Sermon Tone Analysis
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*Nehemiah 4:7-23*
Big Idea: We can handle fear if we keep our eyes open.
I.
Introduction
A. Secular
1. My fear of deep water.
Scuba diving.
2. Attacks on Mormon temples in Salt Lake City and LA
a. Several envelopes containing white powder delivered
b. Mormons believe that they are being terrorized by activist groups because the church supported Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriages in CA, and was passed in the recent elections.
c.
Although - groups have protested against Mormons and these two specific temples, they deny any involvement in sending this powder.
d.
Why get upset over white powder?
1.)
In early 2002, just a few months after the 9~/11 attacks, envelopes of white powder that turned out to be anthrax, killed 5 people and sickened 17.
2.) Although these envelopes were not anthrax, they were no doubt sent to terrorize and bring fear into these Mormon temples.
B. Personal
1. Fear comes in a variety of forms.
2. The fears can either be irrational – based on a wild imagination, or rational – based on real-life experiences of that person or someone else.
3. Fear can include everything from fear of losing one’s job to fear of heights to fears of snakes, spiders and rats.
C. Biblical
1.
When Moses sent twelve spies to examine the Promised Land they were about to enter, ten returned in fear saying that there were giants in the land and they could never defeat them.
2. The men of Israel under King Saul were afraid at the size of Goliath
3. Peter denied the Lord Jesus three times in front of others on the night He was arrested because of fear.
4. We can react in many different ways to fear.
a. Typically, our first response is to close our eyes and avoid the threat.
b. Child about to get hit.
c.
We either wait for it to go away, or hope it goes away, or we take measures to avoid it.
D. Transition to Text
II.
Exposition
A. *Attack Planned (Neh.
4:7-11*)
1. Conspiracy (Neh.
4:7-8)
a.
The enemies of Nehemiah and his building crew are hearing that their taunting from the previous verses had no effect on the building of the wall.
b.
Their reactions of anger have been increasing each time, but so far they have only been words.
1.)
This time is different, as they begin to assemble a coalition in order to attack Jerusalem.
2.) Who’s in this coalition?
(/PowerPoint map/)
a.) Sanballat is from Samaria on the north
b.) Tobiah is from Ammon on the east
c.) Arabs from the south are mentioned because Geshem had joined them in 2:19
d.) New partner is Ashdod, an old Philistine city to the west that are historical enemies of the Jews.
3.) Nehemiah is literally surrounded on all sides by enemies.
c.
They want to incite a riot within the city in order to confuse and distract the workers and get them off their task.
2. Prayer (Neh.
4:9)
a. Somehow, Nehemiah is able to catch wind of this plot, and Nehemiah and the people prayed to God.
1.)
No doubt a prayer for protection.
b.
However, in addition, he sets up an around the clock watch in order to monitor the movements of their enemies.
3. Perceived Opening (Neh.
4:10-11)
a.
This new responsibility of adding a guard and the added daily stress of wondering if the city was going to be attacked began to wear on the builders.
b.
They began to sing a little jingle that voiced their discouragement.
c. “We’re getting tired.”
“There’s too much trash.”
“We can’t do it.”
1.)
Not exactly “Hi ho, Hi ho, it’s off to work we go.”
2.) This song takes the form on a lament – like a funeral dirge.
d.
The enemies see this reaction as an opening for their surprise attack.
1.)
They have the coalition set up.
2.) They have their target surrounded.
3.) And now it sounds like the Jewish people will be easily defeated because their morale is down.
4.) They anticipate a swift and easy victory that will wipe them out and finally stop the building of the wall.
B. *Plan Frustrated (Neh.
4:12-15)*
1. Warned (Neh.
4:12)
a. Jews who had been living in the surrounding areas began coming into Jerusalem to warn Nehemiah of these attacks.
1.)
The rumors that they had heard before were being confirmed
2.) Perhaps these were Jews who had come up to Jerusalem with Ezra and Zerubbabel fourteen years earlier to worship at the newly rebuilt temple.
3.) Couldn’t live in the city because city hadn’t been rebuilt yet.
b.
They didn’t just come up once, they came repeatedly from all directions to warn them of the impending danger.
1.)
Not just because their fellow Jews were about to be attacked and Jerusalem would fail to be rebuilt.
2.) But also because their own family members were working on the wall and were going to be killed in the attacks as well.
a.)
In Chapter 3 we saw that there were people from Jericho, Tekoa, and Gibeon that had come in to help rebuild the wall.
2. Stationed the people (Neh.
4:13)
a. Nehemiah had to change strategies
b.
Previously, he had just set up lookouts.
c. Now, it was serious enough that he took men off of the building detail and armed them with weapons in anticipation of an attack.
d.
He set them up behind the areas of the wall that hadn’t been built up as much as other regions for two reasons:
1.) First, because they were the weakest areas
a.) Literally, they were uncovered and bare
b.)
They would be inviting places in the eyes of an attacker.
2.) Second, so that any enemy approaching would see them and think that they had a larger army than they actually did.
3. Addressed the people (Neh.
4:14)
a.
As Nehemiah set them up, he gave them a pep talk because of the fear that they no doubt had.
b.
He told them to “Remember the Lord who is great and awesome”
1.)
You think your enemies are great and awesome?
a.) Remember the Lord, who promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, even though he was old enough to be considered dead,
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