“Rebuilding the Walls,” from the lesson series, Return from Babylon | scattered & gathered, June 2020

our Scripture

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem”(English Standard Version)

(Nehemiah 2:17-20 NASB, Nehemiah 2:17-20 NIV, Nehemiah 2:17-20 MESSAGE, Nehemiah 2:17-20 NLT).

our lesson

“You see the trouble we are in.” Could Nehemiah’s words be any more pointed? Could there be any words that would ring this true, generation after generation? Are there any better words to describe our lives right now?

Let’s take the COVID-19 situation as an example.

Can you add to that the tensions and struggles that divide our country? It is easy to center on ethnicity and race because they are in the news, but those certainly are not the only points of division. Is it reasonable to have faith? Here are a handful of the “polar opposites” that separate America today. Can you think of others?

We know that stress has physical effects on us. The website of the Mayo Clinic tells us that stress symptoms “may be affecting your health, even though you may not realize it.” It says that illness is to blame for the irritating headache, your frequent insomnia or your decreased energy at work. Stress may in fact be the cause.

Walls of life in shambles

Stress that is left unchecked can contribute to health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. The Clinic lists this chart of the common effects of stress.

 

Body Mood Behavior
Muscle tension or pain Restlessness Overeating or under-eating
Chest pain Lack of motivation or focus Drug or alcohol misuse
Fatigue Feeling overwhelmed Tobacco use
Change in habits Irritability or anger Social withdrawal
Stomach upset Sadness or depression Exercising less often

 

Could stress have similar spiritual effects on us as well? Do we need to have a column for the spiritual effects? Think for a moment. If you are depressed, what does that do to your spiritual life? Does it keep you from praying? Does it take you away from your Bible reading? If you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious? Does it make you worry to the point of trusting God less? Does it make you question God more?

 

shelters from the stress

To shelter us against the stresses, we build walls to protect us. Christian counselors, Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend call these walls “boundaries.” A wall is something you build to make the further progress of an activity impossible. A wall keeps intrusions out while giving you a place to recover and restore.

Walls can be physical, but they may also be spiritual. Solomon warns us to protect our hearts (Proverbs 4:23 ESV). Walls keep the good in and the bad out. We build our walls with several things that we will talk about, but a vital one is the ability to respond clearly. God wants your “no” and your “yes” to be straight-forward (Matthew 5:37, James 5:12).

Our bodies intertwine the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical. If we are concerned about the spiritual, we have to make sure the other areas are protected and healthy by strong walls because they have an impact on the spiritual.

Let’s turn to the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah for a lesson on rebuilding walls.

 

Jerusalem lies in ruins

Depending on who you listen to, life as we know it lies in ruins. We are in desperation and tragedy. The “normal” that had become comfortable and convenient has vanished. The structure that provided the boundaries and walls of life are laying in shambles. We want things to go back to the way they were.

But the way things were didn’t protect, didn’t provide and they didn’t promote hope.

The walls – the structure, the protection around our lives – needs to be rebuilt – better, wiser, more ready to acknowledge the presence of God.

Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:11) and stayed there three days. We are not specifically told what Nehemiah did during that time, but let’s speculate for a moment. He may have first rested there like Ezra did (Ezra 8:32). Rest should be an important part of the schedule of the servant of God. Jesus once told the disciples to come with Him to a quiet place and get some rest (Mark 6:31). If the spiritual body is going to be sharp, the physical body needs to be well-rested and prepared.

 

[su_pullquote align=”right”]Points to Ponder

1) Let’s get them out on the table. Describe some of the troubles that are facing our nation today. Identify the troubles that are facing the church. What troubles sit on your personal doorstep?

2) Psalm 127 reminds us that when the Lord watches over the city, He will give sleep to his beloved. What does that say to us when our times are enough to keep us awake at night? [/su_pullquote]

The presence of a prophet

Nehemiah probably met with the leaders of the Jewish community. He needed to receive their “buy-in” for the project that he intended to fulfill, but it was also important to get their take on what was needed and what opposition would oppose his efforts. Most likely the prophet wandered through the streets of the city, getting an idea of hits flavor and witnessing first hand where the greatest problems were developing.

Nehemiah wanted his project to be the right work at the right time. Success of this nature takes planning. Nehemiah had to assess the circumstance and craft a proposal based on his perception of the problem. There is an interesting phrase in verse twelve of the context of our passage (Nehemiah 2:11-20 ESV). “I had not told anyone what my God has put on my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on” (Nehemiah 2:12 NIV).  He used only one horse so as not to draw attention to what he was doing. He did not want opposition before he started his work. Wise leadership knows when to publicize work and ministry, and when to quietly clarify the need and develop the plan.

