Nehemiah

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls (Neh. 2:1-20) taken from Doré's English Bible

Nehemiah is the leading figure of the Book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah led a rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and its wall.

## Nehemiah's ignoring of his opponents' time-wasting criticisms as he was rebuilding Jerusalem's wall[edit]

The website christianstandard.com offers this commentary on how Nehemiah efficiently handled his opponents' time-wasting criticisms:

“  |  Nehemiah understood that effective leadership often requires ignoring criticism. His opponents wanted to meet and discuss their criticisms of his work. Nehemiah answered, “I am doing a great work and cannot go down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3).

Leaders need to understand that criticism is almost always little more than a distraction. Nehemiah ignored his critics and refused to give them the time and energy that belonged to his ministry. As persistent as his opponents were, Nehemiah held his ground. He explained, “Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I gave them the same reply” (6:4). Nehemiah teaches us that leaders must never let criticism distract us from the work![1]

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## External links[edit]

* Nehemiah (Ray Stedman commentary)

## Notes[edit]

1. ↑ How Nehemiah handled his opponents