A Sword and a Trowel

Nehemiah is an incredible figure in the Bible; and his story amazes me, for it is so truly relevant for today. It speaks to me on many levels, but mostly about how important it is for me to know God’s will, get under the burdens that are close to His heart, and do the work that He has called me to do.

Nehemiah was among those who were carried away from Judea into Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 593 B.C. He was forced, sometime later, into service in the palace of the King, and, so, became the King’s cupbearer - a position of importance. While in this service, word came to him from some who had returned from Jerusalem, that the people were in great affliction, and the walls of the city were broken down, and the gates burned with fire. The news so affected Nehemiah that he sat down and wept, and mourned, and didn’t eat for days; and, more importantly, he prayed. For four months he prayed. He confessed the sins of his people, he reminded God of His promises, and reminded Him, too, that these were the people whom He had chosen and redeemed for Himself. After four months, he was given leave to speak his heart to the King. The King, in turn, appointed him Governor of Judea and gave him the authority and resources to return and rebuild Jerusalem.

Jerusalem here represents the New Jerusalem which, we are told, is the Bride of Christ, or the true Church. The walls of the city, which were broken down, represent the walls of salvation. The gates of the city are the gates of righteousness and praise. As we look honestly at the state of God’s Church today, we see much to be distressed about. Like the people of the captivity in Nehemiah’s day, we see Christians who are in great affliction. Instead of being full of faith and joy in believing, they are discouraged and oppressed and often display a worse temperament than those who do not profess Christ at all. They lack the power and witness of those who know they have been redeemed, and who have committed themselves wholly to the Lord. The walls of salvation have been broken down to the point where many believers are unaware that their salvation has set them free from sin and is a defense against the temptations of their enemies. The gates of righteousness and praise, too, have been burned; and many have lost the will to worship and the strength to live uprightly for God.

God, today, is looking for Nehemiahs: people who feel the burden of God’s heart, and are willing to pray. Every mighty revival in history has begun as a result of someone getting under a burden of prayer. What is God speaking to you? Are you grieved by things that you see in your Church, or in the Christian community in general, that don’t seem right? Rather than simply complain or criticize, perhaps God is calling you to pray. In four months, Nehemiah saw a miraculous answer to his prayer. It may be more, it may be less for the things for which we pray today; but if God has given us a burden, He will fulfill it in His time.

When Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem, the enemies of the Jews heard of it and, “it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.” Believe me, the enemy of our souls wants nothing less than to see someone with a burden of prayer for the people of God and the authority to build from the King Himself! You see, when God begins to answer the prayer that He put on our hearts to begin with, He also provides us with the authority to build, and all the resources necessary to build with, out of the treasuries of the King, Jesus Christ.

As the work progressed, opposition became greater from the Jews’ enemies. They tried every tactic to try to make the work cease, but the people continued to pray, and they continued to build. It got to the point where the people who were building held a sword in one hand and a builders tool in the other so that they could work on, but still fight when and if they must. “They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.” In all their plotting and planning to foil the work of the builders, the enemy’s purposes were discovered every time, and it never came down to bloodshed. After all, if God gives authority for a thing to be done, who is he that can oppose it? In just 52 days, Nehemiah and the people with him completed this monumental task of refortifying Jerusalem.

It was after the walls and gates were rebuilt that the people held a solemn assembly and asked that the book of the law of Moses be read before the whole congregation. When this was done, and they heard the words of God, we are told that the people wept and mourned out of conviction. Nehemiah, however, encouraged the people to rejoice, saying, “this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” This is when revival really broke out among them. They were filled with a hunger for God’s Word and a desire to know His ways. They entered into a holy covenant with the Lord at that time and promised to keep His laws and precepts forever.

The Church as a whole needs just such a revival today. Will you be one to help build in this great work that God has planned. Will you pray for the restoration of the Church to the former glory that it enjoyed in the first century? God has never changed. If the Church today does not possess the power it has in ages past, it is we, its members, who have changed. Our Father is standing with arms wide open, offering us His mercy, power, and Spirit to accomplish the work He has for us to do. Let’s grab our sword and our trowel and help in the task!

For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. Isaiah 62:1

We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Isaiah 26:1,2

Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD: This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter. Psalm 118:19, 20