Week Forty Six: Day 4

    November 21, 2024 | Be God's Light

    The Wall is Completed
    in 52 days


    Scripture: Nehemiah 6(NIV)

    1 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.”

    But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

    5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:

    “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”

    8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

    9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

    But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

    10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”

    11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

    14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

    16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

    17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.


    Devotional

    Let’s put this project in perspective. The wall around Jerusalem was about 2.5 miles long. It was built up to forty feet high and eight feet thick. It contained ten gates and numerous towers. Yet they completed it in less than two months while under duress.

    When the detractors couldn’t stop the men from working, they tried a new tactic. They went after their leader, trying to lure him away from the work using deceit and fear. Throughout this Old Testament study, we have seen how God emboldens His people to overcome their fear.

    He told Moses to not be afraid to confront Pharaoh, and repeated it later when the freed Israelites rebelled against him.

    He told Joshua to not be afraid when he was to succeed Moses, then lead the Israelites to take the Promised Land.

    He told the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel to not be afraid when He called them to prophesy to people who would hate their message.

    In Matthew 10:28, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

    Nehemiah understood this concept. He was called by God to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. He would not let God down, even if they killed him for it. That is determination. That is faith.

    Of course, Nehemiah needed a huge team around him to complete the task. It took the courage of the leader and all the people to get the job done.

    How is God challenging you to pray for, support, and help your leaders?


    Poem

    A Position Of Faithfulness

    God set me in position
    God placed on me a call
    God sent me on a mission
    God bids me give my all
    So why would I abandon
    The course now laid ahead
    Why would I leave work stranded
    God’s Spirit is my head
    So try hard to distract me
    I’ll not to you succumb
    I’ll work, for night is coming
    I’ll labor ‘til all’s done


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