Nehemiah 3-4 The restratin f Israel is in it s final phase The Lrd has raised a gdly leader t take Israel frm the classrm t the field The plan is fr Nehemiah t lead the peple int rebuilding the wall and gates f their precius city But the spiritual purpses ges far beynd brick and masnry Gd s purpse is t build up a peple wh will fllw Him truly Last week we saw Nehemiah leave Persia after bravely requesting permissin t assist the peple f Gd The king permitted his departure because the hand f the Lrd was upn him S he left Persian and as we ll learn later, he brings abut 42,000 mre Jews with him We ended last week at the end f chapter 2 as Nehemiah cnducted his inspectin f the gates and rallies the peple t build the wall Let s take a secnd lk at that passage as we begin t mve frward in the bk Neh. 2:9 Then I came t the gvernrs f the prvinces beynd the River and gave them the king s letters. Nw the king had sent with me fficers f the army and hrsemen. Neh. 2:10 When Sanballat the Hrnite and Tbiah the Ammnite fficial heard abut it, it was very displeasing t them that smene had cme t seek the welfare f the sns f Israel. Neh. 2:11 S I came t Jerusalem and was there three days. Neh. 2:12 And I arse in the night, I and a few men with me. I did nt tell anyne what my Gd was putting int my mind t d fr Jerusalem and there was n animal with me except the animal n which I was riding. Neh. 2:13 S I went ut at night by the Valley Gate in the directin f the Dragn s Well and n t the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls f Jerusalem which were brken dwn and its gates which were cnsumed by fire. Neh. 2:14 Then I passed n t the Funtain Gate and the King s Pl, but there was n place fr my munt t pass. 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 2 f 19 Neh. 2:15 S I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned. Neh. 2:16 The fficials did nt knw where I had gne r what I had dne; nr had I as yet tld the Jews, the priests, the nbles, the fficials r the rest wh did the wrk. Our stry f Nehemiah has mved int a new sectin revlving arund the cmpletin f the wrk f building the wall We ll see the challenges Nehemiah must face, the prblems he must slve, the enemies he must cntend with And if that weren t bad enugh, he has t lead Jews Nehemiah s greatest task is mving the peple f Gd tgether as ne withut having them tear each ther apart in the prcess The pint in this sectin f Nehemiah isn t t learn the intricacies f wall cnstructin r even leadership in general It s a study f the way Gd uses the accmplishment f a task as an pprtunity t build up His peple And He des this wrk thrugh the leadership f gdly men like Nehemiah, wh recgnize that the physical wrk is secndary t the spiritual wrk Ntice in vs.9-10 we already see the ppsitin beginning early Althugh Nehemiah traveled with letters f passage frm the king, the ther prvince fficials aren t happy t hear Israel was receiving help These tw men are fficials in Samaria and Ammn, neighbring territries f Judah But there s nthing new in this mment Anytime Gd s peple are receiving grace frm the Lrd, the enemy and his fllwers are quick t ntice and prtest and scheme A gdly leader mving in t d the Lrd s will had better have a thick skin Because the wrld isn t shy in sharing its pinin r trying t get its way 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 3 f 19 Had these fficials had their way, Israel wuld never have been rebuilt And we haven t heard the last f these tw adversaries Nehemiah s decisin t wait fr three days in the city has intrigued students frever Was there smething specific Nehemiah was waiting fr? Did he want t avid tipping his hand cncerning his purpses t quickly? Maybe his encunters with Sanballet and Tbiah left him cncerned that his enemies might disguise themselves as thieves and attack him if he were in public Maybe he wasn t sure where t start and needed sme time t think abut his plan Perhaps all these reasns are true, but when the time t set ut came, Nehemiah ges it alne and ges ut at night His travels prceed utside the city by way f the Valley gate headed suth Then he mves eastward arund the suthern end f the city and then nrth up the east side f the wall The suthern prtin f the city walls and their gates are still present, thugh in terrible cnditin and withut wden gates This makes sense, since the attacks frm Babyln came frm the nrth, s the nly prtin f the wall that remained was n the suth Eventually he gets stpped by an impasse and returns t the Valley Gate Once again, why did he g alne and at night? Did he want t be free f ther pinins as he cnsidered his ptins? Perhaps, but he desn t seem like a man wh wrried abut thers pinins Was he was trying t cnceal his plan t his enemies? 