Overcoming Opposition
Series: When It’s Time to Move FORWARD
Brad Bailey, May 23, 2021
Intro
My added welcome to you. I am so glad we can have this time to allow God to lead us through this season.
In all of my years as a pastor... this is without a doubt the most unique season of leading lives I have ever known. I think the effects of this pandemic-effected season are both strange is their subtlety but also their significance. I think many people find there is no normal that we can simply return to. It’s like the normal pattern of life just stopped...and we’re is a strange state in which we have various activities that we can do... but we’re neither back to normal nor living in anything we really feel is a new normal. We may be doing things... but there is still a strange, suspended state of pause, in terms of having direction. And the word I continue to believe God has for us...is FORWARD.
As I consider that word “forward”... I am drawn to realize that God is the unchanging center of life....and He wants us to embrace that His calling is what we can live into. We existed in His love a year ago...and we will exist in His love a year from now. We were called into life with Him a year ago and we will be called into life with Him a year from now. He wants us to know that what matters most...is what lies ahead of us. Whatever God has for you...is still to come. The only place we can join God...is in what he is still doing.
So we have been allowing God to speak to us about how to move forward through the Biblical Book of Nehemiah. This Biblical book is in the Old Testament and it is the historical testimony of how after the city of Jerusalem had remained in ruins for years after it’s destruction... Nehemiah calls those living amidst it’s rubble to take up a remarkable process of restoring the city.
And last week we engaged the third chapter which captures HOW they could fulfill such a massive restoration. Every section of wall and every gate was divided among the people. What we see is the power to rebuild something new when everyone grasps that they have a part to play.
And so they begin to build what seemed impossible... and now we come to the next lesson... which involves the reality of opposition.
When we seek to move forward in the will and work of God... we should expect that it will face obstacles...and that will include opposition.
And that is what now unfolds as we pick up in chapter 4 of the Biblical Book of Nehemiah. So we’re going to move through this chapter rather quickly...and draw out some practical truth along the way. Beginning with verse one we read...
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!"
Here we see the opposition rise up. We were introduced to these groups in chapter 2...when Nehemiah came from the Persian capital to Judea and Jerusalem. These are the governors of the adjoining territories... representing the Samarians and the Ammonites.[3] When the Persian empire had conquered the whole region... it was it’s policy to allow the various different people to maintain some freedom as long as they were loyal and paid taxes. The Israelites had been a unique power... and their capital city of Jerusalem had been destroyed...and the Persian king had initially decided to have it’s restoration cease... feeling uncertain of what loyalty the Israelites would have. So the neighboring governors had enjoyed decades of enjoying being in a superior position to the people of Israel and Jerusalem. So now... you can imagine how these neighboring people felt... when Nehemiah shows up... with the royal Persian cavalry escorting him, carrying letters from the king with official authority to rebuild the city...and access to royal resources to help. After years of being able to scoff at Israel... left in ruins... these nearby leaders now feel threatened by the potential restoration of Israel’s city.
And behind these earthly political dynamics... there is something higher involved. Jerusalem represented that the reign and rule of God... through a people He had called out to be a unique people to Himself ...through whom He would bless the whole world in time. So in restoring this city and it’s temple the people are restoring the desire to be God’s covenant people. Restoring their communal life with God...was going to elicit opposition.
Where God is at work, the enemy is also at work.
The reality of such opposition becomes very clear as we see this kingdom come in Christ. As we noted before... ultimately Christ becomes the true temple...fulfilling that which an earthly temple could only symbolize. He comes as the intersection of God and man.
And Christ comes as the divine king of God’s kingdom...so we see resistance rise up from every source that bears power over life in this world.
We see the religious leaders rise in opposition.
We see demonic spiritual powers rise up in fear.
And it becomes clear that if we align with God’s kingdom... we must be prepared for such opposition.
As the Apostle Paul would later describe...in the Biblical book of Ephesians, where he writes:
I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. 12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world. - Ephesians 6:10-12 (TLB)
There is a whole realm of forces set against God... spiritual forces that are unseen. And I don’t believe that Paul’s intent is to say that there is no connection to actual human opposition...but only that the more ultimate opposition is all that seeks to defy God.. and to destroy all He loves.
If we see life as simply about doing the work of God amidst a neutral world...we will be completely unprepared for the opposition that will come. [1]
Every way in which we are actually seeking to honor God is a threat to that which wants the honor due to God..
Every way we seek to follow the will of God... will be a threat to that which has set itself against His will.
There is a resistance to every step and stage of building God’s kingdom in this time and territory called your life.
