Intro:

Imagine a lump of coal, buried deep beneath the earth. It's dark, unrefined, and seemingly of little value. But under immense pressure and intense heat over time, that very lump of coal is transformed into something incredibly valuable—a diamond. The process isn't immediate. It takes years of withstanding pressure, heat, and time before the coal becomes the beautiful, resilient diamond we admire.

Our journey of being a godly leader can often feel like that. We start out rough, unrefined, and vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. Satan knows our weaknesses, and like the pressures on coal, he will apply heat, temptation, discouragement, and fear, trying to break us down.

But here's the critical point: The diamond only emerges if it endures the process. Likewise, we are called to persevere through the trials, temptations, and attacks that Satan hurls at us. James 1:12 tells us, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

Just as coal becomes a diamond through perseverance, we become stronger godly leaders when we stand firm in faith. Satan will attack, but God promises that if we endure, we will shine like the diamonds He created us to be.

So far we have seen that Nehemiah began a journey into the unknown as he left the king’s palace in order to begin reconstructing the walls in Jerusalem. He had proven his ability to lead, influencing others to catch the vision, motivating them for the task ahead, and organized an effective strategy to mobilize the teams to work.

Last week, as we made our way through Chapter 3, we saw how each of the families and people groups came together in unity to get this overwhelming task done… and if we were to stop at chapter 3, it would be easy to think that everyone was happy, everyone got along and everyday was filled with rainbows and butterflies…

Well… Nehemiah has more than 3 chapters, and let me tell ya… it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies…

The events that happen in chapters 4, 5, and 6 all happen during the wall building process. Nehemiah faced much adversity in seeking to do God’s will and yet he remained steadfast in his commitment to the work.

This morning we are going to look at…

The Necessity of Perseverance

As godly leaders, we are going to face all sorts of attacks… and these attacks may come from strangers, may come from acquaintances, may come from friends or even family members… but the reality is… these attacks come straight from Satan himself… because Satan does not like it when God’s people are doing God honoring work…

And so he will use different tactics to try and, at the very least, disrupt the work of God… but his ultimate goal is to try and stop it completely.

Y’all have been very gracious towards me these past few weeks as I have completely ignored the clock and taken us through some lengthy sections of Scripture. There are some who go through Chapter 4 in one pass as well, however, we will do it two.

With that being said, lets get into Nehemiah Chapter 4…

(Read vv.1-9)

Meat:

Satan’s Weapons/Tactics...

There are a lot of weapons in Satan’s arsenal to try and stop God’s work from progressing and over the course of going through these next few chapters, we are going to see several of the ones that he uses against us… … and I will point this out right now… the reason that he uses these specific weapons or tactics, is because they have been proven to be affective against God’s people…

So as godly leaders, we need to be able to recognize these weapons, and persevere through the times when they are used against us…

The first one that we see from our passage today is…

1. Ridicule

v.1 says…

Nehemiah 4:1 “But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.”

This Sanballat fella keeps showing up… and his attitude seems to get worse every time… v1 tells us that “when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant… ”

The question is… who is this guy and why does he care whether or not the walls are rebuilt…???

Come to find out… Sanballat was the governor of Samaria, who, at the time, had dominion over Jerusalem… … So, he was most likely concerned about the disruption of power and authority if Israel was able to rebuild their walls and reestablish their own governing system… and Satan used that concern, that fear, to prompt Sanballat and his buddies to ridicule Nehemiah and the people building the wall…

“when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.”

One of the first tactics that Satan uses is ridicule… and he’s been using this tactic for thousands of years…

Genesis chapter 6 - Noah faced ridicule while building the ark in obedience to God's command. People laughed at him and mocked him for believing that a worldwide flood would ever happen.

The Book of Exodus - Moses is not only ridiculed by Pharaoh as he gives Pharaoh the messages from God… but he is also ridiculed by his own people (the Israelites) during their journey to the promised land.

1 Samuel 17 - David is ridiculed by his brothers when he arrives at the battle field and expresses his desire to face Goliath… and then when he does go out for battle, he is ridiculed again by Goliath due to his youthfulness and appearance.

This list could go on… Elijah, Jeremiah, the Apostles…

Jesus - God in the flesh - faced continual ridicule from religious leaders and others throughout His ministry, particularly during His trial and crucifixion.

All of the ridicule came from other people, but the real source was Satan and his attempt to stop God’s will from coming to fruition.

And the reason that it is such an effective weapon for Satan to use is because it…

1.1 Attacks Your Identity and Purpose

in v.2 Sanballat starts to hurl the ridiculing questions…

Nehemiah 4:2 “And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing?...”

He doesn’t just mock their strength, but their very identity as God’s people… “What are these feeble Jews doing?...”

