Nehemiah 4:11-14 – Overcoming overwhelming fear

The opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem persisted. They tried derogatory insults, but that didn’t work. So they tried threats but that made the Jews work even harder after they had prayed. Then that came to a point where the Jews were discouraged. The depleted manpower because some of them deployed to guard the work, and the massive heap of debris to be removed, plus tired and overworked bodies moralized them. When discouraged, it is always wise to take time to seek the Lord. We saw how David did it in the Psalms. Whenever he felt low, he comforted his soul in the Lord. That’s what we can also do when we feel the overwhelming weight of life.

Now in Nehemiah 4:11-14, we read that the enemies were spreading rumors of impending massive sneak attacks. They depended on the purveyors of rumors to help that spread the false message. Even in today’s Christian circle, we have people who mindlessly act as propagandists. They don’t check the facts of a matter to ascertain the truth. They just assume that what they heard is true. Like the situation in Nehemiah’s day, the v church today also faced false messages from all directions. Entertaining them can cause one to be needlessly gripped by fear.

When Nehemiah realized that the people were being negatively impacted, verses 13-14 tell us what he did to counter the intimidation. He “stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears, and bows. When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” In other words, he stationed people, ready to deal with the threat. In case the attack truly happened. He pacified their fear by redirecting their eyes to God who had seen them through. He reminded them and assured them that God was well able to protect them.

We are living in a troublesome time. Every day we are beseeched with bad news. We keep hearing news of recession, inflation, food shortage, endless wars, etc. The key to staying confident in God is not to indulge in bad news, stay focused on the Lord, and keep our minds on Him. Remember God’s assurance in Isaiah 26:3-4:
“The steadfast of mind You (G0d) will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
“Trust in the Lord forever,
For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.”

    

Nehemiah 4:10 – Overcoming discouragement

Confidence and enthusiasm are two essential elements to cause one to stay on to complete a task. Without them, it is hard to be fully motivated to continue the task. On the other end, discouragement is what will cause one to lose enthusiasm and confidence. In Nehemiah 4:10, we get the feeling that the Jews engaged in rebuilding the walls were losing confidence. They were discouraged and demoralized. When they look at the task and the debris they had to remove, these plus their tired bodies made them lose perspective. They couldn’t see how the task could be completed. They were vulnerable at this point. Remember, they had stoutly fought off the demeaning remarks, withstood the threats, and vigilantly kept guard over what they were half completed. The workforce had been reduced because some had to be deployed to do guard duties and there was still a huge number of debris to be removed. This situation left those remaining tired workers susceptible to discouragement.

Undeniably, discouragement has a way to cause one to lose focus.  Instead of seeing the glass half full, their condition caused them to develop a perspective of the glass-half-empty syndrome.  So the common refrain all over Judah was “we are dead tired, the  rubbish is piling up, we are way over our heads, and it is impossible to build this wall.” Haven’t we been there before? When discouraged and demoralized any task look way too big for us to handle. In life where we place our focus is important. When we dwell on a problem, we tend to estimate a task way bigger than it really is. When we learn to look to God, the source of our strength we will have a more accurate estimate of the size of the task. Don’t only look at the thorns, learn to see and appreciate the roses.  Hebrews 11 were recorded to encourage us to learn from the heroes of faith.

 

Commenting on the heroes of faith he listed, hear what the author of the letter to the Hebrews said in chapter 12:1-3. ^“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your soul! (The Message)

   

 

Nehemiah 4:7-9 – After praying we still need to do what we can do

The Jews who were rebuilding the wall were first ridiculed, demeaned, and mocked. But they were not discouraged by them. Instead, they propelled them to continue with their task. It was clearly stated in Nehemiah 4:6 that every man had set his heart and mind to work. So the rebuilding of the wall progressed to half its height.

As the work progressed so did the number of opposers increased. Nehemiah tells us in chapter 4 and verses 7-8 that the list of opposers was not just confined to Sanballat and Tobiah. It now included the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites. When they realized that the initial derogatory remarks did not work. They became even angrier. But the Jews were not at all discouraged and continued repairing the wall. They had done so much that even the breaches were beginning to be closed. So verse 8 said that the enemies, “All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.” They came to Jerusalem to create some chaos and disturbances.

