communication. This law of communication realizes that we must learn to live and communicate
together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools. Nehemiah realized that “Working together means
winning together." Ultimately, Nehemiah realized that God was the one who would grant the request that he
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was about to make, which led him to pray once again.

3. God’s servant prays (2:4-5a)
Then the king asked me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven five times and answered
the king.

This prayer warrior had learned the patience of waiting. This prayer is what Warren Wiersbe calls a “telegraph
prayer.” Elmer Towns calls it a popcorn prayer. These emergency prayers were backed up by four months of
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fasting and praying. If Nehemiah had not been diligent in praying in private, his telegraph prayers might have
gone unanswered. Nehemiah realized that this was the moment that he had been waiting for. This was it! But
before he opened his mouth to answer the king’s question, he must once more ask God to grant him success.

4. God’s Servant plans (2:5b-8)
“If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city where
my ancestors are buried, so that I may rebuild it.” 6 The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me,
“How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So I gave him a definite time, and it pleased the
king to send me. 7 I also said to the king: “If it pleases the king, let me have letters ⌊written⌋ to the governors
of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that they will grant me ⌊safe⌋ passage until I reach Judah. 8 And
⌊let me have⌋ a letter ⌊written⌋ to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild
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