Some people may think the Old Testament is not relevant to them today so they don’t spend much time reading it. But we can learn so much from those who have gone before us. (But just a reminder: we are not living under the old covenant of law, but in the new covenant of grace through Jesus.)
In my daily Bible reading, I was in Nehemiah. What an example of a godly character. Nehemiah was a Jewish captive in a foreign land. God had given him favor as cupbearer to the king. But his heart was with his people and the city of his God, Jerusalem. When he received news that the Jewish survivors of the captivity who were in Jerusalem were in distress and not following God, and that Jerusalem was in shambles, he was heartbroken. He wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed for days.
His passion was for the well-being of God’s people and the temple of his God.
His passion led him to take two major steps in his life. One: to approach the king and make a huge request. Two: relocate and undertake a seemingly overwhelming project.
Passion for God’s work starts with a passion for God.
In fact, there is no passion for His work without first a passion for Him. That is why the Jews in Jerusalem were in such a bad state – they had lost their passion for their God. Even though Nehemiah was in a foreign country, in a strange culture, he never lost his passion for his God. Because of that, God gave him favor with the king who granted all his requests. Now he was physically equipped to begin his journey to bring restoration. What lay ahead was a seemingly impossible task of rebuilding the city walls and temple, and even more difficult still, helping the people rebuild their relationship with their God.
Nehemiah’s passion has brought him back to the city of his God. But it’s his focus that enables him to complete the assignment God has tasked him with. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 relate the fierce opposition Nehemiah faced from within the walls and outside the walls. But, to me, chapter 6 defines four tactics that come against us all: distractions, threats, deception, and deceit.
Starting in verse 1 through 4, Nehemiah relates how his enemies tried to distract him. They wanted to have a face-to-face meeting. Nehemiah might have thought, “Oh, maybe they want a truce or compromise. That would be good. I should find out what they want.” But Nehemiah discerned they only wanted to do him harm. His response was, “I’m not leaving God’s work to meet with you. Why should I let God’s work stop just for you?”
Not everything that’s shiny is always good. There’s good works and there’s God’s works. Don’t let the enemy distract you with good things. I could even say, don’t let good people distract you with good things, thinking, “Oh, I could do that, then come back to this, or do them both.” There’s an old saying, “If you want a man to lose his vision – give him two.” And don’t be distracted with bad things, thinking, “Look at everything that’s going wrong. How will I ever finish this? Maybe this wasn’t from God after all.” Nehemiah knew his assignment and kept his focus.
When distraction didn’t work, Nehemiah’s enemies turned to threats. Verses 5 through 9 relate those threats. I love Nehemiah’s response! Basically, in verses 8 and 9, Nehemiah tells them it’s all a lie and they’re just making things up to make him afraid so he’ll stop. But he told them in no uncertain terms that it wouldn’t work. Nehemiah turned to God and said, “O God, strengthen my hands.” You may be facing imaginary or real threats. Just remember, God hasn’t given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7). Don’t let threats steal your focus.
Nehemiah’s enemies were relentless. Distractions and threats didn’t work, so they moved to deception. They had an ‘inside’ man, a prophet, who was feeding Nehemiah ungodly advice and fear. He was telling Nehemiah he should hide in the temple and protect himself or they would kill him. Again, Nehemiah’s answer was awesome! “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” We need to be warriors, not wimps. Because of Jesus, our enemy is defeated (Colossians 2:15). We are more than conquerors in Jesus (Romans 8:37).
The last weapon they had to use was deceit. Verses 15 through 19 reveals to us how, unfortunately, deceit can come from within, from those who say they are believers or friends. They’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing (I John 2:18, 19). Nehemiah discerned this deceit. He kept his focus. He stayed the course and finished his assignment.
I encourage you not to be distracted, discouraged, or dismayed.
God has given you everything you need to accomplish everything He has called you to do (II Peter 1:3, 4). It is through His strength that we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). Keep your focus and stay the course!
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