Building The Wall
Notes
Transcript
Nehemiah 4:6-14 NIV
Nehemiah 4:6-14 NIV
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.
8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Right off the bat the Jewish people had neighbors that hated them, mocked them, and spoke ill of what they where doing. So Nehemiah prayed and went to work.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
Instead of listening to the mockers and the ones constantly belittling them. They went to work and accomplished much quickly.
In some versions it says that they had passion for the work, I prefer this because it is more than just with all of their might, it is through the pain, through the hardships, it is working without focusing on the imperfections of the job at hand.
We too must be passionate about the work that God gives us. Even if it is something a lowly as pushing a broom.
Mr Cherry was always singing a hymn while working. His faithfulness impacted thousands of students over the years.
He had a passion for the Work of God.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.
8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
I like how the MEV writes verse 8
8 So they all conspired together to fight against Jerusalem in order to cause it chaos.
Take note of the underline reason they had to fight Jerusalem… “to cause chaos”.
That alone should tell you the source of their hate and who has influenced them.
If the enemy can’t stop you he’s going to distract you, (REPEAT THAT)
Chaos is one of the most common tools used to distract us, and God will allow us to navigate the chaos so that we can experience Him as the peace.
Chaos leads one exposing what is on the inside. Many times we lose our self-control as the chaos builds and then we say and do things that we always regret.
This is why I feel the enemy loves to use chaos so frequently.
9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Lets take note of their reaction to the threat. They prayed and then they went to work.
Yes we are to rely on the Lord but that does not negate our responsibility to prepare for and put in the work.
It’s like praying for a hole and the Lord giving you a shovel. Many times we pray all the time for something, the Lord provides the tools and then we complain that what we asked for hasn’t happened.
Sometimes we have to use the tools God gave us to build and prepare as we wait on the Lord.
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (1. A Plot (4:7–9))
He sought God first, leaving to God what only God could do. Then he prepared and did what he could do. This was Nehemiah’s pattern.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
The people were feeling the pressure and starting to look at the problems not the solution. Overwhelmed by that job at hand and giving into exhaustion. The people lamented.
When we place our focus on the problem, that tends to be all we magnify and give reverence too.
How many times do we do that in life. To have seen so many things and yet still when the hard times come we panic and lose sight of God.
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
Again instead focusing on the problem, Nehemiah worked as a true leader and stayed the course, taking action where he could and trusting God to do what only He could do.
It’s like a prayer I’ve heard before, to ask God for peace for what they cannot control, and strength to do what they can control.
Shutting down in the face of trouble is not an option. Though tempting as it is to shut down, when the enemy advances on us, we must push through and maintain in the Lord.
Nehemiah took action instead of panicking and led them in the way of the Lord and prepared them.
Also take note of how he gave them ownership of this guard detail. He placed them as families.
The sections of the wall that they were guarding where the sections of where they lived. It was their homes and their families that they were protecting.
14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
This is the word of encouragement that we need to speak to ourselves throughout life as we face the struggles and hardships.
4. Resolve (4:13–15)
4:13–14. Nehemiah was hit with a problem that he needed to resolve if the work was to end successfully. People were tired and discouraged, nerves were frazzled, and a concerted military threat was rumbling all along Judah’s borders. Therefore, Nehemiah stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places. He posted them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
Nehemiah actually halted all work and called an assembly of the people. He arranged them by families, the traditional method of organization. They assembled in full battle dress at those places along the wall that allowed a good viewing by their enemies. This was a carefully orchestrated show of strength to those who might try to attack. Their enemies would know that the Jews were prepared.
With the people assembled in their fighting gear, Nehemiah looked things over. He reviewed the troops. Then, like a general, and certainly like the governor he was, Nehemiah stood up and delivered a war speech. He appealed first to the Jews’ religious convictions and their identity as God’s people: Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome. Nehemiah pointed the people to God; he tapped into their collective memory and evoked the history of God’s protection.
Nehemiah then encouraged them to fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes. The battle was not for some abstract notion, or a pile of stones, but for those people who stood next to them. Nehemiah’s words fell with a force doubled by the proximity of loved ones.
Knute Larson and Kathy Dahlen, Holman Old Testament Commentary - Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, ed. Max Anders (Broadman & Holman Publishers., 2005), 173.
Listen to the end result of this show of force.
15When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
16From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah
17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,
18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
Nehemiah 4:15-18 (NIV)
Take Home Question:
Is there something that robs of our peace and districts us from our walk with the Lord?
Do we go about our work with the sword on or side, That being the Word of God?
Lets Pray.
