Further Opposition to the Rebuilding (Nehemiah): Sometimes life is hard BECAUSE we’re faithful to God. Nehemiah was nothing but faithful, as he did what God called him to do. However, he faced constant opposition and threats to his life and leadership. Why can’t it be that the more faithful we are, the better life goes? When bad days keep coming, we must remain faithful, trusting God to preserve us. Recorded on Oct 18, 2026, on Nehemiah 6:1-7:3 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of our series, Nehemiah: From Ruins to Revival. When Nehemiah heard about the desperate needs of the people living in Jerusalem during the Exile, he was deeply moved. Someone had to do something! Nehemiah’s story is what happens when wise and courageous leadership has a God-given burden to help. Nehemiah faced significant opposition and leadership challenges while mobilizing thousands of people to complete a major building project. But through it all, one thing was clear: It’s amazing what can happen when God’s people get to work!
Sermon Transcript
One of the books that made a big impression on me as a little kid was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. And it spoke to me because when you’re a kid, you have nothing to compare your experiences to. So a bad day in first grade is a really big deal for a first grader. Pain is relative. But when you’re an adult, I’d take a bad day in first grade any day. A terrible, horrible day as an adult is way worse. But have you ever had maybe a few bad days, maybe just a string of really difficult or painful things, and thought, “God, how could you let all this happen to me? I’m trying hard to be faithful to you. Do you even see what’s happening to me? Do you not care?” Have you ever had problems because you were being faithful to God? What’s up with that?? About a year ago, I was really wrestling with God over the fact that the prosperity gospel wasn’t true. The prosperity gospel is a false teaching that says that the more faithful you are, the more God will bless you in this life (typically with health and wealth). It’s popular among the TV preachers. Now, I wasn’t wrestling with whether or not the prosperity gospel was true. I knew it wasn’t. I was wrestling with why it wasn’t true. Here’s a big question: Why can’t it be that the more faithful we are, the better life goes? I can imagine a world like that. Well, today, we’re continuing a sermon series from the book of Nehemiah called From Ruins to Revival. And we’ve said that the book of Nehemiah tells the story of the Jewish remnant in Jerusalem at the end of the Exile, around 445 BC. It’s a story of God’s people getting to work, under the wise and faithful leadership of Nehemiah, as they rebuilt the wall around the city of Jerusalem. But even though Nehemiah has been nothing but a man of integrity and faith, over the past few weeks we’ve seen how much opposition he faced. Judah was surrounded by enemies who wanted nothing more than to stop this project. But there were internal problems as well. Many of the nobles in Judah were corrupt, while the poorest people were being exploited and sold into slavery, and more. It was a mess. But why was everything so difficult? Wasn’t it God who put this project on Nehemiah’s heart all the way over in Susa in the Persian Empire, where Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king? I’m not sure exactly what life would’ve been like for a cupbearer in the most powerful empire on the planet in that day, but I’m sure he would’ve been well compensated and had access to all sorts of nice things as a trusted member of the king’s entourage. Now here, Nehemiah is scrabbling in the rubble of Jerusalem, fighting enemies on all sides, and trying to hold the people of Judah together with twine and duct tape. If God had called Nehemiah to do this work for God’s people, rebuilding the city that God had chosen, at great expense to himself, putting himself in harm’s way day in and day out, don’t you think that God would’ve helped make this project a little easier? Nehemiah has been so faithful. Why couldn’t it have been that the more faithful he was, the better his life went? Today, we’ll see more opposition, even as the people finish the work. But maybe, by the end, we’ll know how to handle it when bad days keep coming. And listen, I need this lesson. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Neh 6:1. We’ll read through chapter 6 and into chapter 7, and unpack it as we go.
