More Opposition to God's Work - ANB W4, D3 - 3.27.13

Wednesday, March 27                                                  More Opposition to God’s Work

Nehemiah 4.1-14

It is no surprise to us to once again see that Satan is always at work in the hearts of men, trying to derail what God desires. Just as we saw time and time again through Ezra, we now see strict opposition once more to the work that the people of Israel are doing. It is amazing to me how often we forget that our hearts are wicked and do not seek the worship of God, but rather seek to hinder others from their participation in it. Sanballat represented the sin of intermarriage as his wife was kin to the high priest. Ezra had come in and preached repentance to Israel for that sin and now Nehemiah was leading the reconstruction of the city of God. Sanballat was losing his political power in the region and he knew that the completion of the wall would signal that the people of God had regained their favor in God’s sight and would no longer subject themselves to his rule. His opposition to what God was doing in Jerusalem was motivated primarily out of self concern and promotion. Here it becomes ever so clear how important Nehemiah’s role as a leader would be. In verses four and five he records for us his prayer of imprecation. This is a prayer for God’s vengeance. It is not a self-righteous “I am better than they are so smite them” prayer, rather it is an appeal to God that those with wicked hearts be exposed for who they are in the sight of man so that God’s pure and perfect nature shine forth, drawing glory unto His name so that His purposes are carried out. “So we built the wall” (v. 6). Because the truth of who Sanballat and Tobiah were was brought to light, the people honored God and continued with His work.

This continuation of work enraged Sanballat and Tobiah, so they pressed the Israelites harder, seeking to intimidate them and force them to abandon their work. This gives us something to think about when we pray. Just because we say a prayer and ask God for something or to do something does not mean that God will pave our way with smooth asphalt or assure us quick success. Oftentimes we find ourselves having to forge the path for ourselves, under God’s direction. This will always mean that there are obstacles to overcome and hardships to bear. See, every step forward that Nehemiah took in leading the reconstruction of the wall met him with a new challenge, a new frustration, and a new reason to give up and quit. This is exactly what Satan would have wanted him to do. This is the easy path when it comes to doing the work. To just quit would make the problems go away. Or so one would think. Nehemiah demonstrates a profound truth concerning those who are doing things as God has instructed. “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses” (v. 14).

In all of the opposition that Nehemiah encountered, he did not fight back with words, but with prayer. He understood that the mockery Sanballat and Tobiah hurled in the direction of the Israelites was driven more by their ignorance and fear than anything else. It was a means of masquerading their own insecurity as the people of Israel grew in boldness as God empowered them in His work. It would be foolish for us to think that planning out our future and saying a couple of prayers will cause everything else to fall into place. There have been many who have made that mistake only to become frustrated when things did not go the way they expected and aborted the mission. When we pray, we must pray that God would make us responsible. We must work and work hard. Life and faith are cooperative efforts. Martin Luther has been quoted as saying, “Work as if it all depends on you and pray as if it all depends on God.” Prayer does not relinquish our responsibility; rather it forces us to right the ship when things go awry. Nehemiah remained persistent in his prayer life, but tells his men to fight and stand strong. We must fight the good fight as Satan opposes our work for the Kingdom of God.

Prayer:

God, please strengthen me. I know that Your work in our church and in our community will be opposed, oftentimes viciously. Please teach me to work and fight on my knees, trusting Your provision and Your guidance and that You will bless the work that we do for Your kingdom.