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2025 Study of the Book of Nehemiah #4

OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US!

Nehemiah 4:1-23

Key Verse 4:14

1. Who were the opponents who hindered the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem (2:19, 4:7)? How did they specifically obstruct the rebuilding of the wall (1-3, 7-8, 11)? Who are our opponents that hinder God’s work (Eph 6:12)?
2. How were the people of Judah discouraged by the enemies’ attacks (10-12)? What was Nehemiah’s first response to the enemies’ attacks (4-5, 9a)? Reflect on the importance of prayer in spiritual battles against Satan (Eph 6:18).
3. What practical steps did Nehemiah take to address the threats from the enemies (9b, 13)? How did he encourage his people to trust in God (14)? How did the rebuilding of the wall progress despite the opposition (6, 15)?
4. How did Nehemiah simultaneously carry out the rebuilding of the wall and the defense against enemy attacks (16-18a)? How did Nehemiah establish a communication network in preparation for emergencies (18b-20)? How do you see the sacrificial efforts of Judah’s people and leaders in rebuilding the wall (21-23)?
5. What can we learn from this passage as we are rebuilding the broken walls of our community?

2025 Nehemiah Feb 2, 2025

OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US

Nehemiah 4:1-23

Key Verse 4:14

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.”

You’ve probably heard of C. S. Lewis. He is one of the most well-known writers and apologists in modern Christianity. Some of his most famous works include Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Screwtape Letters. The Screwtape Letters is made up of 31 letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to a junior demon, who is also his nephew, Wormwood. In these letters, Screwtape gives Wormwood advice on how to tempt humans so that they don’t find God. One example of this is as follows.

There was a sound atheist that the senior demon, Screwtape, was managing. He used to read in the British Museum. One day, as he sat reading, he started thinking deeply about God. Then Screwtape whispered to him, “It’s time for lunch.” The atheist hesitated and started thinking, “This subject is more important than lunch.” Then the demon whispered again, “In fact, this is too important to tackle at the end of a morning. Much better to come back after lunch and go into it with a fresh mind.” The atheist was convinced by the voice of Satan. Once he was in the street, Screwtape showed him a newsboy shouting about the midday paper, a bus going past, and his real life. And just like that, the atheist became distracted by his daily routine and missed the chance to meet God. Screwtape advises junior demon Wormwood that rather than trying to logically persuade humans, it is much more effective to distract them.

One of the most effective temptations of the devil is making us focus on everyday realities. I have lived in LA and Chicago, and now it has been a year since I moved to New York. From my experience, people in New York seem to have the busiest lives. Because of that, we can easily get lost in our daily routines and miss the chance of seeking and encountering God. This is the devil’s most effective strategy to tempt New Yorkers.

When Nehemiah and the Jewish people began rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, their enemies started attacking them. Sanballat was the governor of Samaria. He had significant political and economic influence over Judah and Jerusalem. Tobiah was an Ammonite official and Sanballat’s chief adviser. Geshem was the ruler of the Arabs and held great power in the Syrian Desert region. The people of Ashdod were from one of the five principal cities of the Philistines and had historically been enemies of Israel. These enemies surrounded Jerusalem from all sides—Sanballat in the north, Tobiah in the east, Geshem in the south, and Ashdod in the west. They opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls because they feared losing their influence and control over the region. They did not want to see Jerusalem restored and a strong kingdom of Israel rise again.

How did they attack Nehemiah and the Jews? The enemies first ridiculed and despised the Jews. Sanballat, in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, 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?” (2) Then Tobiah, who was at his side, added, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!” (3)

When we try to rebuild the broken walls of our personal relationship with God, our families and church, the devil, who stands against God, attacks us. The devil’s first tactic is to ridicule and despise us, planting doubt in our hearts. “So, you’re going to live by faith? You, who are so weak and fall into sin every day?” When I was about to come to New York UBF as the new pastor, some people told me, “New York is a tough place for ministry. Especially college ministry—it’s even harder. It won’t be easy.” They said this out of concern for me, but in reality, their words planted doubt in my heart. “What you’re trying to do has already been tried before. And it failed every time. Do you really think you’ll do any better? Do you think you’re any different?” These words of doubt and discouragement come from the enemy. On the other hand, words of faith come from God. Yesterday, a senior missionary from another chapter called me and said, “I believe New York UBF will grow greatly in the future.” It was a word of faith. When I heard it, I gained great strength. Of course, we must face reality. But more than listening to human words, we must hear the voice of God.

Next, the enemies threatened the Jews. When they heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, how did they react? They were very angry. They plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. They 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” (11). They spoke as if they were ready to invade, kill the Jews, and break down the walls at any moment. Some of the Jews who heard these threats were filled with fear and deeply shaken. So they came and told Nehemiah ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Overcome with fear, they stopped working on the wall and trembled in anxiety.

Do you know where fear comes from? Fear comes from sin. The devil uses fear to keep us from living by faith. The devil threatens us saying, “If you live by faith, you’ll lose your friends, be isolated at work, and become a loser in this world.” “If you live by faith, you won’t be able to do what you want, and you will be miserable.” “No matter how hard you try to rebuild the broken walls of your church, I can break them down in an instant.” Last week, the devil planted fear in me—the fear of losing a soul. He made me feel like we were losing the spiritual battle. At that moment, my heart tightened, and I felt anxious. But I knew it was an attack from the enemy. The devil threatens us and tries to plant fear in our hearts, but in reality, he is nothing more than a toothless lion. Truly powerful enemies don’t waste time with words—they simply attack.

