Nehemiah 4 records the initial opposition to the work of rebuilding the wall. Sanballat and Tobiah came against the people with words. We have all heard the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us.” The truth is words can penetrate far deeper than the physical wounds caused by sticks and stones. Sanballat and Tobiah intended to discourage the Jews, to put fear in their hearts, to dishearten them to the point they gave up. The response of Nehemiah was twofold: 1) He prayed. He prayed and asked the LORD to protect them; and 2) He rallied the people to work and be prepared to fight. His strategy was clear and effective. He had half the men stand with spears, javelins, and swords at the ready to fight. The laborers who carried the stones, carried the stones in such a way that they carried with one hand and held their swords with the other. Those who laid the stones worked with their swords strapped to their waists. Because of these precautions Judah’s enemies decided not to attack them. At night, the people slept inside the wall, and watchmen were posted throughout the night. The people had a clear vision from God, effective leaders with a clear and effective plan to address their distractors and detractors. The work forged forward.
Nehemiah 5 gives us a clear understanding of Nehemiah’s character, his love for his people and the observation of the law and his generosity. When Nehemiah found out some of the people were enslaving their Jewish brothers and sisters, or their children, he called them out on it. We’re told before he said a word he “took counsel with myself.” That could sound arrogant, until we realize what it means is Nehemiah turned to the LORD and the words of the Law and examined what was going on in light of these. The result was a call for those who were enslaving their brothers and sisters, and those who were charging interest to their brothers and sisters to free those they had enslaved and to stop charging interest. The people agreed. Nehemiah had them make their vows before the priests, and he made them aware of the consequence if they didn’t fulfill their commitment: they would be banished, or “shaken out” from among the people.
In Nehemiah 6, Sanballat and Tobiah sent messages to Nehemiah to frighten him, and threaten him to stop the work on the wall. They also wanted him to come to them, but Nehemiah realized they intended to kill him, so he did not go. Sanballat and Tobiah also had false prophets tell Nehemiah he was to go into the Temple to gain protection from them, but he would not listen, because God gave him true knowledge and wisdom in the situation. Eventually, the work on the walls was done. It took only fifty-two days from start to finish. All the surrounding people realized God’s hand was on the work, and they feared God. We see the importance of listening to God, and following His word and will rather than letting people around us influence our thoughts, words, and actions. Nehemiah offers us a powerful example of what can happen when God’s leaders listen and obey God, and His people submit themselves to faithful leadership.
As we read Nehemiah 7, we find that when the work was completed, Nehemiah appointed Hanani, his brother, and Hananiah as leaders over Jerusalem. Nehemiah had promised King Artaxerxes he would return after the project was completed. Now, he was establishing leadership in Judah for the time when he would no longer be there. The remainder of chapter 7 records the names and positions of the people who returned from Babylon (now Persia) to Judah. Once again, we see how important it was to the people of that time to record and remember the names of the people who returned to Judah in fulfillment of the LORD’s command. The chapter concludes with numerical totals of the number of people and the number of gifts given by those people to the work of the LORD. Many modern church leaders say, “We count people, because people count.” While a focus on how much and how many can become an end in itself, God has always had His people record and remember how many and how much when it came to establishing His people, and remembering their work. The only time this was not considered good was when a king would number or count his troops. The reason this was not a good thing, was it could be done so as to trust in the number of soldiers he had rather than the LORD.
As we return to Matthew 7, and the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, let’s focus on Jesus’ reminder to all of us of how hard it is to follow Him, and that not all who call Him “LORD” will enter the Kingdom of heaven. In our day, many American Christians emphasize to an extreme that we are saved by faith and not works. We aresave by faith and not by our works. Yet, Jesus reminded us of the great effort we must expend in following Him. As I say so often, “Following Jesus is simple, but not easy.” A child can understand Jesus’ command to do to others what we would have done to ourselves, but doing to others what we would have done to us is hard, and often impossible, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit within us. One of the most challenging statements Jesus makes is there will be people who do miracles and cast out demons in His name who will be cast out of the Kingdom of God. Our actions speak louder than our words, but even our actions done in the name of Jesus, can be done apart from a relationship with Him. While we cannot earn salvation by our works, once we have been born again, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, then and only then, will we do works that please Him, and we must do those works to please Him. Never let the lie of Satan that you must earn your salvation deceive you. All our works are as “filthy rags,” apart from the saving grace of God in Jesus. At the same time, never let the lie of Satan that you can bask in God’s grace apart from his works keep you from living in faith and obedience to Him.