Now having said that, I think it’s important to recognize that we shouldn’t just blame every negative reaction that people may have towards us... as being about spiritual opposition. If people have difficulty with us... we don’t get to automatically claim it’s because of our faith in Jesus. We may just be a jerk.
If we’re unkind... or break trust... or do poor work... we can’t refer to every negative reaction as “opposition.” So we need to be honest about problems with our own behavior. We need to take responsibility for the nature of our own behavior. [2]
But here in Nehemiah... the opposition against the people is very clearly focused on the decision to begin rebuilding the wall ... the city.
And when we seek to build the work of God... there will be reaction.
And there are some interesting aspects of this opposition.
Notice WHEN it comes forth. There were hints of such opposition earlier when Nehemiah first arrived...but now that the people have actually begun the hard and long process of building... we see these groups come out.
Verse one says...” When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed...” When the people actually began to do something... the opposition reacted. And that can speak to our own process. Our initial good intentions for change... for building life with God...may not be much of a threat. Why? Because our lives are full of good intentions that lead to nothing. But if we actually begin to rebuild life with God...to rebuild our lives and families and local ministries... then we have become a threat. And we should expect opposition to come.
I’ve learned that if I have intentions to do something God wants me to do... I may not initially find much opposition... but when I step out and actually begin to defy the powers that have been in control... it may seem like all hell breaks loose. The more it appears we may actually build life with God... the more threatening we will be.
There’s something else we can learn about the nature of this opposition. Notice how they gather others to add to the public exposure. In verse 2 it says that Sanballat was now, “in the presence of his associates & the army of Samaria...” Sanballat did the same thing that all critics do. Once he became angry and started criticizing... he went out looking for reinforcements. Our critical nature wants an audience that we can turn into an army. Critics are never comfortable alone. When they begin to criticize, they eagerly seek someone else to agree with them. They hope someone will add to their criticism. That is exactly what happens here. Sanballat voices his criticism, and then Tobiah joins in.
And what does this opposition seek to do?
Opposition seeks to inwardly deflate another with discouragement and doubt.
Sanballat begins by ridiculing them... saying..."What are those feeble Jews doing? He is calling them weak and miserable. When we rebuild life with God...there are plenty of ways and words that might seek to deflate us. We have to be prepared to elicit that which wants to label us as a fanatic... foolish... crazy. There are a lot of ways to try and dismiss what we may represent in defying the powers that seek to control life.
He then adds... “Will they restore their wall?” That must have made the Samarian army break out into laughter. How could a remnant of feeble Jews hope to build a wall strong enough to protect the city from a mighty army? What’s he doing? He’s trying to sow doubt. He’s saying you really won’t be able to accomplish what you are hoping for. In a similar way doubts can come at us. You can’t really change your life? You can’t really become a people who embody the light and love of Christ to the Westside? There will always be a work of dousing God’s calling with doubt.
He continues... “Will they offer sacrifices?” Sanballat is saying that it will take more than prayer and worship to rebuild the city.
And then he just strikes at their potential weariness.... saying: Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?" He suggests that the workers had no idea how difficult the task was and that their building materials were so old and damaged that they couldn’t possibly be used to make a strong wall.
Then 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!" The workers became the punch line of every joke, and everyone got a laugh at their expense. Tobiah hoped that his sarcasm would make the builders cast an apprehensive glance at their hard work and activate within them an avalanche of discouragement.
Now... we might want to think this is childish...and that we aren’t affected by such criticism. But the truth is that we may not be easily affected in hearing this criticism...because it’s unrelated to us. We’re reading about other people. This criticism isn’t about us...nor is it coming from people who mean anything to us. But the truth is that we all have people whose criticism would matter. And there are things people could say about us that could matter. In fact ... most of us have doubts about ourselves... inner criticisms that we are trying to avoid.
And the truth is that we are all familiar with a primary way we deal with our own inner criticism. It’s called... avoidance... we don’t try to do anything that will significantly engage the way things are... so that there won’t be any big opposition. The easiest way to avoid criticism is to just not give anyone anything to even want to criticize. That’s one way.... just never try to build a life that reflects the will of God.
Bu there’s a better way.
Nehemiah 4:1-4-5
4 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. 5 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. 6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
Here we see Nehemiah’s initial response to this initial opposition. And there are two steps that can serve as lessons to us.
The first thing we see is Nehemiah bring the opposition before God in prayer. We learn the value to...
Go to God with the conflict we may face.
Now this prayer was not nice, but it was understandable and honest. [4] He knew that the enemies were really fighting against God and so he asks God to deal with them.
