"Where Is My Shield"?

"Where's My Sword?"

Nehemiah 4
Opposition to the Rebuilding

1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 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?"3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!"4 Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of [a] the builders.6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall."11 Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work."12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.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 workmen 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. [b]

Observation:

It is an ever constant reality that over time we have seen and will continue to see things change. From the way we guide our households to the way the "Church" is to grow in an ever changing society. I am an expert at building the wall. I am motivated by "The Task" at hand and therefore can establish myself as a person of greatness in getting it done, but what happens when I'm attacked? With my head down constantly building, how can I see where the arrow came from that pierced my back. Where is my shield? Where is my sword? Where are the guards keeping watch? I love the picture this paints:

13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."

To me this is a perfect picture of how we are to live as the body of Chirst and how the work get's accomplished. It was a diversity of resources and tasks unified to accompish a common goal. Not all built, not all fought, but everyone played their part to build the wall and the re-build the city. There are many of us who have our hand to the plow in our own church and let me urge everyone who reads this to make sure we encourage those who can't build, to keep watch over us and to fight for us through prayer and support so that the building don't get hindered. But always remember as we build, to keep your own sword at your side, even as you go for water. :)

Application:

I just want to see the body fight for one another so that the mission God has given us can get accomplished.

Prayer:

Lord,You are the God of everything and nothing has purpose and meaning outside of you. Lord, grant us the ability to keep watch over our brothers and sisters. To keep judgements and condemnations out of your house, so that the house can be built. Father bring us intercessors who can join the battle to shield us from the enemy, and bring out that gift in those who are already inside the gates. Lord, I pray that we would be constantly clothed with the armor of God so that whether we are building, or whether we are keeping watch, we are always ready and determined to battle the enemy for what we hold dear.

In Jesus Name,
Amen