Daily Discovery 20th August 2020 Devotional – Opposition, Prayer, Work
TODAY’S TOPIC: OPPOSITION, PRAYER, WORK
Opening Prayer: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3).
Read Nehemiah 4 Opposition to the Rebuilding
4 [a]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—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
4 Hear us, 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[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people 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. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
Daily Discovery 20th August 2020 Devotional
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.”
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 families, 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 our 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.
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 as workers 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.[c]
Footnotes
a Nehemiah 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:33-38, and 4:7-23 is numbered 4:1-17.
b Nehemiah 4:5 Or have aroused your anger before
c Nehemiah 4:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect: Daily Discovery 20th August 2020 Devotional
What kind of obstacles discourage you most?
When we set out on an exciting mission for God, be it rebuilding a city or witnessing to our friends, we often start with great boldness. All too often, though, we can get discouraged at the first hint of opposition. If we don’t handle that well, the problems build and we are quickly overwhelmed. Nehemiah gives us a wonderful model of how to face such opposition: with faith and action.
First, he didn’t take the insults and discouragements personally. He saw clearly that Sanballat and Tobiah were opposing the Lord and the task he had started. In a later chapter we will see Nehemiah engaging with his accusers, but for now he simply handed the responsibility of dealing with them back to God.
With the root problem safely in the Lord’s hands, he then instigated practical measures to give the people confidence and to prepare wisely to meet the threat.
Our opponents might not be people sending us death threats; they are more often our spiritual enemy whispering doubts and fears into our hearts. Nehemiah’s advice remains the same: “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome” (14), then press on in the strength he will give you.
Apply: What discouragements are you facing today? Hand them back to our “great and awesome” God. Every time you are tempted to be discouraged, remind yourself of Nehemiah’s faith.
Closing Prayer: God, I need the courage and strength to do Your will. Please fill me today.
Through the Bible in One Year
Proverbs 25,26 / 1 Thessalonians 3
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Daily Discovery 19th August 2020 Devotional
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