If we pause on that choice...we realize it’s not often our natural instinct. If someone attacked us in this type of way...many of us would likely want to defend ourselves or do far more... and pray later. In times of conflict and criticism, prayer isn’t always my first response. But I’ve come to realize how essential it is to keeping things in perspective.
Nehemiah allowed the opposition to direct him to God. That itself may be the most significant first choice. Life will always include adversity...and the most significant choice we make... may be whether we place that adversity between us and God... and become angry.... or we allow the adversity to drive us to God. Through Nehemiah...God is teaching us that if we face some conflict or criticism... don’t just respond out of your own fleshly nature...bring it to him.
Then we see that after Nehemiah finishes praying, he and the people just ignore their enemies and get back to work.
When a man was asked why he never responded to an obviously unfair critic ...he said: "In our town lives a widow who has a dog. And whenever the moon shines, it goes outside and barks all night." And you know what... "the moon went on shining." Sometimes the best thing to do... is to keep on shinning.
And this becomes another lesson.
Stay focused on the God-given goal itself.
He says... “we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.” Those words say something we do well to hear. They tell us that all the initial efforts to deflate and distract the rebuilding... were overcome. It’s as if they didn’t even react or respond. They kept building. And perhaps most notably... it says they did so with their whole hearts. Not halfhearted... with all their heart. I want to encourage each of us to hear the power of how these lives built with all their hearts. As I’ve said before... I wouldn’t have chosen this strange season of rebuilding...but I know that I either embrace it with all my heart... or quit...and I am seeking to embrace it with all my heart.
Well...we might hope this was the end of the opposition... but it wasn’t. We continue in verse 7...
Nehemiah 4:7-8
7 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. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.
Now they’re really angry. When their taunting didn’t have power over the Israelites... they become even more angry...and they rally even more people...and now we see a shift from taunting to threatening.
They now have groups of people on all sides of Jerusalem. Sanballat and the Samaritans on the north, Ashdod on the west, Tobiah and the Ammonites on the east, and Geshem and the Arabs to the south. The workers were surrounded and lived in constant fear of being ambushed. [5]
And Nehemiah responded out of the same God oriented way that he seems to be living out of...
Nehemiah 4:9-12
9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. 10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." 11 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." 12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."
They pray... they turn to God....and they put in place a practical step of protecting themselves. As we see with Nehemiah.... there is no sense of that prayer and practical plans are in conflict. For Nehemiah... God is the source of wisdom and common sense...and it’s time to have some protection in place.
But what we see is that the effects of this more threatening stage... was now working itself into the people. One group... the people of Judah in particular... begins expressing that the people have run out of strength...and the rubble is too difficult to work around. Then they speak of how the enemy is speaking of coming upon them with surprise ...and it freaks them out.
The opposition had succeeded in causing the people to begin to devolve. Here we find three common sources that can be used to stop any of us as well. The first is...
• Fatigue. The people had been working non-stop and their strength was beginning to fail them. When you are physically drained, it is very easy to lose heart. The longer something is going to take to accomplish ...the harder it is too sustain the work. That’s why the latter part of a process or project can be harder than the first part. We probably have all had some project or pursuit that was easier to get started...than it was to finish. At the start there’s energy... novelty...but then we get worn down.
Somewhere along the way, discouragement starts to creep in. Maybe the project took a lot longer than expected or we ran into some unforeseen problem that added to the costs and the time required to complete the project.
• Frustration. Not only did the people have to build the walls, they had the rubble of the broken walls to deal with. I imagine who initially the larger pieces were on top and could be pulled out and used again...but as they went on...all the smaller worthless rubble was left ... old broken rocks, dirt and dried-out mortar, and other debris that was underfoot ...a mess that eventually they would find was just in the way. As any process grows on... there can be piles of issues and piles of junk that get pushes aside...until they become hard to work around.
• Fear. The people were afraid that their enemies would make good on their threats and try to attack or even kill them while they were working. In particular, the workers who lived closest to their enemies were afraid of what might happen to them.
Fatigue... frustration...and fear. They are the most common issues that can arise as we seek to move forward in life... and they will likely arise as we begin to rebuild our lives and families and communal ministry. And it’s helpful to acknowledge that they are each a natural part of life. The opposition doesn’t have to create them. The opposition just has to convince us that we need to give up because of them. That is what the opposition is doing here with Israel...and will do with us.
As the opposition rises further...what can we learn from how Nehemiah successfully responds?
Nehemiah 4:13-18
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." 15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.
