At a distance of two and half thousand years, it’s easy to read this without feeling the sting of opposition. But anyone who has endured mockery and jeering, let alone the force of someone’s anger, knows it can be a profoundly disturbing and destabilising experience. It can take quite some time to recover. Even in the absence of physical violence, let’s not underestimate the psychological, emotional and spiritual impact of what’s happening in Nehemiah 4 & 6.
It is all too easy to be dismissive of the fact of opposition to the building of the Church. We can fall foul of a kind of spiritual triumphalism that assumes the Church won’t face antipathy, and if it does, then surely it can simply sweep aside any antagonism or disapproval from others after a good prayer meeting!?? On the other end of the spectrum lies a sensitivity to opposition that leads us to conclude that if we face any criticism from any quarter we must be doing something wrong. If Nehemiah had taken that approach the walls would never have been built.
Somewhere in the midst of those extremes is a settled confidence in what the Lord has called us to do as He uses us to build His Church, and a simple but steadfast refusal to be deflected from that task. Nehemiah doesn’t change tack to build hanging garden, because that way the Church can be doing something, but without provoking hostility. But Nehemiah’s tenacity means the tensions escalate in Ch.6. The enemies of the ancient Church aren’t so simply dissuaded.
One of the lessons we can learn from this section of the story is need to cultivate a kind of spiritual resilience that will allow us to continue to be faithful to Christ’s vision for the mission and ministry of the Church even when we are opposed. Christ Himself faced criticism and hostility, persecution and anger. And like Nehemiah who foreshadowed Him, He simply carried on doing what He knew He had been sent into the world to do. When the opposition doesn’t evaporate, and the people are discouraged (4:10) they continue to do what the Lord has called them to do.
We have an enemy who will do all he can to oppose those who faithfully seek to build up the Church. This means there are spiritual dynamics at work in any form of opposition to the Gospel. And so part of the Church’s response is to pray together (e.g. 4:9). But there aren’t only spiritual dynamics, and so Nehemiah takes practical steps as well as prayerful ones (4:9). It’s a good holistic approach to facing opposition.
Whatever may or may not happen, the walls must be built – because that is what God has called them to do.
Questions:
What can we learn from Neh.4 & 6 about Nehemiah’s spiritual resilience? Where does it come from? How could we cultivate (or continue to cultivate) that same resilience in our own experience of discipleship?
Have you ever heard anyone pray in a similar vein to Neh.4:4-5? Do you think it would be appropriate for Christians to pray like this? How does this fit with Jesus’ teaching in Matt.5:43-45?
As you read through Neh.4 & 6, how does the opposition develop? How does Nehemiah’s response vary as things become more serious? What can we learn from this to help us navigate opposition to building the life of a Church?
What concerns are being raised from within the Church community? How does Nehemiah respond to these internal tensions? What can we learn from this about our own situations?
Should the Church expect opposition from the surrounding culture and society? What spiritual and human elements feed into such opposition when it is experienced?
How do we know how to interpret opposition? When should it be faced and overcome, and when should we understand it as a sign that we are doing something wrong and need to change?
In 6:10-13, why would it have been a sin for Nehemiah to act in a way that protected his own life? Is this a good policy to adopt when facing danger and intimidation?
