Graceways October 4 Devotional

NEHEMIAH 4:1-4, 7-8, 15 | ¹Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews. ² He said in the presence of his            associates and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it by themselves? Will they offer sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish—burned ones at that?” ³ Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “That stone wall they are building—any fox going up on it would break it down!” ⁴ Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their taunt back on their own heads, and give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.

⁷But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the gaps were                  beginning to be closed, they were very angry ⁸ and all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.

¹⁵ When our enemies heard that their plot was known to us and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.

Jerusalem had problems within its newly built walls also. Some were military and political, and some where social. Some of the Arabs in the area did not want the walls rebuilt and Jews to return to the city. Sanballat and Tobiah first tried to break the morale of those repairing the walls through derision. Then they planned to use force. Nehemiah and his leaders ignored the criticism and then   frustrated the would be attacks with armed guards.

Any great and good endeavor will attract criticism and opposition! We must expect it and deal with it directly and openly.

Have you faced opposition in a just cause? How did you deal with it?

Gracious God,

Your work of restoration is opposed by the forces of evil and darkness. Give us courage to face the opposition with hope and clarity.

Amen.