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 4 f 19 That desn t seem a gd reasn, since Nehemiah annunced his plan publicly the very next mrning anyway In v.16 Nehemiah des mentin that n fficial in Israel knew where he went r what he planned t d It wuld seem that he was cncealing his purpses frm the Jews themselves, at least at first The nly lgical answer is that Nehemiah wanted t cntrl the message He had ne chance t make a first impressin If he had paraded arund the city wall in the day time and with an enturage, the wrd wuld get ut that he was surveying the wall That public display wuld then give rise t assumptins and gssip amng the peple cncerning Nehemiah s plans and purpses He must be sent frm the king t check n ur wrk. He s here t make Israel slaves t finish the wrk. He s ging t rebuild the walls and kick ut the Jews. Whatever their cnclusins, Nehemiah faced the pssibility f lsing the PR battle lng befre he culd make his case Instead, Nehemiah wants t assess the situatin in private, develp his plan and then make his pitch withut cmpetitin Neh. 2:17 Then I said t them, Yu see the bad situatin we are in, that Jerusalem is deslate and its gates burned by fire. Cme, let us rebuild the wall f Jerusalem s that we will n lnger be a reprach. Neh. 2:18 I tld them hw the hand f my Gd had been favrable t me and als abut the king s wrds which he had spken t me. Then they said, Let us arise and build. S they put their hands t the gd wrk. Nehemiah knew he must preach the call f Gd t the peple withut vices f dissent cmpeting fr the hearts and minds f the peple The spken wrd is a pwerful tl Gd uses t stir His peple int actin ne way r anther But the Lrd desn t share His stage with anyne 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 5 f 19 Nehemiah culdn t affrd t lse his ne pprtunity t preach the truth f Gd s call t rebuild the wall Thrughut the ages, Gd has determined by the mystery f preaching, t speak t His peple thrugh the muths f men called t preach And there is simply n substitute fr the call f the spken wrd The wrd made flesh by the vice f men eching the wrds f Gd Nehemiah s address t the peple f Israel must be a spken call t actin and bedience Nehemiah desn t send his appeal thrugh messengers r by letter He assembles the peple and delivers His call with Gd at the center f his argument This technique is as ancient as Creatin, and yet it remains Gd s methd t reach, exhrt and inspire His peple t knw and fllw Him It s n cincidence that even in this age f the internet, smartphnes, multimedia and the like that peple still find pulpit preaching cmpelling, essential and irreplaceable These mdern inventins have nly served t make preaching mre accessible and ppular We can read sermns We can watch dramas We can brwse websites But nthing stirs us t think and act differently as pwerfully as a well delivered sermn frm the wrd f Gd And that s the way the Lrd intends Gdly leaders in the church can cme in many shapes, sizes, persnalities and with a variety f strengths and gifts But ne universal ingredient is a gift f exhrtatin cmbined with a grasp f Gd s wrd 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 6 f 19 Call it teaching r preaching... But the ability t cmmunicate thrugh the spken wrd is essential t leading Gd s peple And when the times cmes t exhrt Gd s peple, a gdly leader understands that the enemy will be clse behind trying t disrupt and interrupt the preaching Hping t blck r neutralize its effects S Nehemiah stacks the deck in his favr as determines the time and manner t reveal his plan And sure enugh the enemy respnds in shrt measure Neh. 2:19 But when Sanballat the Hrnite and Tbiah the Ammnite fficial, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mcked us and despised us and said, What is this thing yu are ding? Are yu rebelling against the king? Neh. 2:20 S I answered them and said t them, The Gd f heaven will give us success; therefre we His servants will arise and build, but yu have n prtin, right r memrial in Jerusalem. The tw fficials wh had been disturbed by Nehemiah s arrival hear f the plan