Visioneering
The Reality of Opposition
Nehemiah 4
Matthew Sullivan
A Quaker farmer was having a hard time with his mule. No matter what he tried the mule would not get up. He told the mule I am a Quaker and you know I cannot hit you and I cannot curse you. However, I can sell you to my neighbor and he is not a Quaker and can beat the living daylights out of you.
We have all felt like that Quaker at times. We are aware of ways we cannot or should not respond to opposition. What we want is a permissible way to whip it.
Nehemiah is now facing opposition. He has begun the reconstruction. Things are going well and that is now a threat to his foes. These men have one priority that is because they want to keep the Jews weak. If Jerusalem was strong then that would endanger the balance of power in the region, and it would also rob Sanballat and his friends of influence and wealth. Sanballat would have the most to lose of course. As Governor of Samaria he had the most power. The Governors of the past took cues from him. The fact that the Jews would rebuild without him was infuriating. He was losing control and he didn’t like it.
Nehemiah 4:1-3
“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building--if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!"
Expect Opposition
Ralph W. Emerson said, “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you are wrong.” Someone once said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.” In other words, don’t be surprised by criticism. It was Aristotle who said, “You can avoid opposition by saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing!” You’re going to be attacked if you begin to live out God’s vision. Anticipate and prepare for it. I don’t mean to suggest that all criticism is wrong. But I am suggesting that you will have to learn how to handle it if you’re going to life a life of vision. Anybody that is trying to do something for God will face opposition. Opposition is an unavoidable by-product of obedience to God. You can bank on it. Jesus told his disciples "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mark 13:13)
Look starting at verse 1. When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!" (Nehemiah 4:1-3).
From the moment word got out about the wall there was criticism and opposition. Sanballat really begin to make fun of Nehemiah and the Jews in general. Never be surprised by criticism. Expect it. You can guarantee that no matter what decision you make, no matter what actions you take, you will be criticized. It’s just a fact. There’s not a person in the Bible who did anything for God and was not opposed. If Jesus was criticized, you will be criticized too.
Why will you be opposed? For one thing, vision is a very easy thing to criticize. Nehemiah had a vision, and visions attract criticism. To make it worse, visions are very difficult to defend against criticism. “The very nature of a vision is that there is far more solid information on the side of the equation than the how side” (Andy Stanley). A cynic will always be able to poke holes through a vision – even a God-given vision. That’s just the nature of what a vision is.
Here is a truth you need to know. When things are going well, look out for trouble, the enemy doesn’t want the work of the Lord to progress.
Success Breeds Opposition: Opposition is almost always caused by success and not failure. Sanballat was upset because of Nehemiah’s success. Had Nehemiah been a failure it wouldn’t have mattered.
Why do people oppose success? Why aren’t they happy to see people succeed?
A few reasons I have seen:
1. Some people are threatened by another person’s success- Some are opposed because they may lose their power either politically, socially, or religiously.
Sanballat and Tobiah realized that if Jerusalem were rebuilt that the trade routes on the way to Egypt and the like that it would rob them of the valuable trade and would diminish their provinces financially.
2. Others are jealous- this is all too real. It is a cause of disharmony among leaders. Sanballat and Tobiah were jealous of any attempts to improve their earthly prospects. That is why it says in 2:10, “They were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.”
3. Some feel excluded- there was probably some exclusion in these plans. It is that they did not want the help of non Jews. Sometimes feelings are inevitable. This is one of the things that will happen.
4. People are suspect of your motivations- Nehemiah was asked if he was rebelling against the king. This was a convenient charge to make.
5. Some lose face when other succeed-
6. Satan- But we shouldn’t blame Satan for everything. Satan only exploits concerns that are already there.
In my experience attacks from inside come from two major sources:
First there is the legalist. The legalist is mostly what Jesus faced. It is this Pharisee like attitude that unless you do things exactly like I think they should be done or exactly like we have always done them then you are wrong. To them every proposed change is a threat to the stability or to their power. A legalist often has a hard time discerning between the method and the message. Usually the legalist imagines he is standing for the truth, when usually he is guarding his precious traditions.
The Apostle Paul had to deal with this in the church he was writing to in Romans. In Romans 14 he was encouraging people to not make majors out of minors. Don’t cause dissention over minor issues. Don’t divide over opinions. Don’t divide over music styles, whether or not you watch a PG-13 movie, or whether or not you worship on Saturday night or Sunday mornings. Those things are open to opinions and interpretations. There have even been churches divided over even more ridicules things such as paint colors and such. Legalist is a major source of opposition and must be dealt with.
