Nehemiah 4

The Explanation

The city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. Its wall, the big stone wall that kept the city safe, was broken and burned. Stones lay in heaps everywhere, black with soot. And now the people were putting them back. Stone by stone. Hands raw, backs aching, dust in their hair.

But someone was watching. His name was Sanballat, and he did not like it one bit. He stood there with his soldiers and he laughed out loud. "What are these feeble Jews doing?" he shouted. "Will they finish in a day? Can they bring those burned stones back to life?"

Next to him stood Tobiah, and he laughed even harder. "If a fox climbed on that wall," he said, "the whole thing would fall down."

A fox. A little animal with skinny legs. That is how weak they said the wall was.

Do you know what Nehemiah did? He did not shout back. He prayed. "Hear, our God; for we are despised," he said. He handed the mocking over to God, like handing over a stone that is too heavy to carry.

And then, verse 6 says something wonderful. "So we built the wall." They just kept going. Halfway up the whole wall stood, all around the city, because the people had a mind to work.

But the laughing turned into something worse. Sanballat and Tobiah and their friends made a plan. A secret plan. They would come at night and attack, and nobody would see them coming. "They will not know or see," they said.

The builders got scared. Ten times people came running with the same news: they are coming for us, from every side. And the workers said, "We are so tired. There is so much rubble. We cannot do it."

Would you have kept building? With tired arms, and enemies out there in the dark?

Nehemiah stood up. He put families together with their swords and their spears and their bows, in the low places behind the wall. And then he said something they never forgot. "Don't be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome."

Remember the Lord. Not: look how big the enemy is. But: look how big God is.

And here is the strange, brave picture. From that day on, half of the men worked and half of them stood guard with spears and shields. The ones carrying stones held a load in one hand and a weapon in the other. Every builder wore a sword at his side while he worked. Right next to Nehemiah stood a man with a trumpet.

"The wall is long," Nehemiah said, "and we are spread far apart. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, come running to us. Our God will fight for us."

They worked from sunrise until the stars came out. They slept in the city, in their clothes, with their weapon beside them, ready.

And the wall went up.

What Does This Mean?

God's work often gets laughed at. Sanballat and Tobiah did not throw stones first, they threw words. Words can hurt just as much. But Nehemiah shows you what to do with mean words: you take them to God, and then you pick up the next stone.

Notice that God did not make the enemies disappear. He gave the people courage to keep going with a sword at their side. Sometimes God takes trouble away. Sometimes He carries you straight through it.

The Common Thread

Jerusalem needed a wall so God's people would be safe inside. Later Jesus came to that same city. He was mocked too, much worse than Nehemiah was. People laughed at Him while He hung on the cross.

But He did not come down. He finished the work. And now Jesus Himself is the safe place, better than any wall of stone.

For You

This week you will probably meet a Sanballat. Someone who laughs when you pray before your lunch, or says something mean about how you draw or run or read. Do two things Nehemiah did. First, tell God about it, quietly, in your own words. Then keep going. Keep doing the good thing.

And if you see someone else being laughed at, be the trumpet. Go stand next to them.

Talk About It

Nehemiah told the people, "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome." What helps you remember that God is bigger than the thing you are scared of?

Why do you think the builders kept working, even though they were tired and afraid?

Praying Together

Lord God, You are great and awesome. When people laugh at me, help me not to laugh back, but to tell You about it. Give me strong hands to keep doing what is good. And thank You that You fight for us. Amen.