Clearly, the wrd has spread fast, indicating that nt everyne in the city f Jerusalem is a friend As these enemies f Israel learn f the plan, they g dwn t the city t see what they can d t put a stp t it They ve seen the king s letter, s they can t ppse Nehemiah directly S they try the next best thing: they lk t undermine him in the eyes f the peple Ntice in v.19 these three men are said t mck and despise us They aren t speaking t Nehemiah They are directly their derisin against the peple f Israel, hping t discurage them r frighten them int disregarding Nehemiah s call 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 7 f 19 The enemy rarely makes a frntal assault upn the wrk f Gd He is t crafty fr that, preferring t attack at the weak spt Nehemiah wasn t ging t be swayed by Gd s enemies But Gd s peple are fragile and vulnerable, which is why Nehemiah was sent t them in the first place S these men try t place dubt in the peple s minds Once again, Nehemiah steps up t defend and encurage Gd s peple Nehemiah bravely stands up t these men and states ne f the mre memrable ne-liners in the Bible (and he has anther ne later) Nehemiah tells them three imprtant things First, he says the success f the peple desn t depend n their skill, bravery, wealth r even the king s permissin They may have skill, they may feel brave, they may have wealth, and they may even have received permissin frm the king But their success wn t cme frm these things...it will cme frm the Lrd alne Therefre, Nehemiah says, secndly, that the peple will persevere in building the walls, because if the Lrd is fr us, wh can be against us? Knwing the Lrd will bring success desn t mean we dn t have t wrk r cntend with difficulties It means we have every reasn t persevere despite thse things And that s Nehemiah s cnclusin as well Finally, Nehemiah infrms the men that they have n prtin, right r memrial in Jerusalem The wrd prtin refers t having a tribal histry in the land S n prtin f the land belnged t their ancestrs Therefre, they have n right t claim any f the land r Israel in their day They had n standing t decide hw the land might be used r what might take place with it 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 8 f 19 Finally, they have n memrial, meaning there will be n recrd f these men in any future Jerusalem Said simply, these men have n past, present r future interest in this matter...s butt ut! S the building begins, and chapter 3 is a detail f wh did what t accmplish the building f the wall Yu have a map handut t help yu fllw the places where the wrk was taking place S we re ging t read the entire chapter at nce t see the entirety f the building Neh. 3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest arse with his brthers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they cnsecrated it and hung its drs. They cnsecrated the wall t the Twer f the Hundred and the Twer f Hananel. Neh. 3:2 Next t him the men f Jerich built, and next t them Zaccur the sn f Imri built. Neh. 3:3 Nw the sns f Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its drs with its blts and bars. Neh. 3:4 Next t them Meremth the sn f Uriah the sn f Hakkz made repairs. And next t him Meshullam the sn f Berechiah the sn f Meshezabel made repairs. And next t him Zadk the sn f Baana als made repairs. Neh. 3:5 Mrever, next t him the Tekites made repairs, but their nbles did nt supprt the wrk f their masters. Neh. 3:6 Jiada the sn f Paseah and Meshullam the sn f Besdeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its drs with its blts and its bars. Neh. 3:7 Next t them Melatiah the Gibenite and Jadn the Mernthite, the men f Giben and f Mizpah, als made repairs fr the fficial seat f the gvernr f the prvince beynd the River. Neh. 3:8 Next t him Uzziel the sn f Harhaiah f the gldsmiths made repairs. And next t him Hananiah, ne f the perfumers, made repairs, and they restred Jerusalem as far as the Brad Wall. Neh. 3:9 Next t them Rephaiah the sn f Hur, the fficial f half the district f Jerusalem, made repairs. Neh. 3:10 Next t them Jedaiah the sn f Harumaph made repairs ppsite his huse. And next t him Hattush the sn f Hashabneiah made repairs. Neh. 3:11 Malchijah the sn f Harim and Hasshub the sn f Pahath-mab repaired anther sectin and the Twer f Furnaces. Neh. 3:12 Next t him Shallum the sn f Hallhesh, the fficial f half the district f Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters. 