Jump Start # 3380

Nehemiah 4:14 “When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: ‘Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

Nehemiah is such an important book in our Bibles. Historically, it shows the people of God restoring walls and then their spiritual lives. That’s a valuable lesson. It’s a great study for those who lead God’s people. Nehemiah was a natural leader. There is no indication that he went to leadership training or had advance studies in how to influence and motivate people. He may have picked up some things being around the Persian king as he was the cupbearer for him.

In this chapter, the enemies, Sanballat and Tobiah and any one else they could deceive to their cause become angry because the walls are going up. They conspire to attack Jerusalem. They scared the Jews who lived near them. Frightened and defeated in spirit, they came to Nehemiah TEN times with news that we will be attacked.

Our verse today is pivotal for shepherds in God’s kingdom and dads in the home. “When I saw their fear…”

Let’s build upon that statement:

First, Nehemiah was already a step ahead. He had placed guards around the clock to be watching. Nehemiah prayed. The rumors and gossip were spreading thick about the people, and Nehemiah recognized it. Leaders, whether in the church or in the home, need to recognize fear, discouragement and discontentment. When we don’t see it, things swell. And, by the time we do see it, there is a mass exodus because everyone is fearful. Charges are made that the leaders aren’t doing anything.

How did Nehemiah see their fear? He was around them. He was talking to them. He noticed. Fear isn’t something that can be hidden very well. Nervousness comes out in our speech, in our prayers and in our actions. Fear can take over the heart. How many times did our Lord tell the disciples, “Fear not.”

Second, Nehemiah spoke. He spoke to the leaders. That’s important. If the leaders become scared and unsure, then there is no assurance and confidence that will fill the hearts of the people. Nehemiah spoke to the leaders. But, he didn’t stop with that. He also spoke to “the rest of the people.” He spoke to everyone.

A calm voice. A confident voice. A voice of faith. A voice of trust. A voice that is sure. It’s a scared child that will run to his parent’s bed in the middle of the night because of a thunderstorm. It’s that calming voice of the parents that allows that child to fall back asleep.

When leaders do not communicate or the message is not clear, fear escalates among the people. In Jesus’ story of the good shepherd, in John 10, when the wolf appears, the hireling takes off. He’s only thinking about himself. The sheep are left to themselves and they will be destroyed. The good shepherd stays there when the wolf shows up. The good shepherd will fight the wolf to the death to protect the sheep. The sheep trust and are confident with the shepherd nearby.

Nehemiah spoke.

Third, Nehemiah brought God before their eyes. That’s the problem with fear. We see the problem but we don’t see God. Peter looked at the wind and the waves and he started to sink when he was walking on water. When we look at the problems and not to the Lord, our faith sinks.

Nehemiah reminded them of God who is great and awesome. God who parted seas. God who brought the walls of Jericho down. God who drove out nations. God who brought a giant down. How can you forgot? God is greater than our enemies. God is greater than any problem we face.

Nehemiah said, “remember the Lord.” Did you forget? God’s here. God’s got this. God will help you. Remember the Lord.

Fourth, Nehemiah reminded the people of what is important. Fight for your families. Fight for your homes. Don’t wave the white flag. Don’t let the enemy in. Your mission. Your purpose. Your reason for building the wall. Fight. And, when our problems seem great, we must fight for our congregations. We must fight for our families. We must fight for our souls.

The enemy is a lot of talk. The enemy makes up things. The enemy feeds on rumors, lies and gossip. We stand with the Lord. The enemy will fall.

Nehemiah saw their fear. Nehemiah went into action.

Great reminders for us.

Roger

Jump Start # 2772

Nehemiah 4:14 “When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: ‘Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

With Nehemiah’s powerful leadership the walls were going up in Jerusalem. But, something else was going up– opposition. The enemies of God were rallying a force to attack the workers and stop the progress. The threat was serious. Throughout the remainder of this chapter, Nehemiah adds weapons of war with the builders. With one hand they built and with the other hand they held a sword.

Nehemiah does much more than arm the builders. He strengthened their hearts. He reminded them of God and what they were doing. Encouragement drives out worry and doubt. And, here, before our eyes we find a most profound passage. It’s fitting for all times. It’s a must for leaders in God’s kingdom. It’s a passage that dads need to see. Nehemiah saw their fear.

So many powerful truths are built around those simple words:

First, many never see the fear of others. Many do not recognize that others are worried, discouraged or struggling. Life goes on as if everything is fine, when it is not fine. This happens so often within a congregation. People are dying in the pews and no one seems to notice. It could be that some are so focused upon their own lives that they don’t see the fear in others. It could be that some assume that if they are ok, then everyone else ought to be ok. And, the opportunity to strengthen and help is often missed because no one sees the fear. Nehemiah did. And, when the fear is not seen, bad things happen.

Second, Nehemiah took action based upon what he saw. He made adjustments. He gathered the people and spoke to them. He told them about the Lord. In our day, we’d say that Nehemiah preached. But more than that, he had the people gather their shields, swords and spears. He equipped the people. The actions of Nehemiah showed that he was aware of what was going on. He knew their fear. He took appropriate steps to assure and calm the people. Sadly, we often leave people on their own to work through their fears, worries and doubts. We stay the course in our teaching program, never realizing that some adjustments ought to be made to help those who are struggling.

Third, Nehemiah recognized what fear looks like. To do that, he was around the people. He heard what they were saying. In verse 10, the people lost their strength, focus and confidence. Nehemiah knew that. Some wouldn’t know the difference between fear and excitement, joy or sorrow, doing well and the bottom dropping out. Nehemiah knew what to look for. He knew what to listen to. He knew. And, this is the key of godly shepherds and dads in the home today. We need to know what to look for. Can you see that a teenager is struggling? Do you realize when that teen is being bullied and is afraid? Can you tell when some in the family are discouraged? They will drop hints with their words. Someone who is on the ball will pick up on those hints. They will know. The same is true for the church. Paying bills, making sure the parking lot is clear of snow and all the lights are working is not the role, function, nor duty of elders. They have much more important things to do. They must see how the flock is doing. In this period of Covid, that means phone calls, emails and texts. Are some fearful? Are some struggling? Are some slipping? Do you know? Do you know what to look for?

Fourth, Nehemiah didn’t rebuke the scared people. The threats were real. Nehemiah understood that they were real. This is why he ordered the people to arm themselves. He didn’t dismiss their fear as a bunch of nothing. He understood. He took action. He didn’t beat the people down more. He lifted them up. Remember the Lord—what great words. Remember what the Lord has said. Remember what the Lord has promised. Remember who the Lord is. Remember when God’s people faced the Red Sea. Remember when David faced the giant. Remember when Gideon faced a fortified city. Remember the fiery furnace. God was there. God delivered. And, in their recent history, remember what God did to Babylon. The very reason they were back in Jerusalem was because of God’s promises and providence.

We live in scary times. But greater is our God than any enemy we will face, including death. What we need today are some Nehemiahs. We need leaders. We need those who are not barking out orders, but rather those who recognize the fear in the eyes of others. We need men of action. We need men who know what to do. Godly men—leading the church and leading homes.

There are actually two things that Nehemiah saw. He saw the fear in the eyes of the people. He also saw the power of the Lord. Seeing the Lord enabled him to lead the people through their fears.

Roger