FAITHFUL MANHOOD

C. F. Dadd

Nehemiah 2: 17; 3: 1, 6, 15, 16; 7: 1

The intent, dear brethren, in referring to these scriptures is to bring to our attention what can be worked out and brought to completion in our localities, as it is set on by a faithful man.

Nehemiah represents a faithful man, a faithful brother, in a locality. The Spirit of God does not draw to our attention that he had gift, or that he had an outstanding place in service, but what is brought to our attention is that on the principle of faith and love for Jerusalem someone is able to set on something that would result in glory to God and the strengthening and building up of things locally. We had a touch on the Lord’s day as to the thought of completion, things getting through to a finish; and one thing we have noted as we have read together is that under Nehemiah’s direction and lead as a faithful man the wall is completed. The gates are set up, things are brought to a finished idea as to the principle of fellowship. You might say it has a universal bearing, but then too we are to see how it works out in a locality. That is a test to us. We are always tested as to how things work out locally, where we are known to the brethren, where we know each other, where confidence is to be stimulated and strengthened in each other, where the feature of affection is to be seen operating. “By this shall all know that ye are disciples of mine, if ye have love amongst yourselves”, John 13: 35.

So Nehemiah sets on the thought of one who had love for Jerusalem, who was concerned .about Jerusalem, which in our own day would be our peculiar affection for the assembly. He is concerned when he hears the report as to how things were in Jerusalem; and when he goes and takes a look at the city, at the devastation that had come in, the walls broken down, things were in a pitiful condition. He evaluates the whole matter. He takes a look at things and he has the feelings of God as to the city. Beloved, it is a great thing to develop in the feelings of God in relation to matters as they pertain to the assembly. So he says, “Ye see the distress that we are in, that Jerusalem lies waste, its gates are burned with fire. Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem; that we be no more a reproach”. As we start the week, we begin with the thought of completion, the perfect completion of the work of Christ, and as you proceed in the week you have a sense of what divine Persons have worked out from their own side.

But then it comes over to our side, dear brethren, as to how we are going to work things out, in the week as responsible persons. Now this week for us, in this city, is one of much activity.

We have much in the way of meetings before us. We have much laid out in our households where brethren need to be cared for, but we are not to lose sight of the fact that this week is to proceed in such a way that, as we come to the end of it, the idea of what is finished and complete should mark it. I believe that is the intention of the Lord Jesus that each week we should get through to something definite and complete. So there is the idea of what is working out in our own souls individually and what is working out amongst us collectively.

Nehemiah makes an appeal, “Come, and let us build” and then there is an answer from persons who are prepared to be affected by the lead of one who is faithful. It is not a question of gift. It is really a question of faithfulness, of devotion, of love, and this can be seen in any one of us according to our proportion, according to our measure. Each has not the same measure.

We all have different measures; we have different measures of faith, but the thing can be set on according to the measure that we have. Nehemiah is setting it on according to the measure of faithful manhood which we would have as an objective—the faithfulness of matured manhood. He affects others, so they say, “Let us rise up and build. And they strengthened their hands for the good work”. Well, we want to get strengthened for the good work as we proceed in this week. We have had the Lord’s day. We have had the prayer meeting, which has been called the power meeting. We had a sense of power as we proceeded in that meeting, but it is to give us power in testimony in the course of the week, and in view of our other assemblings, such as tonight.

Then we have this man Eliashib the high priest. He rose up with his brethren and they built the sheep-gate. Here is a priestly man coming into operation and this is to be seen in our locality. The feature of priestliness is coming in and setting in motion something that is going to affect priestliness in the saints so that there is this building going on. Something is being restored. Oh it is a great thing that as these beloved men laboured the wall was being restored. Things were being rebuilt. Historically we can take it back no doubt to how things functioned and were revived in Mr. Darby’s time, and how they have come through. Yet we have to humbly say that, since that time, how much breakdown there has been. Much weakness has come in. But at a time like this a man like Nehemiah would direct our attention to how we can rebuild, how we can restore.

Priestliness comes into this in a very distinct way, so that as priestly features are operating amongst us we are thinking for God. According to our measure we are able to act for God and act like God. That would be the way a priest would function. And what does he do? He affects the rest of the priests, the priestly element, so they rise up and build. It is interesting that they built the sheep-gate and moved on until the time arrived when the wall was finished.

What a moment that was! The principles of fellowship were restored, were rebuilt. The wall was there. It was set up in faithfulness. It took much labour. You look at those chapters and you can see how much labour it took. But they all worked together, and that is what we need.

We need to be all pulling together in our localities, working side by side, with the trowel and the sword (see Nehemiah 4: 17, 18) all in view of the restoration, the rebuilding of this great thought of the wall, involving primarily the thought of the fellowship and the principles of the fellowship. Paul opened up that side; the fellowship of God’s Son; the fellowship of His death; the fellowship of the Spirit; fellowship with one another. Here they arrive at what is finished. What a great matter that is, that the principles of the fellowship, in that sense, are finished, they are recognised, they are accepted, they are carried by us and they are maintained by us.

It goes on to say that “it came to pass when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, that the doorkeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed”. You can see that what is in view is that there is going to be something peculiarly secured for God. There are going to be the doorkeepers, but there are going to be the singers, there are going to be the Levites. What we find is that things are primarily recovered and secured for the

pleasure of divine Persons. We come into it in the way that we fit into matters, the way we fit into things locally, the joys that we have, the way God brings us into joy. Joy is a known thing in this book, in this great thought of recovery—the joy of Jerusalem. But the prime thought, beloved, is that the great thoughts of God are secured, the rebuilding, the reclaiming of things, is secured for the glory of God. Let us have that ever in our hearts that the prime question in christianity is what is for divine Persons, and as we labour at things and work together locally, we get through to what is complete, what is finished. So we want to be looking for this as we proceed in this week. There is going to be much. We have been praying much about it. We are going to be looking for something complete and finished to be arrived at in our histories individually and collectively under the eye of God. And it will be that which will result in glory; it will minister to the affections of, divine Persons, dear brethren, and I believe that is the greatest thing that we can have part in. May we be strengthened for this, for His name’s sake.

Words in meeting for ministry, Plainfield, N.J.
21 March 1978