 

Rebuilding: the task at hand

Nehemiah was to face many who opposed his work and direction. He perceived his mission as rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem so that an environment could be established for the people where there was freedom and safety to worship their God. Nehemiah wanted to build a location that would be pleasing to God. The walls would serve not only as physical protection, but would nurture a culture that would symbolize boundaries of religious belief. The walls are made complete later with the reading of the Torah – the first five books of Moses.

[su_pullquote]Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall (Nehemiah 2:17a ESV). [/su_pullquote]

Psalm 126 is one of the handfuls of psalms that were “sung” at the people would travel up to the city of Jerusalem to commemorate one of the feasts. This particular psalm speaks to the exiles return to Jerusalem. These psalms (Psalm 120-134) form a collection known as the “Songs of Ascents.” The Mishnah links these fifteen psalms with the fifteen steps of the temple where the Levites sang these songs upon entering the temple. It is more likely that the songs were sung in the three annual festival processions when Jewish males were required to return to Jerusalem. The pilgrims sang the song as they “ascended” up to Jerusalem (Exodus 23:14-18, Deuteronomy 16:16).

The ascent to Jerusalem was not just literal, it was also a metaphor of life. The trip to Jerusalem represented a life lived moving purposely toward God, the goal of the believer. Paul would later describe the believer’s life as one that “presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

 

A word from the Psalms

The Message begins Psalm 126 by proclaiming, “It seemed like a dream, too good to be true” (Psalm 126:1-6 MSG).

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
    we are glad.

4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
    shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:1-7 ESV)

 

reflecting on its words

In this psalm, the people of faith reflect with humility and thanksgiving upon the things that God has done in the past, while at the same time praying for His continued goodness. While the date is not completely agreed upon, the form and content reflect upon a time when they were taken out of the Promised Land and then led by God to return. This could have been any number of times throughout their history. Placing it after the return from the Babylonian exile tends to be the most popular position.

The psalm reflects the sentiment and gratitude expressed in the prayer of Psalm 85:1-7.

Verses two and three give us a glimpse into the Hebrew poetry structure of parallel phrases repeating the same concept. Notice the value of the idea: the Lord has done great things for us. Before any petitions or requests, the psalmist reflects on the idea that the Lord has provided. This is not to appease the senses of God before requests are made. Prayer is much more for our benefit than it is for God’s. Reflecting before we ask places things in their proper perspective.

 

The Lord blesses His work

As we understand God’s involvement in our particular place in history, it is important for us to reflect upon God’s blessings in the past. Whatever our task – the restructuring of our congregations because of circumstances of life or the restructuring of our lives in order to better worship – the people of the Lord reach to Him for guidance, favor and blessings. Notice a couple of important concepts in these two passages of the Psalms.

So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
    Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
    and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands (Psalm 90:12-17 ESV)!

Numbering the days in the Old Testament is far deeper than trying to figure out just how long we will live. It involves putting structure in the day so that priorities can be set, that God’s purposes can be seen, and the proper acknowledgment can be given to God for His involvement, guidance and blessing. When we align our days in such a way, we receive a heart of wisdom. How much better our lives would be, were we able to maintain perspective on life’s events.

The 29th Psalm, a psalm of David, points us to place the greatest value upon keeping our priorities straight, noticing God’s involvement.

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name (Psalm 29:1-2 ESV);

 

Giving God glory

We are presented with a tough theological concept. How do we give God glory? We usually assume that it means to give God praise, and that certainly is a part of the picture. The concept may be much bigger than just that. Giving God glory is to recognize God’s involvement in the activities of our life. It is giving Him the credit He deserves.

If we look at the world around us and come to the conclusion that it was not made by God, but rather the result of a random chance process we call “evolution,” we are doing the opposite of giving God glory.

Notice how David ends the psalm. God is given credit for ruling over the events of nature (“the flood”) and over the activities of men (“enthroned as king”).

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace (Psalm 29:10-11 ESV)!

If we accomplish anything on earth, whether it be rebuilding walls or enduring a coronavirus, we are able to do so because of the blessing and strength of God. Even if we live at peace with other nations and people, it is because the hand of the Lord is upon us.

Consider for a moment Psalm 112. Albert Barnes says that the author of this psalm is unknown, but it carries the same structure as the previous psalm, also unknown. Both psalms have phrases and clauses that begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 112 also begins where the other needs – the happiness or blessedness of fearing God.

Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
    who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever;
    his horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
    he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
    the desire of the wicked will perish (Psalm 112:1-10 ESV)!

