The building has commenced on the walls surrounding Jerusalem and Nehemiah has done the footwork of assigning all parts of the walls, so to have everything covered. Nehemiah also organized the work of the wall so that all parts of the wall were being worked on at the same time, rather than only focusing on one part and working their way around. Today we are going to talk about how the opposition that began on the day of Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem, increases in frequency and duration, and its impact on the workers.
Nehemiah 4
1 [a]When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 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?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Criticism is unfortunately part of the package when stepping into a role of Godly leadership. The enemy does not want to see you or me walk in obedience and experience the Lord’s favor, and it seems the more blessed you are in your leadership the more you will find opposition. It doesn’t matter who you are, you will be challenged, criticized, and knocked down but it cannot have any impact on you and your calling unless you allow it.
There are two types of criticism. Constructive Criticism is given out of a genuine desire to help. The criticism given is fruitful and should be applied. The constructive type of criticism is usually given by a mentor, elder, someone you respect or hold in high regard and should be given special attention.
The other type of criticism is Destructive Criticism. This type of criticisms sole intent is to tear down and destroy. Paul experienced such criticism, like our friend Nehemiah, in 2nd Corinthians 4:7-10.
It’s important to give all criticism attention but determine its worth by the manner in which it was given. Some criticism is definitely worth paying attention to and implementing, while other criticism, when of the destructive nature, is best left ignored.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10
7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!
Thank God that even in our decrepid clay pots His light can still shine through. Take these words as a reassurance that there is no pressure to perform but to be. With all the trials and adversity that Paul faced, he teaches us an important lesson that the treasure we carry within us is in fact not us at all, but a strength and power that only comes from the mighty hand of God. His work can still be done in and through us regardless of the state that we are in.
The critics that Nehemiah faced were of the Destructive caliber and reminded me of school-aged bullies taunting those who appeared weaker then they. In the case of Sanballat and Tobiah, we are dealing with a couple men who are fearful of change and threatened by progress. One of the main reasons why there was such opposition to the project was centered primarily around money. As one commentator said, “Put bluntly, “a powerful Jerusalem means a depressed Samaria.” One of the main highways linking the Tigris-Euphrates river valley to the north with Egypt in the south and Philistia to the west passes through Jerusalem. With Jerusalem once more a well-protected city, its very location (would) attract trade; and gone would be Samaria’s economic supremacy in “the land beyond the river.”
Another common denominator with destructive critics is that they tend to hang out together. As you can imagine, the higher the wall became, the more critics arrived and the louder they would roar. So it is even today. You will find critics everywhere who will appear to rally together against you in whatever area you are leading, and while the easiest thing to do (and it might even feel good at the time) might be to retaliate, it does not serve a purpose. In fact, it proves their point. You don’t think Nehemiah didn’t want to shout back at the naysayers and curse them? Of course he did. He was EXTREMELY frustrated which was why he hit his knees and angrily called out to God to dish it right back to them! Nehemiah talked to God about EVERYTHING and he was honest about it. God wants our honesty too. He wants to have real conversations about the things that make us angry. He can handle it and it’s not like He doesn’t already know!
In dealing with opposition, there are 3 things to keep in mind:
Realize that it is impossible to lead without facing criticism-
Expect it. Even if you aren’t hearing it, it’s probably safe to assume that it is occurring. However, it is not a sign of failure. As Swindoll puts it, “Recognize it as a part of the fallen world we live in.”
It is essential that your first response to opposition is prayer-
Once again, Nehemiah shows us an excellent example of this regardless of his feelings, where they were in the process, or what the need, he was on his knees.
Prayer may not be all that is necessary if opposition intensifies-
Prayer should always be the preface to action. For example, if there’s a fire blazing in your kitchen you need to pray for God to save you and your family, but you should also start spraying some water!
At the end of the day, critics are most generally not worth the worry they cause. They serve as an excellent distraction, if we allow them, but the work that we’ve been called to should never halt or even slow because of such things.
In “Hand Me Another Brick” Swindoll shares a story of a woman by the name of Edith, a mother of 8 from Darlington, Maryland. She was coming home from a neighbor’s house one Saturday afternoon and as she walked into the house, she saw five of her youngest children huddled together, concentrating with intense interest on something. As she slipped near them, trying to discover the center of attention, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Smack-dab in the middle of the circle was a group of baby skunks. She screamed at the top of her voice, “Children, run!” Then each kid grabbed a skunk and ran.
How many times have we tried to fix a problem or address an issue only to have it go from bad to worse? Nehemiah is no different. Nehemiah’s problem was watching his workers fall more and more into discouragement. It seemed that everything he tried only intensified the issue.
Nehemiah 4:9-23
9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 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.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.[a]
You’ll see here that there are four causes for Nehemiah’s discouragement:
1. A loss of strength- In other words, the people were pooped (as the Message put it) and the initial excitement of the project had faded. It’s at this point where you hear people who are discouraged say that they need to “put their head down and put one foot in front of the other”. It becomes more about survival than success.
2. A loss of vision- Workers had worked tirelessly and diligently, yet when they looked around all they saw was rubble. They were overwhelmed and had completely lost sight of their vision. Growing up, you might remember me saying that we moved a lot and I have this terrible issue with task completion. So, when we would move to our new home and would work hard to unpack boxes and organize things, I had to work hard to focus on one box at a time rather than the entire space because I would quickly become overwhelmed and defeated with my inability to complete the task. So it was with the workers. They were tired and overwhelmed.
3. A loss of confidence- Discouragement crept in when people lost confidence in their own abilities, the approval or presence of God, and merit in the objective. It’s easy to do when you are weary.
