A TIME TO BUILD
#148 A TIME TO BUILD
Scripture Nehemiah 2 NIV Orig. 8-31-62
Rewr. 4-1-77
Passage: In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal[a] Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
Purpose: To call attention to the fundamental reality alive within the church, to discover the needs which are basic to its renewal and revitalization
Introduction
Walk with me through this Old Testament passage by keeping in mind a New Testament event. In Acts 12, we discover that the apostle Peter had been imprisoned. King Herod had moved in persecution against certain of the believers. He did not do so out of any conviction, but because he discovered it improved his image with the Hebrew people. As Peter was arrested during the Passover Celebration Herod’s plans were to execute him immediately after this religious holy week was past. He had already executed the apostle James to the great pleasure of the Jewish leaders.
The believers were earnestly in prayer in Peter’s behalf. The night before he was to be executed, he was asleep, double-chained between two soldiers. Four watches of four men each were charged with the responsibility of guarding this man. The literal rendering of the Greek here says, “And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon, and a light shone,” which is so much like the account of the annunciation to the shepherds. Peter was awakened, and commanded to arise, as if from the dead; and as he did so, the chains fell off his hands and he was led from the prison, to find himself after a bit, alone in the street.
The awakening activity was totally a work of the messenger of God. He had been told only to arise quickly. It was in the process of obedience that the chains fell from his wrists, and he was set free. Awakening us to spiritual reality is the work of God. Believing the message that is mandated by God’s messenger is up to us. Which of us could have faulted Peter if he had looked at his double chains, and the guards on either side, and the knowledge that two more waited at the gate, had he assumed that any move toward freedom would simply hasten his death?
Three factors are involved if we are to reckon with the resurgence of new life out of the old.
- The initial awakening of God.
- The illuminating command of God.
- The infusion of obedience in the human will.
I. This Can Only Begin in a Life Where There is an Insurmountable Void of Emptiness. V2 Wherefore the King said unto me, “Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Nehemiah had already been through the worst of the experience. He knew God’s will. The question was now how he could accomplish it. This was compounded by a remorse and concern that had begun to escape his composure.
For instance, if you were servant to one of these ancient, Oriental kings, you were not allowed the liberty of heartsickness. Whether you feel like it or not, you act happy when the king is around.
You see, the problem was not Nehemiah’s alone. It belonged to the people. V3 . . . “Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed by fire.” They too are out of touch with God, and they must likewise discover that God wills them into the fray that will accomplish His purpose. How easy it is for the heart to grow fat and lethargic in complacency. Just to hear Bible study once a week on Sunday is never enough.
For instance, you recall the commercial of the company who makes weekends? The poor soul is pictured sitting in that over-stuffed chair watching someone’s excitement, until he becomes a part of the chair.
What Israel needed was the One who really does make weekends, and weekdays also. They are in captivity because they forgot Deuteronomy 28, “If you do not hearken to the voice of the Lord . . . He will bring a nation against thee from afar.” In 1:8, Nehemiah quotes Leviticus 26:33, “If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations.”
The Lord is the One working behind the scenes to awaken them. He will work through Nehemiah, but also through Artaxerxes. The initial step here must be that of repentance: Discovering that we are away from God; discovering that that obvious reality is itself the work of God; discovering that He compels our return to Him, not for ourselves alone, but likewise for those who fall under the sphere of our influence.
II. In a Vacuum of Personal Commitment, the Time to Build Continues with the Stark Confirmation of God’s Total Commitment to His People. V4b-8 “So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king—Nehemiah makes his petition to return to and rebuild Jerusalem--. . . And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.” The Old Testament is a revolving saga of God’s grace at work in the aftermath of His people’s repentance. He asks for no guarantees for He above all others knows that we are incapable of them. He asks only that we commit ourselves to His principles. He then helps us to understand that the only way to accomplish this is to submit our will to His.
The same grace which we have come to understand in the aftermath of Jesus, and that we are in danger of forgetting in a day of sophisticated snobbery, was the grace operative in the Old Testament. Grace is not just an unmerited gift. It is not just such a gift form God. It is the unmerited gift of life from the heavenly Father, who is the giver “of every good and perfect gift.” Grace is God, communicating Himself to man, and entrusting this receiver with forgiveness and restored fellowship.
