Rise Up and Build #3
Facing Opposition
Nehemiah 4:1 – 6:19 (NKJV)
Mockery (4:1-6)
Nehemiah 4:1-3 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify
themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”
Nehemiah’s Response:
- Nehemiah asked for God’s help
Nehemiah 4:4-6 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders. 6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
Plots (4:7-9)
Nehemiah 4:9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
Nehemiah’s Response:
- Nehemiah prayed and set a watch
Discouragement (4:10)
Nehemiah 4:10 Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”
Nehemiah’s Response:
- Nehemiah continued to work, seek God’s help and honor God
Fear (4:11-23)
Nehemiah 4:11-12 And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.” 12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”
Nehemiah’s Response:
- Posted guards at vulnerable places (v. 13)
- Encouraged the people (v. 14)
- Made a defense plan (v. 16)
- Reminded the people of the importance of the task and the power of God (v. 19-20)
- Worked diligently on the project (v. 21-23)
Nehemiah 4:14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
There are things worth defending and doing – these must affect our priorities and perseverance
Selfishness (5:1-19)
Nehemiah 5:1 And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren.
Nehemiah’s Response:
- Righteous anger
Nehemiah 5:6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.
- Rebuked the offenders
- Responded differently
1. He put serving others before seeking his own gain
2. He paid his expenses out of his own pocket
3. He participated in rebuilding the wall
4. He shared what he had with others
5. He strived to please God
Distractions (6:1-4)
Nehemiah 6:1-2 Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), 2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.
Nehemiah’s Response:
- Nehemiah continued to work
Nehemiah 6:3-4 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
4 But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
Slander (6:5-9)
Nehemiah’s Response:
- Nehemiah denied the reports, prayed for strength and went back to work
Threats (6:10-14)
Nehemiah 6:11 And I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!”
Nehemiah’s Response
- Did not flee (v. 11)
- Recognized the plot (v. 12)
- Prayed and asked God to handle the situation (v. 14)
Nehemiah 6:15-16 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.
The wall was finished and the power of God was recognized
