The Church reflects God’s city. The preaching of Christ and the work of charity are signs of God’s presence. Much love comes to us from God and goes out from us into the world.
Poor stewardship of God’s gathering place of worship does not reflect God’s glory!
“I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.” [1]
In other words, poor stewardship of property leads to poor results. It’s a tell-tale sign of demise. There is a relationship between disrepair and despair.
Once, a king saw his cupbearer wearing a sad face. King Artaxerxes asked Cupbearer Nehemiah, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” Nehemiah was very much afraid, but said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” [2]
Nehemiah despaired of disrepair. His city was in ruins. It did not reflect God’s glory!
King Artaxerxes told Nehemiah to rebuild God’s city. Wow, what a breakthrough! But was it all downhill after that? You would think so. But no! Two officials who got news of Nehemiah’s plan were upset. They didn’t want anyone to promote the well-being of God’s people. [3]
The devil opposes the beautification of God’s property? His agents, like pigs, want to defile the place where God’s glory dwells. He wants to desecrate the image and glory of God.
In spite of the outrage of enemies, Nehemiah and God’s people sorted through the ruins. God’s people said to Nehemiah, “Let us start rebuilding.” [4] So they began this good work. The Bible calls out the names of the opposition. They were Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem. [5] These enemies mocked and ridiculed God’s people. They asked, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” They were like, “How dare you beautify and organize what the devil wants ugly and chaotic.” Nehemiah answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.” [6]
It is a battle to maintain anything for the glory of God!
When the enemy heard that God’s people were rebuilding Jerusalem, he was infuriated. He ridiculed them by saying, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble —burned as they are?” Tobiah, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!” [7]
What did Nehemiah do? He prayed. “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.” [8] He gave the opposition to God. He let God take care of them. This is what we need to do. Give the opposition over to Jesus, be patient, pray and watch what Jesus does.
Prayer worked! God’s people worked with all their hearts. [9] They were not disheartened. They were triumphant!
Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” When Winston Churchill gave a speech during one of Germany’s bombardments, he said, “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large, or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.
Enemies don’t give up easily. “They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.” [10] What kind of shield did God’s people use? They used the shield of faith. “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” [11] They prayed, and they stayed alert. They kept on the full armor of God. They stood their ground.
God’s people did become weary at times. “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.’” [12] We need to know when to rest. The Lord urges us to take a Sabbath rest.
They had to overcome their fear! Nehemiah told the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your people, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” [13]
Teamwork was vital. “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” [14] If one team member was faltering, other team members rallied around them and supported them. TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More!
They enemies sent messages to Nehemiah: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” [15] Ono! Have you ever had people tell you “Oh no”? They want to scare you. God revealed their scheme to Nehemiah. He stated, “But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’ Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’ But I prayed to the Lord, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’” [16] The enemies actually hired people to intimidate Nehemiah. [17]
Nehemiah had troubles within and without. His men began marrying unbelievers. The rich made loans to the poor and charged them exorbitant interest rates until they enslaved them. People started doing business on the Sabbath. He had to correct his co-workers. [18]
Nehemiah had Ezra, a Bible teacher, teach the people the Word of God from daybreak until noon, and they listened. The truth helped them to overcome the lies of the enemy.
God gave Nehemiah wisdom for building. “By wisdom, a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.” [19] God’s wisdom and guidance helped Nehemiah and his people to build and prosper.
“Heavenly Father, please grant to all who care for the building and maintenance of your places of worship to be filled with wisdom and understanding. Please guide us and help us to be victorious in this vital ministry. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”
[1] Proverbs 24:30-34
[2] Nehemiah 2:1-3
[3] Nehemiah 2:10
[4] Nehemiah 2:18
[5] Nehemiah 2:19
[6] Nehemiah 2:20
[7] Nehemiah 4:1-3
[8] Nehemiah 4:4-5
[9] Nehemiah 4:6
[10] Nehemiah 4:8
[11] Nehemiah 4:9
[12] Nehemiah 4:10
[13] Nehemiah 4:14
[14] Nehemiah 4:19-20
[15] Nehemiah 6:2
[16] Nehemiah 6:2-4, 9
[17] Nehemiah 6:13
[18] Nehemiah 8:1-3
[19] Proverbs 24:3-4, 6
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