Sunday
School Lessons
Commentary by Walter Albritton
July 13
Nehemiah Completes the Work despite the Opposition
Nehemiah 6
Key Verse: When all our enemies heard
thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were
much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought
of our God. – Nehemiah 6:16
Some of us, who pride
ourselves on never running from a fight, could benefit from Nehemiah’s example.
He knew when to engage the enemy in battle, and when to back away, not in
cowardice but in faithfulness to God.
He had the wisdom to
understand that his work on the wall was far more important than wasting time
debating his enemies. We are blessed whenever we know, beyond a shadow of
doubt, that our ministry for God is worth the investment of our time and
energy. To work without this confidence is to risk becoming “weary in well
doing.”
Nehemiah, like all of
us, had to face raw fear. As any normal man would have been, he was troubled by
the accusations of his opponents. He did the best thing he could have done,
however, by turning to God in prayer.
He knew the source of
his strength. Like the Psalmist, he could say, “My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.”
When our ministry is
successful, we are apt to think too much of our own strength. Pride in our own
cleverness and resourcefulness can set us up for a fall. Not Nehemiah, however.
He realized that his ability to keep on working was entirely dependant upon
God. So, wisely, he called on God to strengthen his hands.
In doing the work of
God in our local church and community, we will inevitably face opposition. The
enemies of God are always at hand. Sometimes they are even within the household
of faith.
When our work is
opposed, we must resist the temptation to complain and feel sorry for
ourselves. Self-pity is a waste of precious energy that could more wisely be
applied to the task at hand. To complain will allow us to be distracted from
our work, and give our enemies the upper hand.
Nehemiah used his
strength to persuade the people to focus on God’s mission. By looking to God,
he persisted in completing the wall. God rewarded him finally by giving him,
and his co-workers, that golden moment when they could stand with pride and see
that the wall was finished.
In her fine book, A Path Through Suffering, Elisabeth
Elliot writes about Lilias Trotter. As a young woman, Trotter studied under
John Ruskin in
Ruskin was impressed
with Trotter’s ability to learn quickly. He said, “She seemed to learn
everything the instant she was shown it, and ever so much more than she was
taught.” But her heart was not in painting.
She had put her life
at God’s disposal and Ruskin was greatly disappointed when Trotter decided to
give herself wholly to missionary work.
Elisabeth Elliot pays
a beautiful tribute to Trotter with this powerful sentence: “She was criticized
and even ostracized, but her enthusiasm was fed, not quenched, by scorn.”
Would to God that we
might so deal with our opposition that others might say of us: “Our enthusiasm
for the work of God was fed, not quenched, by the scorn that we endured in the
service of our Lord!” + + + +