DODGING THE STONES OF THE ENEMY Don’t think that your enemies are going to stand back and watch you progress. Whenever you do anything to further God’s kingdom, the devil will be waiting for an opportunity to attack you at the point at which you are most vulnerable. Building a wall for the city of Jerusalem was a formidable task. Nehemiah knew it, the people knew it, and his enemies knew it. As the workers laid stone upon stone, their enemies hurled insults at them. The adage that says, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me,” is simply not true. Words hurt. They hurt the shepherd boy David when he heard the giant Goliath taunting God’s people. Those words made him spring into action (1 Samuel 17.26-32). Now Sanballat and others used words to hurt Nehemiah and the building crew. It hurt enough to compel Nehemiah to take time out to pray… a curse on them! He didn’t retaliate, he didn’t render evil for evil, he used the arsenal he had—prayer! Sanballat and company were threatened by any successes the people achieved. In today’s language, such people are called “haters.” Are you aware of “haters” in your community? What can you do to deflect their influence? How can you pray for them? Make a concerted effort to focus on the tasks you have at hand and ask God to let you not become distracted by those who are against the work you do for God’s kingdom. Pray: Lord, guard my lips that I will not become embroiled in petty arguments even though my feelings may be hurt. Keep me steadfast in the work you have called me to do. 1 Samuel 17:26-32 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.” When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Nehemiah 4:1-4 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!” Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:03:26 +0000
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