The scripture tells us that there were three groups of Jews who returned from exile in Babylon. Zerubbabel led the first and largest group (about 49,000) in 539-537 BC. He was focused on rebuilding the temple. Ezra led a smaller group of just 1754 people. They traveled in 458 BC and focused on the spiritual activities of the nation.

Lastly, Nehemiah brought an unknown number back in 444 BC and his attention was on the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem. He led the reinstitution of the Hebrew civil government.

The situation was dire: “those who survived are in great trouble and disgrace…the wall of Jerusalem is broken down.” (Neh. 1:3) Amazingly, over a period of just 52 days the people got the two and half-mile wall rebuilt!

I got to thinking about the value of walls in our modern lives. Clearly we no longer need the physical security of brick walls and locked gates, but we do all need to establish clear boundaries in many arenas of our lives.

We need boundaries at work. Expectations need to be clear, lines of supervision need to be established and well-defined accountability has to be in place.

We need interpersonal boundaries too. We need to watch what we share; recognize the personal space of others and use appropriate language at all times.

And then, we need to think about some personal boundaries. Striving for a healthy work-life balance is a good thing. We need to be careful about what spills over into personal or family time.

These kinds of “walls” help us protect others and ourselves from unwanted encroachments. When we say “no” to something, we are actually saying “yes” to something more important.

This week, a bit of personal inventory work will help us all consider the value of having meaningful “walls” in our lives. We need to take them seriously, but remember the phrase, “True strength is found in standing firm, yet bending gently.”

Are there some “walls”/boundaries in your life that need to be shored up?