Date:   03/09/08

Text:   Nehemiah 4

Title:   Enemies on All Sides

Theme: Since God is invincible over his enemies, therefore we can stand firm in the midst of oppositions.

Introduction:

  When you decided to build the walls in your personal lives with greater self-control, you heard voices saying: who are you kidding; there is no way you can do this. When you decided to rid of habits that were not pleasing to God, you heard voices saying, you do not have the will power to do it. At the slightest hint of temptation, you will fail. When we decide to strengthen our family life by changing old habit of communication, we heard voices saying, its no point. Marriage life is like that.

When we wanted to build the church by focusing on the word of God, we hear voices saying: people nowadays want to hear how to be a better and healthier person; how to have a great marriage. They don't want more bible studies. When we wanted to build the church by loving our neighbors, we heard voices saying: we could hardly take care of ourselves, not to mention the bigger community out there.

No matter how strong or determined we are in the building of the church and personal lives, there will always be voices of opposition. Sometimes even before we start, we feel discouraged by the negative, critical remarks. How are we to face our enemies, oppositions?

In the passage we read today, Nehemiah and his people, faced opposition shortly after they started their rebuilding of the Jerusalem walls and gates. They were excited and united in building the broken walls and burnt gates. And now the enemies showed up. What was their response? From this chapter, we want to identify the truth that Since God is the invincible one, we can stand firm in the midst of opposition..

I •  Believers will face opposition when we do God's work.

After starting the project, their arch enemy, Sanballat, appeared. In previous chapters he alone was mentioned. Now, Sanballat and his close group of people plus the army is mentioned. This is serious opposition to the rebuilding project. We can briefly identify two reasons for this opposition.

First, there is the immediate reason. 2:10, 19 tell us that, “ 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah, the Ammonite servant, heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel . 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” There were jealousy and insecurity, feeling being threatened. Isn't this true that when we build and strengthen God's church, meaning there will be a change of values and different ways of doing things. This can also bring about insecurity. Whenever there is change, there will be insecurity? When we attempt to build and strengthen the walls and gates of our personal lives, we'll begin to grow strong and say no to others. This can cause others to feel insecure and may even be threatened by our increasing strength.

Second, there is a cosmic reason for opposition to God's work. I feel it is important for us believers to develop a positive and healthy Christian world view. I have alluded to this two weeks ago. In Genesis 3:15, “ 15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” As a result of men's rebellion against God, there is enmity between God's children and the Evil one. In the rest of the bible is the unfolding of this enmity or conflict between God and Satan, between God's children and those who refuse to obey him. This includes Moses' conflicts with the Egyptians, Israelites and their enemies throughout their nation's history. This conflict came into the open with the coming of Jesus Christ. Even at his birth, his enemy was trying to eliminate him. He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, but he won. He was put on the cross, but he resurrected, thus breaking the devil's power over God's children. His death and resurrection was a fulfillment of the Genesis 3:15 passage, “ 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel .” The devil was dealt a fatal blow. Yes, he can still influence us, but no longer control us. Paul in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians, told us that we are in a spiritual warfare.

We must not overestimate spiritual warfare by seeing evil everywhere. Blaming Satan for every discouragement that comes our way. Yet we must also not underestimate by ignoring his existence. Yes, when we do God's work in the church or in our personal lives, there will be opposition from the evil one. The conflict will continue until the day Christ returns and Satan will be bound for eternity.

The enemy that came to threaten Nehemiah and his people must be seen in the context of this bigger conflict between God and Satan, between God's people and the people who follow Satan.

Let's now take a look at some additional nature of this opposition. In vs.2 we read about how the Jews were being ridiculed. “ 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?” They were made fun of that they didn't know what they were doing. They over estimated themselves. Then Tobiah in vs.3, “ 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!” How much truth was there in this statement? Archeologists had discovered the rebuilt walls were about 9 foot thick. Even though not as thick as the original wall, however, it would take quite a few foxes to run down a 9 foot thick wall, right? So the enemies' threat had no basis whatsoever. In vs. 6 we learn that in response to the threat, they accelerated their work and soon completed half the height of the wall.