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 9 f 19 Neh. 3:13 Hanun and the inhabitants f Zanah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it and hung its drs with its blts and its bars, and a thusand cubits f the wall t the Refuse Gate. Neh. 3:14 Malchijah the sn f Rechab, the fficial f the district f Beth-haccherem repaired the Refuse Gate. He built it and hung its drs with its blts and its bars. Neh. 3:15 Shallum the sn f Cl-hzeh, the fficial f the district f Mizpah, repaired the Funtain Gate. He built it, cvered it and hung its drs with its blts and its bars, and the wall f the Pl f Shelah at the king s garden as far as the steps that descend frm the city f David. Neh. 3:16 After him Nehemiah the sn f Azbuk, fficial f half the district f Beth-zur, made repairs as far as a pint ppsite the tmbs f David, and as far as the artificial pl and the huse f the mighty men. Neh. 3:17 After him the Levites carried ut repairs under Rehum the sn f Bani. Next t him Hashabiah, the fficial f half the district f Keilah, carried ut repairs fr his district. Neh. 3:18 After him their brthers carried ut repairs under Bavvai the sn f Henadad, fficial f the ther half f the district f Keilah. Neh. 3:19 Next t him Ezer the sn f Jeshua, the fficial f Mizpah, repaired anther sectin in frnt f the ascent f the armry at the Angle. Neh. 3:20 After him Baruch the sn f Zabbai zealusly repaired anther sectin, frm the Angle t the drway f the huse f Eliashib the high priest. Neh. 3:21 After him Meremth the sn f Uriah the sn f Hakkz repaired anther sectin, frm the drway f Eliashib s huse even as far as the end f his huse. Neh. 3:22 After him the priests, the men f the valley, carried ut repairs. Neh. 3:23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub carried ut repairs in frnt f their huse. After them Azariah the sn f Maaseiah, sn f Ananiah, carried ut repairs beside his huse. Neh. 3:24 After him Binnui the sn f Henadad repaired anther sectin, frm the huse f Azariah as far as the Angle and as far as the crner. Neh. 3:25 Palal the sn f Uzai made repairs in frnt f the Angle and the twer prjecting frm the upper huse f the king, which is by the curt f the guard. After him Pedaiah the sn f Parsh made repairs. Neh. 3:26 The temple servants living in Ophel made repairs as far as the frnt f the Water Gate tward the east and the prjecting twer. Neh. 3:27 After them the Tekites repaired anther sectin in frnt f the great prjecting twer and as far as the wall f Ophel. Neh. 3:28 Abve the Hrse Gate the priests carried ut repairs, each in frnt f his huse. Neh. 3:29 After them Zadk the sn f Immer carried ut repairs in frnt f his huse. And after him Shemaiah the sn f Shecaniah, the keeper f the East Gate, carried ut repairs. 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 10 f 19 Neh. 3:30 After him Hananiah the sn f Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth sn f Zalaph, repaired anther sectin. After him Meshullam the sn f Berechiah carried ut repairs in frnt f his wn quarters. Neh. 3:31 After him Malchijah, ne f the gldsmiths, carried ut repairs as far as the huse f the temple servants and f the merchants, in frnt f the Inspectin Gate and as far as the upper rm f the crner. Neh. 3:32 Between the upper rm f the crner and the Sheep Gate the gldsmiths and the merchants carried ut repairs. The third chapter f Nehemiah prvides a detailed (sme might say tedius) list f all the wrkers and their assignments in the building f the wall The list begins with Eliashib, the grandsn f Jeshua and his brthers building the Sheep Gate They filled in the wall between tw twers that marked the center strnghlds n the nrthern wall This family had the help f at least tw ther families In this cntext, a family means a clan, a large grup Then as we scan dwn the chapter we find the same thing happening all arund the city wall Anther clan rebuilds the Fish Gate als n the nrthern wall Anther clan builds the Old Gate n the extreme NW crner Anther team fr the Valley Gate n the West side f the city Anther team wrked the Refuse Gate (Dung Gate) n the extreme suthern end Then up the eastern wall the Funtain Gate is repaired Anther man named Nehemiah wrks as well And dwn the chapter we see different families taking part at different places alng the city We even find the Levites and priests wrking in sectins By the time we reach the end f the chapter, we re