Many times lately I’ve heard people refer to Nehemiah. I read parts of it and meant all week to go back and read the entire book. Yesterday I received a mail-out from Franklin Graham who once again wrote of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall at Jerusalem. Today I read it and saw the similarities between the task of rebuilding and the job we face today of reigniting the church and turning our country back to God.
Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king in the Persian palace when he heard from some of his brethren that the wall at Jerusalem was broken and the gates burned. Upon hearing this, he sat down and cried….then he prayed. He asked God to forgive the people of Israel including himself and his family. The king, when he saw how sad Nehemiah was, asked him what the problem was. Nehemiah told him and asked for time off to go and rebuild the wall for his people.
Knowing that the Lord’s hand was upon Nehemiah, the king granted his request along with writing letters to the governors beyond the river and to the keeper of the king’s forest to provide lumber for the rebuilding. He also sent army captains and horsemen along with him.
When the enemies of Israel heard about the plan they were upset, but sure it couldn’t be done. Nehemiah went secretly in the middle of the night and checked out the damage. He called all the priests, nobles and Jews together and told them of his plan. Convinced that God had put it in his heart, they agreed, saying: “Let us rise up and build.” Nehemiah 2:18.
After much prayer, each group started building on the section of the wall closest to where they lived. They all worked together while the enemies laughed and scoffed at first. Family members kept watch holding their swords, spears and shields. When the enemies saw how the people were working and the quality of the wall, they began to attack. Half of the people worked while half held off the attackers. At times they worked with one hand and held weapons in the other.
In chapter 4, verse 14 Nehemiah told the people: “Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
Then the people, especially the wives, began to cry out against their brethren, the Jews, saying they had worked hard to feed their own families and now were running out of grain and other supplies. Others complained of having to borrow money just to pay their taxes and were about to lose their land, vineyards and even their children.
Nehemiah called together the nobles and rulers and told them this should not be. In verses 8-11 he admonishes them for requiring money and supplies from the people they were trying to redeem. He asked that they restore everything they had taken so far…. their land, vineyards and money, oil and grain. They agreed and took an oath before the priests to do this and to require nothing more from the people.
So the wall was finished in 52 days. When their enemies heard it and saw the wall….a task they had thought impossible….finished so quickly, they “were much cast down in their own eyes.” Nehemiah 6:16. For they knew it was the work of God.
The church today faces the great task of returning our country to what it once was… a God-fearing nation….with laws and ways of living that bring glory to God where no one can be put in jail for practicing their Christian beliefs. It will take much prayer, with cities and states working side by side, praying and sharing the Gospel of Christ, to restore the areas closest to them. We must put on the full armor of God as described in Ephesians 6. The people of God today must “rise up and build,” with the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith we must prevail against our enemies….Satan and his followers…. with such force that they themselves will have no doubt that God alone wins the victory and deserves the glory.
Well said… :)