Nehemiah. Pt. 3 Trusting the LORD while being attacked
Good morning to each one of you. It is cold and sunny in Ohio but a good cup of hot coffee makes the morning chill disappear. I hope that our study of Nehemiah & Ezra is used of God to help us cultivate Godly character in our individual lives.
When I survey the cultural and political trends in America I am reminded how morally bankrupt our nation has become. Christians must seek to be men, women and children of integrity, honesty and live in obedience to God's word.
We should ask the LORD to work in our hearts and change us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Our Father in heaven is ready and willing to do this work in us just as Christian parents are ready and wiling to tie the hearts of their children to the LORD.
{An artists rendition of Nehemiah leading the reconstruction of the walls at Jerusalem.}
What a daunting project this was for Nehemiah to complete. He had a good mind and was able to prioritize the work and to organize the workers.
The enemy attacks are about to explode
As soon as the people said they would rise up and build, the enemy begins to oppose the work. A new enemy named Geshem is added to the list. His name means "to rain" and in this case we can see him trying to dampen the spirit of the Jews and trying to extinguish their zeal for Jehovah.
The enemies heaped scorn and reproach upon the Jewish people
The enemies mocked and ridiculed the Jew's work. They despised them and held a contemptible view of God's people. The word "despised" means that they thought the Jewish people were vile and worthless. They accused them or plotting rebellion against Artaxerxes.
Nehemiah responded to their attacks by relying on God
How did Nehemiah respond to the Jew's enemies? He demonstrated complete trust in God. He showed them that he relied upon God and that the Jewish people were strong and determined to rebuild Jerusalem. He reminded the enemies that they had no right or claim to Jerusalem or the Holy Land because Jehovah granted it to Israel.
Nehemiah 2:19-20 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 3 is the chapter that covers the rebuilding of the gates and portions of the wall and I would refer you to the posts on the "Ten Gates of Jerusalem."
The restless enemy is increasing the pressure on Nehemiah and the workers
Nehemiah 4 is where we will see that Nehemiah is faced with 13 different kinds of problems from the enemies and we will see how he deals with each of those issues. It reminds us that the devil uses strategies and methods to attack and oppose the people of God.
The enemy is going to be more vocal in their opposition as they seek to stop the work of rebuilding Jerusalem. Sanballat became very angry when he saw that the work of rebuilding Jerusalem was going forward. He was hot, angry and ready to blow his top. He screamed out intense mockery and derision repeatedly.
Vile verbal attacks upon the people of God
The text contains some of the vile speech of Sanballat. He called the Jews feeble and weak. He mocked them by asking if they truly thought they could fortify the city and offer sacrifices on the altar of Jehovah again.
Some of his angry words tell us a bit about the condition of the city. It was filled with broken stones, large piles of rubble and trash. The city had been burned and bore the scorch marks of the flames. Tobiah mocked and said that if a fox walked on the walls they would fall down.
Nehemiah 4:1-3 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
Nehemiah trusted the Lord to protect them and judge their enemies
Nehemiah did not lose his temper but responded in kindness to his enemies. He immediately gave them over to Jehovah for judgment because "Vengeance is mine, saith the LORD. I will repay." The teaching of Christ shows us how to respond when someone verbally attacks or mocks us.
Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Progress on rebuilding the walls continued in spite of opposition
Notice also that progress on the wall was rapidly made because the people had a mind to work. The Spirit of God stirred their hearts and they poured themselves into the work. Nehemiah said "they built the wall". It means debris was cleared, stones and timbers were shaped and fitted and the walls took shape. They were joined as the gaps and broken parts were rebuilt.
Nehemiah 4:4-6 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
Verbal attacks give way to physical violence
Here comes the next attack of the enemies and it is clear that their reaction indicates they had hearts that were hostile to the things of God. They were wroth which means they were burning up with anger. They plotted to attack Nehemiah and the workers to hinder and if possible, to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 4:7-9 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Nehemiah responded once again by praying to the Lord and using the mind that God gave him to find a practical solution.
When I survey the cultural and political trends in America I am reminded how morally bankrupt our nation has become. Christians must seek to be men, women and children of integrity, honesty and live in obedience to God's word.
We should ask the LORD to work in our hearts and change us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Our Father in heaven is ready and willing to do this work in us just as Christian parents are ready and wiling to tie the hearts of their children to the LORD.
