GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

Now it was time to commence with the actual repairs to the wall.  Why was there such an emphasis on rebuilding the walls?  Walls in ancient times were extremely important.  These walls were huge.  They were large enough for a chariot to travel along the top.  They kept the inhabitants of the city safe inside, and protected the city from their enemies.  If the wall was broken, there was room for an enemy to gain access without anyone knowing.  It is important that the entrances and exits to the city were secure.  In Jerusalem, there were many gates to the city.  They were opened during the day, but closed and guarded closely at night.  Since the wall was down, it didn’t matter if the gates were working because there was no security.

Read Nehemiah 3

Name the gates listed in Nehemiah 3.

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The gates were actually listed in order, they worked on them in a counter-clockwise fashion. The gates were significant because they were the entrance and exits to the city.  Buying and selling occurred at the gates.  Socializing was done at the gates.  The council met there, and the law was read there.  It was a major part of life in Jerusalem.  The gates had to be repaired just as much as the wall did.

Chapter 3 is very specific about the outlines each group of people that were responsible for each of the sections and gates of the wall.

Why do you think it was so important that these people were recorded and what work they did on the gate?

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Some of the verses list individual names, some list locations and groups of people.  Nehemiah was very wise in assigning areas of the wall according to association and location.  People were working with their neighbors, so they already had relationships with these people.  When they were organized by people group, they had a lot in common with special expertise to apply to the building.  When people have ownership in their part of the wall, they will rebuild it carefully.  Some of the homes were built with the wall as a part of the external structure of their own home.  You would want it to be done right if it was a part of your own house!

The Jewish people were very big on records (look at Numbers) it was important for them to track the ancestry because lineage was proof of their Jewish ancestry.

Often the devastation in our lives is so overwhelming that we could not possibly rebuild every area simultaneously.  So it is necessary to break the work into pieces.  If you have been abused as a child the sections of your wall may be unforgiveness, bitterness, relationships with people, trust and view of God, etc.  It would be unwise to try to work on those all at once.  You may want to start with unforgiveness as many of the other repairs also hinge on this one section of your wall.  Many times in serious situations such as abuse, bringing a team in to work on your repairs will help.  Friends you trust, a church or small group that can help you, a counselor or trusted advisor can help.

Personal question:  What are some of the portions of your wall that might need to be broken into pieces?  Do you know what those pieces are?

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It is very hard work to rebuild walls and clear rubble, but it is so rewarding.  The good thing is that it is also very tangible, you begin to see results almost immediately.  And so will those around you.

Read Nehemiah 4:1-3

When others start to see the change in you, they may not like it.  Any opposition they have given you before will increase.  As you step up your game so will they.  Be encouraged, it means you are changing and God is doing a great work in you.

Since the accusations and mocking has intensified against the rebuilding of the wall,  Nehemiah’s prayer also intensifies.

⁴ Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. ⁵ Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of ^[a] the builders.

This was a pretty bold prayer!  When the enemy is coming at us we must not be halfway in our defense.  Sometimes we have to go on the offensive in prayer.  Notice he did not personally attack the opposition, he took it to the Lord and then addressed the words that the enemy spoke.  He was in essence praying that the Lord would reverse the curse that was spoken over them.  He appeals to God as each insult made was not only an insult to the Israelites but God as well.  Remember that when we are children of the Most High God we can be assured he will handle our accusers.  Things done to offend us offend Him!  But notice what happens after the prayer.  Nehemiah once again takes action :

⁶ So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

They did not quit in the face of opposition, Child of God do not give up!  And be ready for more opposition.

⁷ But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. ⁸ They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. ⁹ But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Again the anger is intensifying.  Now they were going to plot a physical attack against Jerusalem.  Results bother the enemy.

Verse 9 says they prayed to God and posted a guard day and night to meet the threat!  Don’t miss this.  You must guard your heart and mind against the escalation of attacks.  You cannot stand unprepared or let them run all over you.  Do something.  Guard yourself.  Do not put yourself in positions that you are unable to defend!  You must know yourself and know what you can handle.  But you also must be on the lookout for the enemy or you will be caught unaware.

Also note that they had filled the gaps in the wall.  They were leaving no provision for weakness in the wall.  It would do little good to repair the wall and build it up if there were gaps in the foundation or holes that could be compromised.  They had to be assured that the gaps were filled.  Once you are rebuilding your walls you must take inventory during the process for any gaps that may be left for the enemy to get a foot hold.  We are to leave no provision for the flesh, those gaps must be filled by the Lord.  More on gaps in chapter 6.

So what happens when the mind games of the opposition start to work?

¹⁰ Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

You get worn out…the work is overwhelming

¹¹ Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

You start to become afraid of the what ifs…

¹² Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

The people who used to support you are not there for you like they used to be…

Can you think of a time when this was true in your own life?

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Did you keep on working, or did it stop you?

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Read Nehemiah 4:13-15

It will happen, there will be moments of doubt, fear and loneliness, even when you do everything right and your making great progress and you see results.  Bam!  Then what?  You change your positioning.  You reevaluate where you are located.  You step up the Bible study, you station yourself where you can have the most impact on you and the wall.  You ignore the opposition.  You surround yourself with people that will lift you up.  This is NOT a time to isolate yourself.   Re-prioritize, re-focus and re-establish what you are doing and why you are doing it.  Remember what the Lord has done!

According to Verse 15, what was the reaction of the enemies?  The workers?

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¹⁶ From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah ¹⁷ who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, ¹⁸ and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

Nehemiah understood that he had a plan, but the plan was subject to change.  In the beginning, weapons were not necessary, but now they were.  There comes a point in our rebuilding, where we have to keep doing the work, but with our eyes outward, and our weapons ready.  Building was NOT a passive activity.  They had to be ready to fight.

At this point in your survey of the devastation, do you feel as though you are ready to fight?  Why or why not?

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¹⁹ Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. ²⁰ Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

The Battle is the Lords!

²¹ So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. ²² At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.” ²³ Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water

Every man and his helper…you should have a helper.  Someone you can trust to walk with you, to keep you accountable and focused, to protect you.  Someone who is ready to stand with you.

Who do you have that you can trust to be your “helper”?

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What is the significance of verse 23?

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I trust that as chapter 4 closes, you are encouraged and ready to continue the work.  Remember to be ready and guard your section of the wall.