In God’s total commitment to His people, there is His demand for our honesty to ourselves and to Him. It isn’t easy to be the people He expect us to be. Nehemiah’s burden had been a long one, and it would be years before he would see it fulfilled. Hanani’s return in the first chapter of Nehemiah “mourned certain days” four months before petitioning the king. The Jews had been back in Palestine 80 years or so, and had managed only a very modest temple.
We often fail to consider God’s resources. While the particulars are hazy in that there were two men named Artaxerxes, there is little doubt that they were son and/or grandson of Xerxes (Ahasuerus) and thus, stepson of Esther. Hear Mordecai say, “How do you know but that thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
While we must remember that God’s commitment to us is for His will, we have no finer option than obedience. Nehemiah had no way of knowing the king’s answer. He had only Hanani’s report of deplorable conditions. But a burden from God would not let him rest until he acted on the faith he had already expressed.
III. It is a Time to Build, and Vitalization of Personal Renewal is the Foundation Stone. “Opposition came in the wake of Nehemiah’s survey of the city. It was an opposition that could have been formidable. His climactic statement is a positive declaration of faith to God’s people. V20 “The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build.” To those who stood in the way his words left no doubt as to their intent. “. . . but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”
As God’s people, we do not have time to quibble among ourselves. The real opposition is from without, and as in Nehemiah’s day, Satan will leave no stone unturned to divest us of our spiritual power, and sidetrack us on secondary issues.
Are you committed to your Lord? He must first be your Lord. In a day when sin’s colors are wafted in the afternoon breezes, people with strong moral persuasion are likely to compare themselves with others, rather than God’s holy ordinances. Romans 5:19, “as by one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners, so by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
Are you committed to your Lord through His church which has a local, organizational entity, which is subject to change, as mandated by the people in the leading of God’s Holy Spirit? Do you see that the option of obedience is still as demanding, and as totally rewarding, as ever?
Renewal is the Foundation Stone upon which we can build. I call you now in commitment to that high hour.
Conclusion
For Peter, as for Nehemiah, victory began in the council chambers of God’s grace. Nothing would have happened apart from that. One was facing death. The other was facing a life of meaningless servitude to a chief of state. Both had but to initiate a step of faith to see their lives transformed into meaningful service to others, empowered by the will and purpose of God.
A MIND TO WORK
#125 A MIND TO WORK
Scripture Nehemiah 4:1-6, 15 NIV Orig. 3-10-63 (1-79)
Rewr. 4-12-88
Passage: [a] 1When 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!” 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.
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
Purpose: Using the occasion of the resettlement of Jerusalem to remind my people of the need to resettle our communities with the exercise of faith.
Keywords: Dedication God’s Purpose Work Energy
Introduction
We are watching with interest the proceedings in Panama. We know that for some of our countrymen the stakes are high indeed. Some Americans have invested everything they have in the country that tenuously oversees the great Panama Canal.
Just a few years ago there was a similar circumstance in Iran. Because of our oil interest, there were many Americans, and Louisianans, who had made that Middle East, Muslim country, their home. Almost overnight they had to leave. Some interviewed in the media indicated they were leaving behind everything they owned: homes, cars, furniture, even bank accounts. Those possessions were no longer worth the risk of holding on to them. Most of these same people had taken those jobs years before, precisely because they promised lucrative material return.
The departure of the Hebrews from Babylon was similar. Though it was 2500 years earlier, it was from a site perhaps no more than 300 miles away. They too had to decide about pulling up stakes and departing. They had to walk away from many evidences of material prosperity.
It was in Babylon that the Jews discovered what excellent tradesmen they were. A few had become so wealthy that they refused to leave. Many, most actually, remembered that they were the guardians of faith in the one holy and living God. They must leave all and return to Jerusalem, because to its environs the Messiah would return. Thus, with such a mind they set themselves to the tasks of return. They had “a mind to work.”
I. It Is with a Mind to Work That Hardships Must Be Faced. V2:17 “Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire; come, let us build up the walls of Jerusalem.” 2:19 [their enemies] “laughed . . . to scorn, and despised [them] . . . and said, ‘will ye rebel against the king?’”
4:8 “And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.”
Where there is this intent to serve, limitations do not distract. Success does not rest upon numbers alone. There were some Jews still in the country from before captivity. According to Ezra 2, 49,697 returned, including servants. Only 245 mules returned, but more than 6,000 donkeys. Others of their people would join them from time to time. Ezra was a priest, a religious leader who led in law and building the temple. The Temple was 20 years in building. A half century later Nehemiah would discover it still without unanimity.
There must be distinction between Jew and Samaritan for this unique national character to emerge. There was going to be opposition. They had to know who they were, and how the will of God related to them.
I knew a young man in seminary with a serious physical disability. He wanted to be a pastor. Much stood in the way. Would a church of “whole” people call him as pastor? He became a pastor in Fort Worth of a church of people with disabilities. He knew himself, and how he fit into the will of God.
Today, also, whatever the hardship is, commitment in the Lord is the solution. Nehemiah was given the key to the king’s storehouse. 2:8 “A letter unto Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest that he may give me timber.“ But by hard work this resource was used. 2:18b “So they strengthened their hands for this good work.”
If I could always choose my church hardship, it would be financial every time. People with a love for the Lord will rally around financial need. Big budgets don’t necessarily go with compassionate hearts. We are always better off with people who have little to give besides love, because they have “a mind to work.” People who give of their possessions are not easily led to give of themselves. It would do all of us well to consider how advantaged we are.
How to live on $100 a year: Get rid of all your furniture except one chair and one table. Throw out all TV sets, lamps and radios. Dispose of all of your clothing but your oldest dress or suit; one pair of shoes may be kept for the head of the family. Shut off the water, gas, electricity. Remove all appliances from the kitchen, keep . . . a small bag of flour, some sugar, salt, a few moldy potatoes, a handful of onion, some dried beans. Take away the house and move the family into the toolshed. Your neighborhood will be a shantytown. Move the nearest medical help ten miles away . . .a midwife. Get rid of your car. Forget about newspapers, magazines, books. You won’t miss them because you must also give up literacy. Count your emergency fund at $5. . . . No bank books, pension plans, insurance policies. Cultivate three acres as a tenant farmer. You can expect $100 to $300 a year in good years for cash crops. Pay a third to the landlord, at least a tenth to the money lender. Plan to take off 20 to 30 years in life expectancy. Millions do. . . , in fact, half of the people in our world actually live on $100 a year.” (Pulpit Helps – January 1979)
If you had to get by on less, could you still exercise your faith at your present level?
II. It Is with a Mind to Work That We Accomplish the Purpose of God. 4:6 “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.”
Up to now, theirs had been a work of furious futility. They knew too little of themselves. They discounted God as a viable presence. They were intimidated by the godlessness around them.
But in responding to the vocal challenges around them they were victorious. Ezra 6:14 “And the elders of the Jews builded and prospered, through the prophesy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.” Haggai 2:9 “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace.”
We also must deal with our extremities in coming to terms with the purpose of God. Our most basic excuse is “I don’t have time!” We find time for what we want. We waste huge segments on things that do not profit: Fill out a timesheet sometime; how much TV you watch might surprise you.
We also claim not to know how as an excuse. Some of the things that we take great pleasure in were first devised by people who didn’t know how. Some of the things that we are singularly competent in now, we once knew nothing about. Edison knew nothing of electricity. Bell knew not about telephones. Wilbur and Orville couldn’t fly no matter how hard they flapped their arms.
When God’s purpose becomes our purpose, we are no longer hindered by human weakness, but instead we are stimulated by divine strength. The best beginning place is in salvation. The Psalmist’s question was asked in 116:12 “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” His answer, 116:13 “I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.
Whatever it is to which we put our hand, if it is of value, we seek to accomplish it in God’s purpose. It was God’s wall. He would see to it. Thou must be of the mind to work.