Seeds for 10/04/2024 - Nehemiah 6:15-19
Scripture:
15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
Observation:
Despite all the challenges, “the wall was completed.” What a landmark day!
As we will see, the reactions are mixed. Let’s observe.
First, Nehemiah and his compatriot’s enemies shrink back “because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” It wasn’t simply Nehemiah and the Jews’ courage and consistency, but the evident working of God on their behalf that made the impact. Nehemiah and his fellow Jews tackled something huge. As their own psalms say, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1a). They needed God to make it successful and He did.
Second, even still, as a leader Nehemiah had to put up with harassment and intimidation tactics. We’ve heard of Tobiah (with his pals Sanballat and Geshem). Now we see others taking up his cause and speaking up for him, all while he continues his harassment routine. This is an unfortunate and sobering reminder that bad actors will often have surrogates acting on their behalf and sometimes at their behest. Thankfully, Nehemiah yet again sees this for what it is. There is no naïveté on his part, which helps him lead effectively.
Application:
When did you take on or join in a project so big that you knew God had to be working in it or it would fail?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, show me how to welcome your strength, wisdom, and love into everything I do, that I may not build in vain. 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)
If you liked this post from Seeds of Faith, why not share it and/or subscribe?
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™