THURSDAY, 4 February, 2021 “Opposition response”

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

I have an important question for you to begin with today: ‘As you watch the changes taking place in the society where you live, what words would you use to describe changes in attitudes toward God, the Bible, Christian Churches, Christian people, Christian values?’

Here’s a second question: ‘If you are old enough to compare the society in which you live today with what it was 25 years ago or 50 years ago… how would you describe the changes in the overall morality / the respect of people one for another / attitudes of the general population regarding older people and pregnant women and unborn babies and police / attitudes toward mothers who chose to stay at home and raise their children rather than pursue an out of the home career and put their pre-school children in the care of non-family members?’ Or attitudes toward people born in other parts of the world, or attitudes toward the handicapped?

Popular opinion is very powerful isn’t it? Look with me at Nehemiah chapter 4 in your Bible, as we continue seeking to learn some lessons from a society much like ours today. Nehemiah is leading a massive wall rebuild project in Jerusalem. Nehemiah is not an architect, not a construction manager, not even a professional wall builder. Nehemiah was a servant, a cupbearer to king Artaxerxes in Susa, nearly 1000 miles away from Jerusalem. But Nehemiah had heard of the Jerusalem wall rubble untouched in 140 years, and he was deeply burdened to pray for Jerusalem. As he prayed, I wonder if Psalm 122:6 stirred in his heart “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” And I wonder if that’s what God used to awaken in Nehemiah, an awareness that without a city wall, Jerusalem was vulnerable to attack on all sides? Burden became vision, and then God touched Artaxerxes heart and the king commissioned Nehemiah to travel to Jerusalem and lead a teamwork project to rebuild that city wall!

So as we saw in chapter 3 and the first part of chapter 4, the project was moving forward well, but first RIDICULE and now outright OPPOSITION is breaking out against these people, men and women and children, all working together to rebuild their city wall. Nehemiah records for us: “But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.” (Nehemiah 4:7,8)

Do you notice something here? The opposition of two powerful, influential men, Sanballat and Tobiah, has now mushroomed to include “the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod”! That tells me there’s a movement of discontent that is brewing and spreading very rapidly as opposition grows in size and intensity, against the good work going on in Jerusalem. Look around your part of the world, wherever you live…can you identify when, where and how this very same thing has been happening? Who is breeding the discontent where you live? What are they opposing? How is this battle changing your society, your city?

Do you see what Nehemiah did? “So we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” May I ask you another honest question? In 2020, with the COVID pandemic ravaging nearly every country in the world, and political chaos was reigning in America, the UK, Hong Kong and several other places… how much did the prayer aspect of your church, your city, your society change? Did prayer increase in frequency and numbers of people earnestly praying? Or should we honestly admit we really don’t know if there was much prayer change at all?

Have you noticed how prevalent prayer is in the record of Nehemiah, from the time he first heard of Jerusalem’s need, to this point in his account? What does that tell you about Nehemiah? Could it be this, prayer, is one of the major factors in God’s selection of Nehemiah to lead this major project?

I also notice that Nehemiah combines his prayer with action, do you see that? In chapter 1 he prayed and fasted and mourned over the news of Jerusalem’s broken down wall. In Chapter 2 he prayed and presented to the king a plan he and God had been developing. In Chapter 2 he also prayed while he did ‘due diligence’ in looking over the situation in Jerusalem. In chapter 4:4 he prayed in response to the ridicule and then went to work energizing all the people to resume their work. Now here in 4:9 he’s praying in response to a whole crowd of people rising up in opposition against him, and he’s posting 24 hour guards at various points around the city, overlooking their project.

When you read the Bible my friends, do you use it as a mirror, asking yourself if the things you are reading have application to your life? In this case, how quick are you to pray in the normal activities of your life, and how well do you match action with prayer in responding to troubling situations that you face in life?

Have you noticed friends, the combination of ridicule and growing opposition can wear down and discourage even the most energized people who are excited about the project they’re involved with? Has it ever happened to you? Look at verse 10 “Meanwhile the people of Jerusalem said, ‘The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” As the leader, I’m sure Nehemiah was worried that they were losing momentum and discouragement might spread along the wall and bring the project to a halt.

Then came to him this report “Also our enemies said, ‘Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” Oh My! Ridicule has progressed to outright opposition and now an actual strategic plan to infiltrate terrorists among the workers who would suddenly rise up among them and start killing! This is very serious now! What should Nehemiah do? Why was God allowing this escalation of opposition to such a good project that He, God, had commissioned Nehemiah to complete?

Look closely at what God led Nehemiah to do next. “I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows…then I stood up and said ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the LORD, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:13) My friends, as you assess the changes in your society, your city, your government over the past decades, do you see the damage being done by such widespread moral decline? Can you see how it is affecting your own extended family and friends?

Nehemiah understands that down through the generations, God has given His people a strong desire to rise up on behalf of the young ones, our descendants who follow us. Psalm 71, 78, 145 and many other parts of God’s Word call us to rally ourselves to action in defense of and training of our children, grandchildren, great grand kids. God calls us to rise up on behalf of fatherless kids, kids living in abusive families, alcoholic or drug or pornography addicted families. How is that happening where you live, in your church, your community, your nation? How are God honoring adults pushing back against the darkness that is not simply encroaching, it is consuming, it is suffocating our societies!

So, what happened across the city of Jerusalem where the work was slowing, and in the surrounding villages where opposition was growing? Look at Nehemiah’s analysis: “When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. From then on half of the men worked on the wall, while the other half were equipped with weapons, spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind the people working on the wall….each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.” (Nehemiah 4:16-18)

Let’s stop right there for today my friends and let’s walk around the construction site. Be careful you don’t get in the way or with all this amazing activity don’t get run over by an oxen drawn cart of rocks. What do you see as you look over this remarkable scene? Do you see women and children bringing food and water to the workers, their husband and dads, so they stay engaged, energized and encouraged? Do you see workmen with swords strapped to their sides, placing rocks and fill dirt and mud into the wall? Do you see warriors up on all the higher points in the wall watching and ready to call everyone to arms, if they see a threat approaching? Do you see Nehemiah walking along encouraging people, praying with people?

Now look around your personal world… your home, neighborhood, business, school, network of friends, church, society, your whole nation. Where is great work going on which is God honoring and is rebuilding the broken down parts of your world? Is there a role for you in any of those projects?

And who are the opposition, what are their tactics, why are they opposing the good God is trying to do in your society? And who are the Nehemiah’s, encouraging the people, praying over the projects, listening to God’s guidance? Don’t rush… look carefully, is progress being made or is discouragement spreading? What does God want you to do TODAY my friends?

Today’s Scripture is Nehemiah 4.

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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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