Nehemiah 4.
Observations.
More opposition-It seems the
opposition gradually changed in nature and intensity. At first it was an
indignant heart (2:10) then a laugh with a threat (2:19) and now it is an all
out conspiracy (4:1-23).
Who-Sanballat, Tobiah, people of
Arabia, Ammon and Ashdod vs 7 form the bulk of opposition. They ridicule, laugh
and mock. Vs 8 gives us their intention, “so they all plotted together to come
and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.” Their real intent is to keep the
Israelites in that state of disgrace, in the status of defeat. Yet this is the
sole reason why Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, to remove this disgrace. This was
his motto, his manifesto- Vs 2:17, “judge me by this.” By fighting them, they
are really fighting this vision.
Response- Prayer- Vs 4, 9 show
how dependent Nehemiah is. “Hear how they make fun of us, o God.” The natural
response after fear is to run helter skelter and be found out unprepared. But
Nehemiah prays. “But we prayed to our God…”
Discernment- God allows (In response to prayer and his commitment
to his people and his word) the plots of the enemy be revealed. Vs 12, “Time
after time time, jews who were living among our enemies came to warn us of the
plans our enemies were making against us. So I armed the people with swords and
spears and bows and stationed them by clan behind the wall, wherever it was
still unfinished.
God-centered confidence and initiative- Nehemiah speaks to his
laborers, “Remember how terrifying the Lord is, and fight for your relatives,
your children, your wives and your homes.”
Interpretation
My paraphrase- “Our God is… therefore be... and do…” He-God is our point of
reference. What do you think comes to their minds when Nehemiah says, “Our God
is terrifying?” I guess they remember how he terrified Pharaoh and his army,
and the early kings of Canaan… So if you asked any of them, “What do you think
you are, what do you think you can do against this huge army, what is your
capacity to do the task? their response would be GOD-Centered. 2 Cor 3:4-6. No
wonder the need to keep looking unto Jesus all the time, to know him- to know
his attributes. Heb 12:1-2, Isaiah 45:22, 2 Cor 3:18. The more we know God, the more we
draw our identity, and our confidence from him. “We say this because we
have our confidence in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, there is nothing in
us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work, the capacity
we have comes from God.” God is our sufficiency. See also Col 1:28-29.
Application:
I am not upto the task in my many
roles, of my own self, but I will put my confidence in the Lord. It is about
him. I will draw my identity from God and do as I am required still looking at
him.
Others verses 1 Cor 15:10, But by
the grace of God I am what I am. and 1 Timothy 1:12-15.
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