Wisdom in Conflict

Introduction

The true test of Leader and a follower of Christ is how we respond to opposition. I often ask myself this question, “Am I doing anything that requires opposition?

Nehemiah 4:1–23 ESV

1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. 6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. 7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. 10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” 15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” 21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.

Nehemiah 4:1-

Initial Opposition

Anger is the emotion that drives the opposition throughout this chapter. Anger is an interesting emotion because it can overtake us and cause us to say and do things we would never had said or done in a calm state. The reason for anger however is what determines if your response is sinful or holy. Jesus became anger, Peter became angry. Jesus was righteous, never sinning in his anger, and Peter often was rebuked by Jesus.

What is

Sanballat is angry to the point of black out rage because the walls of Jerusalem were being built back up. Why was he so angry? The people of Israel had a deep history of God doing amazing things for them. They were supposed to be squashed when the walls and temple came down. But now the temple is back up and the walls are being rebuilt…so for Sanballat a once defeated foe is rising from the knockdown blow.

His reputation as being one of the men who help destroy the city is at stake. His legacy of victory is diminishing.

But all this anger lead to insults and psychological warfare. What Sanballat does is ask a serious of questions to raise doubts in the minds of the people. Sanballat knows that if he can get the people to doubt themselves, then work will stop. If his jeering is successful the people of God will become hopeless and action-less.

What does he ask them:

What are these feeble Jews doing?

Will they restore it for themselves?

Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day?

Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish and burned ones at that?

Then Tobiah joins in saying that the wall the Jews are building will be toppled over by a fox running on it.

Fear and Doubt are hurled at the Jews by some powerful leaders. So we be doing this? What will happen to me if I continue on this course of action?

As a follower of Jesus, you and I can expect similar things. When the work of God is being accomplished there will be resistance. The kingdom of God is under attack. Satan from the beginning of the bible has been attacking the rule and reign of God. He hurls insults, makes threats. But He also only attacks where the rule and reign of God is active.

Think of it this way: If the Jews would have left the wall alone, would the surrounding rulers have cared? But because the wall was being rebuilt, they become angry? The wall was establishing the city of God, where His law ruled and reigned.

We must remember that we live in a world that has a spiritual side to it. Because we are dominated by the physical side of life, you and I often forget about the spiritual side of things.

In fact the initial response to the physical threat is a spiritual discipline.

Initial Response

Nehemiah like he has done from the beginning of this book turns to prayer when earthly realities aren’t good. The primary weapon all followers of God have is prayer. Prayer is not the last resort when we have tried everything else. Prayer is the spiritual discipline we do that openly admits we need help. We need you God. And when the earthly realities of life are full of opposition, my prayer is, that opposition has arisen due to the kingdom of God being built.

What made the prayer in Nehemiah interesting is that the prayer itself seems at odds with the teaching of Christ. however, Nehemiah’s request was for divine judgment against sin. It was a prayer for God to act, not for permission to take personal vengeance. It also expressed a zeal for God’s work and honor.

The opposition from Sanballat and Tobiah, ultimately the forces of darkness at work, did not cause Nehemiah to respond in anger or fear. In fact in the face of danger Nehemiah says “So we built the wall.”

Faith in God always leads to action. Faith in what God has called you to always leads to moving forward no matter what the opposition is saying. Fear takes our eyes off of God so that we respond to the situation rather than the one who is in control of the situation. Fear causes us to think we can actually control more than we can. Prayer on the other hand reminds us how limited and finite we are. it is an act of humiliation to submit ourselves to God in prayer. That’s why we start with Our Father who Art in Heaven…He is Dad and over everything, especially me.

From Jokes & Threats to Plans

When the jokes and threats did not slow down the work a plan for attack began to form in the mind of Sanballat. He recruited all the peoples that surrounded Jerusalem. The plot was to come and fight Jerusalem on all sides of the city.

Internal Opposition

The people of God became discouraged and filled with fear. And as we know internal problems are more serious often times than external problems. Discouragement can set in. I mean listen to their song, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” I believe the author of that one is Eeyore.

We also see that external pressure amplifies the internal weakness. Not only are they singing the blues, but they know and are concerned about the threat of attack that leads to death, not just recapture.

And those who were in surrounding cities near the boarders of the surrounding enemy came bringing news of imminent attack.

The swift and decisive action of Nehemiah and his words brought perspective.

First, the action of Nehemiah was to stop the wall building and provide the protection the people needed. Guards were set at the weakest points around the city as the people found protection and comfort behind what had been rebuilt and what was now guarded. Before there was not guard. And the quick action of Nehemiah communicated God’s love for the people. Safety is critical.

Secondly, Nehemiah’s words brought perspective on what God was doing. He looked at everyone and said, “do not be afraid of them. Remember your lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

Diligence and Trust

There is a common phrase that is incorrect and it goes like this, “God helps those who helps themselves.” This phrase is no where in the bible. God does not see the faithfulness of the people and rescue them. He is not waiting for anything from them because from the beginning Nehemiah has been in constant prayer as he acted and moved. Nehemiah knew what God wanted and throughout this book God has been the hero opening all the doors and making all the provisions for the people of God.

There is a common phrase that is incorrect and it goes like this, “God helps those who helps themselves.” This phrase is no where in the bible. God does not see the faithfulness of the people and rescue them. He is not waiting for anything from them because from the beginning Nehemiah has been in constant prayer as he acted and moved. Nehemiah knew what God wanted and throughout this book God has been the hero opening all the doors and making all the provisions for the people of God.