Sunsets and Endings

 

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. (Nehemiah 6:15–16 ESV).

 

Several years ago, while driving through Cade’s Cove Loop in the Smoky Mountains, Mary and I stopped to watch the sunset before exiting. We had spent the afternoon riding the loop, looking at the cabins and churches, walking a bit on some easy trails, and enjoying seeing all the wildlife. The picture I’ve attached is looking over a field where we had already seen several deer cross and I thought “what a great way to end the day!” Sunsets are God’s way of reminding us that a part of our journey is ending. Whether the day was filled with simple tasks and projects or hard experiences and circumstances, it has come to an end.

 

It’s a great feeling to finish a long and difficult project. Imagine how it felt for Nehemiah and the Jews to have completed their building project. They had worked under threats of attack and delays, under a cloud of tension day and night. Finally, after fifty-two days of nearly constant work, the wall of Jerusalem was finished. However, they knew their journey was not finished. Tensions with their enemies continued.

 

Nehemiah knew that opposition would not stop just because the work was finished. When the final touches around the doors and gates were complete, Israel’s enemies “were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of [Israel’s] God.” As a result, threats from their enemies kept coming. The people had to remember why they began the rebuilding in the first place—God had called them to be his people and to be a light for the other nations. Their enemies could not defeat God, but they would surely keep trying.

 

We should let every sunset remind us of this great truth: while the day may be ending, we have not finished. God has called you and will always be with you. Even if people are not celebrating God’s work in your life, you have a Savior who is always for you, not against you. You can trust him!

 

DEFCON 1

 

Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid. (Nehemiah 6:10–14 ESV).

 

DEFCON (Defense Readiness Condition) is the U.S. military's alert system with five levels (5 being lowest, 1 being highest threat) for national security, signaling readiness for conflict. The system, developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ensures standardized communication of readiness, though the specific level is kept secret for security reasons. If we take this scale and apply it to the circumstances Nehemiah was facing in our reading today, he would have been at DEFCON 1. This was not because of a physical threat. It was more insidious than that. His enemies had gone to great lengths to discredit and tarnish Nehemiah’s reputation.

 

Nehemiah knew when people were trying to trick him. His enemies tried again and again to stop the work of rebuilding God’s city. They even sent Nehemiah a false message about a rumor of revolt against the king, hoping he would fall for it. But Nehemiah was aware of their plot and wouldn’t take the bait. So, the enemies tried a different tactic. They hired a prophet to try to trick him. But he prayed that the Lord would strengthen his hands and sharpen his mind, and he was able to resist. He said, “I realized that God had not sent [this prophet], but that … he had been hired to intimidate me.”

 

Jesus taught his disciples that he would be sending them out like sheep among wolves. He warned them to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves”; he said, “Be on your guard” (Matthew 10:16-17). We also are called to be on high alert with people who wish to deter us from keeping our focus on serving God. In a world such as we live in today, we are certainly at DEFCON 1… stay alert!

 

Restoring Hope

 

I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised. (Nehemiah 5:6–13 ESV).

 

In our reading today we find a very important message for our current culture. The entire chapter tells the story of how people were struggling to make ends meet and that many of their fellow Jews were taking advantage of them. It is important to note that Nehemiah was not silent. He addressed this matter of injustice with grace and firmness.

 

First, Nehemiah took seriously the cries of injustice. Rich nobles and officials were mistreating many of their poorer brothers and sisters, charging interest on debts and even selling their children into slavery for payment. Nehemiah heard their cries for justice.

 

Second, Nehemiah acted. Justice must be addressed with appropriate remedies. Nehemiah gathered the nobles and officials and pointed out that they were not acting in a God-fearing manner. Nehemiah told them to give back the fields and houses—and the interest they had charged. The rich nobles and officials took Nehemiah’s words to heart. They responded by giving back what had been taken from the poor people who cried out. Justice is an important value to God. Jesus came to bring justice into the world, and he calls us to follow his example. We are to work toward justice where it is in short supply. We must call people back to the will and purpose of God. That restores hope!

 

When Circumstances Are Tense

 

In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes. When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah. (Nehemiah 4:10-16 ESV).

 

Israel’s opponents mounted a fierce campaign against them. Sanballat and his friends tried to bully God’s people to stop the work of rebuilding. They ridiculed the people and threatened violence. And the people reacted in a very normal way. Their emotional strength began to falter. Tension began to rise as exhaustion set in and the fear of attack surfaced. Nehemiah handled this situation in a way that is a wonderful lesson for us when we find ourselves in circumstances that are tense.

 

With their enemies breathing down their necks, Nehemiah encouraged the people to keep up the work. He prayed for God’s protection. With hands lifted to heaven, he prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads.” In addition to prayer, he stationed people as guards. If an attack was evident, they were ready to fight. Nehemiah’s words and wisdom provided solace and strength to the people. He spoke into the tension by saying, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

 

Tension is a gift if we seize it as an opportunity to strengthen our faith in the Lord, who is strong and mighty. Jesus never ran away from tension. He embraced it as a gift that can be used to become courageous in the midst of fear. We don’t seek out tension, but it may be a gift we really need.

 

Being Next To...

 

Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. (Nehemiah 3:1-2 ESV).

 

Our reading today is merely the first two verses of the third chapter in Nehemiah’s recounting of the rebuilding of the city walls, gates and the temple. I encourage you to read the entirety of the chapter, though for our purposes today these two verses are sufficient. You will notice there are many names in the chapter; and, to those unfamiliar with the Hebrew language, very difficult to pronounce. Because of that we tend to skip over these portions of Scripture. However, that’s a mistake. To Nehemiah, they were real people, with families and stories. The people who worked on the gates and walls mattered to God, and God mattered to them. They worked, prayed, worshiped, laughed, and cried next to each other.

 

The words “next to” are crucial. God takes seriously our capacity to serve together as a community in doing his work. This picture I’ve attached is from a mission trip in East Tennessee with other men from Maury Baptist Association when we deployed a team of men to repair/reconstruct a family’s roof. I did spend a great deal of time on the roof tearing off the old roof and replacing it with new tin panels, though in this picture you can see me “supervising” in the lower left of the photo. I was privileged to accompany these men on many such trips. It was essential that we work together. That is the concept of being “next to” in our reading today.

 

Nobody worked alone, trying to control the project. The repairs were made by people working side by side. Their love and care for each other must have caught the eye of people watching them. Their diversity worked in unity. That’s community development at its best. The apostle Paul knew the story of Nehemiah well. He wrote to explain to a newly formed group of Jesus followers, “A body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12). When we work together in any of the many ministries of the church we show the unity of Christ. When we serve next to each other in a spirit of unity and grace, Jesus becomes contagious and winsome. It’s the church’s message that Christ is real in us. This brings success and victory!

 

The King's Cupbearer

 

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. (Nehemiah 2:1–8 ESV).

 

Remember from our reading yesterday that Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king (cf. Nehemiah 1:11). This meant he was a high-ranking, trusted royal official in ancient courts, responsible for serving the king's drinks, tasting them first to guard against poison, and often becoming a confidant and influential advisor due to their constant proximity to the monarch. This role, exemplified by figures like Nehemiah in the Bible, demanded absolute loyalty, as it involved risking one's life and privy to state secrets, making it a position of significant power, not just menial service. 

 

As the king’s cupbearer, Nehemiah had a relationship with Artaxerxes that was built on trust. Nehemiah sensed that the Lord had called him to help his people. So he asked the king for permission to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem. Then, with help from the king and building resources provided, he set out to do this God-honoring work.

 

Now, when we have determined, through discernment and prayer, to do the will of God, we can expect opposition. That soon happened to Nehemiah. Sanballat and Tobiah wanted to stop the rebuilding project. “They were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.” Notice that God doesn’t “wave a magic wand” to relieve the struggle. He just keeps working through kings, people, and circumstances. And Nehemiah trusts God to bring success. Despite the opposition, he knows the Lord is with him.

 

The Lord Jesus has called you and I to rebuild the broken places of our world. We can expect that our work will face trials and setbacks from people opposed to God’s plans. But be assured that the Holy Spirit is working on our behalf. “He who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). God is working through us. Let us rebuild the broken walls of society and bring glory to Jesus’ name.

 

Nehemiah

 

[Nehemiah wrote] As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king. (Nehemiah 1:4–11 ESV).

 

During the rest of this month we will study the book of Nehemiah, who became a community developer for God in Jerusalem. Before that, however, Nehemiah served as “cupbearer to the king” in Susa, one of the capital cities of Persia. He had to sample the king’s wine (and other foods) to protect the king from being poisoned by enemies. When some of Nehemiah’s people (the Jews) came to report about the troubles in Jerusalem, God called Nehemiah to a new job.

 

Nehemiah was an organizer. He knew how to pull teams together. He was knowledgeable about woods, metals, and surveying. But he didn’t begin by raising money or gathering workers; his work began with prayer. “LORD, the God of heaven … let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying.” Nehemiah realized his plans would be futile if the Lord wasn’t at the center of them from the start.

 

In the New Testament, Jesus spent hours in prayer before choosing his disciples. He spent much time with the Father before going to the cross. He taught his disciples how to pray. The renewing work of God begins on our knees—not with a tape measure or a smart phone. Is the Lord asking you to come to him in prayer before you begin work today? Renewal starts in our hearts before God.