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Responding to Opposition Nehemiah 3-4 Introduction O As Mentioned

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Responding to Opposition Nehemiah 3-4 Introduction O As Mentioned 1 Responding to Opposition Nehemiah 3-4 Introduction o As mentioned briefly in our introduction to the book, the theme of ‘building’ is relevant for us as believers today—namely, in that the NT describes believers living between the comings of Christ as engaged in a temple-building (and kingdom-building) work o As we will see in our text for this lesson, Nehemiah and the people of God faced very real opposition to their work of rebuilding Jerusalem from the rubble and ashes of the Babylonian exile o We too face opposition, in various forms, to our ‘building’ work today o Of the many things mentioned in chapters 3-4, I want us to focus on two questions: o How did Nehemiah and the people respond to opposition? o What can we learn from their response, as we face opposition as believers today? Responding to Opposition 1. Rebuilding the Wall (3:1-32) a. When we come to chapters like this in the Bible, we often think, why is this in here? Isn’t there more exciting stuff to include and pay attention to? (and so, we tend to skip over such passages)—so, how can we answer this kind of question? 2 b. In many ways, chapter three unfolds what we read at the end of chapter two, when Nehemiah responded to initial opposition: i. ESV Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" 20 Then I replied to them, "The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim1 in Jerusalem." (cf. v.18; 1:8-9) ii. In chapter three, we see ‘his servants arising and building’ (i.e. it is proof of Nehemiah’s words in the face of opposition) c. Other important aspects to the itemized building list in chapters three:1 i. Note—the description generally follows a counter- clockwise survey around the walls of the city ii. All different types of people (having various vocations and skills) are working together in unity (Note—41 separate groups mentioned) 1. For example, the priests (not normally engaged in this type of work) were involved, as well as officials, merchants, women, whole families, perfumers, etc. 2. Note—one exception is the ‘nobles from Tekoa’ (v.5, 27), who are portrayed negatively: ESV 1 Cf. Thomas, Nehemiah, 237-247. 3 a. Nehemiah 3:5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.1 (Note—it is possible, considering the location of Tekoa [southeast of Bethlehem], that Geshem may have had an influence on them)2 b. Application—are we willing to ‘stoop’ to labor for the Lord? (Note—again, perspective is important for rightly making sense of things—according to Scripture, there is nothing negative about ‘stooping’ for the Lord; in fact, laboring for the Lord is always ‘gain’ for the believer—never in vain [1 Cor 15:58]) c. Think of Christ’s example—came to serve and suffer for our sakes (though He was the very Son of God!)— ESV 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 3. Not surprisingly, the NT describes the functioning of the Church as expressing unity in diversity: a. Ephesians 4:11-13—God gives a variety of gifts to His Church for the work of ministry, to build it up in unity and maturity i. Application: ‘every member ministry’ (SAPC) ii. Note—even those gifted for more prominent teaching roles are said to 2 Thomas, Nehemiah, 241. 4 equip the saints for the work of ministry (i.e. not just the clergy!) iii. Illustration—Boice: many churches resemble a football game played in a large stadium—"there are eighty- thousand spectators in the stands who badly need some exercise, and there are twenty-two men on the field who badly need a rest”3 b. Also, relevant to the context of Nehemiah, consider the following exhortation to the church at Philippi—ESV Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be worthy1 of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. 2. Opposition to the Work (4:1-23) a. Taunt of the enemy (v.1-3) i. ESV Nehemiah 4:1 1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves?1 Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Yes, what they are building - if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!" 3 Boice, Nehemiah, 68. 5 ii. God’s people faced psychological intimidation—they were ridiculed as weak and their work as laughable; they were mocked iii. How does the world engage in psychological intimidation with us today? (e.g., media, news, entertainment, institutionalized persecution, etc.)— intimidated to give up b. Nehemiah’s response (v.4-6; cf. 2:19-20) i. ESV Nehemiah 4:4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders. ii. Nehemiah prays—versus how we often respond (in anger, frustration, victim mentality, conspiracy theory, thinking it’s merely a political war, etc.) iii. Making sense of his imprecatory prayer (calling for judgment / covenant curses upon enemies) 1. Not taking personal vengeance into his own hands—calling upon God for justice 2. Not because the Jews were insulted, but because God’s work was ridiculed (His glory in view)4 3. According to God’s word and covenant promises 4 Fensham, Nehemiah, 182. 6 a. Gen 12:3—God’s promise to bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you b. ESV Psalm 7:14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. 15 He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. 16 His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. c. Cf. Ps 139:21-22; Rev 6:10; etc. 4. “If we have problems with the idea of God’s taking vengeance on His enemies, we have adopted a view of God that the Bible knows nothing about.”5 5. It is biblical to pray that our enemies be converted and to pray that their attempts to oppose God and His church be thwarted, and for God to execute justice c. Plotting of the enemy (v.7-8) i. The opposition is ramped up, not only in number (Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites), but also in intensity—not merely verbal abuse, but physical threat ii. They physically have Jerusalem surrounded (according to the geographic areas represented by their opponents)6 iii. Things are getting ‘real’ now…what will they do? 5 Thomas, Nehemiah, 253. 6 Fensham, Nehemiah, 184. 7 d. Nehemiah’s response (v.9) i. He prayed and took action (set a guard) ii. Note—it is hard not to be reminded of that great prayer of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 1. Read that chapter—about his prayer and response to a situation not unlike Nehemiah’s—being surround by the enemy 2. Prayer is never a naïve response, but always necessary iii. Though beyond the scope of this lesson, here we have an example of sovereignty and responsibility 1. Nehemiah looked to the Lord to sovereignly act in response to his prayer and he took action that assumed God would act—i.e. his prayer did not take away from action, nor did his action take away from his prayer 2. “Whereas we think our real work is our activity to which prayer is [a tack-on], our praying is our real work, and our activity is an index of how we have done it”7 (i.e. prayer and action are connected and involved in one another) 3. ESV Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 7 William Temple as quoted in Packer, Passion for Faithfulness, 79.
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