Nehemiah 4 (ESV) — 1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. 6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. 7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. 10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to 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, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” 15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” 21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.
God's Involvement
The book of Nehemiah is an ancient story of God renewing his people. Written before Jesus' arrival and death on the cross, it concerns the Israelite people and their holy city. Jerusalem, the place that housed God's presence before Jesus came, lay in ruins, and the defenselessness of the city promoted a lack of worship among God's people. Since it was dangerous to go to Jerusalem, not many ventured there with sacrifices of praise to God.
God had so much more planned for his people—they were destined from greater things than the despondency in which they lived. So God sent Nehemiah to revive them. If they would turn from the destructive patterns that had gotten them in this mess in the first place, and turn to God, renewal would come.
At this point in the story, the people had bought into God's plan and Nehemiah's vision. They were steadily working to repair the broken walls and burnt gates. Around the circumference of the entire city, everyday-Israelites labored to close the gaps in the wall and reset the entry gates.
Everything seemed to be moving along swimmingly, all until the enemy heard of their progress. When they did, insults and threats and attacks were unleashed upon the people, and they responded in numerous ways, often in fear. But throughout the entire episode, God and Nehemiah partnered together to keep everyone moving forward in the rebuilding effort.
This is the way of God—he renews his people by helping us with opposition. God did not remove all the obstacles and eliminate all the enemies. The fact of Israel's progress unsurfaced jealousies and hatred in the people groups that surrounded Jerusalem. This opposition was inevitable, but God was ready for the challenge. And all through this passage, God is the solution for whatever hurdle the Israelites needed to overcome.
In the first movement, when Sanballat and Tobiah mocked the Jews for their efforts, Nehemiah prayed to God—"Hear, O our God, for we are despised" (4-5). In the second movement, when a coalition of foreign opposition surrounded Jerusalem, and the Israelites grew intensely discouraged, Nehemiah exhorted them to remember God—"remember the Lord" (14). And in the final movement, when the enemies of the project settled into perpetual warfare against Israel, Nehemiah promised everyone God would fight for them—"Our God will fight for us" (20). In each instance, Nehemiah saw God and labored hard to help everyone else get their eyes on him as well.
Many of us are living in this stage of God's work in our lives. He has given us a burden, promised us his resources, and invited us into the work, but now the work has grown difficult. Fatigue and exhaustion are setting in. And the enemy is ready to discourage us from rebuilding the wall of our lives and churches. We look at our situation and conclude, why bother?
But it is in these moments that our Lord—as Nehemiah did for the people—intercedes for us. He longs to help us re-hear him, refocus on him, re-engage along with him. What do I mean?
1. Re-hear Him (1-6)
Sanballat's Challenge (With Tobiah)
First, let's consider that we must re-hear our God's voice if we are going to endure. But this is challenging because there are voices that will cause us to doubt his work in our lives. Other people and our own thought lives will often conspire to try to convince us that pursuing God's best is a fools' errand, a pointless pursuit, and a true waste of time.
For the Israelites in Nehemiah's day, these challenges originated with men named Sanballat and Tobiah. We saw them briefly when Nehemiah arrived from Persia to begin the work—they were "greatly displeased that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel" (2:10). And once the people began strengthening themselves for the work, Sanballat and Tobiah again arose, and Nehemiah swiftly rebuked them. He said:
"You have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem" (Nehemiah 2:20).
Now, in their envy, these two emerge again (2-3). The only weapons they brought were words—but they were words designed to cut down the will of God's people.
- Sanballat's first question was, "What are these feeble Jews doing?" This was certainly designed to ridicule them for their weakness, just as we also are often confronted with our own weaknesses.
- His second question was, "Will they restore (the city) for themselves? This was likely designed to point out the magnitude of the task at hand, just as we are often confronted with the impossibility of our work.
- His third question was, "Will they sacrifice? This was Sanballat's way of ridiculing their devotion to God—like they could somehow pray the wall into existence—just as we are often confronted about the effectiveness of our worship.
