The Bible declares that the Old Testament is like a shadow or pattern for the New Testament. Each book in the Old Testament unfolds like a picture, revealing critical spiritual principles. The book of Nehemiah is no exception, for in it we see the process of building a wall of protection in order to keep away the enemies of God. Through the chief personality of this book, we can learn the steps of becoming a wall of protection for God’s great building project-the Body of the Messiah.
In the first half of chapter 1, we clearly see that Nehemiah was concerned for the exiles (who were in Israel rebuilding the temple), because he realized the danger of trying to build God’s House without a wall around them. His concern was transformed into desire and desire turned into prayer. We must be alert to the truth that a Congregation without a wall of protection is vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. Moreover, being concerned or aware is not enough, we must go before the Lord and recognize what God wants us to do.
Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the king. He had a high position of responsibility and prestige in the King’s court. Yet he was willing to let it all go, once the need was made known to him. He was willing to take a seemingly lesser role for the project but was eventually put into a leadership role in Jerusalem. He ended up being a leader in God’s eyes rather than a servant of an earthly king. Our earthly occupation is irrelevant in the Kingdom of God because once God calls us we become part of His great project-the building of His work on earth. Moreover, when we are committed to His agenda, we become more important than we were before in our earthly occupations and jobs.
When Nehemiah arrived in Israel, he did not come with trumpets and announce his presence; rather he inspected the building site at night. After making his inspections, he gathered the elders and told them clearly what he planned to do. The people responded to his initiative and began to rebuild the walls under his direction. The first thing was to build and repair the gates (8 of them). The gates were crucial for several reasons: the gates provided the framework and structure for the wall; once the wall would be complete, the gates would be the only way out. We as builders must be sensitive to the areas that need to be built or rebuilt. We have to do our own inspection by being alert and aware of more than ourselves. Hearing, seeing and listening spiritually is the key. Just as Nehemiah repaired the gates first, leaders should be built up because it is upon them that the rest of the wall hangs upon. If the gates are tight and locked against the enemy, he will not be able to easily get past the wall. Yet if the gates are not strong or shut, regardless of the wall, Satan can easily cause great damage.
The enemies of God’s people planned to attack and destroy the progress of the builders. Nehemiah responded by posting a guard to watch and alert the workers when the enemy approached. Yet these threats tired the people and they began to be discouraged because progress was slow. Nehemiah would not give up or back down. He split the people into two camps. Those who continued to work and those who stood watch. Everybody was armed and if danger came near, they would stop working and be prepared to fight. When the enemy sees progress, he will attack. We as the builders must be aware of that and respond like Nehemiah and the exiles did. We must set up those who will stand and guard against the attack of the enemy and warn when they see him coming.
If Satan cannot penetrate through one way, he will find another. The new tactic was directed against Nehemiah personally.
The enemy used 3 different strategies: isolation/harm, isolation/false accusation, isolation/intimidation through false prophetic/spiritual counsel. The key element in all of them is isolation. If Nehemiah’s enemies could get him alone and away from the building project they could have destroyed him easily. Nehemiah is our model and example of refuting these tactics. We must resist isolation and never walk away from the building project even for a moment for if we do, we become an easy target for the enemy.
After the completion of the walls, Ezra the priest before the whole assembly, read the Word of God. The people responded to the Word which they heard with all their heart and soul and were moved to repentance. True revival began to take place. True revival takes place only when people are transformed by the Word of God and their daily lives reflect this transformation. Notice that only when the walls were completed along with the temple, did revival come to the people. Everything had to be in place in order for God to touch His people. God is a God of order. True revival will take place in our congregations when we come to this point of the process. Once a wall of protection is strong, Satan cannot penetrate and destroy the work of God from the inside.
Friends and fellow builders in the Messiah, we have to recognize that God laid an awesome pattern in the Old Testament that is neither outdated nor obsolete. It is so important for us as believers to study the complete Word of God so that we would not lack truth but be prepared to meet the Lord when He comes and to build the Kingdom of God. |
