7. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men
of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps
were being closed, they were very angry.
8. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and
stir up trouble against it.
9. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet
this threat.
10. Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the
laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall."
11. Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we
will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work."
12. Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times
over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."
13. Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest
points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords,
spears and bows.
14. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles,
the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the
Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters,
your wives and your homes."
The setting for the above passage is when Nehemiah is leading the
Israelites in the process of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. The enemies of the
Israelites who lived in the nearby regions did not like the fact that the wall was being
rebuilt. The wall was the protection for the city and they wanted to keep Israel
defenseless. As the workers built the wall, the enemies surrounded the city and threatened
attack.
1. How concerted were the efforts of Israel's enemies to keep their
wall of defense breached?
2. How concerted are the efforts of the porn peddlers to keep your
wall of moral character breached?
3. What can you do about it?
There's a lot to be learned from the wisdom God gave Nehemiah. This
passage is a great example of a strategic defense allied with faith in the sovereign God.
Nehemiah stationed the people in the "lowest points" of
the wall. The exposed places. These breaches were the spots where the fighting would be
the thickest. He knew that if they could win the battle in the breach they could protect
the city.
All of us have breaches in our character. For you, it may be a
tendency to lust and view pornography. If these breaches are left unchecked, they will
sooner or later reap pain and destruction in your life.
You too can act with the wisdom of Nehemiah. Look for the weak
points in your character and then shore them up with strong defenses. If having
opportunities to be alone at your computer with Internet access is a weakness then
rearrange your schedule so that you wont be alone. If that's not possible then ask a
friend to give you a call at those times to ask you what you're up to. If your willing,
there'll be a way to defend against the breaches.
Keep in mind that the most important aspect of defense against the
breaches is to rely on the strength of your commander-in-chief -- God Almighty.