When work on the wall
is complete, Nehemiah establishes protective measures by which the Jews can
guard against future attacks. He knows their enemies are not going to retreat
just because the job is done, and they cannot rest on their laurels. They have
accomplished a huge task, rebuilding the wall in fifty-two days (Neh. 6:15).
Don’t you know all they want to do is pull up a chair, put their feet up, and
just relax and revel in their success? Instead, Nehemiah places Jerusalem in
the charge of his brother, and issues these orders: “Do not let the gates of
Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them
shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
one at his watch station and another in front of his own house” (Neh. 7:3).
TRUTH:
As
we gain ground in Christ – as our obedience becomes more wide spread and our
wall of holiness becomes stronger, we must implement protective measures to
preserve the progress we achieve. When we make strides, we can’t allow surprise
attacks to set us back. It is a time for reinforcement and prevention. By
keeping the gates shut until the sun was high, the Jews are able to prevent an
unexpected assault. They use physical resources to serve their defensive
objectives. In the same way, we must take what we have in the natural – our
time – and dedicate the early hours of the day to preventing enemy attacks.
Whether we are morning people or not, I believe the early hours are the most
critical. When we spend them in worship, prayer, and Bible study, we are
fortifying our walls and thwarting opportunities for the devil to advance upon
us. During the night, Jews were charged with standing guard at specific posts
outside their own houses. During times of darkness when we can’t see what’s
coming and don’t know what’s around the next turn, we need to already be in our
posts, standing guard over our own house, which in the Hebrew is inclusive of
our physical bodies, our home, our family, and our inwards.[1] We
need to put ourselves through spiritual boot camp so we’re prepared when the
enemy attacks.
Just as Nehemiah’s
enemies come against every effort to remain steadfast in his obedience to God,
I guarantee your flesh is going to resist the Spirit’s work to bring you into
total obedience to your loving and faithful Father. The moment you believe on
the name of Jesus and make Him Lord of your life, you enter a war. While
Nehemiah’s battle was against other men and nations, and the Jews held swords
as they rebuilt the wall, our battle is in the spirit with weapons of the
Spirit. Ephesians 6:12 explains: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places.” What do we do with that? How do we fight these unseen forces that are
out for our destruction? Our fight for holiness requires the full armor of God
and intense training in His battle strategies. The first step in doing this is
to disarm ourselves of the ways of this world and recognize the battle we
fight, by what power, and for what purpose.
I
think my last brain cell just fell asleep. May the God of heaven, through the
power of the Holy Spirit, strengthen us with all might today as we become
wholly His.
Shauna
Wallace
Holy
His
[1]. Blue Letter
Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for bayith (Strong's 1004)".
Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2011. Accessed April 30, 2011, http://
www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1004&t=NKJV.
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