One of the most powerful senses available to us is our
hearing. Hearing can warn us of danger even before we see it approaching, tell
us what is going on in another room ,and allows humans the ability to speak
through the miracle of spoken language. Hearing is what allows a new mother to
stay alert at night as she listens for the cries of an infant baby. Hearing is
what lets my daughter know that someone is entering our home through the side
door around the corner even when she cannot see them. What we hear can
encourage us, warn us, scare us, bring us joy, and cause us pain. Perhaps this
is why the Bible is so concerned about what we hear.
Matthew
11:15-“He who has an ear let him hear.”
James 1:19-“Know
this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak and
slow to anger.”
Proverbs
2:2-“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in
the future.”
John 8:47-“Whoever
is of God hears the words of God…”
Though these verses are heard when read, in the spirit of
our God-given ability to hear, I invite each of us to hear Nehemiah 4:1-6 in a
totally different way—by actually imagining the sounds that were created when
was going on in the action actually took place. Though what will be heard would
have caused concern among those who originally experienced this episode,
inevitably, the sounds that resonate from this passage will teach us how to
respond appropriately to discouragement. Ready to listen carefully?
a) Trash Talk-4:1-3
In Nehemiah chapter 3, a compendium of all of the
subcontractors is given that details exactly who did what as the wall was being
rebuilt. This long list serves several purposes. First, its level of detail
reminds the reader that these were real people who collectively were capable of
accomplishing a huge project. Second, the list reveals that a great deal of
preparation and organization went into this project. Obviously, Nehemiah proves
himself to be a gifted leader and manager/superintendent over the project that
God has given him. In fact, chapter 3 might give the impression that once
Nehemiah had carefully assigned everyone to a particular section of the wall,
from that time on everything progressed smoothly…Not so!
It doesn’t take long for the busy-body up-to-no-good
home-owners association of rural Persia to begin voicing their objection to the
new construction project going on in their neighborhood. Nehemiah recalls,
“…when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and
very angry and mocked the Jews” (4:1). Let the trash-talking begin! First,
Sanballat, (“sin gives life”) spouts off an angry deluge of mockery in the Jews
direction.
“He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy
men of Samaria and said, ‘What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they finish in
a day? Can they revive the stone from the dusty rubble even the burned one?’”
(4:2). Surrounded by the other elitists in the area, Sandballat first questions
what the Jews are setting out to do, “what are these feeble Jews doing?”
suggesting that this oppressed group is incapable of nearly anything. Having
watched the inactivity of the Jewish people up to this point and having seen
the wall that continued to lay in ruin, Sanballat questions whether or not restoration
is possible for those in Jerusalem. This sentiment is made even more acute when
Sanballat continues and says, “Are they going to restore it for themselves?” Next,
Sanballat questions whether or not the Jews will ever be able to finish and in
response offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, “Can they offer sacrifices?” After
wondering whether the Jews will ever finish, he mocks their intelligence
saying, “Can they finish in a day?” (i.e. do you even know how long a project
like this takes to complete?). Finally, Sanballat questions their methods, “Can
they revive the stone from the dusty rubble, even the burned ones?” (i.e. “Are
they really going to use that to make a wall?”).
Ultimately, this is not the most encouraging thing to hear
when you are hard at work on an endeavor that is really too big for you to
accomplish as it is. However, this is just one voice. One voice is easy to
ignore. But what happens when others join in?
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, ‘Even what
they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall
down!’…” (4:3). One of the other card-carrying members of the board of the
home-owners association, Tobiah, joins in the wretched refrain by building on
what Sanballat already said and suggests that even if a wall was built, it
would be so weak that a solitary fox’s delicate trot would collapse it
entirely.
One thing is for sure, both Tobiah and Sanballat knew how to
talk trash! These behaved similar to the bullies from the schoolyard who were
quick with a quip about someone’s mother or how badly their dad could beat up
your dad. Although children are taught to ignore bullies like this, even on the
school yard, it is near impossible to drown out their voices and not be razed
by a comment here or there. This is especially true when people degrade the
work that you are passionate about later in life. Imagine, your people has
finally been galvanized into action after years of laziness and things are
actually taking shape in a positive direction. The wall that laid desolate is
finally being mended and with every brick laid you get more and more excited.
Now imagine that off in the distance, you hear the insults of those who wish to
do you harm. In many ways, this project would be like rebuilding a wall while
that same wall was under siege (only in this case, the arrows and rocks are the
words that we are taught are supposed to never hurt).
How would Nehemiah, the leader who had roped all of this
together, respond to this onslaught of negativity that pervaded the
construction zone? Passionate prayer.
b) Passionate
Prayer-4:4-5
Passionate prayer is the second thing we hear in the
construction zone. As Nehemiah begins his petition, he provides an honest
assessment of how the people feel, “Hear, O our God, how we are despised!...”
