Nehemiah 3.20 20 Next
to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle
to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest. – Nehemiah
In Nehemiah 3 there is a lengthy description of the
people who engaged in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. There are a bunch of
names and the sections of the wall they rebuilt. And you read along and you
find Baruch (not an uncommon Jewish name), son of Zabbai, zealously rebuilt the section assigned to him.
It’s kind of weird that Baruch is the only one in the entire section that is
described as zealous. Zealous can mean:
enthusiastic, passionate, fervent, ardent, eager, or intense – these are words
that might describe Baruch as he undertook his assignment.
I thought it interesting that of all the names listed in
this chapter, only one is described as to how
he undertook his work. Everyone else is described as to what they did, and of only one, is described how he did it. Baruch, apparently, threw himself into his work.
I tend to imagine and in my mind, I see him eagerly and
fervently working. I see him encouraging and motivating others along the way. I
see him singing and whistling as he lifted rock and replaced beams. There was
laughter and cheering in his section as each part of the puzzle was replaced.
Baruch put his whole heart into what he did.
The Bible is comprised of words. Consideration of those
words is vital. Nothing in the Bible is in there by accident. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that
the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2
Timothy 3.16-17) When the only person in an entire list is described as zealous, we might ought to pay
attention.
Oh Paul, you’re
making a big deal out of nothing! Perhaps, but I thought about my work, and
if I was being described, what word
would be used to describe me in what I do? Colossians 3.23 maintains: Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… Would that be said
of me not only in what I do, but how
I do?
Words are important. Well placed words are even more
important. And sometimes I think words are there just to see if we get the
point. There were many people involved in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem but
only one of them was described as zealous.
I know, there always has to be that one…
Lord, You are the
Observer of all I do. Today I accept the subtle challenge of just one word to
describe just one guy and how he did what he did. I ask for zeal today in what
I do. Thank You for helping me to see differently today. Thank You for helping
me see my work differently today. If descriptors are necessary, may zealous be
the word used to describe me. Help me Lord! Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment