Neh 4:10 | KingComments | STEP | Despite Nehemiah’s steadfastness, determination, and trust in God, the enemy’s attacks are not without result. The people are becoming restless. Especially Judah has come under the influence of the opponents. Not that they have become afraid of the opposition, the influence reveals itself in a different way. They measure the amount of work that remains to be done against the rest of their forces and draw the conclusion that the balance between them is lost. There will always be people who have an apology for the ruins. They want to leave everything as it always has been. That they have little strength is true. That there is a lot of rubble is also true. But the conclusion that therefore it makes no sense to continue to build comes from unbelief. Unbelief is the result of looking at the problems without God. Separation must be maintained, no matter how great the weakness, and no matter how much in Christianity corruption has penetrated. A question like ‘does it make sense, because the decay is too great?’ is a breeding ground for discouragement. Questions with this content will become all the more pressing as opposition increases. Faith, however, calculates with God. It is not about the power of the people, but about the power of God. It is the very Judah who gives up courage. The royal tribe, called by Jacob in his prophecy “lion’s welp … lion … lioness” ( ), the elite of the workers, no longer sees the sense in it. This is a great test for Nehemiah. But he does not know the word “give up”, convinced as he is of his Godly mission. Of course there is a lot of rubble. Nebuchadnezzar has done his work thoroughly. He left no stone on the other. But before building can be done, rubble must be cleared and the original foundations uncovered. Walls cannot be built on rubble. First into the depths, then upwards. Clearing rubble is not a rewarding job. You are constantly confronted with failure. And as long as you can’t build, there doesn’t seem to be any progress. Much has come to light in Christianity that does not belong to God. False teachings, sectarianism, sinful ways of living must be removed before healthy doctrine can take root. There is still a lesson to be learned from the moment when the men of Judah weaken their sigh and threaten to give up their courage. This difficult moment has come when the wall is half finished, when the work is half done. Such a moment can be recognized in the life of the Christian, when the first days of his conversion are over, as well as the first experiences with God in the miracle of salvation. The initial enthusiasm wanes, the momentum is lost, you get tired, while there is still a long way to go. You could say that ‘midlife crisis’ has arrived. You get the feeling that what has already happened is not finished, and that the road that still has to be taken is too long. What has already happened is becoming more and more in the background. You look ahead at all the work that still has to be done, but feel your strength ebbing. What lies behind you has asked too much of your powers. You want to leave it at that, it’s been enough. You are no longer up for a new challenge, it is too much to ask. Then listen to the encouragement from God’s Word: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” ( ).

‏ Nehemiah 4:10

The Strength Is Failing

Despite Nehemiah’s steadfastness, determination, and trust in God, the enemy’s attacks are not without result. The people are becoming restless. Especially Judah has come under the influence of the opponents. Not that they have become afraid of the opposition, the influence reveals itself in a different way. They measure the amount of work that remains to be done against the rest of their forces and draw the conclusion that the balance between them is lost. There will always be people who have an apology for the ruins. They want to leave everything as it always has been.

That they have little strength is true. That there is a lot of rubble is also true. But the conclusion that therefore it makes no sense to continue to build comes from unbelief. Unbelief is the result of looking at the problems without God. Separation must be maintained, no matter how great the weakness, and no matter how much in Christianity corruption has penetrated. A question like ‘does it make sense, because the decay is too great?’ is a breeding ground for discouragement. Questions with this content will become all the more pressing as opposition increases. Faith, however, calculates with God. It is not about the power of the people, but about the power of God.

It is the very Judah who gives up courage. The royal tribe, called by Jacob in his prophecy “lion’s welp … lion … lioness” (Gen 49:9), the elite of the workers, no longer sees the sense in it. This is a great test for Nehemiah. But he does not know the word “give up”, convinced as he is of his Godly mission. Of course there is a lot of rubble. Nebuchadnezzar has done his work thoroughly. He left no stone on the other. But before building can be done, rubble must be cleared and the original foundations uncovered. Walls cannot be built on rubble. First into the depths, then upwards.

Clearing rubble is not a rewarding job. You are constantly confronted with failure. And as long as you can’t build, there doesn’t seem to be any progress. Much has come to light in Christianity that does not belong to God. False teachings, sectarianism, sinful ways of living must be removed before healthy doctrine can take root.

There is still a lesson to be learned from the moment when the men of Judah weaken their sigh and threaten to give up their courage. This difficult moment has come when the wall is half finished, when the work is half done. Such a moment can be recognized in the life of the Christian, when the first days of his conversion are over, as well as the first experiences with God in the miracle of salvation. The initial enthusiasm wanes, the momentum is lost, you get tired, while there is still a long way to go.

You could say that ‘midlife crisis’ has arrived. You get the feeling that what has already happened is not finished, and that the road that still has to be taken is too long. What has already happened is becoming more and more in the background. You look ahead at all the work that still has to be done, but feel your strength ebbing. What lies behind you has asked too much of your powers. You want to leave it at that, it’s been enough. You are no longer up for a new challenge, it is too much to ask. Then listen to the encouragement from God’s Word: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal 6:9).