Nehemiah 10:1 and 11:2 Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah…And the people blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.
When we think about good leaders, we usually think about strong leaders, maybe with a strong opinion, a strong personality, or a forceful way of speech. Oftentimes that may be true, yet there is something more fundamental to the kind of leadership that honors God and that helps other people.
We think about the founding of the United States of America, the founding documents, and the founders who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. Today that sounds safe. We laud and applaud them and think about how courageous they were, but really they were fighting against something that is not a threat to us today. It is easy to look at their lives and miss just how much they were risking to sign their names and commit themselves to the purpose of establishing the United States of America. When you read Nehemiah 10, you find others that did something very similar, and you find that they committed themselves, signed their names if you will, and led God’s people.
Nehemiah 9:38 says, “And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.” These were people who had positions of leadership, but they were acting leadership, which really is what leadership is. Leadership is not a position or a title, it is an action. Nehemiah 10:1 goes on to say, “Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah…” and it gives the names of some eighty men and their families who “had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God… every one having knowledge, and having understanding.” So, they knew what it would cost them and how it might endanger them, yet they acted.
This shows that good leaders act before it is safe. These men were not imposing their will on others, but acting on God’s will. They separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God. They were following Someone. You can see at least three traits that made them the kind of leaders they were.
First, they had initiative. Nehemiah 9:38 says that they set their names. They decided they would make a covenant to do the right thing, to follow the God of their fathers. Their leading really was following. In Nehemiah 9:6 they said, “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven.” So, they were not imposing their will on other people, they were following the God of their fathers. Initiative is seeing the need and responding without being asked. It is not responding to competition. It is responding to need.
Second, they made a commitment. They put their names on the dotted line. How different that is from so much that goes on today that passes for communication. Particularly with the internet, so much that is said, forcefully even, is said anonymously. People say the strongest and most ungracious things, but it is cowardly because their names are not affixed to what they have said. They have not made any kind of commitment. But these men made a commitment that included their names.
Third, you see courage. In chapter 11 you see a glimpse of the kind of courage this took. Nehemiah 11:1 says, “And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities.” So, when Nehemiah and others went back to Jerusalem, it was a city that had been conquered, torn down and burned, the walls were leveled, and there was much opposition both from within and from without. This was a hazardous place to live, and it was an act of courage to live in such a city. It would have been far safer to live in the outskirts. So, they cast lots, drew straws. But verse two says, “And the people blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.” Some people were chosen because their name came up and others said, “Hey, I don’t need to draw straws. This is something I’m in for.” They offered themselves.
Leadership is not taking; it is giving. These men who had given themselves had nothing more to give and nothing more to withhold. Today, we are living in a world that is sorely lacking in generous leadership, people who will pledge their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor to the things that matter. We find in Nehemiah and those who were around him, that good leaders act before it is safe and that good leadership is not imposing one’s will upon others, but acting on God’s will.