While legalist resists any change the next source wants to change everything and likes to reflect the culture around them rather then change it. These people are the doctrinally liberal people. This is a growing thing in churches in this country. These people disregard biblical principles. They seem to want to be able to do their own thing and they really despise the Bible and any form of restrictive structure. They say, “I know the Bible condemns homosexuality but that was back when the writers did not understand genetics and psychology.” They say, “I know the Bible says Jesus is the only way, but that is not what Jesus meant.”
Again Paul warned the church, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31). As Christians we must always be on guard against false teaching and a divisive spirit who challenges God’s Word and seeks to oppose its principles.
Other sources of opposition are power and pride. Truth is all forms of opposition to the work of God are urged on if not created by Satan. The Bible says "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12).
So that we can be better prepared we need to see the forms that opposition to us and our vision will take:
Opposition comes in the form of Ridicule (4:1-6) - Thomas Carlyle calls ridicule the “language of the devil.” Shakespeare called Ridicule “Paper bullets of the Brain.”
The easiest way to oppose something you don’t like is to ridicule it. This is the first thing Sanballat and Tobiah did.
He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!"
It is not unusual for the enemies of God to use ridicule. Goliath ridiculed David; Jesus was ridiculed by the soldiers and the thieves on the cross. Some of the heroes of the faith endured Mocking “Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.” Hebrews 11:36
These verses show that they are ridiculing everything. The materials God you name it.
The reason people use ridicule is because it is easy and it is effective. Warren Wiersbe says, “There are those who will stand tall when they are shot at but will collapse when they are laughed at.” Ridicule strikes at a hidden insecurity or fear that almost everyone has. There is a legitimate sense of weakness here. The Jews are beaten down. They are told they are weak and feeble and they can only pray the wall up (“will they offer sacrifices?”)
Ridicule will not be uncommon for us either.
(Illustration)
How did Nehemiah Respond?
He prayed and asked God to retaliate for him. Twice in this episode Nehemiah prays twice.
Look at this prayer (4-5).
“Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.”
Mercy must have been way down on his list. It seems to me that Nehemiah was ticked off. He wanted justice and mostly he wanted Sanballat and his crew out of his face. I don’t know if I would have the guts to pray like that but I know I sure have wanted to. “Criticism enters the doors of our emotions” (Andy Stanley).
I think it is okay to unburden yourself to your heavenly father. He knows what you are thinking go ahead and tell him.
Because he prayed Nehemiah didn’t take it out on others, he didn’t retaliate and was able to continue on in his work.
Wiersbe says, “The things people say may hurt us, but they cannot harm us, unless we let them get into our system and poison us.” The best thing we can do is to pray to God for strength and then get back to the work God has ordained for us.
Anything that keeps you from doing what you have been called to do is a benefit only to your enemy.
Opposition comes in the form of Intimidation- to Nehemiah and the Jews this came in the form of a threat of violence Vs 7-8 “But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.”
There are three reasons this was effective to use against the Jews as well as against us.
1. It came at a time when the people were tired- the wall was only half way done and the strength of the people was already beginning to give out (vs 10).
This has happened to you hasn’t it? Your tired and wore out. It happens to me during sermon prep.
2. It came from powerful people- This happens a lot in Churches. There is usually a contingent of people with the most money and the most “senority” and they don’t like what you are doing. For Nehemiah he was surrounded. The people that joined Tobiah and Sanballat were all around him “Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work."
Rick Atchley tells a story of a small town in Texas where a wealthy business man retired to. He found the local Church of Christ and starting attending. It was a small church and didn’t have Elders and Deacons but did have monthly Men’s meetings. At each meeting they would discuss the work of the church. If something was discussed that would cost money one man would rise to his feet and say, “I don’t think we should do this and I need to remind you I do most of the giving around here.” Finally the new man had enough and asked the man how much he gave. “Why” he replied. “Because I am thinking of buying you out.”
3. It was effective- . Because of the first two this was effective but Nehemiah and the people were not stopped.
Nehemiah armed the people and he posted a guard at each door and encouraged the people to pray. The workers had both tools and weapons and were prepared to fight when given the signal.
Opposition Comes in the Form of Discouragement (10)- Problems on the inside cause problems on the outside. When you are faced with danger and pressures on a daily basis discouragement soon follows. If the Jews became discouraged then Sanballat and the rest would not have to fight them.
Discouragement is a big weapon in the arsenal of Satan. It was discouragement that kept Israel from entering the Promised Land at Kadesh Barnea (Numbers 13:31). The Bible said that the ten spies discouraged the others (32:9) and as a result the Children of Israel wandered in the desert for another 38 years.
We can’t is the rallying cry for all those who take their eyes off the Lord. The workers were beginning to agree that they were feeble. The work almost stopped.
