Written by: Gareth Robinson
Nehemiah 2 v 17-18
Then I said to them, “You can see the trouble we have here. Jerusalem is a pile of ruins, and its gates have been burned. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so we won’t be full of shame any longer.” I also told them how God had been kind to me and what the king had said to me.
Then they answered, “Let’s start rebuilding.” So they began to work hard.
Notes
Put yourself in Nehemiah’s shoes for a minute. You’re serving the most powerful king on earth, living in good quality housing in the capital city. Then, through your desire to see God’s city restored, you end up in Jerusalem: a dump. You know that God has made the way for you to get here – but this? What a nightmare. You’ve been round the city to check it out, in secret so far. And now it’s time for action.
What does Nehemiah do? He begins with his feet firmly on the ground: ‘Look, guys, the place is a mess.’ He includes himself in the reality check: ‘Jerusalem, we have a problem.’
‘Yeah, yeah. As if we didn’t know – we’ve lived here for years – he’s only been here three days. What’s he saying? God heard his prayers? And answered them? And the king’s sent him to rebuild the walls? And he’s provided the materials to do it???! Let’s start rebuilding!’
See what Nehemiah does: he starts with the situation as it is – bad. But then he tells the people his vision of what it could be (‘Come, let’s rebuild the wall…’) and encourages them with his testimony (his story of how God has been faithful to him so far). This mix of vision and testimony produces enough faith to get the inhabitants working – hard.
Things don’t always work out as we expect. They may be worse, or harder then we thought, but by remembering the vision God gave us in the first place, and all that he has done for us, our faith can be restored and the work to
fulfill the vision can begin
Nehemiah 2 v 19-20
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite officer, and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they made fun of us and laughed at us. They said, “What are you doing? Are you turning against the king?”
But I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We, his servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no share, claim, or memorial in Jerusalem.”
Notes
Nehemiah’s vision and testimony had inspired the people to start rebuilding. Now he has to deal with hard-core opposition. Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem came, saw and cackled. How depressing – there you are, building this wall that’s about knee high to a grasshopper, and people come and laugh at you. Embarrassed? That’s exactly what they wanted. Imagine looking at that wall. How stupid of me to think that this mess may become a wall, that this pile of rubble can become a strong fortified city. What an idiot I am for believing that.
Doubt – it’s the most powerful vision destroyer if you let it turn into unbelief. Doubt isn’t wrong – it’s what you do with it that counts. Do you let doubt build until you stop altogether? Or do you remember your vision and your testimony, get encouraged, persevere and carry on with purpose?
These guys had a point, though. King Artaxerxes had earlier said that Jerusalem should not be rebuilt (see Ezra chapter 4) ‘until I so order. Be careful not to neglect this matter.’ (Ezra 4:21,22) But Nehemiah knew that there were some new orders – they didn’t.
What did he do? Tell them that the king had ordered it so get lost? Nope. He knew that God had changed the king’s mind, so Nehemiah put his hope in a higher authority. These people were mocking God, which is why they would never share in his city.
Nehemiah’s faith and hope beat the doubt. God was doing this, and he was part of it. When doubt hits, let your faith and hope encourage you to carry on working as part of God’s plan.
Nehemiah 3 v 1, 7-8, 12 & 32
Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They gave it to the Lord’s service and set its doors in place. They worked as far as the Tower of the Hundred and gave it to the Lord’s service. Then they went on to the Tower of Hananel.
Next to them, Melatiah from Gibeon, other men from Gibeon and Mizpah, and Jadon from Meronoth made repairs. These places were ruled by the governor of Trans-Euphrates. Next to them, Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith, made repairs. And next to him, Hananiah, a perfume maker, made repairs. These men rebuilt Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
Next to them Shallum son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half of the district of Jerusalem, and his daughters made repairs.
The goldsmiths and the traders made repairs between the room above the corner of the wall and the Sheep Gate.
Notes
‘Er… Nehemiah, can I have a quick word?’
‘What’s on your mind, Uzziel?’
‘Well, it’s just that… um… I’m a goldsmith. And whilst I’m excited about the building project, I’m not sure really whether I can take part, you know…’
‘Why ever not? You’ve got arms and legs, haven’t you? And hands? Why should everyone apart from you do it?’
