Leadership and Opposition (Part One)

In his opening comments on Nehemiah 4, Charles Swindoll writes, “Anyone who steps into the arena of leadership must be prepared to pay a price. True leadership exacts a heavy toll on the whole person—and the more effective the leadership, the higher the price! The leader must soon face the fact that he will be the target of critical darts. Unpleasant though it may sound, you haven’t really led until you have become familiar with the stinging barbs of the critic. Good leaders must have thick skin” (Hand Me Another Brick, p.69).

The Nehemiah story begins with smooth sailing for the wall project. In Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah receives the news of the insecurity of his people, and he prays. In the next chapter, he plans; and in chapter 3, he builds up the people. The wall is now half finished. The halfway mark is always a challenge in any project. It’s here when we wonder if we have the resources to finish and where we often meet opposition.
Destructive Criticism (4:2-3)

Nehemiah faced criticism. It’s at this point that the neighboring officials Sanballat and Tobiah turned up the heat in their opposition to the rebuilding project. When they saw the work on the wall, they tried everything in their power to halt the progress. But their chief weapon was criticism. They had four targets:

• The workers. Sanballat mocked the builders by saying: “What are those feeble Jews doing?” (4:2). He questioned their mental aptitude and their physical ability.
• Their work. In the presence of his army and associates, Sanballat asked, “Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day?” (v.2 niv). Again, he questioned their ability and their nerve.
• Their materials. He ridiculed: Don’t they know that these stones they’re using have been lying around for decades and will crumble? “Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” (v.2).
• The wall. Tobiah had to add his two cents. He derisively said that their wall was so weak that it would collapse under the weight of a fox (v.3).

Kingdom builders today face similar criticism.
It’s essential to distinguish between constructive and destructive criticism. Constructive criticism comes from the heart of someone who honestly cares for us and offers a suggestion lovingly for our benefit, which may be an avenue for improvement in character and ministry. This should be welcomed. Destructive criticism usually comes from someone who has an “agenda” and who has very little personal concern for our welfare. It’s negative and destructive and, as with the Jews building the wall, can keep the target of the criticism awake at night!

A personal example: Because of the nature of my traveling ministry, I visit a different church about twice a month. When the opportunity arises, the pastor is eager to talk. Most often the topic he raises has to do with worship style. They either have gone through a transition or are considering a change. We talk about such issues of worship as traditional vs. contemporary, younger generation vs. older generation, and hymns vs. choruses. But invariably the change is the result of internal criticism over a very difficult issue in church life. These are not the issues that Nehemiah struggled with but are oftentimes where criticism erupts in the church today.

Tomorrow we will see how to respond to destructive criticism when it comes.