Transcript

Herman Ostry’s barn floor was under 29 inches of water because of a rising creek. The Bruno, Nebraska, farmer invited a few friends to a barn raising.

He needed to move his entire 17,000-pound barn to a new foundation more than 143 feet away. His son Mike devised a lattice work of steel tubing, and nailed, bolted, and welded it on the inside and the outside of the barn.

Hundreds of handles were attached. After one practice lift, 344 volunteers slowly walked the barn up a slight incline, each supporting less than fifty pounds. In just three minutes, the barn was on its new foundation.

God’s people can accomplish amazing things when we work together. We see this in the Book of Nehemiah, when the Jews, under the leadership of Nehemiah, worked together and rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem in a staggering amount of time.

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 had been sent to Jerusalem by King Artaxerxes, the king of Persia, to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. We were introduced to Sanballat and Tobiah in our last episode as we looked at chapter 2.

They were not happy about Nehemiah coming to Jerusalem to do build the wall and attempted to stop the work by intimidation and mocking before it started.

Here their opposition to the work continues as the work began. And what is plain to see in these verses is a principle for the Christian life: whenever you try to accomplish anything significant for the Lord, you will face strong opposition.

The name “Satan” means “adversary.” Satan is committed to opposing God and His people and His work. There will always be opposition in the Lord’s work and the Christian life. We have an adversary who will try to get us sidetracked or discouraged so we give up.

Further, we see here that even though it was God’s will for Jerusalem’s walls to be rebuilt, God did not remove the opposition.

And, likewise, even though it is God’s will for you to grow strong in your faith and for the church to work to advance His truth, God often does not remove the opposition.

The opposition, if properly responded to, is to drive us to greater dependence on the Lord and to greater determination to do what He has called us to do.

Seeing the construction of the wall, made Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, “wroth, and took great indignation.” He was furious and “burning mad.”

The reason being that a strong Jerusalem could endanger the balance of power in the region and rob Sanballat and his friends of influence and wealth.

Sanballat and the army of Samaria and some of his countrymen gathered within hearing distance of the wall and Sanballat mocked the Jews.

Satan frequently uses mocking against those who take a stand for the Lord. If you become a believer and let it be known, people around you in life often will mock you.

Believers often get called names, are mocked for finding religion, or accused of thinking we’re better than others.

They wait for you or any believer to fall into some sin, so that they can justify their unbelief and say that Christians are a bunch of hypocrites. Your faith and commitment to Christ threatens their lifestyle, convicts them of their unbelief, and so they mock it.

In his taunting, Sanballat ridiculed the workers calling them “feeble Jews.” Believers are called weak for trusting Christ and His Word. They say we have a crutch.

But we are weak. We should admit it. The truth is, everyone is weak. Most just mask it or try to hide it. Trusting the Lord and His Word is what makes us strong.

The following is called “The Crutch” by Andrew Lansdown. “What do we say to people who claim that Christ is a crutch? Basically, I think we should agree with them.

“In a spiritual sense, we all have broken legs. None of us can stand upright without help. By God’s grace, Christians understand and acknowledge this. Yet here is a paradox: By being dependent on Jesus, Christians can be independent of everything else.

“Drugs, gambling, pornography, peer approval, worldly pursuits—those crutches that take only so much weight before they collapse—are avoided or discarded by persons who walk with Jesus…

“We are not ashamed of Christ our crutch. He is not like those worldly crutches that ultimately cripple those whom they appear to prop up. He uplifts whom He upholds. We gain independence through dependence on Him. We stand surely by leaning on Him.”

God delights to use feeble, humble people as His instruments to get His work done. We see that here in the building of the wall by these feeble workers. And by this, He gets the glory that is rightly due to Him.

Sanballat asked a bunch of sarcastic questions in verse 2. “What do these feeble Jews? Will they fortify themselves?” Or how could a bunch of feeble, weak Jews build a wall strong enough to fortify and protect the city from his powerful army.

He asked: “Will they sacrifice?” By this he implied that it would take more than prayer and worship to protect them. This was mockery of God. It was blasphemy, denying that God would or could help His people.

He asked: “Will they make an end in a day” or Will they finish in a day? He’s mocking that they had no idea how great and difficult the job was, that this would take many days, and that they would soon call it quits and give up.

Satan’s attacks against us include these very things, mocking our weakness, worship, and work, our desire to do something or anything for the Lord.

Sanballat then ridiculed the materials they were using, stones taken out of the rubbish that were old and fire damaged, implying they’d never last when set into the wall.

