Builders of the Walls
3 Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They consecrated [a]the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel. 2 Next to him the men of Jericho built, and next to [b]them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
3 Now the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. 4 Next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz made repairs. And next to him Meshullam the son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel made repairs. And next to [c]him Zadok the son of Baana also made repairs. 5 Moreover, next to [d]him the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not [e]support the work of their masters.
6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars. 7 Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, [f]also made repairs for the official seat of the governor of the province beyond the River. 8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of Furnaces. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall to the [g]Refuse Gate.
14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official of the district of Beth-haccherem repaired the [h]Refuse Gate. He built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars.
In the middle of this incredible effort, we have the odd note about the Tekoites, or as some translations say, the men of Tekoa. Their leaders or “nobles” refused to do any work, period. Good leaders get in there along with their workers and see that the job gets done. Sometimes that isn’t necessary, or they’ve got plenty of work to do to keep things running smoothly. But if you’re in a position of authority, don’t say “well, that’s not my job”.
That’s lazy, and it’s likely not an attitude that reflects godly character. When God needed a sacrifice to pay for our sins, he didn’t wait for us to figure it out. He came down to earth and paid the price for our sin. And all the while, Jesus laid down an example for us to follow, so that we were without excuse as to what He expects in our lives.
He also said, “no great love has a man than this, that he lays down his life for his friend.” That kind of heart doesn’t let others bear the brunt of the work while sitting back and “supervising”. Get your hands dirty, or you’re apt to get disconnected from the day to day realities of the work and become less effective as a leader. Have God’s heart in all you do, and everything you do, do it as if you were doing it for Him… because you are.