The opposition did not stop here. Vs.7-8, “ 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. ” We know that Sanballat was from the north, Tobiah from the East, and the Arab from the South. Now, there is also the Ashdodites. They were from the West. Nehemiah and his people were surrounded by enemies on all sides and they were planning an attack. Vs.9-10, “ 9And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. 10In 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.” T here was a 24 hour alert and on guard. We also learned that they were exhausted. Vs.1 1-12, “ 11And 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.” With the escalation of the opposition, plus physical and mental exhaustion, the people seemed to feel discouraged. They could not continue anymore. When one is physically or mentally tired, any threats or negative comments can easily bring us down.

On a personal level, I have found that Sunday evening and Monday are the times when I am tired and most vulnerable to negative comments. During that time period, if you are to tell me that some ministry is not doing well, or you have no idea what my sermon was about, I will be like a deflated balloon. I can easily go into depression, self pity and feel how poor a minister I am. From the early days of my ministry, I have been told by other experienced pastors to never resign on Monday. You may write a letter of resignation on Monday, but don't send it out, just put it in the drawer, or in the draft box if you use email. After a period of time, you will be amazed at how many resignation letters you have accumulated.

When we are tired, we are most prone to our enemy's attack. So when we feel real bad and hopeless about ministry or personal lives, we need to find out what our physical condition is. May be all we need is to get some adequate rest, instead of reacting to the challenges or oppositions that come with doing God's work.

II •  The believers will handle opposition in a proper way.

Facing such opposition from the enemies, what did Nehemiah do?

1 •  Prayer.

The first thing we noticed was that he prayed. Vs. 4-5, 9,“ 4Hear, 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. 5Do 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. 9And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. ” He did not switch into the reaction mode, like some of us would do. Instead he prayed. In our previous studies, we have noticed that Nehemiah was a man of prayer. When we feel discouraged, bring it to the Lord in prayer.

We also want to take a look at the content of his prayer. We may probably say, Wow, what a angry and vindictive prayer. Prayers like this are also called imprecatory prayers and several are found in the Psalms. Nehemiah knew that ultimately it was a conflict, a warfare between God and His enemy, the evil one. So he was pleading that God would bring judgment to the enemies.

What does this mean to us when we face opposition in life and ministry? We still need to remember that God alone will execute His judgment. However, with the coming of Christ, he is the judge. There will be a judgment day when Christ returns. However, while on earth, while waiting for his return, he teaches us to love our enemies, to pray for them, to bless and to forgive them. Is there someone who is always at odds with you? No matter what you do, he/she can always find something to criticize you. You can never please him/her. Ask God to help you love and pray for this person.

Another aspect of Nehemiah's prayer is the expression of his angry feelings. When you are being ridiculed, it's ok to be angry; it's ok to tell God about your angry feelings. What else did Nehemiah do when faced with opposition?

2 •  Flexible.

In vs. 6, “ 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. ” After hearing the ridicule from Sanballat and Tobiah, they apparently sped up their work. The wall had reached half of its height.

After hearing the possibility of facing physical force, Nehemiah in vs. 13-15, “ 13So 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. 4And 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.” 15When 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. ” Nehemiah i nterrupted the work and began to arm the people for self-defense, using the family tactic to group them in families. Vs. 19-20, “ 19And 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. 20In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” There is an improved communication via the trumpet call. Vs21, “ 21So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. ” After putting the people at different locations for defense, they also accelerated their work by working long hours. Instead of quitting at sun down, they worked till the stars appeared.

What we see here is a picture of flexibility. In times of crises, a leader needs to be flexible. It may require a temporary halt of the project, or to speed up when the circumstances allow. I remember a time in St. Louis when the city's economy was on the down side. In one summer, a major aerospace company laid off about 8000 employees. Some of the church members were affected. It was around that time we also started a parking lot expansion project. However, after assessing the situation and praying, the church leaders decided to postpone the project until those affected by the layoffs were stabilized. People are always more important than projects and program. If we are to minister to people, projects and programs can wait. Leaders need to be flexible.

