Guarding the wall

Nehemiah 4:1-3 NKJV — But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish–stones that are burned?”
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”

Once the work began, not an easy task as the workers were just ordinary people, opposition sprung up.

First, the enemy was angry and mocking quickly followed.

Nehemiah’s response is prayer:

Nehemiah 4:4 NKJV — Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity!Nehemiah 4:5 NKJV — Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.”

Nehemiah didn’t get sidetracked, the work didn’t stop.

Nehemiah 4:6 NKJV — So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

The people were not put off and God blessed their diligence, the wall began to be repaired and the gaps to close.

Their enemies were stubborn too.

Nehemiah 4:7 NKJV — Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry,
Nehemiah 4:8 NKJV — and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.

Again, Nehemiah trusts in the Lord.

He also sets up guards.

Nehemiah 4:9 NKJV — Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

The contention continues throughout the repair and rebuilding of the wall.

The enemy tries threats, lies, slander, but nothing hinders Nehemiah’s task.

But it wasn’t easy.

Nehemiah 4:16 NKJV — So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah.Nehemiah 4:17 NKJV — Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.

They had to be diligent in their work and on guard at all times.

Nehemiah 4:23 NKJV — So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.

Thankfully, this was only a season, once the wall, their defense, was restored completely they were not in the same danger as when the wall was yet finished.

However, one of the first things Nehemiah did after the wall was finished was to appoint guards and leaders.

Nehemiah 7:1 NKJV — Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,
Nehemiah 7:2 NKJV — that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.

The application is simple, we need to guard our wall.

Our spiritual wall should be our time of intercession for ourselves and others.

We need to realize we will be building something the enemy doesn’t want.

When we hedge ourselves,our families, and our church in prayer we are building a spiritual wall.

We should expect to come under attack.

The enemy will throw doubt: “Does God really hear?”

He will lie: “Did God say…?”

There will be distractions, interruptions, and trials, but we must not allow ourselves to be removed from praying for ourselves and others.

Daily intercession in prayer, built with God’s Word, upon the foundation of Christ Jesus, is a must for followers of Christ.

For even when regular intercession is a habit and the spiritual “wall” is built, we should be on our guard.

The enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy.

But God gives us life and it’s abundance is unfathomable, because His gift of life is eternal!

Our time here is limited, let us live wisely and redeem the time.

Colossians 4:5-6 NKJV — Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your Word. Thank You for Your truth and wisdom. Thank You for freely giving these things to us. Lord, please help us to understand the importance of prayer and the value of humbling bring our requests before You. Lord Jesus,help us to pray with understanding, not asking according to our will or our ideas, but truly seeking Your face and praying Your Word for in it is life. Lord, please help us not to be sidetracked by the snares of the enemy. Please keep us from living shortsightedly. Lord, You alone know every detail of each one’s life. Please help us to join together in prayer and stand for those who are helpless, needy, wayward, and lost. Lord, please soften hearts, open eyes, unstop ears, that they might turn and be healed. Thank You. Amen.

Wall inspection

It doesn’t take long for physical things to begin to wear down if they are not properly maintained.

It’s an even faster decline if it’s purposefully attacked and broken down.

The book of Nehemiah chronicles the enormous task of bringing order to a broken and defenseless city.

Jerusalem had been laid waste.

Which God allowed due to the stubborn refusal of the people.

(The book of Jeremiah is one of the places which tells this heartbreaking story.)

The Lord sent many prophets to warn them, many chances to turn to Him and serve Him only.

But they had refused and chosen judgement and thus their city was left broken.

The wall, which was the best defensive protection, lay in ruins.

The people had returned to the land from captivity to rebuild the temple.

Ezra 1:1-2NKJV — Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.

They encountered a great deal of opposition to this, but they did eventually get it done.

Yet, many years later the wall was still broken and the gates were unusable.

Nehemiah 1:2-3 NKJV — that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

God sent Nehemiah to rebuild the wall.

Nehemiah 2:17 NKJV — Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.”

It was a difficult task.

The odds were completely against them and their enemies threatened them continually.

Nehemiah 4:16 NKJV — So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah.

Yet, God was with them and the task was completed.

Nehemiah 7:1 NKJV — Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,

Once the walls were rebuilt Nehemiah set up honorable people to organize and coordinate the city and to maintain it.

Nehemiah 7:2 NKJV — that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.

After all this, the Word of God was brought out and the people were instructed.

Nehemiah 8:1-2 NKJV — Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.

The book goes on to chronicle how Nehemiah deals with sin amongst the people, especially the leaders.

There are numerous applications for the follower of Christ within this book.

The book of Nehemiah starts with the knowledge of the condition of the wall.

It was broken down and the gates were burned.

What is the status of our wall?

Not a physical structure, but a spiritual one.

Job shows us what a spiritual wall looks like.

Job 1:5 NKJV — So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Job prayed and offered sacrifices for his children, incase one of them had sinned.

He did it often, it was a habit.

Job’s spiritual wall was an outgrowth of his personal walk with the Lord.

Job 1:1 NKJV — There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.

Job understood the importance of covering his family in prayer.

The enemy also understood the spiritual wall God had placed around Job.

Job 1:9-10 NKJV — So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”

One might argue that Job’s spiritual wall wasn’t good enough when his life turns upsidedown due to the enemy being allowed to touch his wealth, his family, and his health.

But these things do not occur because Job sinned.

They are a test of Job’s character.

The end of the book of Job reveals the difference, God restores everything more than before and Job’s integrity remains intact.

Spiritual protection doesn’t mean everything will always be “good”.

It means we are secure in knowing everything is in God, not a consequence of sin.

For sin harms us and our families, which is why God teaches us so much about it and warns us to avoid it.

Through Jesus Christ we have the opportunity to live free from sin and upright before God.

We also have a responsibility to build boundaries and fortify ourselves and our families against evil.

We too can maintain our spiritual wall through prayer and living upright before the Lord.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Lord, thank You for Nehemiah and Job and the lessons we can glean from their lives. Lord, please continue to teach me how to maintain a spiritual wall. Lord, I do not want to be defenseless against sin or the enemy because I have neglected my walk with You in any place. Lord, please show me my weaknesses that I might confess them and turn to You. Lord, my family is Yours and I trust You with them. Please help me to pray fervently for them with wisdom. Lord, please grant me discernment as I stand in prayer for each one. Lord, thank You for Your Word, Your love, Your truth. It is such a joy to put my trust in You! Amen.