(4:4a). As the construction is taking place and the negativity continues to
build, Nehemiah does not pretend his people are stronger than they are—nor does
he act as though the situation is not all that bad. He honestly assesses the
situation and tells God how he feels. At this point, he and his people feel
despised. Not one of their neighbors wants them to succeed. Everyone is out to
discourage the much-needed work.
After coming clean about how his people feel and calling
upon the one true God, Nehemiah asks that his enemies would get what is coming
to them, “Return their reproach on their heads and given them up for plunder in
a land of captivity. Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be
blotted out before You…” (4:4b-5a). This is one glowing example of an Old
Testament imprecatory prayer in which a child of God calls out for the
condemnation of his enemy. In this case, Nehemiah prays that Sanballat and his
cohorts would be taken captive and that they would be judged for their sins.
First, Nehemiah asks that his enemies experience what the Jews had just
experienced, captivity. Perhaps, Nehemiah wants to see how his enemies would
handle 150 years of exile and how well they would fair when allowed back into their
homeland. Second, Nehemiah wants his enemies to feel the full weight of their
sin and its consequences. This takes trash-talking to a whole other level!
But why was Nehemiah so upset? Why was his prayer so
passionate? Because as verse 5 reveals, “they have demoralized the builders”
(4:5b). The problem they are facing is a real problem—the workers are becoming
discouraged in the work that God had called upon them to accomplish. Ultimately,
Nehemiah’s prayer, although harsh, is appropriate for several reasons. First,
in their opposition to the Jews, Sanballat and the others were actually
opposing the work of God. Though it might have seemed like a dispute over a new
fence, the issue is far greater. God was about restoring the nation that would
bring about His Son who would come to bring salvation. Second, God has already
pronounced judgment on Israel’s enemies. Therefore, Nehemiah was praying according
to God’s will. Those who oppose God (as Sanballat and the others were
ultimately doing) will be judged according to their sin. Third, Nehemiah was
praying that God would make good on a promise He gave to Abraham concerning
those who curse His people (Gen. 12:3-“I will bless those who bless you and
curse those who curse you”). And fourth, vengeance belonged to God, not to
Nehemiah. Therefore, it is appropriate to bring this kind of request to the
Lord and not try and take care of things himself.
Prayer trumps the opposition Nehemiah and his construction
crew face. Nehemiah’s invocation drowns out the voices of negativity and
despair being hurled in his direction. Once God is placed center stage again,
having temporarily been upstaged by the nay-sayers, a proper focus is gained
and a new sound could be heard.
Busy Builders-4:6
The third and final noise heard on the construction site
that day was the glorious sound of busy builders pressing on in spite of the
opposition, “so we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to
half its height…” (4:6a). As in all his efforts recorded for us, Nehemiah
blends divine perspective with the human and joins prayer to action. Though it
is always appropriate to wait on the Lord, Nehemiah waits only so long as to
finish praying before he continues the work that he knows God has called him to
do. Once he committed the problem to the Lord, he trusted God to help the Jews
achieve this mammoth task and while praying and trusting, they rebuilt the wall
to half its height.
Why were they so successful in the face of so great an
opposition? God had called a leader to fulfill a unique mission and a Nehemiah
had pursued the Lord’s blessing and protection through prayer. However, a third
element was involved, “the people had a mind to work” (4:6). Notice what kind
of a mind the people did not have: a mind of laziness, a mind of apathy, a mind
of entitlement, a mind of inactivity, a mind that says, “someone else will take
care of that” or “that is not my job.” These people had mind to work and work
they did! In about 4 weeks, the entire perimeter was restored to half its
height! Amazing things happen when the people of God have a mind to work.
So What?
These three sounds have taught us several important lessons—first:
trash-talk is a reality. For Nehemiah and his crew, trash talk came in the form
of mockery. For us, trash talk may come in a variety of ways: discouragement,
lies, personal attacks, emotional/verbal abuse, etc. I immediately think about
the scene in American Sniper when the drill sergeants are training new seal
recruits. As the training takes place, the sergeants are doing everything they
can to distract and demoralize the men in an effort to test their resolve. The weak
who cannot handle the barrage of petty insults and scare tactics are allowed at
any time to surrender by ringing a bell. Its ring lets everyone know they have
surrendered and can no longer press on. Similarly, God allows discouragements
in Nehemiah’s situation and in our lives in an effort to test our resolve to
complete our mission. If not dealt with properly, the barrage of discouragement
will have us looking for the surrender bell so that we can quit whatever God
has called upon us to do. However, we have another option. Passionate prayer is
capable of drowning out the cacophonous medley of discouragement. Prayers
offered to the Lord that center on the continuation of His will are as
noise-cancelling headphones that silence skeptics and fill us with encouragement.
When passionate prayer is applied, actions inevitably follow that allow us to
move on with the mission at hand. What is our mission? To know Christ, grow in
Christ, and to show Christ to this neighborhood and to the world. Sure the
skeptics are there and we will always face discouragement as we seek to fulfill
this individually and corporately. Therefore, let them hear us pray and busily
build the kingdom of God with His help! Our father can beat up their father!
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