Issue 444
May I ask you one question in several formats? What speaks of you? What demonstrates your character? How can I find an expression of the best of you? In what can I find your hidden qualities?
Lift your eyes from the screen and you can find an approach to the answer. According to the soldier – shepherd called David, it is the heavens that declare the glory of God. The heavens and skies are speaking of Him all the time (Psalm 19). According to a tent maker – teacher called Paul, God’s invisible qualities can be seen and understood from what He has made (Romans 1). It is the work of His hands, the work of His fingers that show God’s invisible qualities and demonstrate that He exists and what He is like. In fact the highest expression of His handiwork is human. A little lower than angelic it’s true, but crowned with glory nevertheless (Psalm 8). Look in the mirror.
Perhaps you can agree with me that if it is God’s work which reveals His glory then work is not just a job but that in which your essence is revealed. Even though all glory is derived from divine glory, your work reveals your glory. It is in the work of your hands that your character is seen. Your fingers point to your soul when they work. We even say “I can see your hand in this” when we speak of your work.
It is fashionable to say that who you are is more important than what you do, but it would be foolish. Who you are is revealed in what you do and what you do comes out of who you are. It is your work that is the medium, and it matters. Perhaps you can pause with this thought and realise the importance of what you do. Paid, unpaid, voluntary or contractual, it is your interface between your soul and your world.
So when you arrive at Nehemiah’s apparently tedious and mundane catalogue of tasks, teams, and projects you might be able to glimpse glory and not just yawn with boredom.
It is in this ordinary list that a kaleidoscope of all the colours of Nehemiah’s amazing mind are revealed. This list is his glory, his essence, his qualities and his authenticity. Walk around the wall as he lists the projects and you will see his mind unfold and you will glimpse past his mind to his Maker. You will also see a model of glorious work which will inspire you to refocus your workplace vision.
In the third chapter of his journal you can see forty crews of workers simultaneously engaged on forty-five sections of construction including ten gates.
Walk slowly and you will see priests getting their hands dirty repairing the sheep gate, not knowing that right near it the Priests of priest would repair a man disabled for thirty-eight years (John 5:2). You will see the fish gate being made strong where a fish market will rise. Goldsmiths and perfume makers are working side-by-side and you can be sure that this was a beautiful sweet smelling construction site at this point. Bread and pottery ovens are being restored. Other men are working restoring unpleasant smelling parts where the rubbish will need to be deposited. You will see a man repairing a section with the help of his daughters. Governors work alongside household servants. One man is commended for his especially zealous work. Some sections were built by restoration, others were expansions beyond the older walls. It is a project that will take fifty two days and involve some fifty thousand people and is a masterpiece of glorious activity.
And it is meant to be a metaphor, a model and a dream for us to explore. You are not just reading a list but a mind.
Here are a few colours for you to enjoy. First, like the credits in a movie or the names on a memorial, Nehemiah wants to honour all those who took part. No section has been generically remembered. When this list gets read out each worker can say “I did that”.
If you want to work gloriously give honour where it is due, in detail.
Second, it is fantastically administered. Forty crews, forty-five sections, fifty thousand people, this is no sloppy game of Lego, it is attention to detail.
If you want to work gloriously attend to detail as well as big pictures.
Third, this is amazingly collaborative. Nobles, priests, governors, men and women, specialist builders and amateurs are all working together. There are locals and commuters joining forces.
If you want to work gloriously, collaborate beyond your skill-set and celebrate others’ glory as well.
Notice also (you will need to read the whole chapter) that some nobles would not join in. We’ll reflect on that in a moment.
Here’s some final observations without which this story would be poorer. The records you are reading maybe about an outer visible wall but you will need to think of inner realities. For you to work gloriously you will need to enlist every part of your soul.
Find you inner priest, your organizer, your delegator. Wake up your golden thoughts and sweet smelling dreams. Enlist your inner masculine and feminine, sons and daughters, and those parts of you which are close to your mind and those parts which will have to travel from a distance.
Remember too, there will be a proud and noble part of you that will consider yourself above mundane work and look down on the rest of you.
You will need to enlist the skills that come easy to you and those that don’t for you are both a wall builder and a kingdom builder. Specialist you may be in some fields but never lose sight of your kingdom mission which is an overarching mission whatever you do.
Lastly, Nehemiah knew that people would work best when restoring the wall closest to their homes so he always placed them on projects which were dear to them. Glorious work is collaborative, honouring to others, kingdom focused but is also best done on your piece of the wall.
Go ahead read the list and wake up 50,000 thoughts take them to work and declare glory. This piece was written by the hand of Geoff Shattock, but there is a typist, a formatter. There is an archivist and designer. There is a programmer and tagger. There are web hosters, engineers, finance officers, boards who supervise, power suppliers and many thousands more who make it possible for you to receive it after it has been written. Work indeed is a reflection of the Almighty.
Have a glorious week.
Nehemiah 3:1-32
Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They consecrated the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel. 2 Next to him the men of Jericho built, and next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
3 Now the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. 4 Next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz made repairs. And next to him Meshullam the son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel made repairs. And next to him Zadok the son of Baana also made repairs. 5 Moreover, next to him the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not support the work of their masters.
6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars. 7 Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, also made repairs for the official seat of the governor of the province beyond the River. 8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of Furnaces. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall to the Refuse Gate.
14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official of the district of Beth-haccherem repaired the Refuse Gate. He built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars.
15 Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, the official of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He built it, covered it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and the wall of the Pool of Shelah at the king’s garden as far as the steps that descend from the city of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, official of half the district of Beth-zur, made repairs as far as a point opposite the tombs of David, and as far as the artificial pool and the house of the mighty men. 17 After him the Levites carried out repairs under Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, the official of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. 18 After him their brothers carried out repairs under Bavvai the son of Henadad, official of the other half of the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the official of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the ascent of the armory at the Angle. 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz repaired another section, from the doorway of Eliashib’s house even as far as the end of his house. 22 After him the priests, the men of the valley, carried out repairs. 23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub carried out repairs in front of their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, carried out repairs beside his house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah as far as the Angle and as far as the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs in front of the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs. 26 The temple servants living in Ophel made repairs as far as the front of the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower. 27 After them the Tekoites repaired another section in front of the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.
28 Above the Horse Gate the priests carried out repairs, each in front of his house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer carried out repairs in front of his house. And after him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, carried out repairs. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah carried out repairs in front of his own quarters. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, carried out repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, in front of the Inspection Gate and as far as the upper room of the corner. 32 Between the upper room of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants carried out repairs
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Work well
Geoff Shattock
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