4. A loss of security- Workers were becoming more and more frightened of the threats made against them. They no longer felt safe.
Nehemiah had to overcome his own discouragement in order to address the discouragement in others. It has been shared with me that discouragement is often a sign of change. That there is a new direction that God is preparing when discouragement sets in. Swindoll says, “Discouragement is nothing more than a wall that Satan erects between great people and great achievements.”
Nehemiah knew that in order to regain everyone’s focus on the task at hand before everything headed south, that he would have to help his workers find ways to overcome their discouragement.
The following are five steps that Nehemiah took to restore confidence in his people:
1. Nehemiah unified people around the same goal
In Nehemiah’s case, spreading the work out to cover all the parts of the walls, separated family members as well, thus the decline in morale. In order to resolve this, he placed people into family units so there was more of a “team” feel to the work that was centered around a common goal.
In our personal circumstances, it’s equally important to be mindful and reminding others of the major purpose or goal to be attained in work, ministry, and family as well as each person’s role in the process. It might also serve the common good to change the game plan.
2. Nehemiah directed the people’s attention to the Lord
Nehemiah knew that his people were distracted by fear and that he had to get their eyes fixed back on the Lord. The same goes for us. We all have to keep our sights on Him as we forge ahead. We have to keep reminding ourselves whose glory is more important. “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
Because we now live in a day and age where we don’t have to be a prophet to hear from God, we must encourage each other to listen intently for His voice in our lives. Rob Coscia, a senior pastor of Diamond Valley Church in Pennsylvania, contributed a chapter to a book called “Hearing and Understanding the Voice of God”. In it he says, “It must be our goal that people become brilliant and that they have permission to go far beyond us in knowing and loving Him. And we just have to deal with the fact that there is just no way that’s going to happen in an un-messy, controlled way. We made mistakes, but instead of just sharing our journey so others can learn from our mistakes, we try to keep others from making their own. That’s not the Gospel, because that’s not freedom. We have super-talented people sitting in front of us every Sunday, but we see them only in terms of how they can serve our vision, instead of asking God what each person was created for and how we can encourage and equip His vision for them. We must be about freedom. We must understand that if we teach people to hear God for themselves, we win!”
3. Nehemiah encouraged the people to maintain a balance
Multi-tasking is difficult and rarely fruitful when faced with such a task. Here we have people who wanted to fight and defend, while still others who were focused on the wall. Nehemiah taught people to continue their work on the wall while also staying alert and prepared to fight should the need arise.
When we are in crisis spiritual or otherwise, it is important to look at the big picture and not just our own perspective. Bear in mind that while your feelings and experiences are valid, so are those around you…at least in their eyes. In looking at the full scope of things, you are not entrapping yourself in your own vision but expanding yourself to see His. It is not an easy task, and I would never suggest that it is. What I will tell you is that when our eyes are fixed on His, balance will surely come.
4. Nehemiah provided a rallying point for people
Nehemiah’s rallying point was a physical place where if the trumpet sounded, people knew to take up their weapons and run to the aid of their neighbors. This reinstated their feelings of safety. In addition, Nehemiah established a principle of mutual encouragement that reassured them that, while they had God fighting alongside them, they also had their neighbors.
Most of us have an emergency plan that we are required to follow in the event of severe weather or natural disaster. What we are needing in this case is an “encouragement plan” where we can collect our thoughts, gain support, and regroup as we attempt to face the opposition in our lives. In our case this can be a physical place like the church, it can be a mental focus, or an emotional emphasis where we help each other to rebuild encouragement and drive.
5. Nehemiah occupied the people with service to others
Nehemiah established this opportunity for the people to become more outwardly focused, paying attention to the needs of their neighbors. In doing so they didn’t have time to worry about their enemies, and they were able to establish relationships with others and in turn morale in the overall project of the wall improved.
In our case, it’s like only going to church or praying when things are going badly. If we are treating our relationships like this, we can’t expect them to last through all of life’s seasons. When we invest ourselves in the lives of others in all seasons, we are fostering relationships and bonds that will stand the test of time and discouragement won’t have a chance to invade.
In doing these things, the work on the wall was able to continue even in the midst of adversity. How do you deal with the opposition in your life? Many of you have found that when God reveals His purpose for your life and you’re walking in that anointing, He doesn’t give you His entire plan for your life at once. Most of us go through most of our lives seeking Him and His next steps for us. There’s a desire there to know and to know Him. However, our discipline has to match our desire. Just like we need to be preparing in our times of prayer and waiting, we have to be seeking Him in the Word, worship, and prayer. We have to be disciplined in our time with Him. We have to consciously make an effort to set aside time everyday and sometimes many times a day dedicated specifically to seeking Him if we are really wanting to hear from Him. If you hunger for Him enough, and your discipline is evidence of that, He will speak to you. He will answer your questions and He will come to you when you cry out.
What is God speaking to you today in terms of the opposition you are currently facing? When you look back, when are some times that you recognize that God was fighting right alongside you?
Take some time with God right now and ask Him to show you Himself and maybe where He is right here in this room? Some of you may see a scripture, a picture, or maybe it’s something you need to write down.
Ask Him if there’s anything He wants to show you about yourself? Maybe He’s taking you back to an experience in your life or maybe He wants to give you His vision of how He sees you.
Ask Him to help you rethink what is possible. Some of you might be asking, How do I know it’s Him? Do you feel peace? Do you feel more in love with Him? Do you feel empowered? That’s Him.
Write down what you see, hear, feel, and pray on it until it manifests. Remember, when our discipline is matched by our desire, He will respond.
