“And I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.'” — Nehemiah 2:5

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Hope was in abundance for basketball fans across the country on June 25, the night of the 2025 NBA Draft. Fans of teams near the top of the draft looked on with glee as their team’s selection walked across the stage, with a big smile on his face, to greet NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. That selection may just be the cornerstone piece to a rebuilding effort that could catapult the franchise back to the top of the league.

In fact, stockpiling draft picks plays a central role in what has been coined the “rebuilding process.” This process describes a series of steps teams undergo to set themselves up for future success. In addition to accumulating draft picks, teams also often have to trade away aging veterans, free up salary cap space, generally retool the roster, and sometimes even hire a new coaching staff.

There was an impressive rebuilding effort in the Bible as well, recounted in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. For the previous 70 years, the people of Jerusalem were forced to live as exiles in the land of Babylon, which came upon them for repeatedly rebelling against God. During that time, Jerusalem had been sacked and burned, the temple had been flattened, and many of the inhabitants were either killed or dispersed. Now in Nehemiah’s day, the people of God were back in the city that was once their pride and joy, but it lay in ruins and the people were exhausted, humbled and beset with fear that God had abandoned them.

That’s when Nehemiah (who worked in a king’s court) courageously followed God’s call to Jerusalem to kick-start a rebuilding process of his own. He oversaw the rebuilding of the city and its walls in an effort to restore hope to a broken-down people, and despite opposition from surrounding nations, those walls were eventually completed. The people had regained hope as they recognized the powerful ways God was at work in the rebuilding process. Following the completion of the walls, people were led in a time of confession and repentance for the sins that led them to exile, as well as a time of worship and covenant renewal.

God put the story of Nehemiah in the Bible for a purpose. Yes, He wanted to tell the history of how Jerusalem was repopulated, but it goes far beyond that. Nehemiah tells a story of restoration and renewal. It’s a story of God’s faithfulness to His people, even when they were very unfaithful to Him. And it’s a story that plays out in the lives of every sinner-turned-saint who is cleansed by the blood of Jesus. The Book of Nehemiah points forward to the great rebuilding process of death to eternal life in Christ.

You may believe you’re too far gone, like you’ve sinned too grievously. I’m happy to tell you that you’re wrong. God — the ultimate rebuilder of souls — can restore anyone through the blood of Jesus, the chief cornerstone. He can save you too.

— Kevin Mercer

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