My brother and I stayed with our grandparents at times when we were kids. One morning my grandma told us that if we walked with her to the store she would buy us a “straw hat.” (Side note—I never saw either of my two grandmothers drive. They walked places or rode with others. I was surprised later in life to meet grandmas who operated motor vehicles).

Thinking a “straw hat” sounded pretty dumb, I decided to stay at the house. When my brother returned a couple hours later sporting a shiny new straw cowboy hat, I flipped out. “Grandma, can I get a hat?” Nope—I didn’t help at the store, so I missed out on a hat. Tough love from the G-ma.

A huge construction project took place with the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Citizens of every rank and profession pitched in. They hoisted chunks of stone and carried swords due to threats from enemies. Folks cooked meals while children scanned the horizon. It was a glorious community effort.

Except for a few holdouts.

Nehemiah described section after section of wall and the cadre of citizens who did the repairs. In the list he mentions a handful of aristocrats: The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

Why did these nobles refuse to help? What stuck in their craw? Were they too proud to stoop to manual labor, or unwilling to work alongside social inferiors? More likely, these men were enmeshed with the local powers-that-be, and the wall jeopardized their economic prospects. The status quo enriched them. They secretly hoped for the project to fail.

Despite their lack of participation, the wall rose and their power fell. These blue bloods missed out on the greatest undertaking of their generation. They missed out on friendships formed in adversity, and they missed out on stories to pass on to their grandchildren.

Don’t miss out. Don’t let pride or fear or social status or desire for financial gain keep you from joining God’s people. Find a place to serve and put your shoulder to the work.

Nehemiah 3 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Megan Bucknall