Nehemiah 4 – Do you expect trouble when doing God’s work?

Summary: A verse by verse examination of what the Bible teaches about planning. Studying through Nehemiah this message focuses on Nehemiah 4, opposition to the work of the Lord.

Bible References:

Nehemiah 4:1-23 ( KJV ) ¹But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.  ²And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?  ³Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.  ⁴Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:  ⁵And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.  ⁶So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. ⁷But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,  ⁸And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.  ⁹Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.  ¹⁰And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.  ¹¹And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.  ¹²And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.  ¹³Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.  ¹⁴And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.  ¹⁵And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. ¹⁶And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.  ¹⁷They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.  ¹⁸For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.  ¹⁹And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.  ²⁰In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.  ²¹So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.  ²²Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.  ²³So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.

Nehemiah 2:9-10 ( KJV ) ⁹Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.  ¹⁰When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

Genesis 12:1-3 ( KJV ) ¹Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:  ²And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  ³And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

1 Peter 5:6-9 ( KJV ) ⁶Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  ⁷Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. ⁸Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  ⁹Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.