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00:00The book of Neemiah, located in the Old Testament of the Holy Scriptures, will be
00:21Our guide on this exciting journey into the principles of leadership. But
00:28Let's look at the context of Neemiah. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC.
00:35And the Jews who lived there were deported to Babylon. Today we call it
00:40From Iraq to this place. They were supposed to be in captivity for 70 years, but in 537 they were allowed
00:48a group that returned. In 516 the Temple of Jerusalem was rebuilt. Ezra was the leader.
00:56of the second group of Jews who returned to Jerusalem in 458. Then, in 445 BC,
01:05Neemiah requested permission to return to Jerusalem with a third group in order to rebuild
01:12the city walls. But let's see what was happening in Jerusalem. In those days, the cities
01:20They were protected by the surrounding walls. If an enemy attacked the city, they could take it.
01:27It took up to six months to break through to get in, thanks to those high walls. When Nehemiah entered the scene,
01:35The walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed for decades. By then, the Jews
01:41They had been living in captivity in Babylon for some time. Finally
01:47They were allowed to gradually return and later rebuild the temple. But the city
01:53It was still in ruins, and the walls were still just piles of rubble. This created two large
02:00Problems. Number one, the inhabitants were defenseless, without any protection. The inhabitants
02:07They were vulnerable to attacks and provocations. Knowing they were defenseless, they also
02:14They felt discouraged and defeated. When an army entered a city and seized it
02:21The first thing she did was destroy its walls. It was a symbol of defeat and the
02:26helplessness. Jerusalem, with its destroyed walls, was a disgrace to God's people.
02:33They said, God has abandoned them. Many of them believed that He had. Finally
02:38Ultimately, his captivity was a consequence of his disobedience. God had said to himself, if not
02:45They begin to behave like the chosen people they are; I will allow the city to be taken.
02:50by an enemy nation. And because they did not behave as they should, an enemy nation entered.
02:57and scattered them into captivity. God fulfills what he promises. But now they were back
03:04They had even rebuilt the temple. But they were living amidst the rubble.
03:10Their morale was at rock bottom; they felt defeated, discouraged, and depressed. What
03:16What's needed in a situation like this? Of course, a leader is needed. And that's where [the leader] comes in.
03:24Nemias. In chapter 1 of Nemias, from verse 1 to 4, we can find, being
03:32I was in the citadel of Susa. Susa was not the capital of the Persian Empire, but rather a
03:38a kind of summer palace. At that time I was the king's cupbearer. And that's how one earned a living
03:43Life. That was him, a cupbearer. In the Old Testament, this king is known by three names.
03:50different. Artaxerxes, which means great king, Azarah, which means venerable father, and
03:57Darius the Mede, as the book of Daniel titles him. This tells us something about the way in
04:04that the people regarded their rulers in those days, since only one man was
04:09Known by three different names. It is likely that Nemias, as the king's cupbearer, held
04:16the second most important position within the kingdom. The king's cupbearer was a combination
04:21He was a bodyguard, personal security agent, and aide to the king. He was the person in whom
04:27The more the king trusted him, the more Nemias' title originated from part of his responsibilities,
04:33which included the obligation to taste the wine before the king drank it, obviously
04:38to make sure it wasn't poisoned. If the cupbearer fell, the king would know what was wrong.
04:44Most likely, it was more than just wine. Nemias's profession was quite dangerous.
04:51Furthermore, Nemias had to be completely loyal and trustworthy. And Artaxerxes had
04:59entrusted his own life. Although it is likely that Nemias was born in Babylon during the
05:05She was not Persian, even though she was taken into captivity. However, she held the second position in authority and was a great
05:12He is a figure within the Persian government. God always has his way of putting his people in positions of power.
05:19necessary and at the right time. Hananain, one of Nemias' brothers, had just returned from a
05:27journey to Jerusalem. Since Jerusalem was at a distance of between thirteen hundred and sixteen hundred
05:34kilometers from Susa, it would probably have taken him about two months to make the journey on the back of
05:40camel. Crossing, of course, the desert, a far from easy journey. Nemias asked his
05:48Brother. I wanted to know everything that's happening to the family in Jerusalem. The inhabitants, he tells me.
05:56My brother, they are desolate, without hope, and humiliated before the rest of the nations. I only bring
06:04"Bad news," the brother tells him. "The town is depressed, our relatives are discouraged, and the..."
