There is a remarkable story in Scripture that shows how people of faith can work together to accomplish great things, even when the devil seeks to divide us.
Nehemiah assigned each family to work on a section of the broken walls in Jerusalem. As rebuilding began, a man named Sanballat led an opposition against the project. Sanballat was part of one of the tribes the Israelites defeated when they conquered the land. He openly mocked the rebuilding process, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices?” (Nehemiah 4:2). The Jews seemed feeble by human standards, but when they worked together under God’s leadership,they became a powerful work force.
Because the workers worked with enthusiasm, the wall was quickly built to half its original height. Nehemiah said of Sanballat and his group of dissidents, “They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves” (vs. 8-9).
Nehemiah said that the work would happen if they trusted God to do what He promised, and that they would not sit by idly but would arm themselves and continue building, no matter what opposition came against them.
Sanballat and his group devised a plan to attack and kill the workers. When the plan of attack was revealed, Nehemiah made a plan: “So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families” (vs. 13).
Nehemiah gave a word of encouragement to the builders “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” (vs. 14). When strong opposition comes against God’s people we can forget who is doing the real fighting – it’s God. If we don’t see God in the battle, we will live under the negative influence of fear.
The Lord began to frustrate the plan of attack, and the people were able to return to their work. Something changed for the workers. “The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm” (vs. 17-18). In New Covenant terms, the sword on their side means the word of God. We do spiritual battle from the truth of Scripture, not human opinion.
“When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!” (vs. 20). As the trumpeter blew the shofar, the people ran to the sound because that is where the attack was taking place.
Finally, Nehemiah divided the workers into two groups. One group would be on guard duty, and the other half would work on the wall. “During this time, none of us – not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me – ever took off our clothes. We always carried our weapons with us, even when we went for water” (vs. 23).
All spiritual battles are won by three things: the truth of God’s word, our spiritual readiness, and our dependence on God in the battle. Without those three issues at work, we will be a divided people who will yield to the threats and mockery of the enemy. God’s word, our spiritual readiness for battle, and the faithfulness of God are what bring us victory in spiritual warfare.
Oh my goodness. I saw a video of you on social media. I loved what you said and googled you. My heart is so broken-I am close to Minneapolis and the grief is unbearable. But I find strength in your words. I am 71 and recently converted to Catholicism. I too believe the church needs to be one. Thank you