Build Up – Not Tear Down
By: Patty Nicholas-Boyte
Nehemiah 4: 1-3 (NASB)
“Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the [b]wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?” Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”
At this point, Nehemiah had each person assigned and the work began on his own section of the wall. Their morale was high and they were making significant progress. However, prior to the Israelites return to Jerusalem, people from all around were able to come and go. They traveled to and through the city as they pleased. Now that the walls were being rebuilt, this had become a problem to some clear enemies of the Jewish people.
Sanballet and others began an all-out campaign to put a stop to Nehemiah’s plans. Their first attempt is a verbal assault. If this were to happen in our day, I think the term we would use for their attack could be “cyber bullying”. The passage only lists a few people who verbally abuse the Jews, and yet, for this to make it into our text today, I believe many people must have been party to the attack as we will see next week when I cover Nehemiah’s prayer in response to the situation.
Haven’t we seen many of the same instances today that are similar to Nehemiah’s time? I can think of several examples, such as, Christian bakeries, photographers, and florists under attack. Some have been forced to take legal measures to maintain their businesses.
It is true, we fight battles on many fronts today. What God has been saying to me through the book of Nehemiah, is now is the time to stand together and continue to build in the section of the wall God has given us to work on. Hold each other up, encourage your fellow builder in their work. Be an encourager today, speak words of life, build up, and do not tear down.
What can we learn from Nehemiah?
- Nehemiah remained faithful to the task God gave him even in the midst of a trial
- When we are doing the work God has given us to do, expect opposition
- Do not let negative talk tear us down.
Nehemiah knew he was doing God’s work. He had the favor of the king, a free travel pass and a blank check for all the supplies he needed. He even had all of the Israelite’s on board with the project. With all that he had going right, I wonder if he even anticipated opposition.
What questions can we ask ourselves that can affect change?
- What opposition are you encountering that you did not expect?
- Is there something you know you’ve been called to do, but are now experiencing the biggest fight of your life?
- How can we stand together and hold each other up instead of tear down?
- If there is someone you’ve already been a part of tearing down, what can you do to help build that person up?
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