But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Nehemiah 4:7-9
When enemies threaten the walls of Jerusalem, walls being re-built for protection from such enemies, Nehemiah does as we should: he and those with him prayed and set a constant watch so that they would not be taken unawares.
We must build walls against our own enemies: Satan, the flesh, and the world. The building of such walls will be challenged. Therefore, we must pray to God for his strength and protection, and set a constant watch, so that we do not fall prey to temptations and “hinder” or even, break down, the building of the walls.
We can see in these verses that prayer alone is not enough to protect us–we must also be active in patrolling our fortifications. If we are not on guard and alert to the danger that surrounds us, our enemies can silently slip past our walls and destroy both them and us.
Some may protest that posting a guard is tantamount to heresy–this is “works,” not faith, and therefore, we are not trusting God for our complete protection. However, we are also commanded to
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23.
The word translated “keep” in the King James Version is the Hebrew verb meaning “guard, watch over.” It is plain that we are to guard our hearts, as other translations, such as the NIV, translate this verse. We are to have faith in God, but after placing our faith in God, we cannot just lie back and expect Him to do all the work. We cannot be passive.
Paul commands us to do as Nehemiah: pray and set a watch.
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Eph 6:18 emphasis mine)
However, while we must pray and set a watch, we must also continue constructing the walls of protection. But how can we labour profitably when we are in constant danger? Nehemiah has a solution:
Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows… And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons;…They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded[archaic =loaded], every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. Nehemiah 4: 13, 16a, 17,18a
The builders are armed, so that they can defend themselves in case of attack. We must follow their example, and here the term “militant Christian” is very applicable. Earlier in Ephesians 6, Paul commands us to “put on the whole armour of God” (Eph. 6:11), to be armed “that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (same verse)
We are to
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Eph 6:14-17)
Notice that we are not to take the “wiles of the devil” lying or even sitting down, but are commanded to stand. The Greek here can be translated “stand firm or immovable.” In other words, we must be ready to fight and hold the line, not allowing our enemies to gain even an inch of ground. The Christian life is not one of passivity, but activity. We must be girded for battle; we must be warriors!
The only way we can fight, however, is if we have the equipment to do so. Paul tells us that we are to be fully clad for battle. We cannot just go out onto the battlefield with only our sword–we would be utterly vulnerable. Notice that while we have one weapon “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” we have to don a lot of armour:
“loins girt about with truth;”“the breastplate of righteousness;”“shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”“the shield of faith;”“the helmet of salvation.”
Every vulnerable place is protected: our hips (loins), heart, feet, and head. These are the places where temptations are most likely to strike: through our desires/lusts (loins), our emotions (heart), our daily walk/life (feet), and our intellect (head).
I purposely neglected one piece of armour: “the shield of faith.” This piece of armour provides protection wherever is it needed, but also has a special function. Paul says,
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
The importance of bearing a shield is made clear in the following example.
In the movie, Timeline, scientists have discovered a way to teleport objects and people from one place to another. However, by accident they discover that they can use this technology to go back in time. A freak wormhole connects the teleportation device to a time in medieval France just before a horrific battle takes place between the English, who have captured a French castle, and the French, who have this castle under siege.
During the seige, the English longbow men shoot burning arrows down upon the French troops. The only way the French can protect themselves is by raising their shields over their heads. The shields of the soldiers overlap, forming a large shell of protection from the fiery arrows.
This defensive technique was also used by the Roman legionaries during New Testament times, and was known as testudo, which means tortoise in Latin. Testudo was primarily used to protect the soldiers from arrows and other missiles.
It is significant that Paul says “Above all”. The phrase “Above all” could be replaced by “Most importantly” or “More than these,” and the meaning would seem to be unchanged. However, as indicated by my example, “above all” illustrates one of the ways “the shield of faith” can protect us. Not only can we use it in hand-to-hand combat, but we can raise it against “the fiery darts of the wicked” that come at us from above, seemingly out of nowhere. The “shield of faith” can be used singly, but it is especially effective when used in groups. The shields of other Christians added to mine can provide a larger space of protection, a bigger shell.
The English in Timeline do not send only burning arrows against the French, but also send unlit arrows which descend upon the unsuspecting French, invisible against the night sky. These arrows are undetectable until they are close enough that the French soldiers can hear the wind whistling through the fletchings (the guiding feathers on the ends). Even though they will not set fire to the grass or the soldiers’ clothes, these arrows are more deadly, since soldiers cannot see them and therefore cannot prepare for their impact as quickly as they can for the “fiery darts.”
Not all of the arrows against us will be burning and obvious. Some will appear suddenly out of the night and catch us off our guard if we are not careful and alert. Nehemiah took precautions against such stealthy night attacks:
And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.
So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes,So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes,saving that every one put them off for washing.Nehemiah 4:19-23 (emphasis mine)
Nehemiah set a guard, gathered his people together, and remained clothed, ready for battle. He also placed his faith in God, confident that He would fight for them. The belief that “our God shall fight for us” did not mean that Nehemiah and his fellow-builders could let down their guard or put down their weapons–they still had to fight–but because the Lord was on their side, they could count on Him giving them the victory. Just as all those who believe in Him can.
I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.Ps. 118: 5-8
No comments:
Post a Comment