Sunday Morning Podcast October 2, 2016. Bro. Dave Goble.
TEXT: NEHEMIAH 4:1-2,9-10
1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
9 Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
The walls were broken down, so that the Israelites felt powerless. There was so much rubble to be cleared, bringing with it a seeming hopelessness of the task to rebuild. All the heartaches, failures, the disobedience, fears, and doubts had helped the breaches to become greater. There were things that needed to happen before being able to even start to rebuild the wall.
Salvation is that wall God would build around our soul. Sin and self, can be likened to the rubble, that needs to be cleared, to build the wall that would give, strengthen, and protect our Salvation. Sin does serious destruction to any life. God will forgive the resulting damages, but it takes time to build up that which is broken down. Too often people will construct their own walls to keep out the onslaught of doubts and fears coming against them. Only with God, (and not our own strength) can the wall be rebuilt to keep out sin and it’s destruction.
Many attempt to rebuild according to their own plans. But the heart can only be made right through God’s ways and thoughts and not our own. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8,9 It will take humility and a lot of vulnerability to happen in our life, in order for God to rebuild our wall. He can tear out our weak walls, to rebuild according to His strength. If we let Him. If the enemy keeps coming against us revealing the same weak place, …examine yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5). The “rubbly” places of your own thoughts, are what creates weakness in the flesh. But you can choose to remove the rubble, to rebuild!
Weary of rebuilding? Remove the rubble first! Rebuild according to God’s ways and thoughts!