Nehemiah 3 and 4 – Rebuilding Begins The chapter is easily analysed because Nehemiah has constructed it around seven gates of the city, moving in an anti‐clockwise Some of you may have heard of a man called Soren Kierkegaard, he direction. He begins at the Sheep Gate on the north side (verse 1) was a Danish philosopher theologian who lived in the 1800’s. He and travels around the walls back to the Sheep Gate again (verse was concerned with how you lived your life each day as opposed to 32). He devotes a paragraph or a group of paragraphs to each abstract thinking, highlighting the importance of human choice and section of the wall. Nehemiah had divided the wall into 40 easily commitment. He did some work on Christian ethics and faith in manageable sections to be rebuilt and chapter 3 tells us the people Christ Jesus. He once famously said this: (families) assigned to rebuild that part of the wall. We could omit Order the parson to be silent on Sundays. What is there this point but actually it is a key point in the Nehemiah’s plan. To left? The essential thing remains: their lives, the daily life give the task of rebuilding to one work team would have with which they parsons preach. Would you, the, get the overwhelmed them and they would have easily lost heart. In fact impression by watching them, that it was Christianity they the task would have seemed impossible to them. However, by were preaching? breaking the wall down into manageable sections and assigning people to rebuild the part of the wall around their own homes and workplace – made it manageable and also they would personally invest in protecting themselves, their family, their homes and Now that might seem a strange quote to begin a sermon on workplaces. Nehemiah was a shrewd administrator and leader. Nehemiah 3 and 4. You might actually agree with the first sentence of the quote? However, turn with me to Nehemiah 3 for a Verse 1 tells us that the high priest and his brother priests set the moment. We read only five verses from this chapter. We could example for the rest of the community by rebuilding the walls have read the whole chapter, but the first five verses give us a around the Temple. The priests played an important role – they did sense and flavour of the whole. In this chapter Nehemiah lists the not excuse themselves by saying it wasn’t their vocation to do workers who help rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem. The building work and when we read that at the end of their section total distance was somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5miles of wall. they consecrated it to God we realise that they understood this You may think this list tedious and difficult to read but actually it is work as being unto God and for Him. It is no accident that essential reading to understand the what was going on and what Nehemiah begins his list here. The Sheep Gate provided access to happened during the rebuilding of the walls. the Temple and therefore Nehemiah is saying to the people ‘Put the case, Nehemiah had them and every church has them as well. God first.’ The language used of their refusal speaks of their pride as being the reason for not getting involved. Some people always think some We then read of the men of Jericho – now they had to travel some tasks are beneath them – even the disciples would not wash each distance to come and rebuild a section of the wall. They could have other’s feet and then were embarrassed when Christ did what they stayed away and said this has nothing to do with us. A little later would not. on the residents of other cities are mentioned also: Tekoa, Gibeon, Mizpah, Zanoah, Beth Hakkerem, Beth Zur, and Keilah. Chapter 4 – one day a Quaker was out ploughing his field with a very stubborn mule. He turned to the mule and said – you know I Then we read of Guild Members – these were skilled craftsmen, am a Quaker and therefore I cannot curse you. You know I cannot again they could have said that the construction industry was not beat you. What you don’t know is that I can sell you to my their field and that their delicate hands might be damaged. But, neighbour who is not a Quaker and he will whip the living daylights again we read of them taking their fair share of the rebuilding work. out of you. We all have faced situations in which we feel like that City officials come next. The rulers and officials worked alongside Quaker. We are aware of ways we cannot or should not respond to the citizens of Jerusalem. opposition. What we want is a permissible way to whip it. Nehemiah now has to deal with opposition to the rebuilding of the Women – were not expected to do construction work, but in verse walls. 12 we read that some of them did. Success breeds Opposition – chapter 4. We have heard the first Bachelors, Temple Servants, City Guards and Merchants are all rumblings of this opposition in chapter 2. It now comes more to mentioned as having joined the work parties to rebuild the walls the fore. Once again we meet Sanballat, Tobiah, we hear of the and hang the gates on Jerusalem. Chapter 3 is a remarkable insight Arabs and a fourth group the men of Ashdod. into the task and how quickly the people were organised and mobilised to the task of rebuilding. When Sanballat hears about the work going ahead, with some success, he becomes angry and greatly incensed. He would have However, there were some men who refused to help – the nobles paid no attention if Nehemiah had been failing but he wasn’t – the of Tekoa – we read of them in verse 5. One pastor said of these evidence was starting to rise before their very eyes. Look at verse 6 men ‘There are always a few turkeys in the bunch.’ That is always of chapter 4. We read that they had rebuilt the walls to half their original height and the reason was because the people had put What are those feeble Jews doing? – that is exactly the point the their whole heart into the task. There was no half‐hearted effort Jews were feeble. Jerusalem was in ruins and most of their leaders here. All put their heart and soul into the task and it was were in exile as slaves in Babylon. They were feeble and they knew succeeding. Sanballat and Tobiah attack because they are jealous it. of this success and because it is not their agenda. It goes against Will they restore their wall? Indeed! It had been built by people their plans and finally because they have been excluded from it. more numerous and militarily stronger than they were at this time. Friends, the same three reasons often arise in our lives – we How could they ever hope to move, no mind reassemble those encounter opposition because people are jealous of our success, large stones? because it is not their agenda and because they have been excluded. The Christian church encounters the same. Will they offer sacrifice? You can look at this in two ways. Will they complete the task and be able to offer sacrifices of thanks that the Opposition came against Nehemiah and the people rebuilding the walls have been restored. Or, it could be a derogatory comment walls. Look at how the opposition begins – ridicule. The text is along the lines of “Are they going to pray the walls up?” quite vivid at this point, showing how Sanballat got Tobiah, his Sometimes that is how people speak to us as Christians. I often find associates and the army of Samaria together and made fun of the there are leaders in society who think because you are a Christian Jews. pastor you are naive, or not wise about things of this world and Verse 2 – What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it they dismiss you by asking you to pray for something. Very foolish themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will people! The taunt of Sanballat at this point was a taunt about the they revive the stone out the heaps of rubbish and burned ones at faith of the Jews, which was not that strong anyway. that? Will they finish that in a day? In other words have they realised Tobiah joins him in verse 3 – “Yes, what they are building, if a fox how large a task this is? Do they realise what they have taken on? goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” Again it is an effective taunt because the Jews knew exactly what they had taken on board and the magnitude of the rebuilding work. Ridicule is easy. Ridicule is demoralising and it is often effective. It is effective because it feeds on the fears and insecurities of those Can you bring those stones back to life from that heap of rubble – being attacked. Let us look at each of the taunts: burned as they are? This was no exaggeration. The gates had been burned and we have read already how the rubble meant that going to do. The result – verse 6 – they rebuilt the walls with all Nehemiah could only walk on some parts because there was no their heart. passage for even a donkey to get through. Again the taunt is that The remainder of our reading this morning tells us that Sanballat this task is beyond you. and Tobiah did not give up with ridicule. They plotted to conduct a Then Tobiah’s taunt is very dismissive of them – he ridicules the guerrilla warfare against Nehemiah and those rebuilding the walls – walls that they have built. They are so feeble they will crumble verses 8‐9. When you realise that Sanballat (Samaria) was to the when the first little piece of pressure comes upon them. The north, Ammon (tobiah) to the east, the Arabs to the south and the weight of one fox would be enough. Interestingly archaeologists people of Ashdod (Philistia) were to the west you see that the tell us that there was some bite to this taunt as these walls were people of Jerusalem were surrounded. Attack could come from any not as sturdy as the original walls. side at any time. There would be no all out attack, no military campaign because that would have constituted treason and The question is how would Nehemiah respond to this opposition? rebellion as Artaxerxes had given Nehemiah written permission to First, he did not retaliate. That is often our initial instinct. I mean rebuild the walls. Instead they plotted guerrilla tactics to play on Nehemiah could have taunted Sanballat about being a governor of the fear of the people and to make them cease working – verse 12. a second rate city under Artaxerxes. He could have taunted Tobiah about coming from a hot desert area where no one wanted to live. He did neither of these. He prayed. He lifted his voice in prayer to Nehemiah in response turned Jerusalem into an armed camp. In Almighty God and look at what he prayed –verse 4‐5. He admits verses 13 and 15 he stopped work, armed the people (v13) and that he has been hurt (despised) by the taunts and he petitions God arranged the people in family groups at the most exposed places to turn their insults etc back on their own heads. Nehemiah does along the wall (v13). Dividing them into families corresponded with not tell us the result of this prayer, but it did assuage his anger the traditional way of fighting for Israel but Nehemiah also knew because the rebuilding of the walls was God’s will and plan, not that they would defend their kith and kin before anyone else in Nehemiah’s. Thirdly, Nehemiah went on with the work of Jerusalem. The result is that when the enemies heard of their rebuilding the walls. Such opposition was not allowed to distract preparations the pressure lessened and Nehemiah restarted the him, to take away his focus or his energy. Rebuilding the walls of rebuilding work, but he did not let down his guard. He set men to Jerusalem was why he was there and rebuilding the walls he was work and others to guarding the workers. He also increased the hours of working on the walls to finish the task quicker. Most Remember opposition to Christianity will come – because of important throughout this time he reminded the people that it was jealousy, because of pride, because people perceive your following God who was in control – verse 14. Christ is a threat to them, to their way of life, to their beliefs. It quite literally is not their agenda and they will oppose you. Why do

you think we encounter so much opposition to Christianity from Application – there are many important lessons for us all to learn politicians, from public bodies and from the law of this land – from these two chapters in Nehemiah. because the ways of God, the will of God and the word of God is not on their agenda? So they oppose it. If we are to build the kingdom of God here in Holy Trinity then we all need to join in the work – not just a few. We all should work Finally, when you have a task to do for God – break it down into with a fully committed heart to winning people for Christ and manageable tasks, commit it to God in prayer and then put your seeing them grow to maturity in faith. whole heart into it. Be encouraged from these two chapters. Chapter 3 has a list of people no one would have ever heard of but Opposition will come and it will be painful when they ridicule us for for Nehemiah recording their name for rebuilding the walls of serving Christ and seeking to put His kingdom first in our lives, in Jerusalem. the life of our family and in the life of our community. The story is told that when St Paul’s in London was being built, Some of you here this morning have endured those taunts, those some of the city fathers were having a tour of the project. They words of derision about you following Christ. Some of you have asked one man what he was doing. He answered that he was laying heard the remarks about how you will never keep following Christ – bricks. They asked another man the same question. He answered because people want to remind you of how far you to go to be ‘I am helping Sir Christopher Wren build St Pauls.’ Remember who Christlike. How ruined the walls of your life really are. People will is with you in this work of rebuilding your life, the life of this church taunt you with derisory remarks about being ‘good living’ and point and the kingdom of God. out how frail and feeble your faith really is. The temptation is to lash out with our tongues and to bite back. Follow the example to Amen Nehemiah and turn to God in prayer, then go right back to the task of following Jesus.