A faithful man who feared God

Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. – Nehemiah 7.1-2

It was finally done. The enemies were defeated, the Temple was built, the walls were finished, and then the doors were hung. The officials were appointed. Now it was time to pass the reigns on to a new man.

The man chosen was Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother. At first look this might seem like the ultimate act of nepotism. Of all the men who could have done it, Nehemiah chose his own brother.

The reason though was not because he was Nehemiah’s brother. The reason he was chosen is given here.

He was a faithful man and he feared God more than many.

Being faithful and fearing God should be the mark of God’s people. If we are faithful to God’s word and faithful in our and attitudes and our actions are guided by an awe of God’s power we are going to be the kind of servants who can effectively serve Him. God requires that His servants are faithful, not popular or famous, or even ‘successful’ in the world's eyes.

Hanani is typical of what most of us can expect. He is is forgotten man in most of our eyes, but he was a success in the eyes of God. That is all we need to be.