Why would the do that? They had David’s blood in their veins. The answer is found in Nehemiah 6:17-19: Some people are in the tribe of Judah were cooperating with the enemy. Ties of marriage were stronger than ties to the Lord. According to 13:15-22 some of the key leaders of Judah were not wholly committed to God’s work. They just wanted to make money. The combination of marriage and money divided their loyalties and they became the cause of discouragement.
My experience tells me that discouragers are usually doubters or compromisers. There is usually something wrong in their spiritual walk. Nehemiah didn’t pay much attention to them and neither should we. He went right back to work and so should we. IF you take time away from your work to talk to everyone who wants your attention you will never accomplish anything.
Opposition comes in the form of Fear (11-23)- The Jews from outlying areas kept coming with a report of an attack on the city. To combat this Nehemiah put guards at the gates. He armed entire families and told people to come together and not to fear but to trust the Lord. God would take care of them. He instituted two shifts one worked while the other defended.
“We have nothing to fear but fear itself” FDR in his first Inaugural address March 4, 1933 while the country was in the grips of a depression. He may have been borrowing from Henry David Thoreau who said “Nothing is so much to be feared but fear.” Why? Because fear paralyzes you. It is contangious and paralyzes others. Fear and faith cannot live together in the same heart.
When opposition comes continue your work
Nehemiah could have given up. When every body started opposing him with rumors, resistance and ridicule he could: Give up. Leave the wall and go fight. Build the wall and arm himself defensively. What did Nehemiah choose? Nehemiah 4:6 says, "So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart." By responding this way, Nehemiah avoided a common mistake associated with criticism. He didn’t allow his enemies to become the focus of the attention. He defended himself, yes, but he remained vision-centered in spite of the criticism his team received.
When criticized, how do we normally respond? We are usually tempted to begin a dialogue with our critics. We waste time and energy and thought trying to answer questions for people who really aren’t interested in answers. Without realizing it, we shift our attention away from being vision-centered. Don’t let criticism distract you. Learn to expect it. Learn to source it, to pray about it, to learn from it, and most of all to work through it. Just continue to work for the Lord. Play to the audience of the one I talked about earlier. Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY has had to deal with a tremendous amount of criticism over the years, not the least of which has come as they’ve constructed a beautiful campus. Criticism seems to come from all over, from liberal media sources, from some local neighbors, even from other churches in town! Yet they have pressed on in their work for the Lord. And by no means are they the only congregation that has faced this sort of criticism, this same story has been repeated in numerous cities across the U.S. And it’s when the congregations keep moving forward in the work that God has laid out for them to do that they are blessed immensely. Don’t let criticism distract you. Average leaders spend too much time speculating people’s reactions: What will they say? Who will be offended? How many people will leave? Superior leaders are primarily concerned with what God has to say.
You see when Jesus was opposed sometimes he ignored them. They asked him where he got his authority and he would not answer them. When they accused him of blasphemy on his trial he did not respond. Why? Because sometimes to answer your critic is to give credibility to them. Sometimes it is best to ignore the criticism. In any case he kept on with the mission. God and His mission is really what matters. You see I am a people pleaser by nature but sometimes you just have to ignore and press on. 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, "It matters very little what you or anyone else thinks. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that isn’t what matters. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide."
Conclusion
One of my favorite verses is Romans 8:31. It says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Nehemiah knew God was with him so it did not matter who was against him. We have that same promise.
In Aesop’s fables there is a story about a man and his grandson traveling to town. The old man walked while his grandson rode the donkey. But some people said, "Would you look at that old man suffering on his feet while that strong young boy who is totally capable of walking sits on that donkey?" So the old man, hearing this, switched places and began to ride the donkey while the boy walked. Now he heard the people saying. "Would you look at that? A grown man taking advantage of that little boy. Can you believe it?" And so the man and the boy both rode the donkey. Then they heard the people saying, "Would you look at those heavy brutes making that poor donkey suffer?" So they both got off and walked until they heard some people say, "How pitiful, a perfectly good donkey not being used!" The final scene of the story showed the boy and the old man staggering along as they carry the donkey.
The lesson is simple folks; whatever you do you will face opposition and criticism, so you might as well face following God’s vision. That is what Nehemiah did and God used it him for great things. Today I dealt a lot more with one form of opposition today and that is criticism. The reason is that is what we face most in our culture and country. The reality is that Nehemiah eventually faced more then critical words or gossip. Nehemiah faced physical opposition. Romans 8:31 says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
This very day in certain parts of the world people are facing real opposition. While criticism and verbal sparing is no fun it certainly pales in comparison to the persecution many face around the world. There may very well be a time when we face this ourselves. How will we react? How will we deal?
The Bible tells to stand firm but do it in love. Don’t repay evil with evil but instead repay with love. That is not easy but that is exactly what God did for us. Are sins nailed His Son to the cross but he willing let it happen because he loved us so much.
