Progress in Spite of Opposition - The Hope of Nehemiah - Episode #168

Hello there, welcome to this episode of the podcast, I’m your host Jan L. Burt, and I am tremendously thankful you’re listening. In this episode, we’ll be looking at the book of Nehemiah, which holds so much hope, in the midst of genuine opposition, and the wonderful truth that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Let’s jump into this chapter.

God's Best for My Life Devotional

You’re listening to The Burt (Not Ernie) Show, part of the Spark Network, found on the Edifi app. Today’s show is sponsored by the devotional God’s Best For My Life, by Lloyd John Ogilvie, available via Moody Church Media. The link to purchase your copy is in the show notes, and if you need a new devotional for the upcoming new year, or maybe a Christmas gift, this devotional is worth reading. It is powerful in that it is life-changing and based solidly on the Bible. It’s on my list to give this year, because it’s a game changer. This is episode number 168.

Nehemiah chapter 4, verses 1 through 3 and today I’m reading from the CSB, from my Spurgeon study Bible. 

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious. He mocked the Jews before his colleagues and the powerful men of Samaria, and said, “What are these pathetic Jews doing? Can they restore it by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they ever finish it? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?” Then Tobia the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “Indeed, even if a fox climbed up what they are building, he would break down their stone wall.”

 

The header for this chapter is titled, Progress In Spite Of Opposition.

Anybody feel like they are up against some opposition? Trying to make progress - maybe in your finances and the economy is fighting you. In your health and man, it’s so hard, this time of year, to make changes or find time to get to the gym, or to cut out your favorite craft coffee…we were in Florida over Thanksgiving and we had some good coffee while we were there, at a place we really love, and it would not have been easy to give up good coffee right before heading down south on that trip. What about trying to make progress for God’s glory, doing Kingdom work, maybe in your family, doing family devotions, Christmas and nightly advent devotions seemed like a great idea but some of those kids, they are in opposition to this idea and it’s hard. Trying to keep the neighborhood outreach going, but nobody else is really helping out and it’s just so hard…Okay, you get the picture. We all have times of opposition. But are we making progress in spite of it? Now, not everything that WE decide to work on is something God is going to bless, because sometimes we’re selfish, sometimes we know He wants us to go over here but those people are difficult and so lemme just go on this a way and start doing this other thing, and God won’t You just bless it same as You would if I’d done what You said? There are times we are doing good-ish stuff but it isn’t God-ish stuff, He didn’t ask us to do this, He said to do that. Or we never even asked Him, we just jumped in, started this new thing, it’s way more than we bargained for and we don’t feel like He’s giving us much favor. Gotta talk to Your Father about these things, my friends. And you also have to do what He says, and ideally do it quickly because obedience matters so much. I’ve got something I am going to do this week, and it’s a busy week, getting busier and busier by the second, but it’s gonna get done cuz He said to do it. By the start of next week, I’ll have it done. Because that’s the timeline He’s given me and I’m going to obey. I want His blessing, I want His favor, don’t you? I want progress in spite of opposition. And satan is against us, because we are part of the family of God. So we will have opposition. 

 

In these verses, we see two men who are just on a tear. They are against Nehemiah, they are against all of the Jewish people who are back in Israel doing a rebuilding work. They are not nice or polite in these verses, and they don’t get nicer or politer (that’s not a word, but whatever) as this book continues. Why do we expect the opposition to be nice and tidy and neat and polite and manageable and not so darn mean when we’re dealing with it because we’re obeying the Lord? It’s not nice. It’s not polite. And often, it comes from the back, the sides, the flanks, not head on directly where we can see it coming and get ourselves ready. Nehemiah kept working, alongside many others, and he also prayed that these attacks would be stopped and their attackers dealt with. In verse 13 we find that things got so rough that Nehemiah stationed people around the vulnerable areas and the lowest sections of the walls with swords, spears and bows. He also reminded the people not to be afraid of their enemies, but to rememb