Nehemiah 4:1-6:Tactics of the enemy Part 1

Nehemiah 4:1-6
Tactics of the enemy and ways to overcome

Nehemiah's book reminds me of real life and the spiritual battles we face. Throughout the book we will see core enemies again and again. It will become apparent that these enemies have intertwined themselves in such a way that one would never imagine. Yet God gives wisdom to Nehemiah and those who will work toward God’s plan for Jerusalem. The enemy has many weapons that we need to be aware of in our walk with God.


Intimidation
Nehemiah 4:1-3

1 [a]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—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”

Sanballat and his team were human beings, but they give us information about how the enemy of our soul works to bring destruction. The first thing we see here is intimidation and the casting of doubt. He calls the Jews feeble and mocks their ability to accomplish the task. He intensifies weakness instead of what unity under God can do. Think about this a moment. Are there things that God has placed in your heart that have been set aside because of the enemies tactic of ridicule and doubt casting? Don’t brush over this question. You may well find yourself realizing that you laid down the dream because of the enemies voice of intimidation. He may use people or simply plant a thought of inability in your mind. The question is what are we going to do with those voices the enemy yells in our ear?

Nehemiah 1:4-6

4 Hear us, 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[b] the builders. 6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

The people worked with all of their heart despite the insults and mockery thrown their way because they trusted God and Nehemiah’s leadership of steadfastness. Nehemiah’s response was so important because it would determine what those under his leadership would do. If he gave up and accepted the seeds of doubt and inability it would funnel down to the workers. He had to stand firm in what God told him and in God’s ability. You see it wasn’t just what he thought he could do…it was about what God could do through yielded vessels who understood the need to reject the tactics of the enemy and believe what God said to be true. Notice the prayer of Nehemiah. Basically, “Lord, I trust you to deal with these enemies.”