Sanballat and Tobiah ridiculed and threatened the Jews because they themselves were afraid. They had been watching Nehemiah closely from the moment he arrived in Jerusalem. Nehemiah had been appointed as the governor of Jerusalem with the full support of the Persian king. The Persian army also came with him. Because of Nehemiah, they felt a serious threat to their own positions. Then Nehemiah boldly declared that he would rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Under his leadership, the Jews came together and began the construction. Therefore, Sanballat and Tobiah were filled with fear. Their mockery and threats were just an expression of their own fear.

There’s something I learned from raising a dog. Small dogs tend to bark the loudest. If a small dog barks aggressively at you, it’s actually because it’s afraid of you. So there’s no reason to fear that dog. You just need to ignore it. The same applies to the devil. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” When the devil tries to plant fear in your heart, resist the devil saying, “Devil, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ—Go away.” Then, the devil will flee from you.

How did Nehemiah respond to the enemy’s attacks?

First, Nehemiah prayed to God. Look at verses 4-5. “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. 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.” Nehemiah did not respond emotionally to the ridicule of Sanballat and Tobiah. He didn’t rush to them, shouting, “How dare you despise me?” Instead, he turned to God in prayer. “Hear us, our God, for we are despised.” This prayer is in the plural form, which means it was not just Nehemiah praying alone. As soon as the enemy started attacking, Nehemiah gathered the Jewish community and prayed together. Even when the enemies plotted and threatened to attack Jerusalem, Nehemiah called his people to pray. “But we prayed to our God” (9a). Nehemiah was a man of prayer. And he helped his community become a praying community. He knew this was a spiritual battle.

When we do God’s work, we must not be ruled by our emotions. If we act emotionally, we will make mistakes and ultimately fail. No matter how much we are despised and threatened, we must first come together and pray to God. Last week, we had early morning prayer from Monday to Friday at 5:30 am. Many coworkers joined us. As we gathered early in the morning to sing hymns, meditate on the Daily Bread, and have personal prayer time, we received God’s amazing blessings. God gave us the strength to live by faith each day. As we interceded for ourselves and for those in need, we actively participated in the spiritual battle through prayer. We will also continue to gather every Friday evening to praise God, share the grace we received from the Sunday message, and pray together for ourselves and our community. I pray that our community will become a praying community. Especially on Friday evenings, I hope that our members will come together to share fellowship in God’s word, pray together, and grow as a community of prayer.

Second, Nehemiah responded with practical action. He was not only a leader of prayer but also a leader of action. Nehemiah took strategic measures to defend against enemy attacks. When the enemies issued threats and some people were overcome with fear, Nehemiah posted a guard day and night. At the lowest points of the wall, he stationed families with swords, spears, and bows to stand guard. He also divided his men into two groups and assigned roles. Half of them did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows, and armor. He also made sure that even the workers were armed. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. In addition, they built the wall during the day and stood guard at night. Since the work was extensive and spread out, Nehemiah kept the man who sounded the trumpet stay with him so that in case of emergency, the trumpet could be sounded, and everyone would gather to respond to the enemy’s attack. Nehemiah’s closest men, who led the people with him, did not take off their clothes when they slept. Even when they went to get water, they carried their weapons. As leaders, they set an example for the people. In this way, Nehemiah systematically and strategically prepared for the enemy’s attacks with practical action.

It is extremely difficult to do construction work with one hand while holding a weapon in the other. Working during the day and standing guard at night is exhausting. Living without being able to sleep deeply and having to stay alert even when drinking water is truly tiring. But Nehemiah and his people bore this double and triple burden with one heart and one body for the sake of rebuilding the wall. They willingly carried the burden because they had to protect their families and their community from enemy attacks.

In times of war or emergency, soldiers sacrifice themselves to protect their country. When I was in the military in South Korea, I used to serve on a Five-minute Standby Unit. When the emergency siren went off in the middle of the night, I had to put on my uniform, lace up my boots, grab my rifle, and run outside to get on the military truck within five minutes to head to the enemy’s location. Because of this, the soldiers on the Five-minute Standby Unit cannot sleep deeply. Many even sleep in their uniforms and boots to be ready at any moment.

Likewise, in times of spiritual emergency, we must be spiritually awake. If a brother or sister in our community is under attack by the devil and is spiritually dying, how can we sleep comfortably? If our families and our children are being destroyed, can we ignore them and instead fall into temptations, enjoying worldly pleasures? If the members of our church are shedding blood in a spiritual war against the devil, can we selfishly turn away and live as if nothing is happening? I hope you don’t think that I am exaggerating or being overly dramatic about our current situation. Please understand that these things are actually happening among us right now.

I have deep respect for our self-supporting missionaries, leaders, and members who, after finishing their exhausting jobs, still dedicate themselves to teaching the Bible, earnestly praying for God’s work, and faithfully serving the ministry. Ever since Juan Seo became the new pastor, our church has become very busy. From early morning prayer to Friday Praise & Worship Night, Fellowship Bible study, One-on-one Bible Study, prayer meetings, Campus Ministry outreach, and others, the church has been actively engaged in God’s mission. Last week, I was extremely tired due to a lack of sleep. But when I thought about our coworkers who are faithfully participating in these ministries while also working full-time, I felt deeply grateful to God for them. I pray that God may pour out His abundant comfort and grace on each one of them.

Third, Nehemiah encouraged people to trust in God. Look at verse 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.’” Nehemiah reminded them that God fights for His people. “Our God will fight for us!” (20) If God is fighting for us, who can stand against us? How can Satan, who is nothing more than a toothless lion, ever defeat God’s holy army? “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead, has already won the victory and has guaranteed us the final victory. Therefore, we have nothing to fear. Until the very end of this world, until the day we enter God’s kingdom, we must give our all to fight the good fight of faith. “Our God will fight for us!” I pray that we can fully rebuild the broken walls with the power of the Spirit of God. Amen.