Building A Firm Foundation Series

Building a Firm Foundation

"For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done." Now therefore, O God strengthen my hands." (Nehemiah 6:9)

We have heard this parable from Jesus. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27

The wise man built his house on the rock, and the foolish man built his house on the sand. When the winds and rain came down on the house, only the house that stood on the rock stood firm. “The word of God is our rock, and His name is our stronghold” (Proverb 18:10). When we stand firm in the word of God, no adversity or opposition can shake us or make us stumble. But we must hear His saying and put them into action.

Nehemiah faced many adversities and enemies while rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which was 2½ miles in circumference and took 52 days to complete.

For the last 5 chapters and even in chapter 6, Nehemiah has seen opposition from all sides. Before, the opposition was directed at the people of Jerusalem, but now, in chapter 6, it is directly focused on Nehemiah as a leader. Sooner or later, all opposition will go towards the leader, because everything rises and falls on leadership. For example, in war, enemy troops are often told to shoot at the commanding officer. But in this chapter, you will also see how even though every attack was aimed at Nehemiah, he was not shaken. He did not crumble or fall, because his foundation was built on the word of God.

Therefore, dear children of God, when you have opposition coming at you from all sides, listen to these three lessons from Nehemiah: Stay focused on God, Stay faithful to God, and Stay firm in the Word of God.

I. Stay Focused

"Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates). That Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono." But they thought to do me harm." (Nehemiah, 6:1-2)

Up until now, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem have tried everything they knew to sabotage the work on the wall. They tried to divert the people of Israel, endanger them, and discredit them. Therefore, now they decided to try diplomacy. They ask Nehemiah to stop what he is doing, and come talk to them.

Some may ask, "What harm might talking cause?" There is only one problem about Nehemiah stopping what he was doing, and taking time to talk to the enemy - the job was not yet finished. Even though the walls had been built, the doors and the gates had not been hung. There was still a lot of work to do. But now the enemies were trying to attack Nehemiah. Do you think they wanted to congratulate Nehemiah? Do you think that they were going to help or say anything positive to Nehemiah? No. Your enemy and adversities only want to drag you down. And their negative word can distract you from the mighty power of God.

Nehemiah knew that he could not be side-tracked from what God had called him to do. He did not change his focus, but kept his feet firmly planted in the word of God. "Hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table." (Proverbs 14:23, MSG). Nehemiah showed his focus on God through his actions and hard work. He did not give any time to his enemies to pollute his focus.

But his enemies did not stop trying to side-track him. Nehemiah says in Chapter 6:4 "But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner." This is the moment in the parable where the wind and the rains start to test the foundation of our homes. Have you built your foundation on the word of God? No matter how many times your opposition tries to belittle you or distract you, your foundation in God will help you to only focus on Him. Nehemiah states, "So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?' " (Nehemiah 6:3)