But he doesn’t stop there… he goes on…

“… Will they fortify themselves? Better translated as “Do they think they can do this all by themselves”

Will they offer sacrifices?… ” basically asking “Do they think if they pray hard enough and offer sacrifices that their God will build the wall for them?”

His ridicule is designed to make them doubt who they are and what they are doing for God…

As godly leaders, Satan will often mock our identity in Christ… And he wants us to question whether we are really God's children, whether we really have a purpose, and whether our work to further God’s kingdom... really matters.

Which leads to the next point about ridicule… it

1.2 Diminishes the Value of Your Work

Sanballat continues with the ridiculing questions… he says…

v.2 “… Will they complete it in a day? “Don’t they realize how overwhelming this job is going to be?”

Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?””

Sanballat’s reference to “heaps of rubbish” conveys the image of a project that is not only difficult but also poorly conceived from the start. He insinuates that even if they managed to finish the wall, it wouldn’t be strong or durable because of the subpar materials they are using.

From an engineering perspective, if the stones were weakened, the wall would lack structural integrity and wouldn’t offer adequate defense, making their entire effort pointless.

He then specifically says they are using stones that are burned… which yes, they would’ve been burned when King N came through and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (When Daniel was taken Captive)…

Burnt stones were often seen as weakened or compromised because the extreme heat from fires would cause them to crack or become brittle. Sanballat highlights the fact that the Jews are trying to use these damaged materials, implying that they are building something destined to fail.

For Nehemiah and the Jewish people rebuilding the wall, this would’ve been a powerful psychological blow because, in ancient times, the strength of a city’s walls was directly tied to its security and prestige. By mocking the materials, Sanballat is essentially saying that even if the Jews complete the wall, it will be a worthless, shoddy construction that cannot stand against future attacks.

Satan uses ridicule to make God’s work seem small and insignificant… and he wants us to believe that our efforts are futile and that we’re wasting our time.

Which then leads to the final affect of Ridicule that I want to mention… and that is… it…

1.3 Sows Doubt and Insecurity

Now, as if its not bad enough that Sanballat is saying these things… here comes his buddy Tobiah the Ammonite… v.3

Nehemiah 4:3 “Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.””

Ridicule, like Tobiah’s, often plays on existing fears or uncertainties. The Jews knew they were rebuilding a wall that had once been strong but had been destroyed by their enemies. They were likely already feeling vulnerable, aware that they were a smaller and less powerful group than in their past glory. By mocking the wall’s potential to fail even at something as small as a fox’s touch, Tobiah capitalizes on these fears and seeks to magnify them.

Satan uses the weapon of Ridicule because he knows that it can cause people to doubt the outcome of God’s promises, especially when their progress seems slow or when the results of their labor aren’t immediately visible. Tobiah’s ridicule was designed to make the Jews focus not on the faithfulness of God, but on the weaknesses of their materials and the appearance of their incomplete project.

Sanballat and Tobiah understood that by making the Jews feel insecure about their work, they could cause them to give up not only on the physical rebuilding but also on their faith in God’s plan.

Similarly, in our own lives, ridicule can shift our focus away from God’s promises and make us overly concerned with our limitations or the opinions of others.

As godly leaders, we need to resist the temptation to be swayed by ridicule or criticism… As godly leaders, we need to stay focused on God’s promises and purpose for our lives, rather than allowing the negative voices of others to define our worth or dictate our actions. Our confidence should be rooted in God’s faithfulness, not in the approval of people or in outward appearances.

Realizing that ridicule alone wouldn’t stop the work, the Satan changes tactics… he turns to the weapon of…

2. Intimidation

We are going to skip over vv. 4, 5 and 6 for a minute and go straight to vv.7&8… and as we do… something interesting happens…

Nehemiah 4:7–8 “Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, 8 and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.”

Did you see what happened?…

vv. 1&2 - we have Sanballat and his merry men…

v.3 Tobiah joins in the ridicule party… … and now…

v.7 we have “the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites” joining in…

This growing alliance represents a coalition of enemies from different regions who wouldn’t normally sit at the same table for dinner, let alone cooperate with each other, but here they are, united by their common desire to stop the rebuilding of the walls.

These groups didn’t necessarily have the same immediate interests, but driven by Satan’s hatred of Israel, he is able to sue them to build a coalition of adversaries with a shared goal of disrupting God’s plans.

What began with just two mockers now includes multiple groups, showing how opposition grows and gains momentum when more people are drawn into it.

Satan does this to us as well… he tries to involve as many people as possible to create a larger force of opposition, making the challenge seem insurmountable.

The reason that intimidation is such an effective weapon for Satan is because it…

2.1 Creates Fear

When Sanballat and his allies threaten to attack, their primary aim isn't just physical destruction, but psychological defeat. They want the Jews to be so afraid of impending violence that they stop working, lose focus, and abandon the rebuilding project altogether.