Critics run with critics. In verse 3, Tobiah, an Ammonite leader speaks up. He mocked also. Tobiah ridiculed the finished product. He said you wouldn’t need any army to knock the wall down, one solitary fox jumping on it would do it.

It was “If a fox jumped on this poor excuse for a wall he would break it down.” After each rhetorical question, the army and all the people probably roared with laughter.

From a human point of view the Jewish remnant was weak and poor and the work was too great for them. But they had a great God and they had faith in Him.

Nehemiah 4:4-9: “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.

“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 fought his battles through prayer. It would have been very human to want to punch their lights out. But he didn’t. Nehemiah never said a word to the critics, he talked with the Lord. Nehemiah’s response was to pray and persist.

That’s how we are to react in the spiritual battle to mockery. Don’t argue and lash back, just take it to the Lord, be strong in Him, and then get back to work for the Lord. Mockery and criticism must not keep us from moving forward in His work.

Nehemiah prayed and requested vindication for God’s people, not personal vengeance.

They were hindering God’s people, God’s builders and God’s work, and Nehemiah prays with firmness that God would judge those who were opposing the work. Verses 4 and 5 were an appropriate prayer under this program with God’s plans for Israel and Jerusalem.

The sidewalk supervisors wanted them to discontinue building the Jerusalem wall. But with grit and determination, verse 6 says “so built we the wall.” They built anyway.

Nehemiah and the builders stayed at the task. They could mock all they wanted. The instruction was keep mixing the mortar and hand me another stone! Give me another one!

The “people had a mind to work,” Nehemiah wrote, and the builders went at it working day and night splashing on the mortar, putting the stones into place, one after another. They worked so efficiently at first that half of the wall went up very quickly.

As the enemy saw the work progressing, and the gaps in the wall getting filled in, these groups of people became “very wroth,” really hot with anger. As a result, they decided to plan a secret attack against Jerusalem.

God’s people sometimes have difficult working together, but you see here how the world has no problem uniting in opposition against the Lord and His people. Verse 8 says “they conspired all of them together.”

Sanballat and Tobiah were joined by Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites.

There were all different and from different places, yet they were one in their opposition.

This group of adversaries planned and schemed to cause a disturbance, to attack and fight and hinder the building of the wall. The opposition increased and intensified. If anger and ridicule doesn’t work, Satanic opposition gets more aggressive.

With the intensified opposition though, Nehemiah’s reaction was to intensify his prayer: “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God.” Intensified opposition against God’s will is a call for intensified prayer by God’s people.

Nehemiah led the people to pray and he also took decisive, practical action. He posted guards around the clock against this possible attack. It was a common sense response.

And it’s a reminder that readiness at all times is important in the spiritual battle that we “may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11).

Nehemiah 4:10-12: “And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.

“And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

“And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.”

Discouragement set in among the builders. Leaders and people from the tribe of Judah came as spokesmen and tell Nehemiah that the people’s strength was decaying and waning. They’d been working long and hard and were getting tired. They were at the halfway point and the excitement had worn off.

If you’ve ever remodeled a part of your house you can relate. Halfway through the project, the excitement has left, you’re tired, and you can get discouraged. You look around and the mess gets to be more than you can handle.

Halfway can be discouraging. The people were saying that their strength was waning and that there was “much rubbish,” a lot of debris and mess.

All they could see was dirt, broken stones, and dried chunks of mortar. The immensity of the job was sapping them of their drive. They lost their vision of the completed wall.

Lacking confidence now, being weary and disillusioned, verse 10 says that they began thinking that “we are not able to build the wall.” Their earlier heart for the work that had resulted in the wall rapidly being built to the halfway mark was now diminishing. They had an overwhelming sense that you were never going to finish.

Satan knows that the halfway point in any work for the Lord is the most effective time to strike. When a new project begins, there is plenty of enthusiasm. “Let’s build! Let’s do it!”

If you get over the midway hump and see the completion drawing near, there is another surge of enthusiasm. “We’re almost there! Let’s get it done!”

But right in the middle of things, exhaustion and discouragement set in. Discouragement is a powerful weapon in Satan’s arsenal.

And by discouragement, the Jews would defeat themselves, and Sanballat and his allies wouldn’t have even needed to attack and fight.

The Jews were saying: “We are not able” (v. 10), but this was the cry of ones who had taken their eyes off the Lord and focused on their problems.

The Jews who lived in the outlying villages then kept bringing a report to the city that the enemy was planning a sneak attack. They told the story repeatedly.

Part of the strategy of the enemy was to frighten the Jews by making them think their army would suddenly surprise them with a massive force that would engulf them.

