Seeds for 09/24/2024 - Nehemiah 4:16-23
Scripture:
16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.
Observation:
“I was born at night, but not last night.”
I think this is my favorite saying about not being gullible. The enemy has been unmasked and resisted and the Lord has frustrated their plans, allowing the workers to return to their labors. What’s the next step? What do we see here?
First, there’s a “lesson learned” sort of approach. Nehemiah introduces his rundown of tactics (half worked, half were armed and stood watch, officers posted themselves at strategic locations) with the phrase, “From that day on…” In other words, they are applying what they learned from the aggression of their opponents.
Too often, we have the experience but fail to learn and apply the lesson. They will not make that mistake.
Second, preparation is cast here as responsible action, but not lack of faith. It’s integrated. Verse 20 signals this well. Nehemiah says to all the people, “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
“Join us there.” They are prepared for conflict should it arise and are ready to respond to the summons.
“Our God will fight for us!” They are trusting the Lord for the victory.
This reminds me of Paul’s instructions on the armor of God in Ephesians 6:11: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
We both rely fully on God and take responsible action based on what we learn.
Application:
When have you learned a lesson well the first time? When have you had to relearn a lesson?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, show me how to hold together complete reliance on you with responsible learning from experience. Give me wisdom to understand and apply the lessons you teach. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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