“Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and was filled with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”
Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”
Hear us, O God, for we are despised. Turn their scorn back upon their own heads, and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked the builders.
So we rebuilt the wall until all of it was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
When Sanballat and Tobiah, together with the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, (Philistines)heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they were furious, and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.
Discouragement Overcome
So we prayed to our God and posted a guard against them day and night.
Meanwhile, the people of Judah said: “The strength of the laborer fails, and there is so much rubble that we will never be able to rebuild the wall.”
And our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.” At that time the Jews who lived nearby came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
So I stationed men behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not 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.”
When our enemies heard that we were aware of their scheme and that God had frustrated it, each of us returned to his own work on the wall. And from that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor.
The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me.
Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “The work is great and extensive, and we are spread out far from one another along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”
So we continued the work, while half of the men held spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.”
So neither I nor brothers nor my men nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water.”
It never fails! Just as work on the walls of Jerusalem had begun in earnest, Tobiah and Sanballat and all their cronies showed up. Just who were Tobiah, Sanballat and “the Arab,” whose name was Geshem? These men were all regional governors serving under the king of Persia. Tobiah, a.k.a. Tobias, governed an area east of the Jordan River, while Sanballat was a Moabite governing his home territory. Geshem, the Arab, was governing an area south of Judah. All three of these men were from peoples whom the Israelites had driven out when they conquered the Promised Land. The areas these men were from were previously governed by Judah. Obviously, it was in these men’s best interests if Jerusalem remained in ruins, since once rebuilt, Jerusalem would threaten their grasp of power in the area.
As middle – level politicians, these guys would do anything they could to maintain control, and they employed mockery, threats, and intimidation. Mockery: “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!” Threats: And our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.” At that time the Jews who lived nearby came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Intimidation: At that time the Jews who lived nearby came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
Truly, this bunch of bullies had many of the Jews quaking in their sandals. But Nehemiah was equal to the task. First, praying for guidance, Nehemiah next split the work force into two groups with half building and the other half guarding. Even those building had weapons strapped to their sides. Nehemiah himself roamed up and down the construction site, accompanied by a trumpeter. If any attack were to break out, the trumpeter would sound an alarm, signaling all to drop their work and rush to meet the threat.
Nehemiah also stationed warriors and their families at the most vulnerable parts of the wall, giving these men – and perhaps women – a reason to fight fiercely in defense of their families. While this tactic might sound cruel, Nehemiah already realized that many of the Jews who had settled in Jerusalem had resigned themselves to an uneasy peace with their critics and were unwilling to fight unless they had a personal stake in the conflict.
Nehemiah ordered that all the men and their servants sleep in Jerusalem rather than in the outlying villages, so that they would be able to spring into action quickly. Finally, Nehemiah and his men set a stern example by carrying their weapons with them wherever they went, even for water. Nehemiah was so serious about the defense that he and his men did not even take time to make themselves vulnerable to attack by changing their clothes.
APPLICATION: Just attempt something great for God, and Satan and his demons will always show up. Nehemiah faced a number of threats from Tobiah, Sanballat, and Geshem; however, one of the greatest threats Nehemiah had to face was reluctance on the part of the Jews who had already resettled Judah. These people had formed alliances with the locals and had found some kind of normality. Now Nehemiah was demanding that they take action, and frankly, they had no desire to follow his lead. It wasn’t enough for Nehemiah to make stirring speeches; he had to station entire families at the lowest parts of the wall where they were open to attack to get those men to build and stand guard. Nothing less would have moved those people.
Rebuilding situations are never easy. When we returned to our current station after an absence of eight years, things were in a shambles. The hospital was heavily in debt. Workers were so unhappy that they had gone on strike three times the previous year. Most of the hospital vehicles were in bad shape. And there were very few nurses; most of the nursing care was being done by ward assistants trained on the job. To complicate things further, the local health insurance scheme was in its second year and a huge number of people were flocking in to see how they could benefit. Roughly half the people who were turning up were sick while the other half were simply hoping to collect drugs for free. And I was the only doctor.
As time went on, we faced a number of other challenges that were daunting and discouraging. Only God kept us from throwing up our hands and leaving. But God had called us into that place and we knew that only God could change that assignment. Today we have a staff over more than 200 with many specialist nurses in addition to general nurses and midwives. So many people got converted from one remote village that our chaplain started a church there.
As I am writing this, friends at another mission hospital thousands of miles away are facing an uncertain future. Community and church leaders are attempting to take over a large mission hospital serving hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of a national border. Only God can determine the outcome of that situation.
Many times, churches are fond of quoting the slogan “Arise and build!” from Nehemiah, blissfully ignoring all the suffering Nehemiah and his men actually went through to make those building plans a reality. Perhaps today you are in the middle of a Nehemiah situation and you wonder if there will be any relief. Remember the example of Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, more than 180 missionaries and their families were slaughtered by the rebels, along with many Chinese Christians. In that black hour, Hudson Taylor was found repeatedly singing the hymn,” Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what thou art.”
The China Inland Mission went on to rebound from that tragedy, with 968 missionaries in China by 1911. CIM continued to work faithfully until the Communists took over in 1950, forcing most missions to withdraw. But the legacy of faith left by CIM continued to operate despite Communist persecution. Today the Chinese church remains vibrant, even as new persecutions are now taking place. Christianity is the fastest growing religion in China with between 93 – 115 million believers. Nothing done for God is ever lost or useless. God can redeem any situation!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to love You and to worship You. May we always be willing to dare great things for You, refusing to become discouraged. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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