Trouble began brewing quickly.
Before a single shovel of debris was cleared away, or a single brick was laid, or before Nehemiah had set foot in Jerusalem, God’s enemies had begun to gather. What great irony! What drama! God is about his work— stirring the hearts of his people to repentance, gathering them from among the nations, calling them to holiness, forgiving their wickedness, and bringing them back to a place of worship, but trouble has already begun.
Meanwhile, trouble is brewing on the horizon. Nehemiah 2:10 (NIV) says, "When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites."
They were,"very much disturbed." There are those in every age, both inside and outside the community of God, who rise up to oppose God’s people. They have a vested interest in the status quo. But the status quo is never what it appears. The status quo is a shelter for their greed, their corruption, their disobedience, and their craze for power. As the Bible says, men love darkness because their deeds are evil.
Nothing poses a threat to men’s wickedness like the gracious hand of the living God. God was stirring revival, but these men weretrying to prevent it. Who were these men?
Who was stirring up trouble and what was their motive?
Sanballat the Horonite was an influential Samaritan, a foreigner, whose daughter had married into the family of Eliashib the high priest. As Jewish men, and especially men of priestly lineage, married foreign women, their hearts became divided. They worshiped foreign gods and became wicked. So God forbade intermarriage between Jews and Gentiles. If revival swept through the land, the marriage of Sanballat’s daughter would be annulled, and his influence would be diminished.
Tobiah the Ammonite was a half-Jew who had consired with Eliashib the high priest to give him private quarters in the remains of the temple. Historically the Ammonites had fiercely opposed Israel and worshiped idols.
So Sanballat and Tobiah had a vested interest in the status quo. Preserving the darkness allowed them to continue in their sins. These men had manipulated the high priest into one compromise after another. They didn’t want a priest who would speak truth, abide by God’s laws, or the like. They wanted a high priest who would bless their dishonorable marriages,who could be bought off, andwho could be intimidated into silence and passivity.
But here comes Nehemiah, calling God’s people to repentance. Do you want to become a target? Just take a stand for God in your church, your family, or your world. People hate the light because their deeds are evil.And this means they will hate you, and resent the Godwho you represent.
We have much to learn about God’s enemies. Their motive is preserving the darkness so that they can stay in their sins. But what are their tactics?
What tactics did Nehemiah's enemies use to cause trouble?
First tactic:Ridicule.
Nehemiah 4:1-3 (NIV) says,"When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, 'What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day?Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble— burned as they are?' Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, 'What they are building— if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!' "
Oh, how we hate to be ridiculed. Have you found yourself being ridiculed for your faith, beliefs, or godliness? Teachers ridicule you for believing in creation. Friends ridicule you for not drinking with them. Your fiancée ridicules you for wanting to remain a virgin until marriage. Believers ridicule you for being zealous. Coworkers ridicule you for reading your Bible during your break. Politicians ridicule you for being narrow-minded. Hollywood ridicules you for not endorsingits immorality.
What then shall we do? Retreat? Hide? Never! We pray, but we must press on. Nehemiah 4:4-6 (NIV) tells us that Nehemiah prayed, "Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart."
Second tactic:Plotting and scheming.
When their efforts to ridicule failed, Sanballat and Tobiah became angry. Anger is what happens when an evil person’s world comes crashing down. Before a person ever repents,hewill ridicule you andhis anger may very well go underground and undercover. Nehemiah 4:8 (NIV) says, "They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat."
When people sense your godly character, they will test you. If you are a recovering alcoholic, they will invite you to a bar for a drink. If you are walking away from drugs, they will offer you a hit. If you are trying to be pure, they will present you with temptation. If you are fasting, they’ll offer food. If you are praying, they will offer distraction. If you are trying to worship, they’ll busy you on Sundays. If you want to give to God's work, they’ll convince you to spend all you have on pleasures. If you share your testimony about Christ, they’ll insist upon political correctness. If you promote morality, they will call you a hater, a racist, a bigot, or worse.
So what are we to do? We post guard and pray, but we certainly don’t stop building. We work with one hand and hold the sword of God’s truth in the other. We fend off the schemes of the evil one.
Third tactic: Destroy godly leaders.
There is a reason the Bible commands us to pray for our leaders. Leaders are vulnerable! No leader is safe from sin and temptation. Proud leaders fall every day. Like Eliashib the high priest, leaders often compromise. Theysell their souls for money and power, and they give in so that they canplease men.
But leaders are vulnerable for another reason. It'sbecause they are out front of everyone, leading, encouraging, and inspiring! If you strike the shepherd, the sheep will scatter. No oneknows this better than the evil one. In Nehemiah 6:7 Sanballat and Tobiah invited Nehemiah to meet with them in a village on the,"plain of Ono." You heard it right, the plain of Ono! They were plotting to assassinate Nehemiah.