- His fourth question was, "Will they finish it up in a day?" This was his way of mocking the slow pace with which they would build—he thought it would take forever—just as we often become discouraged by how long God's transformative work takes in our lives.
- And his final question was, "Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?" This was his way of embarrassing them for the materials at their disposal, just as we might be tempted to be embarrassed by the simple building materials God gives us—his word, prayer, and fellowship with other Christians, to name a few.
After all his questions, Tobiah had an insult of his own to lob against Israel: Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall!" (3). Very mature. You almost expect him to try to pants Nehemiah next.
If any of these questions or statements were the final word, they would not have had to say them. But because they were terrified of the progress of God's people, they felt they had to sow seeds of doubt into the Israelite minds. Perhaps then the momentum would stop, and Sanballat and Tobiah could continue on in the status quo.
It is important to understand that the verbal assaults brought against us—even from our own minds—are often a response to progress. The enemy of our souls hates when we have momentum towards renewal, so it is then that the lies and challenges are the strongest.
These men certainly didn't want their position or relationship with Jerusalem to change in any way. Everything was set up just as they liked. It was nice having God's people operate in subservience to them, so their words were designed as a poison pill to infect the bloodstream of God's people.
Nehemiah's Prayer
Nehemiah would have none of it. He prayed a prayer many cannot imagine praying. Jesus told us to pray for our enemies, but Nehemiah prayed for his in a way that makes many modern believers squirm. He prayed that they would be plundered and turned into captives (4). He prayed that their taunt would turn back on their own heads (4). And he prayed that God would not cover their guilt and that they'd be blotted out from his sight (5).
This (very) honest prayer was prayed in defense of God's kingdom and honor. These are cries against injustice. And just as some in our culture can not imagine a God who executes justice, many in other cultures cannot imagine a God who does not. Nehemiah would not take matters into his own hands here, but he wouldn't simply accept these words. Instead, he brought it all to God and asked for him to meet out his judgment on them. The rest was up to God.
Our Situation
But Nehemiah's response serves as an excellent example for all of us. As much as Nehemiah wanted God to hear him—he said, "Hear us, O God!"—Nehemiah and the people needed to re-hear God.
You see voices like Sanballat's and Tobiah's will arise in and around you.
- At times, you will feel you are too weak, but Christ wants you to know his power is made perfect in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
- At times, you will feel the repairs that need to be made in your life or church are too massive, but Christ wants you to know all things are possible in him (Mark 10:27).
- At times, you will feel your private and public worship is a waste, but Christ wants you to know that as you abide in him, you will bear much fruit (John 15:5).
- At times, you will feel progress is coming too slowly, but Christ wants to remind you that though the outward person perishes, the inner person is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).
- And at times, you will feel the materials of prayer, Bible study, and Christian friendship are weak and unreliable, but Christ wants you to know he made access to God for you, that he is the Word the Word speaks about, and that where two or more gather together, there he is in the midst (Matthew 18:20).
So often, when the whispers within begin to tell us that God's best will never unfold in our lives, that we are too weak and the problems are too big, we need to re-hear God.
2. Refocus On Him (7-14)
Halfway Up
The second way God helps us with the opposition is by helping us refocus on him. After Nehemiah prayed on everyone's behalf, they got their momentum back. He said, "So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work" (6). It is a beautiful statement with a dangerous timestamp. Beautiful because they all had a mind to work. Dangerous because the wall was halfway up.
Halfway is dangerous because it is there we are often susceptible to discouragement. We have come so far, and the exhaustion of the journey starts to set in, and we still have so far to go! If you've ever run to the summit of a mountain trail, you know the experience. At the bottom, you've got energy. And at the top, you are excited that you've made it. But halfway up, you are already exhausted, and it can be discouraging knowing that you still have a long ways to go.
Three Speeches
It was at this moment that Israel's enemies conspired to form a coalition to stop the work. On all sides—north, south, east, and west—Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites became very angry and plotted together to come and fight against God's people (7-8). Nehemiah recorded their goal: to cause confusion in Jerusalem (8). And what followed were three speeches from three different groups, all of which demonstrated that confusion set in.
