Nehemiah 4: Defended by God
Built by God: The Book of Nehemiah • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction & Review
Introduction & Review
Have you ever known anyone who could look at any challenge, any discouragement, and respond with Christ-centered words of encouragement?
This is one of the greatest treasures the Church can have.
He or she is not immune to fear or sorrow. In fact, it is usually real hardship that serves as the crucible in which Christ has tempered and refined such a person so that they can stand firmly in the face of opposition, leaning upon the Lord and calling others to remain steadfast.
The Israelites in Jerusalem had a treasure like this.
In Nehemiah 4, 5, and 6, we’re going to see the people in Jerusalem confronted by challenge after challenge. In each case, Nehemiah gives us a glimpse into the opposition he faced, his own response, and his people’s response.
Today’s text, Nehemiah 4, reintroduces the enemies we first saw in chapter 2:
Sanballat and Tobiah.
Sanballat the Horonite - a chief official in Samaria, the head of all the opposition
Tobiah the Ammonite - a politician and a manipulator who had married into Jewish priestly families
Powerful men, building powerful alliances, completely opposed to God’s mission in Jerusalem.
The opposition in Nehemiah 4 and the response by the people and Nehemiah have a lot to teach us about walking with Christ in the face of opposition.
Hostility and harassment are like siegeworks levied against hope.
But we have promises from God that no enemy can thwart.
So let’s look at Nehemiah 4 and find 4 reasons for courage to stand firm in Christ in the face of any foe.
I. Even the most powerful enemy is no match for God (v14)
I. Even the most powerful enemy is no match for God (v14)
In verses 1-11, we find out just how vicious Nehemiah’s enemies were.
Sanballat is a bad dude. His fury in verse 1 is intense and irrational and dangerous. This is the kind of fury you see in Matt 2 -
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
Sanballat stands up in public, in front of his army and the Samarian leaders and asks five vicious questions - he calls the people “these feeble Jews,” this withered stump of a people. What can they possibly do? They might as well try to pray that wall up, and they’d better hope they can finish it in a day, before we get there.
Sanballat and Tobiah’s insults are actually threats, and the threats come to the ears of the workers according to verse 5.
But Nehemiah and the people work anyway. Verse 6 says simply: <<READ v6>>
And when threatening mockery didn’t stop the Jews, Sanballat and the rest get even angrier. Verse 7 reveals that Sanballat has now built an alliance that completely surrounds the Jews: The Samaritans to the north, the Arabs to the south, the Ammonites to the East, and the Ashdodites to the West.
We find out in verse 11 that their purpose was to terrorize the Jews. Nehemiah’s people knew that they were surrounded. The enemy could come from any direction, or every direction, at any time.
By the way, this is why the wall was so important. This kind of tactic worked only until the city was defended. That’s why Sanballat was so intent on stopping the work according to verse 11. He was willing to kill to keep Jerusalem weak and powerless.
What he didn’t know was that his alliance was up against a much more formidable than Nehemiah and the Jews.
See, Nehemiah responded to Sanballat’s threats first of all by handing the battle over to God in prayer in verses 4-5, and 9, and then crediting God for frustrating the alliance’s plans in verse 15.
When the alliance was discovered, Nehemiah says in verse 9 that together they prayed to God and then made preparations for defense.
When the threat of ambush was greatest, Nehemiah says
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.”
Nehemiah knew that Sanballat, Tobiah, and all the armies they could muster were no match for God.
And this is a reason for us to stand firm in Christ with courage.
According to Open Doors USA, there are 245 million Christians in the world right now that are facing persecution for their faith. In many of the nations most dangerous for Christians, converts face violence and even death.
In the past two decades, Open Doors has received almost weekly reports of Christians in Iran imprisoned for leading house churches or being part of a house church. When the Iranian revolution of 1979 established a hardline Islamic regime, the next 20 years ushered in a wave of persecution that continues today. All missionaries were kicked out, evangelism was outlawed, Bibles in the Persian or Farsi language were banned and several pastors killed.
And yet, reports are now coming out of Iran that there are as many as 1.2 million Christian converts in the country.
Even the most powerful enemy is no match for God.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
No hostile alliance can stop the mission that God intends to complete. So take courage and remember Nehemiah’s words in verse 14: “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.”
What stops Christians from standing firm for Jesus Christ in their everyday lives? What stops you from taking the Words of Eternal Life to your neighbors and coworkers and friends?
Is it some kind of fear? Fear of hostility? Fear of mockery and ridicule? Fear of loss?
Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.
Even the most powerful enemy is no match for Him.
II. We are under His protection (v15)
II. We are under His protection (v15)
There’s another reason for courage in verse 15.
The threats and insults had seriously gotten to the people. Verse 10 says that the people in Judah started singing a funeral dirge for the wall. Imagine how it must have felt to the builders in Jerusalem to start hearing your countrymen singing,
“Failing is the strength of the burden bearer
And the rubble is too great
And we cannot build the wall.”
Verse 12 says that the Jews who lived near their enemies came over and over to Nehemiah with a message of doom and gloom.
But verse 15 says:
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.
Suddenly, everyone, even the most discouraged, blues-singing pessimists, get back to work.
Why?
Because God had demonstrated that it was His strength, not theirs, that mattered. When Nehemiah’s people stepped up to that wall, they weren’t alone.
And this brings us to another reason for courage: We are under His protection.
