The key ideas from the reading in Courageous Faith are; Leadership, Israelites repentance and renewal of their covenant with God, and preparation of the Lords coming in the New Testament. At the same time, two essential things learned from the reading are; Leadership requires visionary and Godly character, and the second thing learned is God is faithful to his people.
Leadership
Nehemiah’s leadership overcomes multiple obstacles and discerns challenging circumstances to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. With permission from the King, Nehemiah turns his attention to God for a vision, an essential attribute in leadership. Leadership must be God-revealed and God-inspired and Nehemiah understood the task bestowed upon him ( Hindson, 2017, p. 201) . His exceptional leadership skills included discretion, Godly, unconditional faith in God, concern for the Israelites, and his humble attitude played a crucial role in helping him bring together the people and present them before God.
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Nehemiah announced to the people, “The joy of the Lord is your strength,” Nehemiah 8:10. He inspired and motivated the people to commemorate and celebrate their success in the Lord. He led them to repent and renew their faith in God. As a leader, he took a front line in assembling the people and affirmed to them God’s unconditional love. Through him, the Nation of Judah was reborn. He led all the gatekeepers, the leaders, Levites, priests, and singers to sign the binding agreement. Nehemiah led to the birth of a new people.
Israelites repentance and renewal of their covenant with God
The Israelites were convicted of their wrongdoing. They listened to the Book of the Law, wept, and repented before the Lord. They acknowledged their ungodly acts, were remorseful and cried for forgiveness. It is only by acknowledging one’s shortcomings and wrongdoing that one is able to ask for forgiveness and repent. Repentance requires absolute faith in God’s ways. Without this, one cannot acknowledge their wrongful ways and acts. When the Israelites listened to laws as outlined in the Book of the Law, they acknowledged that they had indeed gone astray. It was a wakeup call to abandon their unfaithful ways, ask for forgiveness, and renew their relationship with God and repentance ( Hindson, 201, p. 201) . Repentance plays a critical role in mending the broken bonds between a Christian and God.
Preparation of the Lords coming in the New Testament
Nehemiah and Ezra’s revival opened up new prospects in the life of the Israelites. The next stage would take another four hundred years, which are described as the “silent years.” The “silent years” would then be followed by a closure of the Old Testament and the new revelation of God. Malachi writes, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come, says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 3:1).
God used Nehemiah and Ezra to set the stage for God’s new revelation. God used the two to set the stage for a new phase of the people’s lives, a period that would be marked by a new covenant, a messenger, and finally, the Lord’s coming. The book is used as a reminder of the Messiah’s coming, the one they had all desired. Through him, God would fulfill his promise to the people, a promise of Salvation. Many years later, this was the first step of Christians’ spiritual journey. The coming of the Messiah became an essential aspect of God’s promise to the Israelites, a feat that culminated in reaching the Promised Land. Nehemiah’s leadership closed and opened a new chapter in Christians' lives from the “silent years” to the moment of the Messiah ( Hindson, 2017, p. 201) .
God fulfilled his promise to his people. He guided them to the Promised Land and remained true to his initial promise to Moses. With Nehemiah’s leadership, the people renewed their covenant with God and started a new journey of faith that culminated in the coming of the Messiah, God’s promise. Leadership requires vision. Visionary leadership is an essential attribute to achieving one’s goal in life. Nehemiah depended on God’s guidance to have the vision that was needed to guide the people. From their repentance and renewal of their faith, Nehemiah’s vision was entirely dependent on God. In everyday life, Christians need to rely on God for guidance, and leaders need to acknowledge that it is only God who shows the way.
References
Hindson, E. E. (2017). (p. 201) Courageous Faith: Life Lessons from Old Testament Heroes . AMG Publishers. Retrieved from https://appwordsearchbible.com
The Bible, King James Version