Nehemiah 6:1–9 (NIV), “1 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates—2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer. 5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.” 8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” 9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” Ok! So we’ve seen that Nehemiah has already dealt with serious opposition—externally and internally. But Nehemiah handled these situations with great wisdom and courage in his leadership. He acted deliberately and, in the case of the exploitation of the poor, he led by example, not even taking what he could have as the governor. But now, when their enemies heard they were almost done with the wall, they put another scheme into play. Repeatedly, Sanballat from Samaria in the north and Geshem from Arabia in the south tried to get Nehemiah to come out to meet with them. As leaders of their territories, they might’ve intended a diplomatic mission. At best, this would’ve been a distraction, but Nehemiah knew it was worse than that. He knew they meant to harm him, so he repeatedly refused. He wisely avoided the trap they had set for him. But the fifth time, they turned up the heat. They sent an unsealed letter falsely accusing him of rebellion against King Artaxerxes and the Persian Empire. Have you ever been falsely accused of something? Or had rumors spread about you? How does that make you feel? Betrayed? Defensive? An unsealed letter meant that anyone could’ve read it along the way from Sanballat to Nehemiah. In fact, that was the whole idea. It was an official way to spread rumors all throughout the region. And these rumors would’ve put incredible pressure on Nehemiah. But still, he refused. He had some steel in his spine. But why? Was he just especially courageous? Was Nehemiah like a first-responder kind of personality? Like, he was the kind of guy who would run toward the danger? Maybe, but that’s not what he says. He says he recognized his enemies’ schemes and that they were meant to stoke their fears and weaken their hands in finishing the work. But it wasn’t all on Nehemiah’s personality. He didn’t need to manufacture strength. He could simply ask for it. “But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’” I love Nehemiah’s relationship with God. Pray and plan. Pray and act. Pray for strength and then get to work. Nehemiah recognized the threat. It was real. Even an accusation of treason could mean his death. He didn’t minimize it. But he prayed that his fears wouldn’t stop him from doing what God had called him to do, and then he got on with his business. In this series, Nehemiah has been heartbroken; he’s been angry, and here, he’s dealing with fear. But every time, he brought these difficult emotions into the presence of God in prayer. Did Nehemiah walk with God? He sure did. And he knew that God wanted him to bring these things to him in prayer. Do you want to walk with God? You have got to be honest with him. Be honest with how you’re feeling. God already knows how you’re feeling. When you’re heartbroken, angry, or anxious; when you’re bitter, resentful, lonely, or hopeless—bring it into the presence of God. Are you unsure if you can trust him with all that? Test him and see. You’ll find that he can handle it. He’ll walk with you through it. He’ll give you strength or wisdom or whatever else you might need. “Father, I’m feeling so weak. Would you strengthen my hands?” But did it work? Did God give them what they needed?
Nehemiah 6:10-15 (NIV), “10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.” 11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. 14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.” Hey! Praise God! Against all the odds, this rag-tag bunch finished the wall in fifty-two days! What a testimony to the faithfulness of God, the hard work of the people, and the incredible leadership of Nehemiah. But before the wall was done, Tobiah and Sanballat tried one more scheme to stop him. They had tried to intimidate Nehemiah with the threat of death from their open letter and false accusations. Here, they tried to use his faith against him. Nehemiah’s faith was no secret. So they hired false prophets to convince him that God wanted him to go into the temple. Well, what’s the big deal with that? The only problem was that Nehemiah wasn’t a priest. At Mount Sinai, Yahweh El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty, told Aaron that the priesthood was only a gift for him, his sons, and their ancestors. The Lord said, “Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.” (Nu 18:7). The Levites were assigned to help the priests, but even the Levites couldn’t go into the sanctuary like Shemaiah tried to get Nehemiah to do. But Nehemiah knew the Law of Moses. And he knew that the Spirit of God who spoke through true prophets would never contradict what the same Spirit of God had already spoken through Moses. By the way, this remains the best test of whether something is true. If it contradicts God’s word, it isn’t coming from God! Nehemiah knew this and refused to be led astray, even by someone who claimed to speak for God. But besides Shemaiah, other false prophets, led by the prophetess Noadiah, tried to intimidate Nehemiah. Can you imagine how hard it would’ve been for him to keep doing what he thought God had called him to do when all these so-called prophets were saying just the opposite? I’m sure some of the people of Judah believed the prophets over Nehemiah. But how did Nehemiah deal with these deceivers? Through prayer, of course. (v.14) “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah,” and the rest. Nehemiah refused to take vengeance. He simply prayed for justice to be done, and for the Lord to be the Judge. But now that the project was done, would their enemies finally give up? Not exactly.