06:11The walls are still lying on the ground. They have rebuilt the temple, but the whole city is in ruins. They are
06:18invading the city, and the people are truly discouraged. Nemias, hearing this, says the
06:25He sat down and wept, mourned for some days, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Nemiad,
06:34He feels saddened by this news and ashamed for God's people. In the following verses
06:41From that first chapter, we will read his prayer. We will also see that he did not pray for just one hour,
06:49not even for a single day. The Bible says that he heard the news in November and went to the
06:55The last week of March when the king let him go. He had been praying, weeping, fasting, and lamenting.
07:03for four months. It's clear that she had taken that news seriously and that the
07:12He kept it deep in his heart. Nemias is a man of prayer. But let us reflect,
07:20Why do you think God chose Nemias? To send him, to make him feel that calling to go to
07:27Jerusalem. Could it have had something to do with his prayer life? I invite you to reflect on this.
07:35How many times had God warned the Israelites through his prophets to turn back
07:41Did they ask him to abandon the idols and evil customs they had learned from their neighbors? But they
07:47They refused. Their ears turned deaf. The people God had set apart for himself, like
07:54This special people was taken away from His presence and led into captivity. It reveals to us the very situation
08:01delicate matter that compels God to scatter Israel among the nations under a regime of captivity.
08:08Now the people of Israel were slaves, whose greatest oppressor was the Babylonian Empire. In this
08:16At a crucial moment in history, a leader emerges: Nemias. Nemias appears at a pivotal moment in history.
08:24of Israel. When the Jews began to be deported to their homeland, there had probably been
08:30Born in captivity, within the Babylonian people. From his position of importance, we deduce
08:36He was an illustrious man, a doctor of science and knowledge of the time. He was called by God,
08:42He was the cupbearer to the most powerful king in the Middle East. He probably had close to
08:48Forty years. Let's ask this question: Why did God choose this man? Let's look at some
08:57points. Nemias was sensitive to the needs he saw around him. God saw his heart
09:05of Nemias. He was a man who mattered to God, who was of interest to him. He lived a life
09:12pleasant in Babylon. He had never seen Jerusalem. It must have seemed to him that those
09:18The problems were a million miles away. But when I spoke of the people
09:23Depressed, discouraged, and defeated, he took that news seriously. Let us learn.
09:31This principle: Leaders are sensitive to the needs of the people around them.
09:39This is the principle of leadership we find in the book of Nemias. God uses people
09:45that they care about the same things that matter to him. God cared that the walls of Jerusalem
09:52were lying on the ground. Nemias cared about what God cared about, and that made him a
10:00leader. The first quality of a great leader is sensitivity to the needs that
10:07Look around him. Number two, Nemias was trustworthy. Nemias was a man of
10:14good reputation. King Artaxerxes had entrusted him with his personal safety. That means
10:21a high degree of trust. God uses people who are trustworthy, reliable, and faithful.
10:27In the Gospel of Saint Luke, God presents four ways in which he tests our faith.
10:33Loyalty. One of them involves observing how we serve in ministry under another leader.
10:41Before giving us our own ministry, he wants to see how we treat someone else's leadership. Another
10:47Form has to do with the management of our money. The Bible clearly indicates that our
10:53A personal style in managing money determines how much God can bless our lives.
10:58life. If earthly riches cannot be trusted, who will entrust us with true life?
11:05spiritual treasures?
11:07Third, Nemias was willing. When a leader was needed, Nemias said, "I volunteer, here."
11:13I am here, send me. He held the most enviable position in the entire kingdom, Nemias. And the problem
11:19It was 1,700 kilometers away. It would take him two months to get there, to Jerusalem.
11:25on a camel. It would have been much easier to stay where he was, in his comfort zone, carrying
11:33The easy and pleasant life of the palace. But Nemias says, I'll go. I'm not a builder, but
11:41I'm going to rebuild those walls. He didn't have the necessary skills for that job, but
11:47Yes, he had a kind heart. God chose him because he was sensitive and trustworthy.
11:53and had made himself available to them. God doesn't look so much for abilities in leaders.
11:58such as credibility, trust, and availability. These qualities are all a matter of
12:06of decision. Perhaps you tell yourself, I don't have the ability, the gifts, or the intellect.
12:13necessary. However, that is not the question God is asking. God is saying,
12:20Can we believe in you? Are you willing to let God mold you? Are you willing
12:27to grow? Do you believe you can change the environment for those who need it most? Are you worthy of
12:34Trust? Can God rely on you? Are you willing to serve, brother?
12:43I invite you, brother, to reflect on these questions. Today, the world certainly needs them.
12:51Capable leaders, willing to dedicate their lives to God, to be agents of change. I invite you
13:01Time to reflect, and we'll see you in the next sessions.