If you didn't see Part 1 of this story yesterday, I would read it first just to be on the same page here. So we will pick up in the second stage of the story where Nehemiah and the Jews have built the walls of Jerusalem back up to half their height.
But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing on the walls of Jerusalem was going forward, and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusing in it. And Nehemiah and the Jews prayed to their God and set a guard as a protection against Sanballat and their attackers day and night. In Judah, it was said, "The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. But ourselves, we will not be able to rebuild the wall." And their enemies said, "They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work." At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, "You must return to us." So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, Nehemiah stationed people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And Nehemiah looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."
What are some things we see in this part of the story that we can apply to our lives today?
- Looking first at the thought I concluded the first part of the story with, what if Sanballat and Tobiah had reacted differently after seeing the progress the Jews were making on the wall? Their mocking didn't stop them and instead of applauding the progress, they ramped up their plan of attack, literally, against the people. Let's look closely at our lives to see if we ever directly or indirectly do things that may discourage others.
- When faced with the threat of attack, how did the people of Judah react? We see them becoming discouraged in v10 when they say, "There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall." How do we respond today when we face a threat, or more likely just a worry, of something that may happen but hasn't even taken place yet? What if instead of worrying about what could happen, we took Nehemiah's advice in v14 and would "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome." Do you think that would put our worries more into perspective if we kept our focus on the Lord instead of the enemies or obstacles in our lives, especially those not even taking place yet?
This portion of the story is found in Nehemiah 4:7-14. We will look at the final part of the story tomorrow.
But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing on the walls of Jerusalem was going forward, and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusing in it. And Nehemiah and the Jews prayed to their God and set a guard as a protection against Sanballat and their attackers day and night. In Judah, it was said, "The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. But ourselves, we will not be able to rebuild the wall." And their enemies said, "They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work." At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, "You must return to us." So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, Nehemiah stationed people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And Nehemiah looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."
What are some things we see in this part of the story that we can apply to our lives today?
- Looking first at the thought I concluded the first part of the story with, what if Sanballat and Tobiah had reacted differently after seeing the progress the Jews were making on the wall? Their mocking didn't stop them and instead of applauding the progress, they ramped up their plan of attack, literally, against the people. Let's look closely at our lives to see if we ever directly or indirectly do things that may discourage others.
- When faced with the threat of attack, how did the people of Judah react? We see them becoming discouraged in v10 when they say, "There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall." How do we respond today when we face a threat, or more likely just a worry, of something that may happen but hasn't even taken place yet? What if instead of worrying about what could happen, we took Nehemiah's advice in v14 and would "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome." Do you think that would put our worries more into perspective if we kept our focus on the Lord instead of the enemies or obstacles in our lives, especially those not even taking place yet?
This portion of the story is found in Nehemiah 4:7-14. We will look at the final part of the story tomorrow.
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