Nehemiah, God's Project Manager - The Lesson of the Tekoites

Nehemiah 3:5 - "And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord."

Nehemiah 3:27 - "After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel."

Romans 14:12 - "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

As Christians, we are challenged to set forth an example daily. One of the devil's favorite playgrounds is the workplace. Whether it be the haphazard nature of some, the laziness of others, or the apathy of some... we are called to overcome. One of the challenges some face is the effectiveness of their superiors. The Tekoites somewhere along the way had come across a divide between their leadership and themselves. It is time to learn a valuable lesson from these Tekoites about our leadership and our performance.

In Nehemiah 3:5, we read that "...their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord." For whatever reason, the nobles saw this project as unworthy of their attention. The leadership had pulled away from an assigned task. Notice I said assigned task, this is not a lesson on going rogue, this is a lesson on character. The Tekoites could have followed suit when they felt they had no support from their superiors. Instead, they built a section of the wall. Actually, in verse 27, we read " After them the Tekoites repaired another piece..." They built 2 sections. If I read correctly, they are the only ones who did. The Tekoite people committed to the work, with or without support. They therefore were unmoved when support failed to come. They had a job to do, and they executed flawlessly.

Romans 14:12 tells us that we all will give an account to God for ourselves. Not for our bosses, or family, or coworkers, but for ourselves, No excuses will be accepted. "What did you do?", is all that matters. A few quick points on the Tekoites.

1. The Tekoites had an uncompromising sense of duty. There was a job to be done, and they committed to it wholeheartedly.
2. The Tekoites were an industrious people. Without ample support, they built 2 sections of the wall.
3. The Tekoites were a people of character. They committed to a task and stayed faithful to it when circumstances gave them reason to go back on their word.

They embodied the essence of the Christian worker. We would be wise to follow their lead and be uncompromising in it. Here's to the Tekoites in the world. My hats off to you.