They have Jerusalem surrounded… Sanballat and the Samarians to the north, Tobiah and the Ammonites to the East, The Arabs to the South and the Ashdodites (the Philistines) to the West.

Fear, when left unchecked, can be paralyzing. It immobilizes us, making us hesitant to step out in faith or take risks for God. Satan knows that if he can fill our hearts and minds with fear, we are less likely to move forward in the calling God has given us.

Just like when the 12 spies went to explore the Promised Land and 10 came back and gave a negative report… they emphasized the size and strength of the inhabitants, saying, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Their fear paralyzed the entire nation of Israel, preventing them from entering the land God had promised. The people's fear overshadowed their faith in God's ability to give them victory.

Satan also uses intimidation because it…

2.2 Creates Confusion

v.8 - “all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.”…

Confusion disrupts unity and clarity, making it easier for the enemy to divide and conquer.

Here’s what interesting about this plan… at least I find it interesting and so you are going to hear it too…

None of these other countries or people groups could openly and directly attack Israel for rebuilding the wall or even attack the wall itself. King Artaxerxes was the final authority on this project and he was the one who authorized it to be done… so in a way, their hands were tied… they would have to come up with a plan to attack from within…

Maybe sneak in at night and go on a killing spree… maybe wait until they were having a big family get together and attack it…

It could be anything really… as long as it doesn’t look like they are attacking because of the wall being built… today, we would call them terrorists.

A Terrorist is defined as - a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Iran has repeatedly expressed its desire to eliminate Israel. However, under international law, such an action would be illegal and a violation of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

So instead of openly attacking Israel, they fund and use terror proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah to do their dirty work. These proxies don’t care about the laws and when someone is giving you billions of dollars worth of weaponry, I suppose it would be in your best interest to use said weaponry in a way that would please the one who provided you with it.

Here in Nehemiah, Sanballat has been the most outspoken critic of the wall’s rebuilding, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he were behind the scenes, financing and orchestrating a terrorist operation involving other neighboring groups to launch an attack against Israel that would cause fear and confusion and hopefully get them to quit working on the wall.

Today Satan often uses threats of harm, failure, or division to disrupt the body of Christ… Because he knows… When confusion enters, it becomes difficult to stay focused on God's vision and His promises.

Those are the two weapons or tactics that I wanted to look at today and Lord willing, we will look at another major one next week.

But before we end this morning, I want you to also see…

3. Nehemiah’s Response

How would we respond?.... lets start with the ridicule… someone ridicule us about something, our hair, our house, our vehicle… what the first thing that usually pops into our minds?… … I don’t know about you, but depending on the insult, I have a tendency to go on the defensive… I’ve got to come up with an even worse insult directed back at them…

“Wow Tom, your hair is really starting to turn gray”… “Well, at least I’m not bald like you”… … I Can’t believe that lady would say something like that...

We may feel attacked, we may feel diminished, and we may start to doubt.... but Nehemiah doesn’t lower himself to the level of insult and as godly leaders we shouldn’t either…

We are to imitate Christ and Peter tells us in…

1 Peter 2:23 NASB95

23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

How does Nehemiah Respond to the ridicule and the intimidation…

3.1 He Prays

and its not just Nehemiah that prays… look at…

v.9 - “Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God… ”

Up until this point it was just Nehemiah that was praying, but now the nation was praying…

When we, as godly leaders, are committed to prayer, it naturally inspires and influences those we lead, creating a ripple effect of faith and spiritual growth.

What do they pray for…

vv.4-5 “Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.”

Nehemiah's first response was not to retaliate or panic, but to turn to God in prayer. He knew that the ultimate protection and success came from God alone.

Notice they didn’t tell God “I guess you’ll have to build this wall yourself… … If you want us to continue you are going to have to annihilate our enemies”… They earnestly asked Him to repeat His past actions and transform the very things that these nations were using to mock and ridicule Israel into realities within their own lands.

But they also…

3.2 Took Action

The end of verse 9 says…

“… because of them we set a watch against them day and night.”

and also v.6… “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

They didn’t quit. They Persevered… Nehemiah took practical steps to protect the work while trusting God for the outcome.

Closing:

Let me leave you with these closing thoughts…

Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem faced intense ridicule, threats, and opposition, but they responded with faith, prayer, and practical wisdom. Today, we face similar attacks from the enemy.

When we face ridicule, intimidation, and threats in our spiritual journey…

- As godly leaders we must: Stand firm in our identity and focus on God’s promises… and not the ridicule of others.

- As godly leaders we must: Refuse to be intimidated by threats and rely on God’s peace and protection.

- As godly leaders we must: Pray and stay vigilant, knowing that God is both our defender and the one who empowers us to continue His work.

Fear may come, but through faith, we can stand firm and fulfill God's purpose for our lives.

Prayer: