Episode 164: Rebuilding Starts in the Dark (Nehemiah 3)

We trace Nehemiah’s careful plan to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and draw out a simple pattern for change: pray, prepare, expect pushback, and keep moving. From quiet night inspections to bold public resolve, we map how faith and strategy work together to rebuild from the inside out.

• planning before action as wisdom for big goals
• royal support and the political stakes around Jerusalem
• why opposition rises when good work begins
• the night inspection as model for honest assessment
• rallying people with clarity and conviction
• confronting ridicule without losing focus
• practical cues for daily prayer and Bible reading
• rebuilding habits as a long game with small steps

Thanks for spending these few moments with me in God's Word. And as you go into this week, may God continue the work He has begun in you, rebuilding from the inside out. You are loved. You can do this, and the God of heaven walks with you. Amen.

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Transcript

Welcome And Purpose

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hi friends, I'm Betsy and I want to welcome you to Moments to Ponder. If you're interested in learning more from the Bible but sometimes struggle to know how it connects to you, you've come to the right place. This podcast is designed to help you spend a few moments in God's Word and take away something to ponder. I pray this time together will be an encouragement for you. This is episode 164. When you're faced with a big project, say remodeling, what do you do first? We just redid our basement and it was a pretty big project. We didn't start with throwing paint on the walls. We knew we had a lot of prep work to do. First, we had to take a good look at our basement, analyze the needs, determine the work required, and make a plan and a budget. Before we moved any furniture, lifted a hammer, or dipped a paintbrush, we planned. Now, some of you might be thinking, of course that's what you do, but our social media feed is full of videos of people that, well, they didn't do their homework. Taking out a load-bearing wall. Oops, or putting up all the drywall and then remembering insulation. Painting themselves into a corner. It's well, it's funny online, but it's not funny in person, is it? And the larger the project, the bigger the preparation, right? I've been a part of a few large building projects when I worked at the church, and I know how long the design process can take with HVAC, the approvals, the permits, the relocations of things like uh stairs. And that's all before we even talk carpet and wall colors. When Nehemiah asks if he can go to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls, we need to realize that this is a gigantic project, like huge. He hasn't even seen the city yet, yet he knows it's gonna be big. And before any of that even starts, he has to travel there. I can kind of imagine a long caravan with camels packed with all kinds of supplies, carts of wood and servants walking alongside them. And as we continue with verse 9 of chapter 2, we're gonna discover something else. Nehemiah writes, When I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king's letter to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me. But when Sanbalet the Hornite and Tobiah, the Ammonite official, heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel. So I arrived in Jerusalem. Nehemiah didn't just have a passport of permission to travel through all the provinces in front of him. He had an army for protection. The king has taken great care of Nehemiah as he's traveled toward Jerusalem. And as we get closer to Jerusalem, we see that there is some opposition. Sambalat and Tobiah are names that we're going to hear often, and these guys are very displeased. So who are they? Well, Sanbalet was a Persian official with his base of operations in Samaria, which is northwest of Jerusalem. Tobiah, most likely a high-ranking official alongside Sambalat, is an Ammonite. We get the impression that they didn't care for the Israelites a whole lot, but it might have had more to do with power and money than the actual people. Again, context matters. Jerusalem was a crossroad for trade between Egypt and Persia. If you were to see it on a map, you would kind of see it as a passageway between the two places. And at this time in history, Egypt had revolted against Persia, well, a few times. So having a strong, loyal leader in Jerusalem was both politically and militarily wise for King Artaxerxes. So to have Nehemiah there, thus the army escort, gave King Artaxerxes someone who would fortify this place. Now I'm speculating here, but if Sanblat and Tobiah, along with probably others, had contracts for safe travel for certain traders or had power in certain areas of the city, of course they were very displeased when someone came to rebuild the walls. It would affect, well, it would affect their income. Seeing the military force with Nehemiah along with all the support of the king would have been a big threat to these men. Then Nehemiah just writes simply, I arrived in Jerusalem. He is really good at understatement, isn't he? To our knowledge, Nehemiah had never been there before. I'm sure he knew about it from his brothers and others. But saying he arrived in Jerusalem with this entire entourage of people and an army would have made quite a statement. Before we go further, let's just talk about Jerusalem a little bit. I have had the privilege of going to Jerusalem when I was a junior in high school. And when you first see it, it is on the top of a mountain, a city on a hill. It has valleys on three sides and mountain on the other. If we were to look down from above, the city looks like an upside-down teardrop, coming to a point at the south end with its rounded end to the north. Now the temple area was located on the north end, and there were springs in the south. If you've heard of the Mount of Olives, it's outside the eastern side of the city. Walls encircled the entire city with gates placed throughout it. And when you think of walls, think medieval castle, not 20th century home. They were 40 feet high and eight feet thick, made completely of stone. The entire circumference would have been about two and a half miles. One section, added by Hezekiah, was even twenty three feet thick. As Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem, the gates, which would have been made of wood, have all been burnt out. There are gaping holes in the walls and piles of stone everywhere. Jerusalem was a city completely vulnerable to outside attack. Verse twelve. Three days later, I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with us except the donkey I was riding. After dark I went out through the valley gate, past the jackals well, and over to the Dungate to inspect their broken walls and burn gates. Then I went to the fountain gate and to the king's pool, but my donkey couldn't get through the rubble. So, though it was still dark, I went up the Kidron Valley instead, inspecting the wall before I turned back and entered again at the valley gate. The city officials did not know that I had been out there or what I was doing, for