Remember Tobiah and Sanballet, O my God, because of what they have done;
remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have
been trying to intimidate me (Nehemiah 6:14).
Nehemiah set out to rebuild the wall at Jerusalem that had been destroyed.
Nehemiah held a position in the Persian Empire that would be comparable to
Chief of Staff in our government. Nehemiah wept over the destruction of the
city wall and repented for the sins of his generation and the generations
before him that led to the fall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah is now responding to
the news by seeking approval from his superior to take time off to rebuild
the wall. Tobiah, Sanballet, meets this action on his part with resistance
and Noadiah the prophetess as well as other prophets. These were the
religious and political leaders of his day. They became distractions to his
work and opposed him.
Whenever God does a new work it is often met with resistance by those in the
established religious community and sometimes among those we least expect
that we would expect support. Jesus met the same resistance when He began
His public ministry. This same phenomenon happens today. When God begins a
new work that cannot be easily explained based upon prior experiences, many
make the mistake of assuming it not to be of God. The very people who should
embrace and encourage the work become the source of skepticism and
opposition. God tells us that His ways are not our ways. He does things in
ways beyond our limited understanding.
Before you are tempted to criticize or oppose something that looks different
from your past experience, ask God for wisdom and discernment. Examine why
you might be tempted to oppose it. The Lord cannot be put in a box. He
delights in doing things in ways that may not fit our former paradigms.