Nehemiah chapter 4 verses 1 -7
Nehemiah's faith in God and his love for his people is impressive -- and this, in spite of
hardship and opposition. Opposition from outside and discouragement from
inside, yet the task of rebuilding the wall was complete in only fifty-two days.
There
are some great lessons for us to learn from chapter four, beginning in the
first three verses:
Here
is this man, Sanballat, who heard about this band of Jews rebuilding the walls
and he was angry. He ridiculed the Jews. He spoke to his associates and the
army of Samaria, no doubt with a tone of ridicule and sarcasm: "What are
these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer
sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life
from those heaps of rubble...?" Tobiah agreed: "What
they are building - if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their
wall of stones."
Let's
learn this: It should never surprise us when we do the Lord's work and some
react with anger and ridicule. Jesus said to His disciples: "...if they persecuted Me, they
will also persecute you." Paul said, all who live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12).
We
can be sure, the more active our faith, the deeper our courage and the bolder
our preaching - there will be opposition. The likes of Sanballat and Tobiah are
still here on the earth -- and Satan will use them to provoke us and discourage
us.
How
did Nehemiah respond to this threat? He prayed, and that is the next lesson to
learn from this section.
In
the Old Testament there are these prayers, where people of God called upon God
to defeat and punish the enemy (Psalms 137). Yet in these
prayers - of David and Nehemiah, there is no evidence of personal vengeance;
but rather - appeals on behalf of righteousness and petitions for the
vindication of God's justice.
But here is what is important - When Nehemiah became aware of
this growing opposition; in the face of this fear he prayed. This is what we
need to learn, and this is what we need to do - when we face fear; when we
become aware of opposition: Pray! Don’t try to face fear alone – call on God, a
brother, a sister.
One
good example of this is found in Acts chapter four. Acts 4 opens with the
report of Jewish leaders in Jerusalem "greatly disturbed" when they
heard the apostles preaching "in Jesus, the resurrection from the
dead." Peter and John were taken into custody; Peter gave a bold defence
of their work, and verse 13 says: "...when they saw the boldness of Peter
and John, and perceived that they were uneducated men, they marvelled. And they
realized that they had been with Jesus." A man who had been healed was
standing nearby -- evidence of their work. The unbelievers who had taken Peter
and John conferred privately and decided to severely threaten them and tell
them not to preach the gospel. Peter and John were released after this
punishment
On
their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all
that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they
raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they
said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in
them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our
father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The
kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the
Lord and against his Anointed One.' Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met
together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire
against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power
and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their
threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through
the name of your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where
they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
spoke the word of God boldly.
Now
here's where we are: As the people do the Lord's work there is this angry
opposition. Nehemiah responds by praying. But notice in verse 6... They didn't
stop working! The temptation is - to become so worried; so terrified by the
opposition - that you pray and pray and wring your hands and wait, AND STOP
WORKING! This happens to local churches and can become the death of a local
church. You experience a few set-backs. The number dwindles, the budget is
strained, and people think about the negatives, talk about the grim prospects
-- and talk themselves into death, BY CEASING THE WORK OF THE LORD.
Cut-backs
in numbers and budgets do not demand cut-backs in obedience or work -
And
that's what Christians need to do! When you decide to follow the Lord, do His
work, and cooperate with others in His work - AND YOU JUST KEEP DOING THAT
regardless of how much money you don't have; regardless of how many people and
regardless of any opposition. You do the Lord's work because you love Him...
not because all the circumstances are favourable! We need the attitude of these
good people - which is called "a mind to work."
And
one reason this is important is - the opposition may get worse!
Do
we want to be like this people doing God’s work no matter what - or do we worry
under stress – we can decide – the choice - have fun or fear! Some people lead,
some people follow – these are the good people. Then there are those who get in
the way – they never do anything wrong because the never do anything – their
just there being an obstruction and causing trouble. The choice is ours – it is
not how good we do something – it is how we obey God and ask Him for favour.
Those
who disagree in almost everything will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not
answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up to God by prayer.
God's people have often been a despised people, but he hears all the slights
that are put upon them, and it is for His people that he does so. Nehemiah had
reason to think that the hearts of those sinners were desperately hardened;
else he would not have prayed that their sins might never be blotted out. Good
work goes on well, when people have a mind to it. The reproaches of enemies
should quicken us to our duty, not drive us from it.
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