Many years ago, I preached through the book of Nehemiah. It is a wonderful study that teaches us many Biblical principles about spiritual leadership, unifying God’s people, and how to stand strong against those who would oppose God’s people and plan. Nehemiah had a heart for Jerusalem and its people, he had heartfelt desire to go and lead them to rebuild the walls of the city. Nehemiah was not afraid of those who would seek to threaten him or the work he was sent to do. He led the people by example and trusted in the power and purpose of our God.
A couple of passages in chapter 4 really seem to stick out to me. In Nehemiah 4:6 we see the attitude of those who were building the wall… “So, we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.” The KJV reads like this “…for the people had a mind to work.”
“Work!” Back in the 1950’s Menard G. Krebs (Bob Denver) was the beatnik sidekick of Dobie Gillis on the Dobie Gillis show which aired from 1959-1963. He was known for reacting to the word "work" by yelling “Work?!" and then jump with fear or even faint. It reminds me of how some people today react when asked to put out some effort to accomplish a task, unfortunately even some in the body of Christ.
In Chapter 4:14 when Nehemiah needed to encourage the people and remind them of God’s faithfulness he tells them, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Our Lord is all powerful, all knowing, and all present who encourages us when we are threatened or discouraged.
We need to remember that the battles we face today are not to be overcome for our personal needs only, but for our families, churches, and communities. In 1 John 4:4, John encourages believers by reminding them, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
Then we read in chapter Nehemiah 4:17-18 “…Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.” So here we find that they both worked to accomplish their task of rebuilding the walls, and were ready to fight any attacks that they might encounter. This is doing the work and being combat ready.
Finally, in 4:23 we find that Nehemiah and the other leaders and guards made the same sacrifices as the people made and were battle ready as well. “Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.”
We are here to serve our Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim the gospel to all the world. We need to remember that we live in a world that has grown more hostile to the message of Jesus than we have experienced before. We also need to remember that to serve Christ means we must have the right attitude in the face of opposition, remembering the mandate we have been given to live for Him and proclaim Him. We need to be willing to work while being spiritually ready to fight off any temptation of diversion from our given task. Finally, through Christ, we are all gifted and empowered to face the battle together, engaging the world as a unified body of Christ-followers to fulfill our mission and glorify His name.
Thank you for your faithfulness in serving our Lord Jesus for His Kingdom growth and glory!
—John