Their adversaries had been circulating a threat that they would come from every direction, and when they least expected it, “Wham!” they would sneak in and attack and kill the builders to put a stop to the work.

Mockery, discouragement, fear by subtle or overt threats and intimidation, Satan still does all this to oppose believers and their service to God.

The Jews were tired, they were fearful, they felt like giving up, and they were disheartened and discouraged. Like you can’t ignore a flat tire, you can’t ignore discouragement. So Nehemiah dealt with it.

Nehemiah 4:13-20: “Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

“And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

“And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.

“They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

“For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

“And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

“In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.”

Nehemiah first stopped the work. The builders had been scattered all around Jerusalem working together, but separated from their families. To encourage them, Nehemiah organized them according to families. He pulled them together as family units.

He armed family groups knowing they would stand together and fight for one another, and be encouraged being together. He stationed families as guards with weapons both behind the wall and on high places on the wall.

When we are discouraged, we primarily think about one thing: ourselves. So Nehemiah turned the builders’ attention from themselves and their discouragement onto the enemy uniting them in their purpose to stand and fight for each other.

And then he turned their attention to the Lord. They were looking at the rubble and saying we are not able, when they needed to be looking at the Lord “who is great and terrible [or awesome].” He is more than able.

Nehemiah rallied them and told them to not be afraid of the enemy or their threats, but to instead “Remember the Lord!” He called them to trust Him, to get their eyes on Him who was with them and for them. He wanted them to think on His greatness.

When we face situations that create fear in our hearts we too must “remember the Lord” and remind ourselves of the greatness of God, who is for us and with us.

Nehemiah then inspires their stand by calling them to fight for their fellow-brethren the Jews, to fight for their families for their sons, daughters, wives and homes. Nehemiah was a pick me up and an encourager! He was good guy to have around!

When the enemy learned that Jerusalem was armed and ready and prepared to fight and defend themselves, they backed off. Nehemiah then set up a plan going forward: half of the men would work on the wall while the other half would stand guard.

Nehemiah had them serve one another as a team, as one, with one goal. Some protecting, some working, all working together.

Those who worked on the wall also carried weapons and swords, so they would work with a weapon in one hand, and a building tool in the other, so they would be always ready in case of attack. They were called to be warrior-builders.

That image is the same for us in the Christian life: a hammer and a sword. The sword reminds us of the Sword of the Spirit and the spiritual battle. We have an adversary, Satan. We are each in a spiritual battle for the truth and for our testimony.

At the same time, the hammer reminds us that there is work to be done, and we must serve, labor, and do the work of the Lord.

We must build and battle. The Word exhorts us to stand, to contend for the faith, to fight the good fight, to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

We are equally exhorted to labor for the Lord, to work, to toil, and to serve and sacrifice and faithfully do what God has called us to do for Him.

The Christian life is about balance, and we must BOTH stand for our faith using our sword, the Word of God, and we must use our hands and talents to work for the Lord.

Nehemiah kept a trumpeter at his side always, so an alarm could be sounded immediately in case of attack, and to rally the men who were spread out along the wall. Wherever the sound of the trumpet came from they were all to rally and run to that spot.

Likewise, we need to rally around each other in the spiritual battle. We need the support of one another in the church.

Whenever the alarm is sounded and there is a spiritual need or spiritual attack, we need to run to that spot to be a help and encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Nehemiah encouraged them that as they heard the trumpet and rushed to the spot for the place of battle, that “our God shall fight for us,” and He would give them the victory.

Nehemiah inspired their faith in God and reminded them of His aid and strength.

Nehemiah was a leader who served and a servant who led. He was a prayer warrior. He was watchful and alert. He encouraged the people, inspired them, organized them, and kept their eyes on the Lord.

The reason the Jews succeeded in building the wall and keeping the enemy away was because they had a mind to work, a heart to pray, an eye to watch, and an ear to hear, and faith in God and this gave them the victory.

Nehemiah 6:15-16: “So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

“And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.”

Nehemiah and the builders kept after the task and in spite of all the opposition and hardships, the wall was completed in early September, just 52 days after they had begun. And Nehemiah’s conclusion for it was seen through the eyes of Israel’s enemies.

The enemies of the Jews and the nations around took notice that the only way this was possible was because of God.

They “perceived,” correctly, that it was God’s work, that He had worked through His people to complete the wall in such a short amount of time. God, and His working, was the only explanation.

That’s a challenge for the Church, that may we so work together and trust the Lord that the world takes notice that God is at work through us! And may He get the glory for it.