Nehemiah had already organized the people in chapter 3 and they had finished half of their task. Now, however, a new situation had come about that called for a change in how the people were organized. If the enemies were going to attack they would most likely do so at the weakest places. So Nehemiah put guards at all the vulnerable spots. This served two purposes it discouraged the enemy and it encouraged the people because it dealt with their fear. And now every group was divided between those who built and those who defended. That undoubtedly meant the pace of the progress would be reduced... but the work would still continue to fulfill the same purpose. And The lesson we can draw is this...
When needed, change your approach rather than your goal.
When needed, change your approach rather than giving up your objective.
When we’re discouraged, instead of becoming so discouraged that we quit...we should step back and change our strategies... and adjust our plans.
Do you feel like a goal has been lost amidst this recent season? If you believe it is still a good and God-aligned goal...don’t change the goal...change the plan. I believe that many people right now... may be served by letting go of yesterdays plan... based on yesterday’s expectations...and start afresh with what they have now and develop a fresh plan to fulfill the same purpose.
If you’re facing problems in your job, it may very well be that you don’t need to change your job. You may merely need to change your attitude and your work habits.
This can arise in marriage...where discouragement can be very real...and the mind may assume the only option is to quit...but what is really needed is to stop and explore real changes. And you might need to get some help to do that effectively.
Do you have a problem in your walk with God? Don’t stop following Jesus. Change some patterns... plug into a group.
The point is ....don’t be overcome by discouragement. Do something about it!
And there is another choice Nehemiah makes... he stationed them with their families... and told them to fight for one another.
And that provides a final lesson in overcoming opposition.
Stay connected to those who can help you.
And this is noted in the final section of this chapter as well...
Nehemiah 4:19-23
19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" 21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, "Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day." 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.
Nehemiah wants to be sure that everyone stays connected. He sees the distance. So he says that wherever you hear a trumpet...join us there. He sets up a plan so that even though the people were separated from each other as they worked on the wall, they could be summoned to the aid of their fellow Jews if they were attacked.
And he had every man and his helper stay inside at night. And he would no longer leave as well. Everyone was to stay together and serve to guard one another. Every worker was now a guard as well.
It’s a beautiful picture of recognizing how much we need one another to overcome the opposition that we can face. It’s important to have other people in our lives in order to help us and encourage us.
I want to encourage you to realize that moving forward ... and rebuilding life with God... is served by doing so with others. That is the very nature of our Life Groups. They provide a weekly connection with others... with the simple goal of connecting with God together. And this week... those Life Groups will have an opportunity to engage the final pursuit of the opposition that arises in the 6th chapter... when they try to call Nehemiah out to meet. So I hope you will decide it’s time to connect and check out a group this week
But for today... let me conclude with simply putting these lessons before us again..
When opposition seeks to inwardly deflate you...with discouragement and doubt...
Go to God with the conflict we may face.
Stay focused on the God-given goal itself.
When needed, change your approach rather than your goal.
Stay connected to those who can help you.
God is calling us forward... not to simply restore some past that will never be the same...but to build new walls. And He wants us to be prepared... to embrace the fact that if we want to accomplish anything... it’s important to expect there will be resistance.
As the old adage goes: No pain... no ... GAIN.
You want to learn a sport... you need to embrace good days... bad days....fair weather... foul weather.
You want to meet people... you need to be prepared that some will be warm...and some may be cold.
You want to follow Jesus... you need to be prepared that there will be times of joy...and times of sorrow ... times in which you will be encouraged...and times in which you will be turned away from ... or looked down on.
The invitation to move forward is ultimately the call to follow Jesus. He came to confront all the powers of this world... the powers of criticism and mockery... the powers of threat and injustice... and what he revealed so profoundly...so powerfully... is that the work of God cannot be stopped. It’s he who said follow me... and know that you will have troubles...but take heart...I have overcome the whole world.
Let's conclude taking a moment to bring ourselves before God’s presence in prayer...
PRAYER:
Many of us... give us a freedom to see a new future...to follow you not in simply restoring some past...but in what you have next ... for our lives... our families...and ourselves as your living body... your church....in this time and this place.
May we overcome the opposition. We bring our own vulnerability... our fatigue... our frustration... and our fear.
Give us wisdom... to change our path but not our purpose..
Help us unite with us.
Resources: Brian Bill (Defeating Discouragement); Craig Cramblet (Now It's Personal!) – good outline of chapter 6 opposition; Pat Damiani (Dealing With Discouragement)
Notes:
1. “Human beings are locked in a life and death struggle with spiritual forces that are both external and internal. Externally, there is Satan and his fallen angels, tempting us, pushing us to rebel against God.