In the first speech, though Nehemiah and others prayed and set a guard, some of Nehemiah's people in Judah became discouraged by the situation and said, "The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall" (9-10). They were overwhelmed and thought they'd never finish this wall!
The second speech was the word of the enemy spreading through the city: "They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work" (11). It was a vague threat that put Nehemiah's team on edge—when would this mysterious attack occur!?
And in the third speech some of the Jews of that area repeatedly came to Nehemiah—ten times!— and said, "You must return to us" (12). They wanted Nehemiah and the workers to get off that wall, stop endangering themselves, and get back to a peaceful coexistence with the enemy agitators.
Nehemiah's Speech To Defeat Their Speeches
What would Nehemiah do in response to these three speeches? First, he stationed people with various weapons in all the open places so everyone could see they were being defended (13). Then he gave a speech of his own.
To all the nobles and officials and people, Nehemiah said, "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 homes" (14). This is likely the condensed version of Nehemiah's exhortation.
Others said the job was too enormous and their strength was insufficient for the task, but Nehemiah said they should remember the Lord! Some said they were coming in unsuspected guerilla warfare to pick off God's people, but Nehemiah said they should not be afraid of them! And others said the Israelites should quit and come home, but Nehemiah said they should fight for their homes!
Nehemiah was a devout man, and as he thought of God, he realized everyone else needed to think of God also. That's why he said, "Remember the Lord." They had gotten their eyes off of him. They needed to refocus on him. If they didn't, they would surely lose heart and give up.
In David's day, when Goliath taunted the armies of Israel for forty days and nights, no one thought he could be defeated. Everyone's heart melted. But when David arrived, he could not believe what he heard. He wondered aloud how a man like Goliath could curse the living God and get away with it? No one else had thought of God at all—they had only seen the giant. But David saw through and above the giant to God. And, for God's glory and honor and reputation, he flew into battle, expecting God to aid him in war.
We often experience a similar temptation to get our eyes off of God. We become overwhelmed by limited resources or veiled threats or the invitation to just give up. But we must put ourselves in positions to be continually reminded of God. We must choose environments that will come alongside us and bolster our faith, encouraging us not to fear, and exhorting us to engage in the fight.
The Work To Refocus On God
I am of the opinion that we need thousands of reminders, thousands of moments to refocus afresh on our Lord. Our hearts are prone to wander.
But he gives us grace here. As the Bible says, "He knows our frame. He remembers we are made of dust" (Psalms 103:4). So he creates the thousands of reminders that we need.
- He gives us his table so that when we eat the bread and wine, we will remember his body broken for us and his blood shed for us.
- He gives us his word so that when we meditate on it—and I mean sit and pray and think about it—we will remember who he is and what he says about us.
- He gives us one another—and even gives spiritual gifts to each of us—so that we can remind each other of his goodness and grace.
- He gives us pastors and other messengers to repoint us to the same old message of the cross over and over again.
- He gives us his Spirit to live within us, awakening our conscience and, if we will listen, reminding us all day long of our God.
In thousands of moments and minutes, God works to help us refocus on him, so it is good for us to avail ourselves of his methods.
Some of you are, indeed, halfway up some work of renewal. You have tackled the restoration of your marriage. You have launched into a new ministry venture for Jesus. You are trudging through parenting teenagers—or you are trudging through your parents trying to parent teenagers! You have set out to kick some habit or vice. You have decided to read the news less. You have kickstarted a morning devotional time with God. You have started setting aside a day each week for worship and rest. You have set out to become a reader. You have begun to be generous. Don't give in to the voices that tell you it cannot and should not be done. Don't listen to those speeches. Instead, listen to the better speech that tells you not to fear, remember God, and fight!
3. Re-engage Along With Him (15-23)
Nehemiah's Next Move
But let's think about one last way God helps us face the opposition. First, he helps us re-hear him. Second, he helps us refocus on him. Lastly, he helps us re-engage along with him.
