In my daily Bible reading I recently finished the book of Nehemiah and its relevance to us was not lost on me. The book of Nehemiah takes places around 450 BC. It’s about the returning exiles rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem that the Babylonians had destroyed over a century earlier. The city of God was in ruins and it was time to rebuild it for the glory of God and the protection of God’s people. In many respects its foreign to us, but as all of God’s word is profitable, in a very physical way, this book pictures the building up of God’s kingdom, the church, both in its opposition and in the work that must be done.
First, one thing that’s notable is that there are enemies of God who above all else don’t want to see Jerusalem rebuilt and throughout the book they actually resort to a number of different tactics to oppose the work. First they mock. Why they do this is very simple. Sanballat and his friends hate the LORD, his worship, his people and everything associated with God. This mockery has the effect of putting a temptation into the ears of Nehemiah and the Jews. When someone insults you, you may know that this was done out of spite, yet the words can still settle in your heart and cause you to question yourself. In the same way, this could tempt Nehemiah and God’s people to be discouraged, that they too question “What’s the point?” and therefore quit. But the people place their faith in God and continue the work.
When mockery fails, it’s notable that the opponents of God’s people do not let up. They then try to threaten violence and intimidate them. It’s one thing to be insulted, but it’s quite another when active threats are made against you, and then your livelihood or your family. Yet the account of Nehemiah is that God’s people were encouraged by God’s word and pressed on. Next, Sanballat and other enemies made false accusations about them to the government so they’ll stop the work. When that failed, they tried to deceive and then they tried to bribe insiders.
As Nehemiah serves as a picture for our own efforts to see Christ’s church built up, we should learn from this that Satan will resort to a lot of different tactics to stop the advancement of gospel and the building of Christ’s church. Sometimes he tries to see the truth watered down. Confused Christians can easily be tossed about and led astray and few things serve as better obstacles to the gospel quite like hypocritical Christians. Sometimes Satan tries to distract God’s people to set their eyes and affection elsewhere, on the things of this world that are passing away. Proverbs 18:9 is true that, “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys” and it makes Satan’s job easier to tear down the church when Christians aren’t really doing the work of guarding and building up. In more aggressive modes, sometimes Satan sends wolves into God’s flock, just like Paul warned would happen (Acts 20:29-30), or he stirs up persecution to make us afraid.
Yet the work of building up Christ’s kingdom can go forward when we hold fast to the truth of the gospel and press on in the Spirit. This doesn’t mean it’s always easy work. In Nehemiah’s day at one point the threats were so fierce that the men had to build the walls with weapons in their hands. We have to do our work with great vigilance, guarding our hearts against sin, being quick to forgive and serve one another, holding fast to our faith without wavering, and with constant dependence upon God’s Spirit in prayer. Yet Christ is faithful. He has promised that his church will be built and the gates of hell will not prevail, so despite all the threats and hardships the church and her people have faced and continue to face, we have hope.
One other thing that stands out in this book is that it’s a colossal work. To stand next to the ruined walls hear and Nehemiah’s desire to see them rebuilt would no doubt have prompted many to question, “How can anyone do it? It’s too great a task.” Yet it wasn’t the work of one man or one family or one tribe. This work was too great for any individual, but when God’s people all worked together (and God chose to bless!), to the horror of their enemies and to the glory of God, the walls of Jerusalem were built.
In the same vein, we may look out at the great need we see around us in Winston-Salem, America, and the world and be tempted to wonder how so great a work as making disciples of the nations could ever go forward? But like those faithful saints in Nehemiah’s day, when we all participate in the work and the LORD blesses it, a work greater than we could have dreamed is accomplished. Let’s not forget that Christ began with 12 disciples, one proved to be a traitor and the rest were not learned or great men, yet God used them to build his church and it continues to be built today and is already an innumerable host of redeemed from every tribe, nation, and tongue.
So where should God’s people begin? Just like the priests in Nehemiah 3:28 did the work right next to their own houses, a good place to begin for each of us is right next to our own homes, in our neighborhoods, among our classmates and co-workers. If you don’t know where to start, try ministering to those whom the LORD has already brought into your life. Get to know those around you and finds ways to serve them. Invite them into your home for a meal and open God’s word to begin a dialogue. Tell others what the LORD has done for you in your own transformation out of darkness and invite them to church to hear the soul-saving word of God.
One final element that’s of note in a book like Nehemiah are the long lists of names. Admittedly, these passages can be difficult to read, not only because they can come across as tedious, but also because these names and places where these people worked just sound so foreign to us. We may be tempted to ask why the Holy Spirit bothered to include such lists in the Bible at all. Yet passages even like these are good for us because they serve as a record of those who participated in this great work (and to make a passing mention of those who wouldn’t participate). We may not know who these men and women are, but the LORD does. This is a record of the work God’s people did to build up the city of God. Similarly, Revelation 20 tells us that there’s books in heaven that record what all people have done and on judgment day, those books will be opened. As you press on in service for Christ, no doubt there will be things you do, or hardship you face, that remain unknown to those around you. Do not be discouraged. As Jesus teaches us, your Father in heaven sees what we do in secret and he keeps a record. One day he will open the books and reward his faithful saints.