‘I guess… it’s just not my gifting. I make jewellery, and my hands might get hurt, you see, and…’
‘You what? Just you wait till I…’
No, I know this probably didn’t happen – I can’t imagine Uzziel getting into the Bible if that was his attitude. But how do you react if you’re asked to do something that seems fairly dull, boring, and doesn’t use your gifts?
Everyone in and around Jerusalem just got on with the job in hand – even the guy who ruled half the district! There was no time to be precious about it – it was all in, regardless of who you were or what you did.
Once the walls were finished, of course, all of their specific gifts could once again be used – but in the safety of the walls of Jerusalem, a picture of God’s protection.
They all knew which bit they had been asked to do, and they got on with it, until it was done. I’m sure not all of them enjoyed it, but they did it anyway.
God loves a worshipping heart that is ready to serve. To get things done when things need doing. Jesus had a servant heart, these builders had servant hearts (they weren’t builders, after all) and God is looking for a servant heart in us, too.
Would you have built the wall?
Nehemiah 4 v 1-5
When Sanballat heard we were rebuilding the wall, he was very angry, even furious. He made fun of the Jewish people. He said to his friends and those with power in Samaria, “What are these weak Jews doing? Will they rebuild the wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Can they finish it in one day? Can they bring stones back to life from piles of trash and ashes?”
Tobiah the Ammonite, who was next to Sanballat, said, “If a fox climbed up on the stone wall they are building, it would break it down.”
I prayed, “Hear us, our God. We are hated. Turn the insults of Sanballat and Tobiah back on their own heads. Let them be captured and stolen like valuables. Do not hide their guilt or take away their sins so that you can’t see them, because they have insulted the builders.”
Notes
Now he’s really peeved. Sanballat has already been made to look stupid by Nehemiah when he took the mickey last time. So, what’s his new strategy?
Do it again.
In his fury, he again casts doubt on whether this thing will ever happen. But notice he does it to his friends, and those he knows will oppose Jerusalem. Just like Dr Evil and other baddies, he gets yes men around him who will laugh at his mocking. Is this a sign that he is worried the builders might actually succeed?
Last time Nehemiah spoke to them directly, about his faith in God and hope that he will help build the wall. I think I would have gone into more detail this time, telling them about all God had done and how I’m sure he will continue regardless of them, or maybe I would have written to the king and asked him to tell them to stop.
Nehemiah goes straight to the One in charge. He knows who started this, and who will end it. He has no doubt about that – but where does he get rid of his anger and frustration? Onto the One who can do something about it!
My letter would have got me into legal wrangling, messing about with them when I should have been building the wall! Nehemiah didn’t start talking with his friends and those with power in Jerusalem – gossip wasn’t going to solve anything, it only ever makes things worse. He went to someone with THE power – God himself – and left it there.
‘Lord, sort them out and shut them up – they’ve insulted the builders.’
Turn to God, not gossip, with your problems and frustrations, and allow him to sort them out.
Nehemiah 4 v 6-9
So we rebuilt the wall to half its height, because the people were willing to work.
But Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people from Ashdod were very angry when they heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls were continuing and that the holes in the wall were being closed. So they all made plans to come to Jerusalem and fight and stir up trouble. But we prayed to our God and appointed guards to watch for them day and night.
Notes
Sanballat’s plans to embarrass God’s people into inaction had failed. Because of the willingness of the people to get on with the work, the wall had got to half its planned height. So much for piles of trash and ashes – the wall was now taking shape and becoming a real defence. This Sanballat hated.
Whatever was driving him caused him to hate the success of the Israelites: was it jealousy, anger, fear? We don’t really know, but he and his friends were committed to making a mess of the plans for Jerusalem.
Nehemiah somehow heard that they were going mad and were planning to fight and create trouble. He responded very wisely – first he got everyone to pray, and then he took action – action that would keep the people confident and the city safe: he appointed guards.
