Some people are asked to do more than their share of the work. Some aren't asked and do it anyhow. In most churches the statement is often made that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. That is probably true in most of our society. I heard a statistic yesterday (11/2012) that in California only 18% of the people pay 80-90% of the tax. We might think this is only true in our corrupt society. However, in Nehemiah's day, when it came to building the city of Jerusalem, they same thing was true. When Nehemiah outlines who did the work to build the city walls, not what he says about one particular family:
Nehemiah 3:5
Moreover, next to him the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not support the work of their masters.
It seems that the Tekoites had to do the work, without the help of their leadership. They did the work without the help of the "nobles." But, this is not the entire commentary from Nehemiah. Note what he records later in the same section about those who built the wall:
Nehemiah 3:27
After them the Tekoites repaired another section in front of the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.
After listing many others who were building the wall, Nehemiah comes to the Tekoites again. You get the impression that Nehemiah is walk around the wall and recording the workers he sees as he goes from one section to the another. Similar to how a foreman of the job might do to observe the work and the workers. After he leaves the Tekoites in one section he finds them in another section, working. Most people, if they are willing to do their own work, seldom do the work of others. Most people don't even want to do their own work. What would the church be like if it were filled with Tekoties? Think of the work that got done. Instead, 80% come each Sunday having done nothing and leave having done nothing.
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