By God's Hand
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This is our 4th installment in our series, “Helpful Hints for Higher Heights,” as we examine the book of Nehemiah. Today we will be looking at chapters 6 and 7.
As you may remember, Nehemiah was the cupbearer for the Persian king. After hearing about the horrible conditions of the city of Jerusalem and the people who lived there, his heart was broken but his faith was strong. With prayer and planning, Nehemiah was able to return to Jerusalem and implement a campaign of rebuilding. Last week we saw Nehemiah halt the rebuilding program to address issues of sin and injustice with the use of money. Today we will see Nehemiah finish the walls and practice good discernment in dealing with the enemies of the people of God.
Today’s helpful hint for higher heights is that “No means no.” In looking at this I want to focus in on using good discernment to set healthy boundaries.
Verses
Verses
Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they planned to do evil to me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I am not able to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you all?” And they sent a message to me four times like this, and I returned an answer like this to them. And Sanballat sent his servant with an open letter, another word like this to me a fifth time, in his hand.
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. When our enemies heard of this, all of the nations surrounding us were afraid and lost their confidence. They knew that this work had been done with the help of our God.
Now when the wall had been built and I had erected the doors and appointed the gatekeepers, singers, and the Levites, I gave command over Jerusalem to my brother Hanani and Hananiah the commander of the citadel. For he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While they are standing guard let them shut and fasten the doors. And appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his post and another opposite his house.”
In these verses we see the completion of the wall, along with the gates. Now, this does not mean that the city has been restored. Instead, it means the city is secured. There is a difference. Securing the city makes everything else possible. Without security, there is no safety to turn to restoring the rest of the city and the people.
As a result of the success in completing the walls, the enemies of God’s people became afraid and began plotting to try and cause problems. Notice that the fear was really driven by their awareness that the project was only completed by the hand of God on the people and their work.
Sanballat and Geshem specifically attempted to manipulate Nehemiah into meeting with them in order to do him harm. But Nehemiah was able to discern their intentions and said no to their invitation. And he meant no. Sanballet and Geshem actually requested five different times that Nehemiah meet with them. The last invitation was actually sent as an insult. During this time period, letters were generally rolled and then flattened. The letter would be sealed in wax, either along the fold or on the ends and placed in a bag with a ribbon around it To send a letter as an open letter - not rolling and sealing it - was an insult. You only sent an open letter to someone that you perceived as being less important than you. Their polite invitations had failed and now their frustration get the better of them and they attempted to goad Nehemiah into meeting with them. But Nehemiah, by the hand of God, continued to discern their intent to harm him and refused to meet with them.
Additionally, we see Nehemiah beginning to transition his authority to his brother. Nehemiah was likely preparing for his return back to the Persian king, as he had promised.
Finally, we see Nehemiah continuing to maintain a high level of security in the city.
In the East it is customary to open the gates of a city at sunrise, and to bar them at sunset—a rule which is very rarely, and not except to persons of authority, infringed upon. Nehemiah recommended that the gates of Jerusalem should not be opened so early; a precaution necessary at a time when the enemy was practising all sorts of dangerous stratagems, to ensure that the inhabitants were all astir and enjoyed the benefit of clear broad daylight for observing the suspicious movements of any enemy. The propriety of regularly barring the gates at sunset was, in this instance, accompanied with the appointment of a number of the people to act as sentinels, each mounting guard in front of his own house.
Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 297). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Today, I want to take a closer look at this concept of using discernment to set good boundaries, all through the providential presence of God. In other words, by God’s hand.
It is critical that we, as Christians. are wise and diligent in understanding our situation and the significance of our decisions. It is equally important that we seek God’s guidance in this.
Do not be outwitted by Satan. God sees behind enemy lines and tells us all we need to know to not be ignorant of Satan’s designs. - John Piper
Discernment
Discernment
In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. Every Christian should grow in discernment. It is discernment that enables us to tell the difference between right and wrong.
Thessalonians 5:21-22
But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
In 1 Kings 3:9, Solomon asks for a discerning heart so that he could lead God’s people and to distinguish between right and wrong. He went on to lead the Israelites through a time of peace and wrote much of Proverbs. Yet he failed to discern the risks that having too many wives and concubines would bring to his life. As wise as Solomon was, he is a flawed example of discernment.
But Jesus is the ultimate example of discernment. John 2:24-25 shows us that he knows all men and the contents of their hearts. So how do we gain discernment?
God ties discernment to spiritual maturity, and spiritual maturity links to wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Discernment is an acuteness of understanding. It’s a spiritual gift as well as something to grow in.
As a spiritual gift, it’s given in special circumstances so that God’s will is fulfilled in the moment. As a skill, it is grown over time as one studies and applies God’s word.
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
Because Nehemiah was walking with God and God’s hand was on him, he was able to see through the subterfuge of Sanballat and Geshem and avoid putting himself in a dangerous situation. He had discernment.
Setting Boundaries - “No Means No”
Setting Boundaries - “No Means No”
Boundaries are important. The wall being built by the people of Jerusalem represented a boundary in of itself. Outside the wall was danger and chaos. Inside the wall was safety and community. While God is a God of reconciliation and grace, he is also a God of boundaries.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
God expects us to maintain our identity. We are called to be holy - to be set aside for God.
Nehemiah must have gotten frustrated with the repeated appeals from Sanballat and Geshem. He told them no and even provided a reason for his no. He was still engaged in the work in Jerusalem. I want to contrast this with last week. Last week we saw Nehemiah stop everything before the wall was finished to deal with the sin in the camp. His refusal to meet with Sanballat and Geshem was because he knew the meeting was not worth his time and attention. In chapter 5, God needed Nehemiah to deal with the injustice of the misuse of money to abuse the vulnerable. Dealing with Sanballat and Geshem was a waste of time and was dangerous. Because the hand of God was on him, Nehemiah was able to discern the truth of the situation and what was truly important. He was also able to set this strong boundary and not only say no, but not get sucked in by the multiple efforts to draw him into a meeting. When he said no, he meant no.
Nehemiah also maintained strong boundaries by keeping the city on a strong footing with high security. He never wavered in his focus on making the city safe and strong.
The Hand of God
The Hand of God
Nehemiah was in the hand of God. You see that everything that he did was by the hand of God. This is an important concept in scripture and in our faith walk.
Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
We need to understand that there are other hands that we can fall into.
You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
We have choices to make about who we commit ourselves to. Nehemiah committed himself to God and his faithfulness resulted in great achievements by the hand of God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
2020 has been a little chaotic so far. Everything seems to be a little out of focus and confusing. Thank God sports have resumed, but there’s no fans and masks are everywhere. Illness and the threat of illness are all around us. Friends and family are sick and fearful. It is hard to know exactly how to act when everything is turned upside down. We need discernment and boundaries.
I think this is somewhat similar to what Nehemiah faced when he learned about the condition of Jerusalem and he took on God’s mission of restoration for the city and the people. Throughout we have seen Nehemiah face opposition and problems. Today we see the importance of discernment and setting boundaries in the context of faithfulness to God and his calling. Nehemiah was able to understand the truth about the invitations he received from Sanballat and Geshem. Then he had the strength and courage to clearly tell them no and stick to it.
We need to understand that we are also in God’s hands. In our faithfulness to God and the mission he calls us to we need to seek discernment and apply and maintain good boundaries. And we can do this by the hand of God.
