Nehemiah 6:1–9 ‘They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”’ (v9)
Nehemiah had inspired his people to keep going, they were armed for battle and prayerful in their work as they rebuilt the wall. But the opposition did not die down, indeed it increased, and chapter 6 outlines some of the tactics used. These include suggestions about meetings and reporting of the rebuilding project to the superpower of the day.
Thankfully Nehemiah saw the intimidating tactics for what they were, refused to waste time on unnecessary argument and we read the triumphant words in 6:15: ’So the wall was completed on the twenty- fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.’ (Elul is the last month of the Jewish year and 25th Elul, when God is said to have begun Creation, suggesting symbolism of a ‘new start’.)
As a Christian you face the triumvirate of ‘the world, the flesh and the devil’, which will oppose any progress you make personally in your walk with Christ and in the activities you engage in for Christ which would further His work in the world. We are wise to heed the lesson of Nehemiah, who refused to waste unnecessary time on matters that would detract him from the main thing.
You won’t always know exactly the source of the opposition: sometimes the world, the flesh and the devil seem tied up together! But we are wise to fix our eyes on Jesus and seek the resources from Him that would enable us to see the kind of victory in our lives which Nehemiah saw in the fortunes of the people of God in his day. The completed wall meant protection from enemies and honour to the city of Jerusalem.
A Prayer To Make:
‘I put to death what is of the flesh, love You rather than the world, and resist the enemy. I do that right now in the name of Jesus. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
If you have given unnecessary time to matters that will detract from what God is doing in your life or your work for Him, it is time to stop.
Scripture To Consider:
2 Kgs 19:20–37; Ps. 3; 2 Cor. 12:1–10; Eph. 6:10–17
