Nehemiah 4
Dear RTB’ers,
Just like the opposition that we saw from Judah’s neighbors in Ezra 4-6 around 536 BC, now some ninety years later a new set of enemies tries to stop the work on Jerusalem’s walls. How is it that opposition arises against the people of the God of Israel? How is it that we see such opposition to the Church today, both worldwide and in our own country? Why is that…??
So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. (v. 6) If there is any summary statement for the book of Nehemiah, this may be it. No doubt, Nehemiah offered leadership and encouragement; no doubt God was at work in the hearts of His people. But in the end it’s the people themselves who do the work.
I’ve seen the same thing in our own congregation. Go back to our Annual Meeting Report and look at the work that gets done in our church. Look at the number of teams, the names of the leaders; read each report. Look at Avanza, now more than ten years old, the number of kids that have been helped during that time period – kids from those first years now in college! Yes, we have had good leadership; yes, the Lord has certainly blessed our efforts; but with all that, the people had a mind to work. Thank you, Lord!
Blessings.
See also: September 20 / Nehemiah 1-4 (again).
Why opposition? Consider: