![]() You may be a student, a teacher, a businessman, or a mom, but you should not be mistaken, you are doing the Lord’s work. We also are called to do the work of the Lord. Nehemiah is going through an “evil day,” an evil season of assault on his life and ministry. Similarly, here in chapter 6, we see many different types of attacks that the enemy brings against Nehemiah. There is an all-out attack on Job that he must stand against. He loses his family, his wealth, and his health, all in a very short time period. I think we get a picture of the evil day when Satan attacks Job. He said “when the day of evil comes.” We mentioned this briefly in chapter 4. However, Paul is clearly referring to times when the enemy increases assaults for the purpose of discouraging God’s people and hindering his work. Some commentators have said we always live in “the evil day,” the time between Christ’s first and second coming in which we are always under the attack of Satan. Paul said, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). In Ephesians 6, we are called to prepare for this warfare. The contents of this chapter, I believe, apply specifically to the spiritual warfare of a believer and especially to leaders. This is important for us to see and consider. If they can stop Nehemiah, they can discourage the people and finally stop this work. The building continued as they worked with a brick in one hand and a weapon in the other (Neh 4:17), and now all that remained was adding the gates (6:1).īecause of this, the enemies of Israel make one last major assault, specifically targeting Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard about this, he warned Israel and set up guards to fight in case of invasion. However, when they saw that the building of the wall was progressing, they decided to secretly form an army and come against Israel (Neh 4:8). In chapter 4, when Israel began to build, they mocked them saying that even if a fox went on the wall it would fall (4:10). In chapter 2, they became angry and incensed that somebody had come to “promote the welfare of the Israelites” (2:10). Sanballat and other Samaritans had been trying to discourage Israel. Because of the progress and the certainty of completion, the attacks of the enemy increased.įrom the beginning of this restoration project, Nehemiah and the Israelites had enemies trying to stop the work. In chapter 6, Nehemiah had completed the walls but had not added the gates. In chapter 1, the Lord stirred Nehemiah, a man serving under the king of Persia, to come back to Jerusalem and inspire the remnant to rebuild the wall of the capital city and to help restore the worship of Israel. After 70 years in exile, small remnants started to return to the land of Israel. ![]() Because they rebelled against God during the reign of the kings, the Lord judged them and sent them to exile in Babylon. In this story, the Jews have been living in Israel without walls around the city of Jerusalem. What are common tactics that the enemy uses to hinder the work of God? Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter… Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it-though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates- Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.
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