Simply put, Satan is a fallen angel. Demons are fallen angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God. The Bible portrays Satan as a liar, deceiver, and destroyer. His goal is to distort and/or destroy everything that God loves. And that includes people. The world itself, fallen as it is, tempts us to abandon God for temporal pleasures. Internally, our own sin-sick hearts produce lusts and longings which, if undisciplined, will lead us away from God.” Drawn from The Unseen Battle All Around Us - here
As another says well, “Armor, as an image, primes the believing imagination to see the Christian life in a certain way. A soldier who puts on armor is making a statement about the world into which they step.”
2. It[s notable that the Scriptures qualify that if we are accused, our behavior should show such accusations to be false.
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. - Titus 2:7-8
Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. - 1 Peter 3:13-16
As was well said, “You can expect folks to criticize you, but you ought to live so nobody will believe them.”
The hardships and difficulties we experience can be influenced and even a combination of the following:
Consequences related to our own sin. (Ephesians 2:1-3)
Consequences of others’ sin which affects us. (Exodus 1:6-16)
We live in a world where everything is tainted by sin. (Luke 13:3-5)
The Lord’s sovereign discipline/refinement in our lives. (James 1:2-4)
Satan’s attacks designed to hinder our effectiveness for the kingdom of God.
(I Peter 5:8)
Further good explanation at: Did the Devil Make You Do It? BY STEPHEN MATTSON, AUGUST 20, 2013 - here
3. The Scripture lists three primary enemy leaders.
Sanballat the Horonite. Sanballat leads the Samaritan opposition. According to an Aramaic papyri from Elephantine, he is governor of the Persian province of Syria. Sanballat I is contemporary with Nehemiah, about 444 BC. Later, the son of Jehoiada marries his daughter (Nehemiah 13:28).[202]
Tobiah the Ammonite official. He may have had the status of governor over Ammonite territory, east of Judah. A family by his name is prominent in Ammon during the Persian period. Tobiah seems be of Jewish descent and has close ties to the temple and Jewish nobility. Many influential people are bound to him by oaths (Nehemiah 6:17-19), making him particularly dangerous, since he has a lot to lose from Nehemiah's reforms. He also occupies a chamber in the temple precincts during Nehemiah's absence from Jerusalem (Nehemiah 13:4-9), threatens military raids against Jerusalem while the walls were being built (Nehemiah 4:7-9), and seeks to lure Nehemiah out of the city to assassinate him (Nehemiah 6:1-3). [203]
Geshem the Arab seems to be the chief of an Arabian tribe that has settled in the area (Nehemiah 2:19; 6:1-2, 6). His name appears on a silver vessel about 40 years after Nehemiah's time. Apparently, Geshem and his son rule a league of Arabian tribes that have taken control of Moab and Edom, to the south and east of Judah.[204]
From: Restoring the Wall by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson here
4. Roberts notes, “Nehemiah prayed honestly. He told God exactly what he wanted, with startling candor. What a contrast to our carefully-edited prayers that say nothing offensive or embarrassing. But our pretense of civility does not fool God, for He looks upon our hearts. Moreover, by screening everything we say in prayer, we miss the vitality and transforming power of honest conversation with God.
As a pastor, I talk almost daily with people who feel deep disappointment with God—who wonder, Why has God let me down? Why hasn’t God helped me to get a job? Why didn’t God save my marriage? Why is he letting my father suffer? They vent their anger in tears and desperate voices, yet in prayer they mask their discouragement and anger, saying stoically, “Let Your will be done.” But that is not what they really want! Nor does it communicate their true feelings about God. Only when people learn to tell the truth in prayer, no matter how unattractive the truth might be, will they enter into genuine, intimate relationship with God. Don’t we see this forthright, perilous honesty throughout the Psalms? And even on the lips of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? Like Nehemiah, let us learn that God is big enough to hear prayers that authentically reveal our thoughts and emotions.” - Roberts, M., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1993). Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Vol. 11, p. 194). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.
As another noted, “This is what is known as an imprecatory prayer – a prayer that calls down God’s wrath on the enemies of God. There are a number of these kinds of prayers in the Scriptures, particularly in the Psalms. To us this prayer may seem harsh and cruel, but to Nehemiah and his fellow Jews, Sanballat and Tobiah were not just their enemies, they were the enemies of God and therefore they deserved to suffer God’s judgment. This is not a prayer that seeks personal vengeance, but rather a prayer that arises out of a zeal for the glory of God and the success of His ways.”
5. Warren Wiersbe writes, “God’s people sometimes have difficulty working together, but the people of the world have no problem uniting in opposition to the work of the Lord.”