{An artists rendition of Nehemiah leading the reconstruction of the walls at Jerusalem.}
What a daunting project this was for Nehemiah to complete. He had a good mind and was able to prioritize the work and to organize the workers.
The enemy attacks are about to explode
As soon as the people said they would rise up and build, the enemy begins to oppose the work. A new enemy named Geshem is added to the list. His name means "to rain" and in this case we can see him trying to dampen the spirit of the Jews and trying to extinguish their zeal for Jehovah.
The enemies heaped scorn and reproach upon the Jewish people
The enemies mocked and ridiculed the Jew's work. They despised them and held a contemptible view of God's people. The word "despised" means that they thought the Jewish people were vile and worthless. They accused them or plotting rebellion against Artaxerxes.
Nehemiah responded to their attacks by relying on God
How did Nehemiah respond to the Jew's enemies? He demonstrated complete trust in God. He showed them that he relied upon God and that the Jewish people were strong and determined to rebuild Jerusalem. He reminded the enemies that they had no right or claim to Jerusalem or the Holy Land because Jehovah granted it to Israel.
Nehemiah 2:19-20 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 3 is the chapter that covers the rebuilding of the gates and portions of the wall and I would refer you to the posts on the "Ten Gates of Jerusalem."
The restless enemy is increasing the pressure on Nehemiah and the workers
Nehemiah 4 is where we will see that Nehemiah is faced with 13 different kinds of problems from the enemies and we will see how he deals with each of those issues. It reminds us that the devil uses strategies and methods to attack and oppose the people of God.
The enemy is going to be more vocal in their opposition as they seek to stop the work of rebuilding Jerusalem. Sanballat became very angry when he saw that the work of rebuilding Jerusalem was going forward. He was hot, angry and ready to blow his top. He screamed out intense mockery and derision repeatedly.
Vile verbal attacks upon the people of God
The text contains some of the vile speech of Sanballat. He called the Jews feeble and weak. He mocked them by asking if they truly thought they could fortify the city and offer sacrifices on the altar of Jehovah again.
Some of his angry words tell us a bit about the condition of the city. It was filled with broken stones, large piles of rubble and trash. The city had been burned and bore the scorch marks of the flames. Tobiah mocked and said that if a fox walked on the walls they would fall down.
Nehemiah 4:1-3 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
Nehemiah trusted the Lord to protect them and judge their enemies
Nehemiah did not lose his temper but responded in kindness to his enemies. He immediately gave them over to Jehovah for judgment because "Vengeance is mine, saith the LORD. I will repay." The teaching of Christ shows us how to respond when someone verbally attacks or mocks us.
Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Progress on rebuilding the walls continued in spite of opposition
Notice also that progress on the wall was rapidly made because the people had a mind to work. The Spirit of God stirred their hearts and they poured themselves into the work. Nehemiah said "they built the wall". It means debris was cleared, stones and timbers were shaped and fitted and the walls took shape. They were joined as the gaps and broken parts were rebuilt.
Nehemiah 4:4-6 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
Verbal attacks give way to physical violence
Here comes the next attack of the enemies and it is clear that their reaction indicates they had hearts that were hostile to the things of God. They were wroth which means they were burning up with anger. They plotted to attack Nehemiah and the workers to hinder and if possible, to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 4:7-9 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Nehemiah responded once again by praying to the Lord and using the mind that God gave him to find a practical solution.
How did Nehemiah respond to the distressing news that the enemy was preparing to attack them? First, he spent time leading the people in prayer to the One, True God of heaven telling Him about this new development and seeking His Divine aid. Second, Nehemiah used the mind that God gave Him and created a good plan to protect them by having people on guard.
Points to Ponder....
Points to Ponder....
- We must always be on guard because the enemy is restless and relentless.
- We must rely upon the Lord for His protection and for His right judgment of the enemies.
- The enemy of God will change his methods and strategies to catch us off guard.
- He will seek to mock and discourage those who serve Jehovah.
- He will spread lies and verbal attacks against the Christian.
- He may incite people to violence against us.
- We must always continue in prayer and trust that the Lord will protect us and judge those who attack His sheep.
What powerful lessons we are learning from the life of Nehemiah. Also, Ezra will come back into this story in a few chapters. I hope that the truths we see about our enemy help each one of us to be more earnest in prayer and in leaving those who are against us in His hands. I think we also see the importance of keeping the promises of God in our hearts all the time.
Bob
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