3 •  Assurance from God's word.

When facing opposition, Nehemiah prayed and interrupted the work, and also assured the people with God's words. Words we read in vs.14, 15, 20, were similar or the exact words found in Exodus when Moses encouraged the people in the wilderness. Nehemiah comforted his people with God's word.

How about us? When facing difficulty or challenges in life and ministry, we often hear these words: “God helps those who help themselves”; “don't give up hope. Hope is believing something good will happen”; “you have to have faith”. Are these God's word? No, they are not. They are only western idioms, which have nothing to do with God's words. Rather, in times of opposition and difficult, read Isaiah 43:2ff, Psalm 23, Romans 8:28-30, 31-39. God's word alone can truly bring comfort and encouragement when we are down and discouraged.

4 •  Leading by example.

One final point. Vs.23, “ 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, along with others took part in the guarding of the project. He was not an armchair general, but led by example.

As pastors, elders, deacons and fellowship leaders, this is something we must take to heart. I constantly remind myself that we are to lead by examples. When we ask the congregation to be involved in our community, how about ourselves. When we encourage the congregation to follow Christ and live a life of holiness and integrity, it starts with ourselves.

III •  The believer knows that our God is invincible before His enemies.

Nehemiah not only used God's word to encourage and comfort them, but he also repeatedly pointed them to who this God is. In vs.4,9, God is a personal God. Meaning, he listens to our prayers. We can call him our God. we never hear people say, “our Buddha” for Buddha is not a personal being. But the creator of heaven and earth is a personal God, so we can say my God, your God, our God.

Not only is He a personal God, in vs.14, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers.” He is righteous, and powerful. He is holy and sovereign. Vs.20b, “ 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us . ” He never fails and he will fight for us. With this God by our side, what is there to be afraid of?

When we see ministry as my work, my effort, my success, when the enemy comes, we'll have no one to lean on. But when ministry is His work, He working through me, and when enemies come, I will not be afraid. Again, we remember Paul's words, Phil 1:6, “ 6 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ”

Conclusion:

In this narrative, Nehemiah gave us a clear picture of what could happen when we do God's work. We are reminded that there is a spiritual warfare going on. There will be oppositions when we do God's work. Our enemy will do his best to pull us away from God and from doing his work. However, when we face oppositions, we must remember to pray instead of switching into the reactionary mode. When we face oppositions, we learn to be flexible, know God's word and be reminded that this is the awesome God who never fails. He is the ultimate victor, victory is in his hands. With him on our side, whom do we have to be afraid of?

CT Studd was a missionary in the early 1900's. He was a well known sportsman in England . His father left him an enormous amount of inheritance which he promptly gave away so it would not become an obstacle of his desire to be a missionary. During his college days, he and 6 other Cambridge students went to china, and they were called the Cambridge 7. Later, when he was 52, he felt God calling him to go to the heart of Africa and be a missionary there. Later, he founded the organization known to us as WEC. On the eve of his departure, a close family friend said to his wife, Pricilla, “Are you sure you want to do this at this age? You will have to adjust to an entirely different culture, facing the risk of malaria and other hardships.” Such words caused great turmoil in her hearts. She cried throughout that night. The next day, while she was on the trail by herself (she would have to leave first and meet her husband at another location), she turned to Psalm 34:1, “ 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. ” To her this verse says, I will make the Lord happy. I will make the Lord happy now. She determined to please the Lord, to do His work. In the midst of discouragement, she turned to the God's word. God alone is the one who can provide hope in the midst of oppositions and uncertainty.

  Dear brothers and sister, when we set out to do God's work, there will be oppositions from all sides. However, we will not be intimidated by it. For God is the final victor. With God on our side, whom shall we fear? We, too, will bless the Lord, and make the Lord happy.