Issue 431
Here’s a question you may not consider all that often. How do you treat your predecessors? When you took your current job what was your attitude to the person who did it before you? If you are in a larger business what do you think of the previous regime? We will ask this question of work but you could ask it in your church, your family or your nation. How do you treat those who have gone before?
Perhaps your task is to bring new ideas, solve old problems, repair damaged reputations. Unless you are in a brand new start-up, you will be dealing with a legacy and you will be using previously acquired resources.
If you are a person of faith you will want to learn how to think and pray about the past – your past. How often have you heard it said that these things happened, or were done, before my time? It reflects a particular individualistic view of the world. But does it ring true?
At a basic biological level it does not. You carry genetic material from countless predecessors in every cell of your body. Literally your ancestors live in your cells.
Social scientists spend some time observing how behaviour in one person affects others. Parents affect children, obviously, but you are also influenced by grandparents and way back through their parents, as well as various uncles and aunts and others in your family tree. Not just genetically, but behaviourally, actions that took place years ago impact your character – and what you do now will impact generations to come.
As we get closer to Nehemiah’s mind we can search Biblical thinking to discover a concept that has been labelled federal headship. It shows up in the concept that as in Adam all die, even though you and I did not commit Adam’s sin (thankfully that is not the end of the story).
Similarly the writer to the Hebrews speaks of Levi offering to Melchizedek. Levi hadn’t even been born when Abraham made his offering, but in the writer’s mindset there were connections with the unborn generations.
Psychologists speak of collective unconscious concepts whereby ancient human types express themselves in us all. See how that breaks out in our stories, films and books and you can have some fun with the idea.
Nehemiah, however, was not having fun when he prayed his prayer. He was confessing his fault and the faults of his forefathers and mothers. His mindset is like Daniel’s, who prayed back over seventy years. Nehemiah was not born when, 140 years and more previously, his people disobeyed God. He prays however identifying with, not distancing himself from, their crimes.
This is a shocking notion. Could he just not say “well that wasn’t on my watch and I can start again”. It seems not. It seems that his mind had concluded that we are all connected. He could feel his parents and his grandparents in his soul. He could sense not just one personality, but multiples in his inner-life. As can you. We like to take pride in our past. We like to glory in the exploits of our founding fathers or great nation builders. Nothing wrong with that. But Nehemiah’s prayer points us also to taking responsibility for their errors as well as their exploits.
Here’s an idea for you. Consider praying “Lord I confess the sins of the previous generations in my bank” or, “Lord I confess the sins of the previous cohort of teachers in this school” or, “Lord I confess the sins of the previous leadership in this church” and perhaps, hardest of all, you might like to consider praying “Lord I confess the sins of my parents, grandparents to the fourth generation”. Then finally, end each prayer with “as I confess my own”.
Somehow, over his days of prayer, fasting, sitting, mourning and tears Nehemiah had figured out that if he was going to repair he had to identify with the damage. If he was going to rebuild he was going to have to connect with the collapse. Nehemiah’s people had broken faith with God and he was part of his people.
It is not hard to identify the sins of the past. If you stop and look at the broken walls inside your soul, your company, your industry, your church or your nation you can see the consequences of past error. What you are being challenged to repair, rebuild and restore right now is the legacy of your predecessors’ failings.
For Nehemiah, owning the failings of the past shaped his mind, and his mind was going to shape a restoration.
Perhaps yours will as well.
Nehemiah 1:6&7
6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
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Geoff Shattock
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