Determined to Finish
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23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.
Nehemiah has had a burden chapter 1
Nehemiah has prayed for direction and action
Nehemiah has confronted the king - chapter 2
Nehemiah has move to Jerusalem - Chapter 2
Nehemiah has with stood criticism - Chapter 2 and 3
Nehemiah has organized a building program chapter 3
Nehemiah has with stood criticism
1 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. 2 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?
It is unrelenting!
The opposition just does not give up .
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
They just kept going a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other....
7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
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Illustration ----- don't quit
I The Plan
I The Plan
16 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. 17 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. 18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
As the Jews continued their work they were more cautious.
vs 16 - Nehemiah had half the men … work while the other half guarded them with spears, shields, bows, and armor.
Perhaps they were divided around the wall: a few workers, next to them a few guards, a few more workers, more guards next to them, and so on.
The officers in Jerusalem, who apparently had not yet been given responsibilities in the project, were enlisted to stand guard behind the workers.
vs 17 - As some workers carried materials, presumably bricks and mortar, they each did so with one hand, while holding a weapon (probably a spear or sword) in the other. Each of the wall-workers (masons) worked with both hands but had his sword at his side. Though this arrangement meant fewer bricklayers were on the job, the work was well defended![1]
The plan was not to stop or to be intimidated but .... press on and keep working....
1/2 will guard and 1/2 will work ....
Illustration of knowing God’s Will - this is why they kept going forward
if you are interested in knowing God’s plan for your life, then you must learn to walk with God. You need to develop a relationship with Him. Christianity is all about relationship rather than just religion.
And so you must cultivate your relationship with God. You must seek to know Him and not just seek to know about Him.
You will cultivate that relationship best by spending time in His Word, taking time for prayer, and taking every opportunity you can to be involved in church and small group Bible study opportunities. When you seek these disciplines in your life, God will begin the first steps to revealing His plan to you.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.
II The Protection
II The Protection
18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 19 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. 20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
In addition Nehemiah stationed a trumpeter next to him—a man who would follow Nehemiah everywhere he went as he supervised the work. In case of an attack, the trumpet blast would rally the people to the place of attack.
Again Nehemiah encouraged the people (cf. 2:20; 4:14), this time stating that their God would fight for them.[1]
The trumpet blew its all hand on deck and get ready to fight.
In the mean time 1/2 work the other half watch....
That sound means get ready to battle.
Fire serine near house in NJ we were considering buying ....
Everbody know what that ment when it went off...
Go to the station get dressed and in the vehicle
The trumpeter must be on guard and ready to blow
In the mean time keep working
It a large area and listen for the sound.
The point was keep workings and progressing .....
Ever noticed, if you wait for a battle to hit, you're too late. If you wait until you’re in the heat of an argument with someone, you usually have a hard time responding kindly.
If you get that phone call late at night, without preparing, you find yourself in panic-mode. If you end up in the hospital next to your child's bed because of a catastrophe, you tend to freak out. If we don't know how to handle things, our emotions usually handle us.
Or, at least this is what usually happened with me.
I've discovered there is a way to prepare for the seemingly unprepared moments. One specific and very effective way to do this is by storing God's Word in our mind. This way, when we don't know what to think, we can quickly remind ourselves:
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Nehemiah was working but also prepared to fight!
III The Progression
III The Progression
21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. 22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. 23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.
neh 4.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 4:21–23
The people worked diligently, from early morning till nighttime. Those living outside the city did not even return to their homes. Venturing outside Jerusalem at night would have been a dangerous risk. Through each night some workers stood guard, knowing the city was vulnerable to attack even then. They did not even take off their clothes to clean up after work; they kept a diligent watch at all times.
vs 21 - The people worked diligently, from early morning till nighttime.
vs 22 - Those living outside the city did not even return to their homes. Venturing outside Jerusalem at night would have been a dangerous risk. Through each night some workers stood guard, knowing the city was vulnerable to attack even then.
vs 23 - They did not even take off their clothes to clean up after work; they kept a diligent watch at all times.
productivity was through the roof
They knew once the wall and the gates were complete that the danger was minimized....
keep working to finish the job ....
That like us get our eye on the goal get sidetracked and get leveled....
illustration
They did not get distracted about the danger they heeded the warning but kept on working ...
Since the fall of man, people have had trouble staying focused, but we live today in an age of unprecedented distraction.
They job at hand was to build the wall; not to fight
They were prepared for battle but kept on building ...
31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: But safety is of the Lord.
What has called you to complete?
What is hindering that?