Success Lessons in Nehemiah: Part 7
Life Applications and Lessons
There have been so many success lessons in Nehemiah! As we are coming to an end of this amazing book of the Bible, there are still many lessons to learn.
Let’s dive in and see what Nehemiah has to teach us now.
Overview of the History of Nehemiah
If you are just joining us, you can see some of the history and other success lessons in Nehemiah in the links below:
1 – Success Lessons in Nehemiah: Part 1
2 – Success Lessons in Nehemiah: Part 2
3 – Success Lessons in Nehemiah: Part 3
4 – Success Lessons in Nehemiah: Part 4
5 – Success Lessons in Nehemiah: Part 5
6 – Success Lessons in Nehemiah: Part 6
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Success Lessons in Nehemiah
Nehemiah 11:1
“Now the leaders of the people stayed in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine-tenths remained in their towns. The people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 11:1-2
- It was an honor and privilege to get to go back to Jerusalem. However, it would come with hardships and a large responsibility. They would be in charge of rebuilding everything.
- With honor and opportunity come responsibility. Let’s handle it well!
Nehemiah 13:6
“While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. It was only later that I asked the king for a leave of absence…”
Nehemiah 13:6
- With everything going on in Jerusalem, Nehemiah returned to King Artaxerxes to perform his daily duties.
- This had to have been hard with all of the excitement of rebuilding the wall and reestablishing the nation, but he stayed true to his word.
- We need to always fulfill our obligations and do what we say we are going to do, even when we don’t really want to.
- Live with integrity!
Nehemiah 13:7
“…so I could return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of God’s house.” Nehemiah 13:7
- While Nehemiah was away, fulfilling his obligations, the people went astray from the Lord’s commands.
- This is similar to what happened with the Israelites when Moses was on the mountain meeting with the Lord.
- This is a very common occurrence that actually happens today. You have heard, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” This can be spiritually or in a work/business situation.
- We all need Godly leaders to keep us on track (accountability).
- We need to be Godly leaders in every area of leadership we fulfill.
- As leaders, if we have to be away for a while, it is important to put a Godly leader in charge.
Nehemiah 13:17-19
“I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, ‘What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? Didn’t your ancestors do the same, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His anger against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!’
When shadows began to fall on the city gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, I gave orders that the city gates be closed and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my men at the gates, so that no goods could enter during the Sabbath day.” Nehemiah 13:17-19
- They had already been through this very same situation. See Success Lessons in Nehemiah: Part 6 to see the business lessons from Nehemiah 10:31.
- These actions were what got them in trouble in the first place.
- This shows how easy it is to fall back into a lifestyle you know you shouldn’t be going along with.
- Remember to set your boundaries ahead of time, so when the temptation arises, you already know how to handle it.
- Nehemiah handled this situation by completely removing the temptation. He did not allow the outsiders past the walls during the time of the Sabbath.
- When we find ourselves or others being greatly tempted, completely remove the temptation when possible!
Key Take-Aways
- Nehemiah had his hands full! He set a good example and tried to lead the nation in the ways of the Lord, but unless he was physically with them, they would get off track.
- We need to set a good example and lead others in the ways of the Lord, in all areas of our lives, whether that be at home, church, school, the work place, our businesses, etc.
- Keep an eye out for the people in your influence. Know the pulse and status of the people.
- When Nehemiah found out what the people were doing wrong, he didn’t sweep it under the rug; he handled it immediately.
- We need to deal with sin, conflict, and any issues as soon as they arise. If we wait, they will grow and fester, and things will be so much worse.
I love the way the Lord teaches us so many lessons that we can apply to our lives. The success lessons in Nehemiah have shown us ways to run businesses, work for and with others, and relate to our families.
What a blessing to have all of this wisdom right in our hands! Let’s purpose to read His Word and apply it to our lives on a daily basis!
Please join us as we read the Word each week and share more faith, family and food ideas.
Success Lessons Resources
These are a few of my favorite Bible study resources.
Fun Gift Idea with Eternal Value
If you have joined me recently, these daily life applications from the Bible are examples of some of the comments I am writing in the Bibles I am giving to my grandchildren when they graduate from high school. It is such a fun project with eternal effects. Click here to see the post where I explain this eternal gift idea. I want to give them all the resources I can to use in today’s world!
Related Posts
1 – Life Applications and Lessons from Ruth Chapter 1
2 – Life Applications and Lessons from Ruth Chapter 2
3 – Life Applications and Lessons from Ruth Chapter 3
4 – Life Applications and Lessons from Ruth Chapter 4
I hope these life applications and lessons on success will motivate you to learn His principles for success and apply them to all areas of your life.
Until next week…
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“From one Man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.” Acts 17:26
(New Testament)
Great lessons from Nehemiah! I love how you connected them to verses from the New Testament, too. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #56 linkup! We’d love to see more at #57, too. Have a great week.
Thanks Jennifer. I love the lessons in Nehemiah!
I am going to be so sad for this series on Nehemiah to end, Susan. It’s been a really good one! I’ve been working on setting better boundaries this year and while it hasn’t been easy by any stretch this study came at just the right time. It’s helped keep me focused! Big hugs and thank yous for always giving us your best, CoCo
I loved going through Nehemiah too! I am going to start Colossians next. We will see what the Lord has for us in that book.
Setting boundaries and planning ahead how to handle a temptation are smart strategies. Thank you for that insight, Susan!
Thank you Nancy!