In the final movement of our passage, Nehemiah becomes Nehemiah. What I mean is that the last section of Nehemiah 4 is Nehemiah at his finest—quintessential Nehemiah. The enemies heard that the Israelites knew what they were up to and that God had frustrated their plan, so Nehemiah and his team got back to the wall, each to his work (15). But once there, Nehemiah's determination soared to new heights. Knowing the enemy would continue to pressure them, Nehemiah readied the builders for war. While they held their building tools, they also held their war tools.
All the weapons of their time are mentioned—spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail (16). Even an advance warning system of trumpets was set up so everyone could run to wherever the enemy was gathered (20). Over a dozen times, Nehemiah mentioned their weapons. And they were ready to use them. During the day, some built while others watched. During the night, some slept while others watched. And at all times, everyone was clothed and ready for battle. They even stopped going home at night, staying instead right there at the building site. It was a season for sacrifice. They didn't know when, but they knew they might need to defend their turf.
But nestled into the midst of this whole strategic paragraph is another speech from Nehemiah. After announcing the trumpet-based alarm system, he told everyone, "Our God will fight for us" (20).
Who Fights?
You'd be forgiven for being slightly confused at Nehemiah's statement. After amassing weapons, strategically spacing the people, setting a guard, and organizing shifts, Nehemiah said God would do the fighting. Seems like Nehemiah thought he and the people would do the fighting. Would God do the fighting? Yes. Would the people do the fighting? Yes. So did that mean God would not do the fighting? No.
Nehemiah's whole story is one of God's sovereignty interplaying with human responsibility. Would God do the fighting? Yes. Would the people do the fighting? Yes. And this is how Nehemiah rolled.
I didn't mention it back in Nehemiah 2, but when Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem, he gave Nehemiah a military escort. A few years before that, Ezra the priest has declined a military escort. He wanted everyone to know God would protect them. Nehemiah knew God would protect him, so he accepted the military escort as a way God would protect him. That seems to embody Nehemiah's philosophy—God fights, but so do the people. God will flex, but so must they. This is God's way.
In the book of Isaiah, God promised to heal a godly king named Hezekiah. But then God told him to take medicine (Isaiah 38:5, 21). Who did the healing, God or the medicine? Yes.
In the book of Acts, God promised Paul that no one on his ship would die while in a major storm. Then, when some soldiers tried to escape the boat, Paul announced that unless they stayed on the ship, everyone else would die (Acts 27:24, 31). So who would preserve everyone's lives, God or the soldiers? Yes.
And there are times we need to embrace this perspective—that God will fight for us, and we must fight along with him. We aren't alone; we must always remember he is in the fight. Truly, the fight is all his. As Nehemiah said, "Our God will fight for us." But we are right there with him. The credit is all his, and he is the one who puts the fighting spirit, desire, and ability within us, but we do fight with him. Does God fight, or do we? Yes.
But for what? For sanctification. For spiritual growth. For healthy marriages. For growing churches. For strong families. For gospel-oriented friendships. For finances. For college degrees. For Sabbath rhythms. For kindness and love and generosity. For service and sacrifice. For good sermons or good laughter. For theological understanding. For victory over addiction. For healing in a relationship. For forgiveness of another. In it all, God must fight for us. And we must fight. Who fights, God or us? Yes.
Just as Nehemiah invited the people to re-engage along with God, to be part of God's work and war, so we are invited to re-engage along with God. Someone asked me, "When is it time to stop receiving and start giving out?" My answer is that it is never time to stop receiving. Even while giving out, you should be conscious that it is God working in and through you for his purposes (Philippians 2:13). God will fight for you.
Jesus: Divine Sovereignty And Human Responsibility
When Jesus came, he became the perfect mixture of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. He entered into our fight. He determined from the foundation of the earth that he—God the Son—would come to save us. But when he came, he became one of us—the Son of Man—to fulfill the perfect law that we could not keep.
Like Nehemiah, Jesus faced our opposition, did not believe the lies, battled through discouragement, and picked up the unorthodox weapon of the cross. It was a weapon that the Romans used against him, but that he was simultaneously using against our sin. He defeated it so that we could be brought home to God.
He did all this for us because what Nehemiah said back then was true—"Our God will fight for us."