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Daily Devotion: Nehemiah 2:19-20

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Nehemiah 2:19-20    "But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?  (20)  Then answered I them, and said unto them,  the God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem." 

I really do not plan to do a verse by verse commentary of this book, but these first two chapters lay the groundwork for the rest of the book.  We have already been introduced to the adversaries of Nehemiah; but, their names are Sanballat and Tobiah. They will constantly be popping their heads into the business of Nehemiah and the others as they do the work of rebuilding. We saw that the city was literally a mess. Rubble was laying all around to the point that Nehemiah could not maneuver his horse through all of it. Instead of being discouraged, he surrounded himself with people who were willing and ready to help. When Nehemiah told them of the conditions that he had observed, they replied, "Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work."

How did these adversaries attack Nehemiah? They did not come up against them physically at this point; rather, they came attacking their will and determination. They accused them of trying to overthrow the king. Nehemiah knew something that Sanballat and Tobiah did not know: he had permission from the king to do this work. But more than that, he was working under the divine authority of "the God of heaven."  He knew that the work would not fail with the direction, inspiration, and help of the Almighty. His determination and resolve rose up when they falsely accused him. "The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem." 

How can you and I keep the course when the Lord places something on our hearts and minds to accomplish. Be certain that Satan will try to discourage you. The answer lies in maintaining our determination based upon "the God of heaven." Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.  Let us keep our focus on the Lord God Almighty rather than allowing ourselves to be distracted by the wiles of Satan.

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