Nehemiah 3 doesn’t read like a devotional-worthy chapter of the Bible. The dozens of difficult-to-pronounce names and lengthy details about rebuilding a wall around Jerusalem might even tempt modern Bible readers to skip to the next chapter, but it’s important.

Look closely and notice that between those dozens of names, the author is trying to show us something. They worked together.

In the span of eight verses (vv. 4-12) the Hebrew phrase for, “Next to them,” or, “next to him,” is written 12 times. What does it mean? Well, it seems that the most important part of rebuilding the city walls was not any individual person assigned to a specific task but that they did it together. Nobody worked alone or tried to control the work, and it caught the attention of their enemies. In chapter 4, one of their opponents would mock, “This bunch of poor, feeble Jews.” Individually, they were weak and wouldn’t get much done, but God could work through them as a people to complete an important task.

Nehemiah 3 and the whole rest of the Bible make it clear to us: our faith is not a solo pursuit. Alone, we’re weak and vulnerable but together, God can do something miraculous through us. The apostle Paul would have known the stories from Nehemiah well, and he wrote to some early Christians, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12).

Think of what we can do next to one another! When our congregation feeds the hungry next to one another, serves next to one another, prays next to one another, and worships next to one another, we demonstrate the unity of Christ. Let us embrace the power of working next to each other, showing the world what can be accomplished when we stand united in Christ.

Questions for reflection:

  1. Why is it so important for Christians to demonstrate unity?
  2. How can working alongside side others make difficult tasks more meaningful?
  3. Are you expressing your faith in community? If not, what are some ways you can join with others to live out of unity in Christ?