15So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.
How the completion of the wall affect the enemies? What can we learn from that?
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Even their enemies had to admit that God was at work in His people’s lives. He was what accounted for their amazing success. This entire project was finished in just fifty-two days! Nehemiah had left Persia in April, and it took him several months to journey to Jerusalem. Yet on October 2 in the year 445 BC, the wall was completed. They finished the work in fifty-two days because they put their minds and shoulders to the task and looked to God for wisdom and power to achieve. When our enemies heard about this, they lost their self-confidence and they realized that they were battling against God himself, says Nehemiah. What a beautiful picture of the power of Christian witness in a community! Even their enemies must agree that God is at work among them.
But the enemies are still not through. Notice how they continue their tactics of opposition. Tobiah had intermarried with the Israelites. Taking advantage of that relationship, he was seeking to undermine Nehemiah’s influence by nothing more than mere gossip.
The devil never quits. He is never going to give up while we are still alive. Even those Christians who have lived over seventy years will tell you the battle is just as intense, sometimes more so, than it ever was. Christians cannot expect the battle to end until the Lord calls them to glory, because that is the nature of life.
God has wonderful blessings and much encouragement and joy for us along the way, but we must never cease battling against the world, the flesh, and the devil until we get home. Do not expect your retirement days to be without difficulty or struggle. That is what the world seeks, and that is a confused and distorted view of life. But it is not ours. The enemies will never quit. If they cannot undermine us with fear and flattery, they will try gossip and false rumors. This is what Nehemiah demonstrates for us.
In our present circumstance, can we expect opposition from the world, our old habits, and the devil to cease? How does faith in Jesus enable victory?
From brother Don:
“And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God,” (Nehemiah 6:16). While it is tempting to exalt the leadership qualities which brought the work to completion, Nehemiah himself concludes that God works through His faithful people. Even his enemies could not help but attribute the work to God. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven,” (Matthew 5:16). The implication for us today is that all that we do is to be done to glorify God. We work to bring Him glory- and for no other purpose. The principle is simple- but not always easy. Often times I forget this, and pursue other motives, such as money, prestige, or even a sense of accomplishment. However, all these things are short-lived, especially in the face of opposition. They are easily undermined, and even taken away. But when we remember Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” even our enemies will ultimately be rendered impotent, (although perhaps only in the eternal sense,) unable to deny His work.
Of course, the only One who exemplified this to perfection was Jesus Christ. He brought glory to the Father in all He did, even to the point of death on the cross. “So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Lord, help me to glorify You in all that I think, say, and do. Help us to live in light of eternity, faithfully, so that we may be used by You for Your name’s sake. You alone have the power to deliver us even from death. “In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11).
Many began to fear the power of God more and more after the completion of the wall. This is understandable because a lot of people doubted them, and they faced a lot of opposition. Other nations and enemies realized that to complete a wall in that amount of time, only through God is that possible. You see though that even an enemy can still be praised even after trying to hinder your efforts, like in Tobiah’s case, simply because he’s bound by oath to many in Judah because his familial ties. So that can teach us that even in our own communities we may have enemies who go against gods will but still can be praised by the people… we have to stand strong in faith like Nehemiah and continue to obey God.
When all the enemies heard about the completion of the wall, they were all afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem. Interesting because they recognize that it was God’s work! It’s sad and wonderful at the same time. Although the enemies were causing trouble, they were given the opportunity to witness God’s glorious work & continued to mock. I admire Nehemiah’s faithfulness through it all. It must have been challenging – spiritually & physically, yet he persisted & the work was done in God’s glory.
Rachel shared:
Even their enemies saw how God was present in the building of the wall. The enemies even tried to persist in their tactics; however, God still was present throughout and it demonstrates his sovereignty and provision. From this, we can learn how God will protect us from our enemies and it is essential to abide in Him especially in times of crisis and persecution. I think it’s interesting how the enemies even grew afraid and they could even recognize God’s hand in this, yet what’s scarier is that this did not make them turn their hearts toward Him in spite of the recognition. Thus, it’s not just knowing that God is real but it’s vital to proactively seek Him and build that relationship with Him.
The completion of the wall left the enemies feeling afraid and humiliated. However instead of repenting or surrendering to God they decided to press on further to discourage Nehemiah and company. God is granting his people victory over the wall! Yet that doesn’t mean that Nehemiah can continue on with his life independently. Difficulties allow us to continually seek out the Lord.
It feels so long ago when we started but it’s only been 3 weeks. I can’t imagine years of physical labor day in and day out always being vigilant and on guard against the enemy, while also doing God’s work. And it’s so encouraging to see how it affected those opposed to it. They were afraid and tried to scare Nehemiah off, even after his success. This goes to show that even after success in doing God’s work, the enemy can still attack and tempt us.