I had not yet said anything to anyone about my plans. I had not yet spoken to the Jewish leaders, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or anyone else in the administration. What we see here is Nehemiah doing his homework. Although we don't know what he did during those first three days, I have a feeling there was a lot of prayer. He may have connected with Ezra at the temple, gotten to know a few people, and he probably made sure that all those who traveled with him were settled. But he didn't tell anyone why he was there. They must have wondered, but he writes clearly that he told no one. Then, after three days, he rides out at night with a few others to see for himself all the work that would be needed. He definitely wanted to keep his mission quiet, and I appreciate that. He didn't need a whole lot of voices at this time. He wanted to get everything organized. Remember, he's a planner. So before he speaks to the city officials and others, he wants to know what kind of project he has in front of him. He needs to prepare. The valley gate is on the west side of the city. And as Nehemiah starts making his way south to the Dungate, which is at the tip of Jerusalem, he has to then go around and start to head north, passing the fountain gate up into the Kidron Valley on the east side. And he can't get all the way around because there's so much rubble. So he has to go back the way he came. That told him a lot right there. And after he's done with the preliminary work, aware of what's involved and all that he'll probably have to do, he brings together the who's who of Jerusalem, and he makes this announcement in verse 17. But now I said to them, meaning the officials and the people of the city, you know very well what trouble we're in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace. Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me and about my conversation with the king. This feels like a really short announcement, which I have a feeling was part of something much larger. But Nehemiah makes two things clear. God's hand has been on him in this mission, and he has the support of the Persian king. He has a godly mission and a diplomatic one. They did know they were in trouble. The people understood the situation they were in, and he must have been really convincing because it tells us that they replied at once, yes, let's rebuild the wall. So they began the good work. They began the good work. What an understatement. This is a huge deal. Now, thankfully, the people said yes. Nehemiah would need everyone to pitch in and they would need some strategy for getting all those stones put back in place and all those gates rebuilt. Verse 19. But when Sanbal, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king? They asked. It's Sambalat and Tobiah again, and they've added Geshem to their group. We have a Hornite, an Ammonite, and an Arab. These men basically geographically represent the north, the west, and the south around Jerusalem. I mean, Nehemiah probably felt a little surrounded in this moment as they come at him. But here's something for us that we need to remember. Whenever we do any work for God, there will be opposition. Sometimes it will be big, and sometimes it might not be as big. I mean, look at Nehemiah here. We see a pattern. He goes before the king, the king makes a favorable decision, and the enemies react as he comes. He goes around the walls, a favorable decision by the people, and again these enemies react. As we continue through the story, we're going to see this amplify. But for now, we see it move a little bit further. They were very displeased before, but now they are raising questions around their motives and the ability that they might have to do this by ridiculing them and causing some innuendo. It hits right where doubts live, doesn't it? I mean, whenever we take on something big, there's that question in the back of our minds, can I actually do this? We wonder if we have what it takes to do what God has given us to do. And then there's motives. This is all about creating mistrust. It's not that Sambalat really wonders if they're rebelling against Arta Xerxes. He wants to plan in the minds of the people, Nehemiah might not be on the up and up. Are you sure you guys can trust him? He might not be as loyal to the king as he says. But Nehemiah isn't even phased. Instead, he says in verse 20, the God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall. But you have no share, legal right, or historical claim in Jerusalem. He's basically saying, This doesn't concern you. It is none of your business. It's amazing what knowing what you stand for can do. Nehemiah has permission, support, and a plan. He knows exactly what he's doing, and he lets them know it. Dear one, as we look at our lives and seek to rebuild and renew an area that was once broken, or we seek to build into a brand new area, it's important to know that like Nehemiah, we will face opposition. Even as we do the prep work and plan, get support from those around us, there will be some that oppose us. They might call out our abilities or question our integrity. They might lie about us or make the work more difficult. And it can cause us to step away, to back away from healing or trying that new habit or walking in a new light. But like Nehemiah, we can depend on the God of heaven to help us. In Him, we can do all things. For us, prep work involves prayer, asking God to reveal where we need to grow, where we need to rebuild, and it involves doing what is ours to do. It takes two wings to fly. What do you need to add or subtract from your life in order to work on that area or thing or relationship that God has placed upon your heart? Are you seeking convergent faith? And as we prepare, we have some things we can do to help us. We can use our phones and set reminders. We can ask people to be accountability partners, knowing that this is rebuilding from the inside out. This is a long game. Nehemiah could have permission, wood, and travel papers, but until he walked the walls and called the people together, the transformation hadn't begun. It all started in the dark, in prayer, and then in the dark, in preparation. So what's one step you can take toward rebuilding from the inside out in your life? Maybe it's time for prayer. Put an alarm on your phone for a lunchtime-ish time, and when it goes off, spend a few minutes in prayer. Not long, drawn-out prayer time, but just a few minutes to refocus your day on him, and just a few minutes to breathe. Or maybe it's instead of checking email or social media in the morning before you even brush your teeth, stop. Breathe. The world will wait. Spend a few minutes with God in His Word. To rebuild, we need to assess what we need to do in order to put the walls in place. And yes, there will be some opposition. Old habits that won't go away. People that doubt that we're really committed to something new. But like Nehemiah, we can be confident in the one who walks with us. Thanks for spending these few moments with me in God's Word. And as you go into this week, may God continue the work He has begun in you, rebuilding from the inside out. You are loved. You can do this, and the God of heaven walks with you. Amen.