The Mind to Work: Five Principles for Success with Challenging Tasks

Trevor S. Ferguson

January 14, 2012

Nehemiah 4:1-6 (NKJV)
¹ But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
² And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish--stones that are burned?"
³ Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall."
⁴ Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity!
⁵ Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.
⁶ So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

John 9:4 (NKJV)
⁴ I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

INTRODUCTION

The book of Nehemiah describes a period in Israel’s history when, under the leadership of Nehemiah, they successfully rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and re-established Divine order, governance and worship in Jerusalem. An analysis of the story behind this feat will provide insights for the church today and principles to guide individuals as they seek to accomplish the various tasks of life.

Nehemiah was born as a Jewish exile in Babylon and rose to one of the highest and most sensitive jobs in the land as cupbearer under King Artaxerses. (As the king’s cupbearer, he had to taste food and drink before it was offered to the king to ensure it was not poisoned.) Nehemiah’s name means “Jehovah hath consoled” or “Jehovah has comforted”. His birth might have brought comfort and consolation to his parents (likely saddened by the exile), but also spoke prophetically to the consolation he would bring to the nation of Israel as a creative, inspirational leader who could also be touched by the peoples pain and suffering. Nehemiah’s most outstanding accomplishment was the building of the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days, despite great opposition.A key factor though in Nehemiah’s success was the willingness of the people to join with him in the task as we are told in verse 6 of chapter 4 “the people had a mind to work”.

Today I want to examine this concept of “the mind to work” to see how we can apply these principles in our individual lives and in the church.

EXPOSITION

The story begins with a visit from Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother. Hanani and others had recently visited Jerusalem, so Nehemiah inquired of him how things were in Jerusalem. The news was not good! The people were in great affliction and reproach, the walls were broken and the gates burned with fire. Nehemiah was moved by the state of affairs in Jerusalem – he wept, mourned, fasted and prayed.

The king noticed the change in Nehemiah’s countenance and inquired as to the reason for his sadness. Nehemiah reported to the king how Jerusalem laid waste and the gates burned with fire.The king then asked Nehemiah what he wanted to do. Nehemiah responded “… send me to Judah”. (We need more people today who when faced with a challenging task will respond like Nehemiah and Isaiah – Send me!)

The king sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem. He obtained letters of authorization to ensure clear passage through the various territories, and a letter to the keeper of the king’s forest to obtain material for the building. When he came to Jerusalem he went by night to view the walls and the gates of the city for himself. He later gathered the people together and outlined his plans to them – he challenged them – “… let us build up the wall of Jerusalem”. The people responded, “Let us arise and build”.

Soon after they started the building of the wall they began to face opposition. Sanballat and Tobiah laughed at them suggesting they were crazy to rebel against the king. What Saballat and Tobiah did not know is that they already had the king’s approval and more than that they had the King of king’s approval. Nehemiah therefore responded – “The God of heaven will prosper us: therefore we will arise and build”.

Let’s take a look at some of the strategies that Nehemiah employed in accomplishing the task.

Chapter 3 records a key component of Nehemiah’s strategy: Division of Labour. The task was great. It is believed that the wall was about two and a half miles long and enclosed about 220 acres. Nehemiah appointed 41 groups each with a leader to work on 42 sections of the walls or gates. As a result this mammoth task was completed in 52 days! The magnitude of this achievement is highlighted when we compare the time taken to construct roads and public buildings today.  Note also that this was accomplished despite persistent opposition from the likes of Sanballat and Tobiah.

Another key reason for their success was given in verse 6 of chapter 4: THE PEOPLE HAD A MIND TO WORK!  Note – the people, not just Nehemiah, not just his sectional leaders, the people had a mind to work!! What though is this “mind to work”? I would suggest that this refers to ‘a willing and enthusiastic approach to a task’. The phase ‘the people had a mind to work’ is rendered in the NIV as “the people worked with all their heart” while the NET Bible renders it ‘the people were enthusiastic in their work”.  Thus we see that one of the keys to Nehemiah’s success was the attitude of the people towards the work. We must have a mind to work. We must be willing and enthusiastic in our approach to the work of God.

How then can we employ these principles in the church and in our individual lives? I would like to share five principles gleaned from this story which when applied to challenging tasks will greatly improve our chances of success as we work in the kingdom of God. These principles are outlined below.

1. RECOGNIZE AND BE MOVED BY THE PROBLEM

Nehemiah was comfortable in Babylon until he heard about the situation in Jerusalem. We can’t fix what we don’t know about. We need to keep ourselves informed of the challenges or issues facing individuals or the church so that we can act when required.

Having heard of the situation Nehemiah was moved – he felt their pain and distress. We note from the New Testament that Jesus often moved with compassion. It was this compassion that lead to many of the miracles that Jesus performed. We cannot become numb to the plight of the lost, the pain and suffering they experience. When we are moved we will act!

2. BE DETERMINED TO OVERCOME/SUCCEED 

Nehemiah was not contented just to go and see what was happening; he got the resources that would guarantee success. He got letters of authorization so that he could build legally. He got letters to obtain material for the building. He was fully in line with the law, had full authorization from the state and therefore he did not have to work under cover. A key element of success is to ensure proper authorization and support for the work we are doing.

Not only did he have authorization but he was driven by a passion to succeed. For him it was not ‘I want to’ or ‘I will try’ it was ‘I must’. This is exemplified in his statement to the detractors- “…I am doing a great work …I cannot come down…” His resolve was to keep on working whether he had opposition or not.  

We must be determined to succeed at the various task and make proper plans and obtain provisions to guarantee success

3. UNDERSTAND TIMES, SEASONS, OPPORTUNITIES

In John 9:4 Jesus made a simple yet profound statement with regards to the attitude to work: “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” There is always a set time in which various task can be accomplished. If we miss the time we miss the opportunity. Sometimes this opportunity is lost forever! I believe that Nehemiah understood this principle.  Nehemiah understood the privilege of his position and used it to the advantage of the Jews. (Note a similar situation with Esther.)  He also understood the timing of the king’s favour and the opportunity of the moment. We must be alert to the times when opportunities present themselves. If we miss our time and fail to recognize our opportunities we are unlikely to achieve success. 

4. STAND UP TO OPPOSITION

There will always be Sanballats and Tobiahs.  We cannot allow opposition cause us to fear. We can’t allow them to stop us from working. Nehemiah instructed the people to arm themselves – half of the people kept defense while the other half kept on working. We must fight if necessary but we must keep on working

5. COMPLETE THE TASK  

Nehemiah finished building the wall and completed task in only fifty-two days. God requires us to finish the tasks we are given. We note that one of Jesus’ statements from the cross was simply “It is finished”, thus indicating that for him completing the task of securing man's redemption was important. Whenever we are assigned a task let us keep working until it is finished. Let us endeavor not to leave our task unfinished.

CONCLUSIONS 

Today there are many tasks that need to be addressed both in our individual lives and in the affairs of the church. Willing and enthusiastic workers are needed. If we have the mind to work we will be able accomplish great feats for God. Nehemiah led the people to complete the walls in 52 days.

When we have the mind to work, we will be much more efficient and effective than we are today. Like the Jews in Nehemiah’s day– Let us arise and build, let us strengthen our hands for this good work. Let us labour in God’s kingdom; Let us arise and evangelize; Let us address the social problems for those in need in the church and in the community; Let us work together to strengthen our marriages and our families; Let us commit to living holy lives; Let us commit to persistent prayer; Let us commit to fasting. 

ALL THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED IF WE HAVE THE MIND TO WORK!