Nehemiah was in the palace. He could have stayed there. He could have said, "You know what? Land, schmand, this is a great place." No, he chose to do this journey to be ridiculed by everybody along the way and to build the walls and the city and the temple because the connection between the people and the land brought the blessing. It brought their identity. It brought their destiny. It brought who they are. That's what God meant them to be to begin with. God never told Abraham, "I'll make you a religion." He said to him, "I will make you a great nation." And this is exactly why Satan is messing up with the minds of so many people. To love the Jews, but to hate the... Whenever they come back to the land, that's a crime. Think about it. It's exactly the opposite.
Nehemiah is one of a select group in Scripture who runs in the company of men like Joseph and Daniel, and women like Deborah and Ruth. The Bible records nothing negative about this group though we know they were all sinners in need of a Savior. All we read of them are of the wonderful things they did for and in the name of the Lord.
The book of Nehemiah is a story of courage, boldness, steadfastness, and faithfulness in spite of incredible and growing opposition to the work of God. His story begins in the palace of the king of the Persian Empire, Artaxerxes. Having heard of the condition of Jerusalem, Nehemiah could not hide his despair from the king and appeared before him with a sad countenance, which was a violation punishable by death or banishment.
Yet, because of his proven faithfulness to the king even as a captive, he asks the king to show him favor. He asked that the king allow him to rebuild the wall and much of the city of Jerusalem, and that he finance the project, which he did.
Nehemiah 6:1-4
Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
This reminds us that opposition to the Jews returning to their national homeland is nothing new. Nehemiah teaches all of us some vital lessons when opposition comes our way as Christians. There are two things we can always count on when seeking to answer God’s call on our lives: 1) There will always be opposition and 2) The power to do what He’s called us to do is greater than any and all of those who oppose His plans.
Answering God’s call is not always easy and can even involve perils, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:26, but no matter what the task or the number of those who oppose it, this will always be true:
1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Remember, the One in and with you is greater than all who are after you!
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!