back at the Sheep gate, having circled the entire city wall with wrkers 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 11 f 19 What s mst interesting abut this chapter is the diversity f peple engaged in the prject Literally, there is n ne in the city wh isn t wrking n the wall They have put aside any ther daily duty r pursuit Their regular labrs have taken a backseat t pursuing the call f Gd Crps aren t being planted r harvested They expectatin is the Lrd will take care f thse needs as Israel serves Him Isn t remarkable hw Nehemiah was able t engage s many different families in such a large prject I admire him because I have truble getting my entire family t participate in an afternn f yardwrk He had thusands f family members wrking tgether Every member f the natin had a part t play in the wrk The wall lay in ruins fr decades as the peple went abut their daily lives And then suddenly, the peple were f ne mind in respnding t the call f the Lrd One gdly man speaking a wrd frm Gd can mve a peple t turn their pririties upside dwn Fr any aspiring leader, here s the secret t sanctifying Gd s peple: let them d the wrk f ministry Paul says that the path t Christ-like living is t serve, and that service is encuraged and enabled thrugh the preparatin f gdly leaders Eph. 4:11 And He gave sme as apstles, and sme as prphets, and sme as evangelists, and sme as pastrs and teachers, Eph. 4:12 fr the equipping f the saints fr the wrk f service, t the building up f the bdy f Christ; Eph. 4:13 until we all attain t the unity f the faith, and f the knwledge f the Sn f Gd, t a mature man, t the measure f the stature which belngs t the fullness f Christ. 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 12 f 19 These varius leadership rles in the church were given t the bdy t ensure that the bdy was prperly equipped That we are taught, that we are inspired, exhrted, and lead And that equipping is intended t prepare us t serve in ministry And Paul says that ministry is service t the bdy f Christ If ur time spent in Bible study r in church desn t ultimately lead us t serve in sme capacity, then the equipping has been fr nthing And then Paul says in v.13 that the wrk f service is the means by which we attain t the unity f faith and t the knwledge f the Sn It is the path t becming a mature Christian S t put it simply, we are sanctified thrugh service When the natin f Israel respnded t Nehemiah s call t serve, they experienced a measure f sanctificatin in their sacrificial service Nehemiah s culdn t build a wall by himself, s he had n chice but t recruit the natin t wrk beside him But pastrs and ther leaders have that chice tday in many cases We can lk t the peple t serve in the church r we can lk elsewhere We can use the church funds t hire peple t perfrm many f the duties in the church rather than exhrting the peple t serve When we d this, we utsurce sanctificatin We g against the principle f Ephesians 4:11-13 We have t be willing t allw a call t g unmet s that the pressure builds fr the members f the bdy t step up t meet the need In Jerusalem, the walls sat in ruins fr decades 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 13 f 19 That wasn t the best utcme, but it was better than letting smene else build it fr Israel In the day that Israel finally heard the call f the Lrd and respnded in unisn, they received a great spiritual blessing Nt nly were the walls built, but the peple were edified...they were built up t Which is the true missin f any gdly leader: t build up the peple And since the wrk has begun in such a dramatic way, then certainly Gd s enemies will step up their challenge as well Once these walls are cmplete, the city will be in a psitin t defend itself frm any attacker At that pint, they have respect and standing amng their enemies They wrld culd n lnger take advantage f an Israel that culd defend itself And s the prspect fr the walls ging back up is greatly disturbing t any wh hated the thught f a strng Israel S the prtagnists return t the city and begin t mck the wrkers as they wrk at their tasks Neh. 4:1 Nw it came abut that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furius and very angry and mcked the Jews. Neh. 4:2 He spke in the presence f his brthers and the wealthy men f Samaria and said, What are these feeble Jews ding? Are they ging t restre it fr themselves? Can they ffer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stnes