A Mind to Work!

So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.   

Nehemiah 4:6

And it came to pass…

as the work progressed…

opposition arose…

Insulting. Scornful. Indignant…

the enemies of God began to mock…

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said…

What do these feeble Jews?

will they fortify themselves?

will they sacrifice?

will they make an end in a day?

will they revive the stones out of the heaps

of the rubbish which are burned?

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.   Nehemiah 4:1-3

And Nehemiah began to pray…

Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.  Nehemiah 4:4-5

And the people continued to build…

So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.   Nehemiah 4:6

But the enemies of God would not be silenced…

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth…  Nehemiah 4:7

And they conspired to prevent the work…

And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.   Nehemiah 4:8

Determined. Resolved. Focused…

Nehemiah prayed…

Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.   Nehemiah 4:9

And the situation grew worse…

because the work was great…

and their strength was diminished…

And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.   
Nehemiah 4:10

And the plot thickened against them…

And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.  
Nehemiah 4:11-12

So Nehemiah was moved to ACTION…

and set the battle in array…

Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.   Nehemiah 4:13-14

Their enemies were astonished…

And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.   Nehemiah 4:15

And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.  Nehemiah 6:16

And the work continued!

And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.

They which builded on the wall,

and they that bare burdens,

with those that laded,

every one with one of his hands

wrought in the work,

and with the other

hand held a weapon.

For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 

Nehemiah 4:16-18

And Nehemiah exhorted the people…

and encouraged them…

And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people…

The work is great and large,

and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet,

resort ye thither unto us:

our God shall fight for us.

So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears

from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.

So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.  Nehemiah 4:19-23

Through their combined efforts…the wall was completed in just 52 days!

So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.  Nehemiah 6:15

As it was in the days of Nehemiah…

So it continues unto this day…

The walls lay in ruinous heaps…

for the corruption, sin and rebellion of the people.

The work is great and large…

there is MUCH rubbish to overcome.

The enemies of the Living God stand ready and alert…

to discourage, hinder and completely stop the work of God.

Our strength and numbers are small…

and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

We must build with one hand…

and fight with the other.

So I put the question to you:

Do you have a mind to work?

If so…

Are you laboring to repair, restore and build up?

If not…

What exactly ARE you doing?

Arise and Build!

…Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste,

and the gates thereof are burned with fire:

come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem,

that we be no more a reproach.

…And they said, Let us rise up and build.

So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

Nehemiah 2:17-18

So the walls of that great city, Jerusalem…

lay in ruinous heaps…

for the corruption, sin and rebellion…

of her inhabitants.

Even so…

the time had come…

Time to Return…

Time to Repair…

Time to Restore…

Time to BUILD!

So Nehemiah, a servant of the Living God…

began to intercede…

according to the burden upon his heart.

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, Nehemiah 1:3-4

With great brokenness…

He prayed…

I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. 

We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.  Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 

But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.  Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.  (Nehemiah 1:5-10)

God heard his prayer…

and opened up a way…

for Nehemiah to return and BUILD!

Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,  and said unto the king…

Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad,

when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste,

and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.  And I said unto the king,

If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight,

that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.  Nehemiah 2: 2-5

So it pleased the king to send me…

Moreover…

I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; 

And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.

And the king granted me,

according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Nehemiah 2:6-8

Confident. Hopeful. Expectant.

Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem…

eager to begin the work…

So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.    Nehemiah 2:11-13

Meanwhile…

the enemies of God were stirred up against him…

When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.   Nehemiah 2:10

Nevertheless…

Nehemiah pressed forward…

with his eyes fixed upon the task at hand…

and his heart fixed upon the God of heaven.

Resolute. Earnest. Determined.

He rallied the workmen…

and delivered the charge…

Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste,

and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come,

and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem,

that we be no more a reproach.

Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me.  And they said…

Let us rise up and build.

So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

And their enemies mocked…

But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

But Nehemiah stood firm and steady…

Then answered I them, and said unto them…

The God of heaven, he will prosper us;

therefore we his servants will arise and build:

but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial,

in Jerusalem.   Nehemiah 2:17-20

Nehemiah, servant of the Living God…

willing to intercede …

willing to go…

willing to bear reproach…

and completely resolved to…

REPAIR the breeches…

RESTORE the destruction…

And BUILD UP the walls!

Are YOU willing and resolved?

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places:

thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations;

and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach,

The restorer of paths to dwell in.

Isaiah 58:12