When Mockery Tries to Shrink the Vision
Nehemiah 4:1-3; Psalm 123:3-4
Have you ever started a home project and part of the way through started hearing voices in your head about how maybe you’ve taken on more than you can handle? I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m not really qualified to do this. I’ve totally underestimated how long this is going to take. Do I really have the right tools and materials?
That discouraging voice in your head is an enemy to the project, and it’s how enemies often work—creating doubt. Doubt creates space for a spiritual attack from our ultimate enemy, Satan, who is like a thief who comes to steal and kill and destroy. In the case of our home project, he comes to steal our hope that it could be better, kill our dreams of what it will look like, and destroy our vision—the path toward achieving it.
The same discouraging voice we hear internally is the voice Nehemiah faced externally, loud and public, from real enemies determined to stop God’s work.
Sanballat was the enemy to Nehemiah and the Jews as they undertook the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. Like our enemy, Satan, Sanballat rises against Nehemiah and the work of God repeatedly, changing his tactics as the work advances. We first see him at the end of chapter 2 ridiculing the project before it even starts. Now that significant building has taken place through chapter three, an angry Sanballat reemerges in chapter 4 with jeers and derision toward the Jews and the rebuilding initiative that God is orchestrating through the leadership of Nehemiah.
Sanballat taunts the Jews with a series of rhetorical questions intended to mock and belittle them:
- “Feeble Jews”—attacking their strength
- “Restore it themselves?”—attacking their ability
- “Will they sacrifice?”—questioning their devotion to God
- “Finish in a day?”—attacking their timing
- “Revive burned stones?”—attacking their resources
And to make matters worse, one of his minions, Tobiah, jumps in with a smug remark claiming the work is so poor that even the lightest pressure—a fox—will cause it to collapse.
Now, some of the ideas behind these jeers may have already been on the minds of the Jews, who were tired and fully aware that they were not skilled builders. We certainly do know our own shortcomings.
Our response matters when facing such brazen opposition, especially when it echoes doubts we may already have in our hearts. So how can we respond?
- Remember who called you. God calls you to do good work for Him. He calls, equips, and enables you. Any good work we do is done through Him, not apart from Him. God is always with you, especially in trouble, and He will strengthen you to endure and continue the work that He’s given you.
- Remember that God cannot be mocked. “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked” (Galatians 6:7). The mocking from Sanballat and Tobiah wasn’t just aimed at Nehemiah—it was ultimately aimed at God. The enemies of God often attack those who serve Him. Trust God to defend and empower you to complete His work.
- Be encouraged by what God has already done for you. In this case, the wall was halfway built, and the fact that God’s work was already succeeding is what angered Sanballat. Consider how much God has already changed in your own life, and know that He will faithfully continue His work.
As we embark on the vision God is calling us to, expect opposition. It could be self-doubt, like the voices in your head from your home project, or it could be from outside forces, like Sanballat and Tobiah. Regardless, be assured that the enemy will try to shrink the vision and render us ineffective. Opposition shrinks vision, but God expands it. Stay the course. Keep building on His foundation.
Question to Consider
Where might opposition be causing you to shrink away from something God has called you to do?
Prayer Prompt
Prayer for those who are discouraged and facing opposition: ask God to strengthen, protect, and encourage them, following Nehemiah’s example of making prayer his foundation.