frm the dusty rubble even the burned nes? Neh. 4:3 Nw Tbiah the Ammnite was near him and he said, Even what they are building if a fx shuld jump n it, he wuld break their stne wall dwn! Once again, Sanballat and Tbiah try their best t discurage the peple by ridiculing them as they wrk We re tld he spke in the presence f ther influential men frm the surrunding area f Samaria 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 14 f 19 The Hebrew wrd fr wealthy als means army, and that is prbably the better translatin in this case Sanballat has cme dwn frm Samaria and brught his clan and army t intimidate the peple as they build And in a lud vice, they begin their mcking They ask can this peple restre a wall by themselves? Can they finish in a day? Can they sacrifice? And if a little fx jumped n the wall, it wuld fall The pint in these questins is t imply the peple are in a hpeless situatin First, they questin the peple s expertise and ability t cnstruct a useful wall Then they ask is they can finish it quickly enugh t avid an attack frm the army that std watching them And they ask if they can sacrifice, suggesting the peple wuld need t pause their wrk sner r later t cnduct the nrmal sacrifice Which wuld then leave the walls unguarded Finally, even if the wall was finished, their army culd tear it dwn easily Each f these taunts were intended t drive dubt and fear int the peple s hearts again Nne f these peple were likely expert wall builders, s the cmments prbably wrked t a degree But as Nehemiah has already said, their success wasn t dependent n their wn abilities, but n the Lrd Mre ver, the pint in Gd s ecnmy wasn t t build the wrld s strngest wall...it was t build the wrld s mst gdly peple They need nt wrry abut the army...gd was n their side 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 15 f 19 Once again, when the enemy is wrking t discurage Gd s peple, the respnse f a gdly leader becmes all imprtant He desn t need t puff up his chest and fill the rm with ht air trying t fight wrds with wrds Instead, the gdly leader leaves the fight t Gd And that s what Nehemiah chses t d He prays fr the Lrd t avenge the peple and lead the enemy s tactics t fail Neh. 4:4 Hear, O ur Gd, hw we are despised! Return their reprach n their wn heads and give them up fr plunder in a land f captivity. Neh. 4:5 D nt frgive their iniquity and let nt their sin be bltted ut befre Yu, fr they have demralized the builders. Nehemiah s respnse is t pray t the Lrd fr justice in the face f the enemy s wrk He calls t the Lrd fr vengeance This is the prper respnse fr a gdly man We can fight nly s far in ur wn pwer But when the enemy begins t discurage ur peple, pray fr the Lrd t deal with His enemies in His wn pwer As Paul teaches Rm. 12:19 Never take yur wn revenge, belved, but leave rm fr the wrath f Gd, fr it is written, VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY, says the Lrd. The Lrd is mre than capable f handling these situatins We need nt wrry...if ur wrk is truly the wrk f the Lrd, then nthing will prevail against the wrk He has rdained Nehemiah s prayer is a strngly wrded cndemnatin f these peple At first this might sund excessive and harsh, it s really nthing mre than asking that their wn wrds cme t rest n their heads 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 16 f 19 Nehemiah asks that all they say abut Israel wuld be brught back n their heads Let their walls be felled Let their cities be taken Let them be plundered and taken in t captivity Then he asks the Lrd that their sin wuld nt be frgiven fr having demralized the builders We need t understand this statement as an inspired statement reflecting Gd s will fr these men Gd himself is speaking thrugh Nehemiah t annunce His wn intentins These men are nt ging t be cunted amng the saints when all is said and dne And their sin in this situatin will be brught back upn them As a result f Nehemiah s prayer, the wall cnstructin cntinued Neh. 4:6 S we built the wall and the whle wall was jined tgether t half its height, fr the peple had a mind t wrk. The wall has nw reached half it s intended height Nw Israel s enemies can t deny that the city wall is well n it s way t being built If they can build it halfway, they can build it all the way S nce mre they set ut t stp the prgress Neh. 4:7 Nw when Sanballat, Tbiah, the Arabs, the Ammnites and the Ashddites