10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I 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.”
15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The problems were beginning to pile up. The people had come weary of the work. The job seemed endless and they didn’t believe they could finish it on their own. They also faced the thread of a secret attack by their enemies. Nehemiah stationed whole families at the lowest parts of the walls with swords, spears, and bows. He encouraged everyone not to be afraid and reminded them that the Lord, who is great and awesome, was on their side and as they fought to defend their families and their homes.
Once the thread of attack had been frustrated, they returned to work on the wall. But from that point the work was divided in half. Half of the people worked on construction while the other half wore armour and carried spears, shields, and bows. Those who carried loads were loaded in a way that allowed them to carry their weapon with one hand. And those who built had their sword at their side while they built. Nehemiah had a trumpeter move around with him as he managed the work so that if he spotted a thread, the trumpet would sound and everyone would rally to that point to aid in defending the city.
From that time the city was under guard 24 hours a day. People stayed within the walls of Jerusalem and didn’t go out at night. People didn’t even get changed after a days work, but remained on guard, weapon at hand.
We may not be facing physical thread while we do God’s work, but the Bible reminds us that Satan is a roaring lion prowling around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Paul tells us to put on our spiritual armour so that we can stand against his attacks (Eph 6:11). James tells us to submit to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from us (Jas 4:7). If you are doing God’s work, then you are going to be under attack. Some of it may be in verbal or physical abuse, but you will definitely face spiritual attack. Are you strapping on your armour every day in preparation? (Eph 6:10-20) Remember what Nehemiah said, “Our God will fight for us.” (Neh 4:20)