Neh 4:1 | KingComments | STEP | With each revival there is opposition. Ezra had experienced this (Ezra 4-5;10) and Nehemiah experiences this. Satan is always out to blur the distinction between the church and the world and if possible take it away. Wherever he succeeds, the truths of Christendom are partly or completely lost. In Nehemiah 4 there is open opposition from outside and we see the enemy as “a roaring lion” ( ). In Nehemiah 6 the opposition also comes from outside, but in veiled form and directed at Nehemiah personally. There the enemy appears as “an angel of light” ( ). In Nehemiah 5 there is no overt or veiled enmity from the outside, but there is internal struggle. There the people are the enemy of themselves. Nehemiah overcomes all hostilities in Nehemiah 4-6 because he knows God and involves Him in everything. Without God every opposition is too powerful for us, with God we overcome the greatest enemy. The opposition becomes fiercer. The enemy gets angrier as the building of the wall progresses. This is how it is with our separation. As long as we fulfill our religious duties, the enemy will not show himself. But as soon as sanctification of life is worked out in our practical lives, he becomes furious. The devil doesn’t care if someone converts to Christendom, as long as he is not living according to it. Sanballat expresses his anger with the use of mockery. His fearful suspicions which we read about in Nehemiah 2 are getting more and more ground ( ). In Nehemiah 2, he and his allies have already made themselves heard in the same, mocking way ( ). The hatred of his heart always seeks and finds ways to express itself. At first it is ‘only’ a mockery of the work. As the wall around Jerusalem closes, the enemy becomes furious. At first it is a frivolous mockery, now the mockery takes on a grim character. In the face of the increasing enmity which he and his companions display, Nehemiah’s courage and determination are also becoming more and more evident. We see his full trust in God and his great, passionate commitment to the service of the LORD. Today, men of the caliber of a Nehemiah are needed in the Lord’s service. Whoever wants to dedicate himself to the Lord and His people must count on opposition. The greater the determination of the servant, the fiercer the opposition. Satan knows on whom he is aiming: on everyone who is determined to obey the Lord and live for Him.

‏ Nehemiah 4:1

Introduction

With each revival there is opposition. Ezra had experienced this (Ezra 4-5;10) and Nehemiah experiences this. Satan is always out to blur the distinction between the church and the world and if possible take it away. Wherever he succeeds, the truths of Christendom are partly or completely lost.

In Nehemiah 4 there is open opposition from outside and we see the enemy as “a roaring lion” (1Pet 5:8). In Nehemiah 6 the opposition also comes from outside, but in veiled form and directed at Nehemiah personally. There the enemy appears as “an angel of light” (2Cor 11:14). In Nehemiah 5 there is no overt or veiled enmity from the outside, but there is internal struggle. There the people are the enemy of themselves.

Nehemiah overcomes all hostilities in Nehemiah 4-6 because he knows God and involves Him in everything. Without God every opposition is too powerful for us, with God we overcome the greatest enemy.

Sanballat Becomes Furious

The opposition becomes fiercer. The enemy gets angrier as the building of the wall progresses. This is how it is with our separation. As long as we fulfill our religious duties, the enemy will not show himself. But as soon as sanctification of life is worked out in our practical lives, he becomes furious. The devil doesn’t care if someone converts to Christendom, as long as he is not living according to it.

Sanballat expresses his anger with the use of mockery. His fearful suspicions which we read about in Nehemiah 2 are getting more and more ground (Neh 2:10). In Nehemiah 2, he and his allies have already made themselves heard in the same, mocking way (Neh 2:19). The hatred of his heart always seeks and finds ways to express itself. At first it is ‘only’ a mockery of the work. As the wall around Jerusalem closes, the enemy becomes furious. At first it is a frivolous mockery, now the mockery takes on a grim character.

In the face of the increasing enmity which he and his companions display, Nehemiah’s courage and determination are also becoming more and more evident. We see his full trust in God and his great, passionate commitment to the service of the LORD. Today, men of the caliber of a Nehemiah are needed in the Lord’s service. Whoever wants to dedicate himself to the Lord and His people must count on opposition. The greater the determination of the servant, the fiercer the opposition. Satan knows on whom he is aiming: on everyone who is determined to obey the Lord and live for Him.