Bethel’s mission is God’s mission. And remember how Jesus concluded the Great Commission:
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Brothers and sisters, when you see opposition to the Gospel, and you think, “What can I hope to do? I don’t know what to say, I get tongue-tied, my hands get clammy, I'm too weak for the mission,” remember that you are not alone.
You are under the banner of the King of kings.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
Or maybe an even better text for us is this one:
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
And when you consider your calling to take the message of Jesus to a perishing and hostile world, remember what Jesus said,
9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
In short, Jesus says, be ready! Part of the way the Gospel goes forth is through persecution. So walk confidently, knowing that you are under His protection, and even if things were to go the way you fear, even then He will be at work in and through you.
This brings us to another reason for courage.
III. We are standing together (v20)
III. We are standing together (v20)
Whenever Nehemiah isn’t praying, he’s encouraging the people or planning for their protection. When the threat first arose, he mustered everyone in verses 13-14.
But after Sanballat’s allies dispersed, Nehemiah made plans of his own.
He assigned half his own servants to stand guard while the rest worked on the wall. The burden bearers kept a weapon in one hand at all times. The builders kept swords strapped to their sides. Everyone was ready to drop their work and rush to defend wherever they heard the trumpet.
The chapter ends:
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.
That last verse, by the way, is one of a few places in this chapter where the Hebrew is very hard. We know exactly what the words are, but we’re not sure how to take them. The ESV says “each kept his weapon at his right hand,” but your version might say something different. The Hebrew is literally “each man his weapon the water.” It might mean every man took his weapon everywhere, even to the water. It might mean that each man took his weapon off only to wash. The point is that everyone was ready, all the time.
Nehemiah didn’t say that his people should cast all their caution to the wind because God would fight for them.
20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
Nehemiah understood that standing firm together was not at odds with trusting the Lord. In fact, it was the readiness of Nehemiah’s people that God used to frustrate Sanballat in the first place.
Here’s a reason for courage to stand firm in Christ: Because we’re standing together.
I said before that a man like Nehemiah is a treasure to God’s people.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas showed up with the high priests’ soldiers to arrest Jesus, the courage of Peter and the rest of the apostles melted away like wax.
But in Acts 4, when Peter and John were arrested for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, and then they were released, the believers gathered together and prayed fervently,
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Brothers and sisters, we’re called to stand together, we’re under Christ’s protection, no enemy can match Him, and He will fight for us.
Look at your fellow believer in the pew next to you, look around, and say with me: Jesus has called me to rally to you. (repeat) Jesus has called you to rally to me. (repeat)
If God is for us, who can be against us?
This brings us to our final reason for courage, and the most important of all.
IV. And He has already defeated the greatest enemy of all (v20)
IV. And He has already defeated the greatest enemy of all (v20)
When we read Nehemiah’s prayer in verses 4-5, it might seem a little strange to our ears, because we stand on the other side of the cross from Nehemiah.
Are we supposed to pray for God not to forgive our enemies?
But Nehemiah is remembering God’s promises to Abraham
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Throughout the Old Covenant, Israel understood their primary enemies to be the human opponents that constantly harassed and persecuted them. The Philistines, the Moabites, and the Sanballats and Tobiahs of the world.
You might say that for us, the primary battle has shifted.
As Kingdom People, we remember the teaching of Jesus in
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
And Paul says in
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
On this side of the cross, the battle has shifted in this way:
Nehemiah’s mission was to defend the physical city of Jerusalem from physical attack.
Our mission is to make disciples, to defend the Faith, to build up Christ’s Body through the proclamation of the Gospel.
When the world despises and opposes the mission of the Church, we have to remember that our mission is not to destroy them, but to be instruments in Christ’s hands to redeem those that He will call to Himself. Paul himself is proof that Jesus is in the work of turning persecutors into disciples.
And when it comes to those who do evil towards us, instead of grasping revenge in our own hands, we can pray like Nehemiah, by putting the battle in God’s hands. As Paul says, “Leave it to the wrath of God.”
For us, our primary battle is not against our fellow humans, not even the ones who persecute us. Christians still find themselves in situations where they’re called to defend physical life, but our primary battle is very different.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
And it may not sound like it at first, but this is our greatest reason for courage.
See, the terrifying alliance of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ashdodites was really small potatoes compared to a war God had already won. If God could deliver them from Egypt - the most powerful empire in the ancient world - in the Exodus, the schemes of Nehemiah’s enemies were nothing. So when he says,
20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
He wasn’t just kinda hoping God would fight for them. The outcome was not up for grabs.
We look at this much greater battle in Ephesians 6, to stand against the schemes of the devil.
But
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
In the death and resurrection of Jesus, He has already won the decisive victory.
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Jesus has de-fanged the serpent and now all that remains is for Him to crush that serpent under your feet.
Take courage: When you stand in His armor, He will fight for you.
Every time you feel the weight of your sin, every time you fear you’re losing the battle against the flesh or against the schemes of the devil, take courage and remember that the outcome is not in doubt.
He has already defeated the greatest enemy of all.
Your standing before God is the work of Jesus Christ alone.
The current work of the Church is not to accomplish, but to announce salvation.
So stand firm.
Stand firm in Christ. No enemy is His match, and you are under His protection. Do not fear - remember that the Lord is great and awesome. We stand together, and He will fight for us.