Nehemiah #3 – Study Questions
Teamwork
Nehemiah 3:1-32
INTRODUCTION: The wall encircling the city was a sign of its internal stability—or lack of it. Jerusalem was socially, economically, and spiritually without structure and stability. The nation was in distress socially because of continual oppression by foreign neighbors (see Ezra 4:7-23). The people of Judah needed to be rebuilt in every sense—and the physical rebuilding of the walls would symbolize the social, economic, and spiritual rebuilding of the people.[1] And that rebuilding work is about to begin. First, though, Nehemiah needs to get a team together. The work is too large and too complex to do on his own. And so we find ourselves in chapter three with thirty-two verses describing those who showed up to help do the work. And in this chapter, there are thirty-seven references to different groups that worked on the walls and gates around Jerusalem. Thirty-seven! And, then, in those references, just one reference to one group who would not lean in and help. How demoralizing and defeating that must have felt for the collective group, yet they pressed on and worked together. There is a truth in here for us. Nothing worthwhile will happen in our lives or in the life of our church if we are not willing to work together. The simple truth is that we need each other. We need differing skills and abilities. We need differing personalities and perspectives. The key is that they weren’t doing whatever they wanted or their own thing; they were all working towards a common goal and purpose. We have a common goal, the pursuit of Jesus. If we want to be found faithful in what God has next, we need each other. We must remember that nothing worthwhile happens alone.
GETTING STARTED – As you begin your group time, talk about a time when you learned the value of teamwork and whether that experience was positive or negative. In your experience, what a re the crucial ingredients for a group of people to work together on a team?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Here are some good questions to help make observations in this chapter:
- What has happened so far in the narrative? Have there been any major events, characters, or
themes? - What do you learn about the main characters in this section? How does the author describe
them? How do they describe themselves? - Is there a conflict or high point in the passage?
- What surprises are there?
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
One of the key application questions from this chapter is, “How am I using my gifts to serve the Lord?” If you are not sure of your gifts, it would be good to take time to discover what they are. How do you do that? Two easy steps:
- Ask those who know you well what you are uniquely good at.
- Take a spiritual gifts inventory: https://s3.amazonaws.com/bhpub/edoc/DOC-Spiritual-Gifts-Survey.pdf
[1] Mason, Eric. Nehemiah For You: Strength to Build for God (God’s Word For You) (p. 47). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.