Comfort in the Chaos
The Work Of Revitalization
Faith Amidst Attacks
To open the attack with a barrage of words was worth trying. It is the enemy’s oldest weapon, and in the form of ridicule it needs no factual ammunition; not even argument.
The imprecations invoked here may seem harsh, cruel, and vindictive. But it must be remembered that Nehemiah and his friends regarded those Samaritan leaders as enemies to the cause of God and His people, and therefore as deserving to be visited with heavy judgments. The prayer, therefore, is to be considered as emanating from hearts in which neither hatred, revenge, nor any inferior passion, but a pious and patriotic zeal for the glory of God and the success of His cause, held the ascendant sway.
Battling for the Brethren
Nehemiah’s appeal shows a fine recognition of the vertical and the horizontal planes of life: the Lord, as ever, is the first reality for him (see on verse 9), but he is well aware that earthly ties and simple loyalties are also integral to human life and character. There is less danger of excess and distortion in the call to fight for your brethren, … your wives and your homes, than in some higher-sounding, ideological battle-cry.
Let me be specific: meditate on the way that God is more powerful than your sinful urges and more powerful than your wicked opponents. As you think on that, take action against the enemies of the gospel by calling on God to do justice against them. As you fill your mind with God’s greatness and fill your mouth with prayer, recognize how the sin that tempts you would crush those you love in its iron jaws, grinding them in its merciless evil. Flee temptation. Fight the good fight. Set your mind on Christ. Be valiant.
Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Do you live for a cause greater than yourself? Do you lay your life down for those you love? Do you fix your mind on Christ, the perfect man? Do you lead by example?
What enables people to do this, of course, is the experience of God’s truth, goodness, and beauty, supremely displayed in the gospel. If we know God as He is, we will be enraptured by Him and ready to do whatever He says. Not only that, we will do whatever we must to be in fellowship with God, to be in His presence, to see the Lord Christ face to face.