Now the Jews were enclosed by hostility. Their adversaries came up with a new strategy to thwart and stall their work.  They would attack the city and disrupt their work. Even that did not prevent them from working. Verse 9 reveals what they did to deal with this second wave of attack. They got into prayer again. But prayer was not the only thing they did, they also went on to organize guards to keep vigil over the work, day and night.

What we take away from here is this: after praying over a matter, we need also to take definitive steps to do what we humanly can do. Trusting God is one part but acting after prayer is also needed. We must do what we can do and leave God to do what we cannot. Remember our journey is a collaborative effort between God and us.  We have said so often that “Without God, we cannot, but without us, God will not.”  After prayer, we must act on God’s word and trust Him. 

 

 

Nehemiah 4:1-6 – What to do when facing opposition

Just as the Jews who were engaged in rebuilding the temple were opposed, those involved in rebuilding the wall now also had opposition. The chief of them was Sanballat.  Nehemiah 4:1 said that “when he heard that the Jews were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.” Here he was among the assembly of some wealthy Samaritans. Openly he ridiculed and demeaned the Jews for taking part in this work of rebuilding the wall. He asked a series of five derogatory  rhetorical questions. He was questioning the mental strength and resolve of the Jews. What he did influence Tobiah, the Ammonite who added to the ridicule by saying that their work would not pass master. He sarcastically said that even “if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”

Notice how Nehemiah responded in verses 4-5. He took the matter to the Lord in prayer. Because what they were doing was an assignment for God, hence the opposers were not resisting them but God. Nehemiah ask God to cause whatever insults they had hurled at them to boomerang and their opposers would themselves receive what they wished for the Jews. He asked God  to “Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders.” It is a mean thing to demoralize people who are doing the work of God. No matter how much we disagree with what is being offered to God, we should never demoralize His workmen. The best way to counter any opposition to God’s work is to bring it to the Lord in prayer.

Nehemiah 4;6 shows us the attitude of the workers. They put their mind on the work and did not entertain the insults. We get the idea that they stayed focused on the task and built it to an acceptable height.  The attitude to adopt in the face of opposition is found in these words, “the people had a mind to work.”

Here we learn three action steps we can take when we face opposition. Firstly, refuse to succumb to ridicule. Know that when we are doing God’s work, anyone opposing it is not opposing us but God. Secondly, take the matter to God in prayer. For this is the tool God has given to us to enable us to rely on Him. Thirdly, set your heart and mind on the work God has assigned. This is the attitude to adopt and learn to rejoice at incremental progress. Learn to look at the positive sides of things.   

Nehemiah 3:1-32 – Are you taking part in God’s building program?

Like Hebrews 11, Nehemiah 3 is also another roll of honor. It contains a list of the name of people who participated in the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. In this chapter, we are given the names of the people involved in the rebuilding.  Besides telling us who they were, we are also told which part of the wall each of them rebuilt. Every participant attended to their work diligently. And like the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, the building of our community requires every one of us to participate in the ministry diligently and totally. Every believer must be ready to jump in to help in the task, no matter how insignificant the job may seem to him or her.

Gates are an important part of a city or a building. They were not only the first line of defense but also the centre of activities in Biblical times.  Hence it is interesting to note that the building of the wall of Jerusalem centred around the gates. Here in Nehemiah 3, we see the repair of ten gates. They are namely,  the Sheep Gate (verse 1), Fish Gate (verse 2), Old Gate (verse 6), Valley Gate (verse 13), Refuse Gate (verse 14),  Fountain Gates (verse 15), Water Gates (verse 26), Horse Gate (verse 28), East Gate (verse 29), and Inspection Gate (verse 32). Interestingly, in Jerusalem, there are twelve Gates, ten of which are mentioned in this chapter. The other two, the Gate of Ephraim and the Gate of the Guard are mentioned in Nehemiah 12:39. In Revelation 21:12 we are told that the New Jerusalem in the future will also have 12 gates.  

Here are some other observations of the people involved in the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.

1.     Eliashib the high priest and his associate priests were all involved in the repair of the Sheep Gate. This was the gate where sheep would be brought into the temple for worship and sacrifice. Hence it seems appropriate that they should be the people assigned to rebuild this gate. And they reconstructed it, hung up the gate, and consecrated it.

2.  One group of people who did not participate in the work that were singled out were the nobles from Tekoa. Verse 5 says “…these did not support the work of their masters.” In God's work, no task should be deemed too small for anyone to do. And none should consider any ministry beneath his or her dignity to do.

3.   In verse 11 we are told that “Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of Furnaces.” In other words, after they had done one part, they took on another assignment and finished building the Tower of Furnaces.

4.    Verse 12 tells us that even women folks were involved in the work.  Here the verse explicitly said that Shallum and his daughters were involved in the rebuilding.

5.      In verses 19-21, 24, 27, and 30 few other groups were identified to have taken extra duties and repaired other parts of the wall beside what was already assigned to them.

6.   Baruch in verse 20 was specially mentioned for the zealousness, he brought into his work. Oh, that  we will all bring to into the work of God such attitude as Baruch. Let's make it our aim to attend our ministry with such an orientation.  

God’s intention in the building and edifying of the church was never to only use the pastors and leaders. Every one of us, who is a member of the community must be responsible and be an active participant in the task of upbuilding our spiritual home. God is not building the church with stones but the lives of believers. We are all called to be a part of God’s building program. So let's get to it!    

 

Nehemiah 3:1 – Being involved in building our spiritual family

Nehemiah 3 describes the rebuilding of the walls, the people involved in the building, and which section of the wall they were assigned to build. For so extensive a work,  coordination was certainly needed. A wise use of manpower dictates this so that the work could be evenly distributed and no part of it left unattended.  This chapter begins by talking about the building of the Sheep Gate by the priests. Verse 1 talks about how Eliashib the high priest and fellow priests were involved. They repaired the Sheep Gate, consecrated it, and hung up the gate.

The life of the Jewish community revolved around the worship of God. A key part of worship was the offering of their sacrifices to the LORD. This was where the priests were expected to play a pivotal role. They were leaders and ministers in worship and were obliged to provide examples by setting the pace.

The priests could have adopted the attitude that they were priests and not builders, so they just relied on others to repair the wall of Jerusalem. But the text showed that they did not sit idly by and wait for the repair work to be done by others. They got involved themselves. It was befitting that they were assigned to repair the Sheep Gate. For this was probably the gate where sheep for sacrifices were brought through into the temple.  Hence it was right that they were given the task to repair that gate and hang up its door. When it was done, they consecrated hung the door and then also consecrated the wall leading to the Tower of the hundred and the Tower of Hananel.

The work of God should involve everyone especially the priests who were called to minister to God through ministering to His people leaders. A priest would better understand the people when they are also involved in the work that they do. They would be able to better appreciate the hard work required by the people to put up the wall. Besides they also need to be able to identify with the people and show themselves to be part o the whole community. In participating in the work they were providing a model of cooperation for the people.  The proverb “many hands make light work” is true even in the building of the Christian community. Everyone pastors, elders, and members must all chip in their part according to the calling, the gifts, and the talents they are endowed with. Let us collaborate in the work of God for His glory!   

Nehemiah 2:17-20 – Stay focused and find strength in God

Nehemiah did not run ahead of schedule. Being an astute leader, he made sure he had gathered all the facts and was well-apprised of the situation before he spoke to the people. Having had a good grasp of the situation, Nehemiah 2:17-20 described how he challenged the people. He first explained the situation as it was,  then encouraged the people to rise and rebuild the wall of Jerusalem with him. Nehemiah assured them that they no longer needed to bear the reproach if they restored the wall of Jerusalem. Without a wall, they would be oppressed. It would not be a secure place for them to seek refuge.

Notice how Nehemiah issued the challenge. He did not order them to do the job. He included himself in the challenge by saying, “let us arise and rebuild….” In other words, he himself was ready to be involved in the work. Though he would have the right to tell them to get to work done he didn’t. As a wise leader, he knew that to do it right and the work to succeed, he needed to get the people to buy into the mission. Nehemiah also wisely included God in his challenge to them. Besides, he assured them that they also had the approval and blessing of the king.  

The last part of verse 18 shows us how the people responded. It says that “they all put their hands to the good work.”  In verse 19, we are told that as they started work, they had to face opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem. They were not only accused but also scorned and despised. These tactics are what our spiritual enemy would also do to us in our service to God. We will have to face scorns, accusations, and ridicule. But like Nehemiah, we must also refuse to be cowed. We must stay assured that God’s hand will be with us to grant us success. And like  Nehemiah had encouraged the people, we must also factor God into our work and refuse to be intimidated. When we buy into the mission and steadfastly continue in our God’s assigned endeavors, strength will be provided. Success in God is a foregone conclusion.