Packing heat

 This week's verses are Nehemiah 4:11-17:

And our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to the work.” When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,” then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears, and bows. When I saw their fear, I stood and said 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.”

Now when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. And from that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them kept hold of the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the captains were behind all the house of Judah. Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens carried with one hand doing the work, and the other keeping hold of a weapon. 

These verses come at a good time, in between the days of disappointment that follow broken New Year's resolutions, and the last days of being battered by complacency before starting the disciplines of Lent. They describe the leadership of Nehemiah, as he responded to the enemies threats while strengthening the walls of his holy city. Even though it's a historical narrative, it's also kind of an allegory of spiritual warfare, where the city represents the mind or the sphere of our daily lives.

The people rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, in these verses, are confronted with enemy propaganda. Repeatedly, over some period of time, they are presented with a convincing story of doom as a threat to keep them from doing their work. They share these threats with Nehemiah, and he takes action.

He doesn't necessarily have a huge army to send out into enemy territory and lay down the law, and even if he did, the work of building the wall must still go on. So he finds the weak places, and the choke points, and puts ordinary people on guard there. He reassures them with stories of God's protection to put things back in their proper perspective.

Once they see that the people are prepared, the enemies turn out to be cowards. Even with a small force of militiamen who aren't even trained soldiers, they don't make a move to attack. Bullies are like that. 

If this was a movie, everyone would gather in the town square and cheer, knowing they can finally let their guard down and go back to peaceful life as normal. But it's not a movie, and Nehemiah doesn't let them turn back into helpless sheep. From that day on, everyone carries a weapon alongside the tools they need for their day jobs. They are ready.

There are a few significant things mentioned here that we can take for ourselves. Nehemiah tells the people to "remember the Lord and fight for your people." Normally we just hear one or the other. We either hear a passive call to sit back, have a wine and some crackers, and let God do all of the burly work, or we hear a call to shove God out of the way, rush to save our people, and leave his angels in the dust with dirty footprints all over them. But Nehemiah calls the people to embrace both extremes.

We need both. We have to understand that God has all power, that he is our defender, that he is bound to us by a relationship and a contract, and that he loves us. Nothing we do on our own is any good compared to what he does or what we do together.

But we also have to understand that we are not put on earth to be like caged veal calves, never taking a step on our own, never searching for our own food, or facing any natural predators. God did not create the world for us to be passive, helpless, juveniles raised for meat either.

We need God, but we also need to make an effort. We need to accept our weakness and allow for God's grace, but we also need to grow up and take responsibility. Nehemiah knows they need both fists to win the fight.

Another interesting thing is that Nehemiah forms the people into families and arms them. How often do we try to face an army alone? The most blessed among us are part of something bigger than just us. I know it's hard to believe in the age of selfies, but we move better in packs, and if we're facing something hard, we're better off facing it together.

He doesn't say, "women, children, go relax in the safety of the town square while the men fight valiantly for you" either. They're all taking part, even if the part the men take seems to be bigger. Everyone's got each other's back. Nobody gets a free ride just because someone else is bigger or paid to be there. That's wisdom for ministry too.

And the last curious thing is the similarity between Nehemiah telling the people to strap a sword to their side when going to work, and the armor of God that Paul tells the Ephesians to put on. It's almost like Paul is referring to Nehemiah's story, telling us to be on the alert, to be ready, to remember that God is great and awesome and not to be afraid of the enemy talking trash to us.

So next time you find yourself being surrounded by temptation, attacked by discouraging thoughts, or facing what could be a terrible set of circumstances, remember the plan Nehemiah made to strengthen Jerusalem and strengthen yourself likewise. Trust God and do what you can. Join with your community, whether it is blood family or church family. And put on the armor of God every day, arming yourself with the Bible, memories of God's intervention in your life, and an alertness in case the enemy tries to strike.

The enemy prowls the earth seeking what he can devour, but he's also a coward who doesn't make his move if he isn't convinced it's going to be painless and easy. If we trust God, and look out for each other and ourselves, he will be no threat to us.