Nehemiah 4
by Pastor David Groendyk

Sanballat and Tobiah (vv. 1, 3) have been ominously mentioned before (in 2:10 and 2:19). Now they’re back again, and the opposition against the Jews rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem intensifies. God’s people face multiple threats in the book of Nehemiah. Some of those threats come from within the people of God themselves in the form of their own sin (for example, chapters 5 and 9), but the threats in Nehemiah 4 come from without. Enemies of God and of the Jews attack the work being done. How should God’s people handle the attacks coming from outside the church? The answer is twofold.

First, continue to trust in the Lord. Notice how Nehemiah is constantly redirecting the people’s attention away from their circumstances to the Lord himself. As Sanballat and Tobiah mock and jeer and despise the people, Nehemiah doesn’t hurl back witty retorts but offers up a prayer to God (vv. 4–5). He asks God to hear their cries and do something about it. In essence, this is an imprecatory prayer of Nehemiah, that is, a prayer for God to punish his enemies severely. He makes this prayer, not because he wants revenge on his mockers, but because he wants God’s name and mission to be honored. Moreover, Nehemiah doesn’t take the vengeance into his own hands, but he gives it over to God to exact the justice. God is the all-seeing Judge who by no means clears the guilty, and Nehemiah trusts God and is strengthened by remembering his justice. Then, when the verbal threats turn into actual attacks, Nehemiah exhorts the builders not to fear (v. 14). Even after these attack subside, he continues to urge them on in their work by reminding them that God fights for them (v. 20). When God is on your side, no enemy can touch you. To paraphrase a devotional I recently read: “What’s the worst your enemies can do to you? Kill you? Death is but the entrance into our eternal heavenly home and reward. Even their worst attack leads to your ultimate salvation.” Constantly redirect your attention to the God who fights for you and has guaranteed your salvation.

Second, set your heart to do the work of the Lord. When the Lord is on your side, there is no excuse for not doing the work of the church. Don’t give up worshiping, praying, reading, evangelizing, witnessing, gathering people together, reaching out to new people, discipling, training, serving, and loving. Everybody working on the city wall in Nehemiah’s day “had a mind to work” (v. 6). That was the engine that drove their work despite the treats. Their deepest desire was to obey God and do his will. How often, on a daily basis, is obedience to God and glorifying him not our deepest desire? We desire nothing more than to get through the work day, to get the next promotion, to go up north this weekend (especially now that it’s summer), to get a break from the kids tonight, to go on that vacation. We all have our deepest passions that drive us and that our whole lives revolve around. Is your heart set on doing the work of the church? How committed are you to doing your part in making disciples of all the nations? Don’t let the enemy get you off-mission. The Jews didn’t run scared from the work they had to do. Neither did the Jews go looking for trouble and initiate a war! We shouldn’t be afraid of the enemy, but neither should we go looking to pick fights. Nehemiah 4 says that in both cases you’re fixated on the wrong thing. Take your eyes and your minds off the enemies, focus on the work that we’re called to do, and defend when necessary, all the while trusting that our good God is protecting us and empowering us to do his will and build up the household of God. Oh that God would put it into each of our hearts to do his work as he did with the Jews 2500 years ago! Pray for that desire and that burden to be upon our church.