One of my summer jobs during university was as a security guard. My friends all laugh (a lot) when I tell them this – and rightly so. If anything had happened, late at night, I would have been completely useless at stopping it. This weedy little bloke saying ‘Um, excuse me, could you put that back, please?’ So why on earth was I there? (I often pondered that!) Easy: to phone the police. Call for help. It wasn’t my job to be a one-man crime buster (thank goodness) but to call those who bust crime.
The same with Nehemiah: any proper city would have guards as watchmen – this gave them confidence that if something happened, they would get called together to fight. We can learn two things here: 1) sometimes we need to do more than just pray, and 2) don’t fight your battles alone. More on that tomorrow.
Nehemiah 4 v 10-14
The people of Judah said, “The workers are getting tired. There is so much trash we cannot rebuild the wall.”
And our enemies said, “The Jews won’t know or see anything until we come among them and kill them and stop the work.”
Then the Jewish people who lived near our enemies came and told us ten times, “Everywhere you turn, the enemy will attack us.” So I put people behind the lowest places along the wall—the open places—and I put families together with their swords, spears, and bows. Then I looked around and stood up and said to the important men, the leaders, and the rest of the people: “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and powerful. Fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
Notes
You know how it feels. You’re halfway through a job, or an essay, or building a wall around a city, you’ve been at it non stop for days, you’re exhausted, you know there are people against you and there’s so much else to do!
Seeing all the trash, feeling tired, and aware that your enemies may attack you at any time (after all, there are guards watching day and night) – that’s it; ‘we cannot rebuild the wall.’ Tiredness and the diversion of tidying had led to doubt about whether it could really happen. So, they told Nehemiah.
At the same time, he hears that Sanballat and the other leaders plan to attack; they’ve worked out that the people are so busy building they won’t notice their advance till they’re right inside the walls. Oh, and there are 10 independent reports coming in of armies mobilising around the whole city.
What a day. What a nightmare. Is that it, then? The end of Nehemiah’s vision?
No way. Here’s the plan: defend the weakest points – the lowest – by putting families with weapons there. Then, remind the people whose plan it is (God’s) and tell them what to do (testimony and vision).
But why put them in families? Mutual support is a powerful thing. They’re fighting to keep their homes – their livelihood – that they share with their family. If you are in a struggle, you need support. We shouldn’t fight our battles alone. God has brought us into his family – he will fight for us, he has given us each other so we can ‘bear one another’s burdens’. Find someone who you can be completely honest with and make yourself accountable to them, so that you don’t fight alone. When you feel overwhelmed, remember your testimony and vision and fight with God’s family.
Nehemiah 4 v 15-20
Then our enemies heard that we knew about their plans and that God had ruined their plans. So we all went back to the wall, each to his own work.
From that day on, half my people worked on the wall. The other half was ready with spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers stood in back of the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and carried a weapon with the other. Each builder wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who blew the trumpet to warn the people stayed next to me.
Then I said to the important men, the leaders, and the rest of the people, “This is a very big job. We are spreading out along the wall so that we are far apart. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, assemble there. Our God will fight for us.”
Notes
Nehemiah’s plan had worked. By defending the weakest areas of the wall their enemies realised attacking it was a waste of time and went home. God had ruined their plans. Notice Nehemiah gives God the glory for this – God had worked it out, by giving Nehemiah all the information he needed at the right time. So, all the people were encouraged and went back to work, their vision restored by their testimony.
But that may not have been the last threat, so now Nehemiah shifted strategy – not everyone carried on building. Some now became defenders of the city whilst others remained builders. Their focus was clear: build the city walls. But, in case of an attack, Nehemiah got a trumpeter to walk with them. The trumpet would sound, and gather people to it to defend the city.
A great strategy, as they knew that for as long as the trumpet didn’t sound, they could build, and when it did, they would fight.
If your focus gets divided, the walls get built slower. Just think – they could have spent half the day watching out for attacks, the wall left unbuilt for all that time spent worrying.
Don’t let your focus get divided. Sometimes our battles (with sin, addiction, etc.) surprise us, but do what God has called you to do until you hear the sound for battle, then fight, not alone but as part of God’s family, until you can return to what you were doing. Then God’s Kingdom will be built strongly and effectively in your life, and in the lives of those around you in God’s family.
And remember – ‘Our God will fight for us!’
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version
(Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes