NEHEMIAH 7 - SHARING LEADERSHIP

Nehemiah 7

When you finish all that you set out to accomplish, what do you do next? Having a plan is important, because people often fall into despondency after reaching their achievements. The people of Israel had impressively built the wall around Jerusalem in just fifty-two days, but they needed to know the next steps. 

Nehemiah had a plan, showing again the mark of his great leadership. His plan was to appoint more leadership. He positioned gatekeepers, singer, and Levites, and gave the charge of Jerusalem to his brother, Hanani (v. 1-2). Nehemiah found that success in leadership was to share it. He empowered others to do the work of leading the city that he loved so dearly. The next best thing after reaching your achievements is to allow someone else to achieve theirs. 

Your leadership isn’t just about what you do, but what others do because of what you do. ThrivingGroups.com

Nehemiah wouldn’t have been able to lead and protect Jerusalem by himself. The responsibility of guarding the inhabitants of Jerusalem needed to be shared. For instance, there was an agreement among the leaders for when to open and close the gates (v. 3). That wall was the only thing protecting the very few people living in such a large and spacious city (v. 4). The people of Israel needed to be united in a shared vision if they were going to thrive. 

Now with everyone understanding their role, they registered the people. You have to know who your people are if you are going to protect and prosper them (v. 5-73). Each person named in the genealogy testifies to a faithful God who unites people together for great purposes.