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord. He will not be moved. Troubles and turmoil may approach life, but the man of God takes it in stride because God works in circumstances to bless us.

 

They jeered at us and despised us

Even though Nehemiah was aware of the blessings that God offered, he was pestered by the ways and the words of people outside of the faith. Does that sound like it could have been written today? Just when it feels like we understand what God is doing and why, our thoughts are disrupted by the words and deeds of the wicked.

On Nehemiah 2:10 Old Testament scholar Derek Kidner writes, “These two men will throw a long shadow over the story.” We know a little bit about the two names mentioned in the verse. A document dated around 407BC (about 38 years after the events of this chapter) refers to Sanballat as the “governor of Samaria.” This would put him as a Jewish leader of the people who was still very loyal to the people of Persia. Their loyalty remained fierce so that by the time of Jesus, a faithful Jew from either Galilee or Judea would not walk through the area of Samaria.

[su_pullquote align=”right”]Words to Wrangle

The purposes of walls are to provide strength and protection for the inhabitants of the city. Most cities employed a watchman to patrol and warn the people when danger was approaching. Are the church and the Christian supposed to serve as a watchman for the world? Read Psalms 122 and 127. If so, what does it mean to be a watchman on the wall?

1) Solomon writes “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Psalm 127:1 NIV). How have you seen this true in the cases of the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial tensions and protests?

2) In Psalm 122, David describes Jerusalem as a city that is bound firmly together. How does the unity of the people help the watchman? How does unity help make the walls secure? What is the meaning of verse nine: “For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.” [/su_pullquote]

Tobiah is a Jewish name of a powerful family in Ammon that would provide leadership for centuries to come. The label or title “servant” no doubt refers to being the king’s servant, one of the highest positions in the country of Persia.

The Bible understates the problem: it displeased these two men greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. Verse nineteen places the period at the end of Nehemiah’s sentence. “They jeered at us and despised us.”

How do you feel despised for your faith today? How is God despised by people?

 

So they strengthened their hands for the good work

“Do you see the trouble we are in?”

Isn’t Nehemiah speaking to the church today? We are getting back to worshiping again, but the way we “do church” needs to be different today. Worship needs to be better. The experience needs to be more personal. Our approach to God must meet the needs of a changing culture and society. The walls should be different. Are you up for the task?

The last part of verse eighteen is incredibly important. The English Standard Version translates the phrase, “So they strengthened their hands for the good work.” Look at how it is rendered in some of the other versions: Nehemiah 2:18 MSG, Nehemiah 2:18 HCSB, Nehemiah 2:18 NET, Nehemiah 2:18 NRSV.

The walls and the gates of Jerusalem had lain in ruins since Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonians had come through to plunder and conquer some 130 years earlier. The leaders and people had just become complacent to the sad state of affairs. This is just the way things are, and the way things will always be.

The church tends to be the same way. There are problems with injustice but there really isn’t anything that the church can do about it. The government wants us to stay out of politics. We tend to want to see things positively. Nehemiah uses the word “disgrace” to describe the conditions of the city, its walls and the temple (Nehemiah 2:17, Nehemiah 1:3, Nehemiah 4:4, Nehemiah 5:9).

 

Rebuilding starts with assessment

It took someone from outside to correctly assess the circumstance, rally the people together and lead them with a plan toward action. How can the church strengthen itself for the task at hand? Let’s look at a handful of opportunities.

  • Recognize your need to depend upon God. We have such a desire to be independent and self-sufficient. Depending on God is basic to the Christian life, the concept of grace and our ability to reach heaven. We depend on God for our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). We depend on God for wisdom to apply truth to daily circumstances (James 1:5). In fact, we depend on God for everything (Psalm 104:27) and in everything (Proverbs 3:5-6). Begin each day with a prayer acknowledging God and leaning on Him.
  • Identify your priorities and structure of your life. We all have responsibilities and challenges. Prioritize the people and projects of your circumstances. Place God at the top of the list, followed by the people in your immediate family, ordered by their priority and need. An ailing and elderly father may require more of my time and attention at this point in my life than a fairly independent adult son. Order the tasks needed to do long term, short term and daily. Be flexible and adaptable. Nothing in life stays the same, so your planning needs to be flexible to adapt, rather than frustrating to stop.
  • Build daily routines and traditions that will work for you. The life of the faithful Israelite in the Old Testament was built around structure and tradition. The keeping of the Law and the celebrating of special occasions helped teach the faithful, but it also provided stability and confidence. Mental health professionals and life coaches agree there both mental and physical benefits in having daily routines. In addition to counting the daily tasks, factor in time to build a time with God and a connection to your family and your past.
  • Make time for your own self. As you build a workable routine, plan for time for yourself. Jesus often set aside time for Himself to be with the Father, and for the disciples to be with just Him. Condense some of the tasks of the day (order online instead of going to a store) and pencil that time in for yourself and God. Do it with another task and pencil that time in to be with the most significant person in your life.
  • Regularly review your priorities and adjust. We have hinted at it before, but it is worth repeating. If the schedule is too rigid, when the unexpected occurs (and it will), you will simply scrap the structure because it is too frustrating to adapt. Build flexibility into the schedule. Don’t put things so crammed back-to-back that you cannot breathe – or adapt.

