Dealing with opposition: Nehemiah 4:10-5:13
February 7th, 2008 at 9:00 am (4:9-5:13, Nehemiah)
Question- How do you deal with people who oppose you? Some people fight, others back down.
Better Question- How do you deal with people who oppose God?
Nehemiah knew that rebuilding Jerusalem’s city wall wasn’t his project. It was God’s. It stands to reason, then, that opposers - like Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arab - were really opposing God Himself. And that makes a world of difference.
Before we go on, let me point out that all of us would give lip service to that idea.
Person 1: “Awesome response to our outreach program!! Good work, guys!”
Person 2: “Uh, excuse me, but wasn’t it God’s outreach effort, and we just carried out for Him?”
Person 1: “Well, yes. Sure it is! Let’s thank God for everything He did.”
We know that’s the way we’re supposed to think, but in practice we easily get caught up in our own efforts and take the credit ourselves.
The problem with that isn’t so obvious when things go well. The problem comes out when we encounter problems, like opposition.
If it’s our work,
- We take opposition personally
- We pump up our pride and fight back, or
- We get scared and back down
If it’s God’s work, though, we deal with it by completely trusting Him. Obviously, no one can beat God.
That doesn’t mean do nothing but pray. Not at all. In fact, look at Nehemiah’s response.
Sanballat and Tobiah made plans to destroy Jerusalem. Nehemiah found out about it.
- His first response? “We prayed to our God” (4:9)
- His second response? “We posted a guard day and night” (4:9)
Kind of sounds like “praise God and pass the ammunition,” doesn’t it? Or as Dwight Moody once said, “Trust as though it all depends on God; Act as though it all depends on you.” By posting armed guards, Nehemiah and his team simply gave God a vehicle to work through.
The one thing that was never an option was “back down.” How can you back down when people are fighting against God and you’re on His team?
In your ministry, it’s not only important to do God’s work. It’s also important to protect it from the enemy’s attack (Satan and his servants). This is primarily done by equipping workers with the breastplate of righteousness and the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:16-17).
Biblically knowledgeable, personally righteous servants of God are the most effective protection against Satan’s attack.
In fact, those are exactly the weapons Nehemiah had to use for the next threat to progress. It was an internal threat; People working on the wall were becoming weak and poor, partly because of the costs associated with building the wall, partly because they had to pay high taxes to the Persian government, and partly because there were drought and famine in the land. The Jewish wealthy class clearly broke God’s Leviticus 25 law by loaning money to the poor with interest and forcing them to sell their sons and daughters as slaves (5:1-11).
Nehemiah reminded them of what they already knew in scripture. They repented and lifted the oppression (5:12-13). He wielded the Sword of the Spirit and they put on the breastplate of righteousness. Then the work continued.
More questions:
- Have you encountered opposers in your own ministry? Why do you think they are against your work?
- If you haven’t encountered opposition, why do you think that is?
- Have you relied on God’s strength in your work? Or, have you been doing the work in your own strength, your own way?
- Is God getting the credit for the work and its results? How can you ensure that He does?
- How can you take the focus off of yourself and those working with you and put it on Him?
These are the questions we must grapple with in ministry. If you submit yourself to God you will deal with these things from time to time.
Here’s our commitment for this week:
Keep your prayer life active for your ministry. As you encounter opposition, remember that they are really opposing God, and He can handle it. If you feel yourself getting discouraged, turn to God and ask Him to remind you continually that it is His project. Then trust Him to bring it to completion through you. Keep your eyes firmly on the goal. Analyze the work you are involved in to determine what judgments you’ve made without asking God for wisdom. Work on knowing the difference between your wisdom and His. Also, make specific plans to place the focus on God. Make sure He gets the credit and the glory. Pray continually, and get your hands dirty. Help those working with you to develop these same attitudes.