Nehemiah 6:16–7:3 (NIV), “16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. 17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. 1 After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed. 2 I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do. 3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.” This is God’s word. So after finishing the project in record time, under constant threat from enemies all around them, the surrounding nations recognized that the only way they accomplished this was with God’s help. And you know what? I really would like that to be the record of my life. The only way he was able to do what he did with his life was because of the help of his God. But one thing to remember is that even if this is how we live, even if we are zealous in our faithfulness to God, that does not mean that life will be easy. I wish it worked that way, but it doesn’t. Often, the more faithful you are, the more difficulties you face, the more opposition you might encounter, and the more enemies you might have to deal with. That was certainly true for Nehemiah. Being obedient to do what God had called him to do seriously upset the political balance of the region. It forced a confrontation among all sorts of powerful forces. But, to be clear, it was because of Nehemiah’s faithfulness that he had so many problems. Here, we see the final source of intimidation from Tobiah was again political in nature. But this time, it was both from outside and inside Judah. You see, Tobiah was from the territory of Ammon, to the east of Judah, but he had a marriage alliance that connected him with many of the nobles in Judah. And he had secured their loyalty by oath. They were bought and paid for. These nobles should’ve been loyal to Nehemiah, their governor, but instead served as lobbyists and spies for Tobiah, while he pressured Nehemiah with insider information. It must’ve been so frustrating to have private conversations get back to your enemy! I believe it was this internal political threat that convinced Nehemiah to keep strong security practices after the wall project was done. He didn’t know which of the nobles he could trust, but he knew he could trust his brother and Hananiah because he was a man of integrity who feared the Lord. That’s a man you can trust. So Nehemiah put them in charge and instructed them to remain vigilant, at least for the time being. But the wall was done. Despite everything, they finished the project in only 52 days. But it’ll take a little more work to get to the revival part of this story. But for today, how might we apply this text to our lives? Well, I’ve already encouraged you today to live a life of bold faith, walking and talking with God, as Nehemiah amply demonstrated here. Pray and do what God has called you to do. But I’d like to return to the thought that sometimes we face opposition, difficulty, distraction, and more because of our faithfulness. Why can’t it be that the more faithful we are, the better life goes? To be honest, I’m not sure of all the reasons. I suspect if we knew everything that God knows, it might make more sense. Even so, what we see Nehemiah do here is this: When bad days keep coming, we must remain faithful, trusting God to preserve us. The best test of saving faith is faith that remains faithful to the end. We already said in this series that this world is not neutral; it’s a battlefield. And if we’re not careful, then we too might be swept off course from what God has called us to do. And what has God called us to do? Maybe it’s to do a project like Nehemiah. From time to time God calls his people to do something like that. But ultimately, God has called everyone of his people to preach the gospel, make disciples, and follow Jesus in life. And just like Nehemiah’s enemies, our Adversary, the devil, will use any method he can to pull us into complacency, compromise, or simple distraction from what matters most. It’s a battlefield. But if it’s not the spiritual forces of evil, then it might be the desires of our own flesh. How often has our own sin caused division and disruption in our marriages, families, or friendships? But even when facing multiple threats, Nehemiah displayed godly character by refusing to give in to intimidation, compromise, and political pressure to stop building the wall. He remained faithful, trusting God to preserve him. In this way, Nehemiah is a type of Christ. His character and focus on his God-given mission point to the ultimate reality found in the person and work of Jesus. No one ever faced the opposition that Jesus faced or had such a costly mission. And Jesus was the perfect man. If anyone earned an easy life, it was Jesus. And yet he gave his life on the cross so that those deserving of death would receive life by faith in Christ. When bad days keep coming, or when you have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, it just doesn’t seem fair. But you know what? Neither is grace. Grace isn’t fair. The gospel isn’t fair. The cross isn’t fair. We don’t want life to be fair, because no one would be saved. Sometimes our faithfulness will get us in trouble. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. It absolutely is. Nehemiah knew this. Followers of Jesus ought to know this too. We will face opposition. We will face all sorts of difficulties. But “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Co 4:17). “Strengthen our hands, Lord.” Let us pray.