heard that the repair f the walls f Jerusalem went n, and that the breaches began t be clsed, they were very angry. Neh. 4:8 All f them cnspired tgether t cme and fight against Jerusalem and t cause a disturbance in it. After days and weeks f trying t discurage the builders, nw the enemies f Israel decide it s time t take up arms t stp them 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 17 f 19 Sanballat and Tbiah are back, alng with Arabs, Ammnites and Ashddites, all lng-time enemies f Israel These fur grups represent the fur sides f Jerusalem They attack wuld cme frm the nrth, suth, east and west Thugh Nehemiah desn t recrd it in detail, we knw an attack tk place and it claimed many casualties Jsephus reprts that many Jews were killed in the attack that fllwed But the attack wasn t strng enugh t capture the city Des it surprise yu that the Lrd allwed this attack t claim Jewish lives? Or that He allwed the attach at all? Wuld yu have expected that the Lrd wuld have defended the city frm its enemies entirely? He certainly culd have dne s But He desn t fr at least tw reasns First, the peple are given a firsthand lessn in why the wall needed t be rebuilt and why it shuld have been rebuilt in earlier decades Obedience t Gd s wrd is an imperative Gd is a righteus judge, and if we run aful f Gd s instructins, we can expect cnsequences Gd allwed the enemy t succeed in a limited, measured way t teach Israel a lessn n the imprtance f finishing this wall Secndly, the Lrd has already declared thrugh Daniel the prphet that Israel s past sins under the Old Cvenant wuld result in a lng perid f Gentile ppressin ver Jerusalem And this attack is but ne in a lng histry f attacks by Gentiles n the city f Jerusalem, as Jesus described Luke 21:23 We t thse wh are pregnant and t thse wh are nursing babies in thse days; fr there will be great distress upn the land and wrath t this peple; 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 18 f 19 Luke 21:24 and they will fall by the edge f the swrd, and will be led captive int all the natins; and Jerusalem will be trampled under ft by the Gentiles until the times f the Gentiles are fulfilled. The times f the Gentiles is that time between the first attack f Nebuchadnezzar and the Secnd Cming f Christ at the cnclusin f Tribulatin Only at Christ s return will Jerusalem return t a perid f eternal peace Once again Nehemiah s respnse is prayer Neh. 4:9 But we prayed t ur Gd, and because f them we set up a guard against them day and night. Neh. 4:10 Thus in Judah it was said, ı The strength f the burden bearers is failing, Yet there is much rubbish; And we urselves are unable ı T rebuild the wall. Ntice this time it s nt just Nehemiah praying fr the Lrd t intervene Nw the whle f the peple is praying tgether This is a gd example f the sanctifying effect f serving tgether As the peple jin tgether t wrk n the Lrd s task, they begin t see the persecutin that cmes upn Gd s peple As they face that persecutin tgether, they are brught t a greater dependence n the Lrd As they sense that dependence, they pray tgether Sanctificatin is a prcess f cming t the end f urselves s that Gd may shw us smething better in us These peple are learning t fllw the Lrd in the face f adversity They are learning t pray when faced with trials They are learning t trust the Lrd with their needs 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Nehemiah 3-4 19 f 19 And they are learning these things because a leader inspired them t jin in the wrk f the Lrd Prayer is imprtant and makes everything else pssible But there is als a time t act in keeping with Gd s instructins Nehemiah tells the peple t set up guard t prtect the wrkers This isn t an act f faithlessness It s a recgnitin that Gd had given them t the means t slve the prblem Even still, guards aren t ging t be successful against an army unless the Lrd grants that success The pint is that a gdly leader is a man wh demnstrates dependence n prayer cmbined with a willingness t act when Gd makes a way available Nehemiah rganizes these guard units, but the damage has been dne The peple are burdened nw with the weight f the wrk, the fear f attacks, the murning f the lst peple, and the immensity f the task At this pint the wrk is in jepardy, and the utcme is in dubt S it falls t the leader t respnd yet again fr the sake f the peple 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.