When that didn’t work, they stirred up rumors that Nehemiah was rebuilding Jerusalem and plotting a revolt against the King of Persia! Nehemiah kept a level head in all these things. In Nehemiah 6:3 (NIV) he says, "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down (to Ono). Why should the work stop while I leave and go down to you?"In Nehemiah 6:8 (NIV) he says, "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up in your head."
When ridiculed, they prayed. When plotted against, they stood their guard, prayed, and took up swords. When invited to the plain of Ono, they busied themselves in the Lord’s work.
So here it is one more time. Men love darkness because their deeds are evil. In Matthew 24:9 (NIV) Jesus warned us, "... you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."
The motive of the enemies of God is topreserve the status quo that gives shelter to their greed, power, corruption, and wickedness. Their tactics for disrupting God's people areanger, ridicule, plotting, scheming, persecution, murder, and lying.
The greatest enemies of God are within the community of God.
Now let’s talk about the builders. The greatest manifestation of Satan’s power isn’t what happens outside these walls. It'swhat happens among the builders. Our greatest enemies are within the community of God, not outside the community of God.
Enemynumber one:Physical exhaustion.
Nehemiah 4:10 (NIV) says, "Meanwhile the people in Judah said, 'The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.' "
Attending church is easy. Sitting in a pew is easy. But being the Church? Building up the Church? Making disciples? This, my friends, is exhausting work. In the Church there are always a few doing the work of the many.There are always those Siskel and Eberts who sit back and critique the work of others without ever lifting a finger to advance the cause of God. The reason the workers are exhausted is because too few are contributing.The answer is that every one of us must pick up a shovel or a chisel, and contribute. Everyone should find a ministry. It is your responsibility to see the need and contribute!
Enemy number two: Fear of men.
Nehemiah 4:12 (NIV) says, "Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, ‘Wherever you turn, they will attack us.' "
Do you hear the dread? We need to be on guard against attack, but more importantly we need to trust God to deliver us. Nehemiah 4:14 (NIV) says, "Don’t 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."
We have nothing to fear because we have already been promised the victory in Christ. Get busy! Build! Fight! Don’t be afraid to live courageously for God. The gates of hell will not prevail.
Enemynumber three:Isolation from others.
As the building progressed, the builders found themselves isolated at various sections of the wall. In Nehemiah 4:19 (NIV) Nehemiah warns, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall."
Its often the case that God’s people find themselves isolated in doing the work of the kingdom. It’s the preacher who is ministering without the support of godly men. It's theman or woman who is isolated week after week in some department of the church, detached from the love, support, and encouragement they need. It's themember who misses months of church because of work, sports, and family demands. It's themissionary who is forgotten on the missionfield.
How did Nehemiah solve this problem? He gave everyone trumpets.If they found themselves isolated, they could blow them. In Nehemiah 4:20 (NIV) Nehemiah says, "Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight with us!"
Here is a thought. If you are isolated, if no one is seeing the danger you are in, blow your trumpet! Blow it loudly! Don’t be a martyr, don’t be too proud, and don’t suffer in silence. Blow your trumpet so that your church knows to come alongside you.
And if you hear someone blowingher trumpet, come toher aid immediately. If you listen, there are trumpets going off all over this church. They are sounding in the nursery, the children’s ministry, the youth ministry, and the worship ministry. Trumpets are blowing in the eyes of guests who come seeking God. Trumpets are sounding in marriages, in families, and in worn out leaders. Don’t come here to be comfortable. Join in the fight and stand with your brethren. It’s not my job to assign you a place of service. That is an impossible, inefficient task. It’s your responsibility to listen and respond to the needs of others, and join them in service.
Enemy number four: Fear of sacrifice.
Building God’s kingdom demands sacrifice. Our savior, Jesus Christ,took the lead on this and laid down his life. The builders in Nehemiah’s day also set an example. They mortgaged their fields, vineyards, and homes just to survive. But while some sacrificed, others exploited that sacrifice and took advantage. It’s the same old thing you always hear about church. 20% of the people do 80% of the work.20% of the people give 80% of what it takes to sustain the ministry of the church. While 20% of people practice extreme generosity, 80% decide to skate on thier coattails.
In Nehemiah 5 the whole community is called to make the necessary sacrifices to advance God’s mission. Nehemiah himself led by example. He did not take the King’s portions he was entitled to. Leadership in God’s kingdom is never about entitlement, it’s always about sacrifice and service.
But Satan has convinced us that we can advance God’s work in comfort and without sacrifice. It’s a lie. It always takes our time, talents, and treasure to advance God's kingdom.
It’s my prayer that the EveryOne Counts campaign will excite your generosity and cause you to step up and be a contributor! If God is doing all these good things on the backs of 20% of our congregation, whatcould he do if 100% joined in?
Here’s an example of what he will do. Nehemiah 6:15-16 (NIV) says,"So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God."