 

We, His servants, will arise, rebuilding

When Nehemiah was able to paint the correct picture to the people, and mapped out a plan for them to follow and rebuild, the people responded positively. The time is now. The culture is in despair. The walls and structures of society are in shambles.

Come. Let’s start rebuilding. The Lord will give us success.

Building walls is taking responsibility for who you are and who God is calling you to be. Do you see the difference? There are parts of who we are that are not who God wants us to be. We are to take responsibility for our sins. That is difficult and humbling. We want to blame someone or something else for who we are. It’s my parent’s fault. I am the product of my culture. I need to take responsibility for my sins and I need to repent of them.

 

Images from Scripture

But there is also the person that God is building in us. Listen to some of the images of God doing the building that the Bible paints.

from Paul

9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple (1 Corinthians 3:9-17 ESV).

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it (Luke 14:28 ESV)?

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV).

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV).

 

from Peter

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do (1 Peter 2:4-8 ESV).

 

from the gospels

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it (Luke 14:28 ESV)?

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18 ESV).

 

What God is building

God is in the process of building, building a new way. The early church were known as followers of the Way, often shortened to just “The Way.” It wasn’t a name claimed by their own; it was a name bestowed upon them by others.  These followers of Christ were first called “Christians” by the leaders of the community in Antioch (Acts 11:26).

The interesting – and quite unusual – thing about this is that sects of the Jewish faith usually did not get a distinctive name among the Gentile population. The Jewish faith had Pharisees and Sadducees and Essenes but to the outside world they were all Jews. So why weren’t Christians simply lumped in with all the other variants of the Jewish faith?

A little context to the culture might help. The city of Antioch was often referred to as “all the world in one city.” You could see the riches and diversity of the entire world located in one city. Antioch was designed like most cities of the day – a circular wall surrounding the boundaries of the city and inner marketplace at the center of the city, serving as its hub. From the hub of the city were inner walls, sometimes constructed, sometimes natural barriers that served as spokes reaching from the hub to the outer wall. The spokes marked ways that divided different people groups from one another. Jews from Gentiles. Rich from poor. Color from color.

[su_pullquote align=”right”]Conclusions to Consider

1) One of the important truths in this lesson is our need for walls – hedges – which provide us strength and protection. What are the walls in your life that ensure your well-being and safety? How have God and others worked to rebuild what our circumstances have destroyed?

2) What encouragement do you see from the church being able to meet again? How can you build upon that strength? What can you do if you are still unable to attend services and studies? [/su_pullquote]

Until the Christians came here. Remember Antioch was one of the first cities outside Judea where Christianity spread.

 

God is rebuilding His people

The term “Christian” comes from the world realizing that something new and unheard of was happening. Remember what Paul used to write? In Christ there was no male nor female, no Jew nor Greek.

After Acts 11:26 the word “Christian” is only found two other times in the New Testament. King Agrippa used the word in Acts 26:28 – an unbelieving king applied the name that he knew as an outsider. The apostle Peter uses the word the only other time in 1 Peter 4:16 to speak of being oppressed in a wider society because of the label of that name.

I wonder if Peter used it because of how aware he was that the spokes of the city needed to be gone. For a while Peter struggled because he was afraid of unity when he was around some conservative Jewish brothers (Galatians 2:11-17). God nudged him once before in a dream (Acts 10). This time Paul scolded him publicly to his face (Acts 15:1-2).

Christians defied categories. They lived like they didn’t exist. Are we able to show the world a vision of a community in which there is no social, economic, racial or gender divisions (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:10-11)?

Billy Graham’s website carries an article written by Graham about ten years ago. He begins the lesson by asking, “Have you ever thought about what the word ‘Christian’ means? It comes from a Latin word. It means ‘partisan for Christ.’ When you come to Christ, you take sides. You take sides with Christ.

Partisans are never neutral. They never play it safe. They never sit on the fence. They’re never spectators of the struggle of their times. They commit themselves.”

The time for rebuilding is now.