Guarding Against Complacency
Nehemiah 6:15-7:6
March 13, 2022
Can we easily become complacent when things are going well? Let’s suppose that you
complete rehab, get a good job, find a safe place to live, find a church that helps you
stay focused on building a good life, and you begin preparing for the future. Should you
then relax and just enjoy yourself? Should you tell yourself, “I’ve got this!”? Or should
you build and maintain guardrails in your life to help you stay on the right path? While
victories ought to be celebrated, they are not signals that there will be no more
challenges, or that we can relax our guard.
I have been thinking about this. We see lots of people do well only to later relapse.
We see others do well in recovery and never even seem to slow down in moving
forward. What is the difference? Simply stated, the difference seems to be the
guardrails they put into their lives. Those with strong guardrails usually succeed.
Those without strong guardrails seldom succeed.
God will help His people overcome any and all opposition to them carrying out
His purpose. He will not help you overcome opposition so that you can carry
out your purpose.
Sometimes those who oppose God recognize His work, and sometimes they don’t.
When God gives us victory, that doesn’t necessarily mean that those who oppose
God will stop resisting. In fact, even those on God’s side of a conflict sometimes have
mixed motives and allegiances. We can expect our struggles to be long and be
filled with opposition. Even a great victory doesn’t mean that everyone will line up
on God’s side. Even after a victory, it is not time to drop our guard. It may, in fact,
be time to increase our guard. When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, not only did he
find the city walls and buildings in disarray, he found that some of Jews had divided
loyalty. Tobiah was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, the gatekeeper of the East Gate.
One of the takeaways from this lesson (again) is there is that there is never a time to
drop our guard.
6:15 (NLT) So on October 2 the wall was finished — just fifty-two days after
we had begun.
16 When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were
frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help
of our God.
17 During those fifty-two days, many letters went back and forth between
Tobiah and the nobles of Judah.
18 For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him because his father-in-law
was Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan was married to the
daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah.
19 They kept telling me about Tobiah’s good deeds, and then they told him
everything I said. And Tobiah kept sending threatening letters to intimidate
me.
7:1 ¶ After the wall was finished and I had set up the doors in the gates, the
gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed.
2 I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along
with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who
feared God more than most.
3 I said to them, “Do not leave the gates open during the hottest part of the
day. And even while the gatekeepers are on duty, have them shut and bar the
doors. Appoint the residents of Jerusalem to act as guards, everyone on a
regular watch. Some will serve at sentry posts and some in front of their own
homes.”
4 At that time the city was large and spacious, but the population was small,
and none of the houses had been rebuilt.
5 ¶ So my God gave me the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of
the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the
genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. This is what was
written there:
6 Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their
captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they
returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived.
- How did the Israelites’ enemies react to the news that the walls of Jerusalem had
been rebuilt? (6:15-16) Who was given credit for Israel’s success, even by their
enemies? (6:16)
6:15 (NLT) So on October 2 the wall was finished — just fifty-two days after e
had begun. 16 When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it,
they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done
with the help of our God.
Their enemies were frightened and humiliated because they understood the source
of the Jews’ strength. They knew God was on the side of the Jews and at work to
restore Jerusalem and the people of Jerusalem. God had a plan for the Jews, and He
was hard at work to put them in a position to tell the world about Him. - How do you think the Jews felt about God, their work on the wall, and the future of
Judea after the walls were built? How do you feel after God wins a victory in your life?
I think their hope was restored. I believe they were pleased as they could be with the
progress they had made in only 52 days. This must have encouraged them about the
future of Jerusalem and the people of Judah. They certainly must have found purpose
and significance in the work for the Lord that they were doing. - What criteria did Nehemiah use in selecting new leaders for Jerusalem? (7:2) Why is
this important?
2 I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along
with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who
feared God more than most.
He promoted people of character that he could trust because of their relationship with
God. Both of the men mentioned here had a history of service to the Lord. We know
that Hanani had a previous role of significance because he was the one who brought the
news of Jerusalem to Nehemiah in the first place. Hananiah had been the commander of
the fortress and had obviously demonstrated his ability and his loyalty to God in that
position.
- What extra precaution did Nehemiah take to insure the safety of the city? (7:3)
3 I said to them, “Do not leave the gates open during the hottest part of the
day. And even while the gatekeepers are on duty, have them shut and bar the
doors. Appoint the residents of Jerusalem to act as guards, everyone on a
regular watch. Some will serve at sentry posts and some in front of their own
homes.”
He introduced new guidelines for the opening and closing of the city gates. He
appointed guards with a regular watch. He made sure that every home was guarded.
Everyone had a specific job to do and a prescribed way to do it. The victory of
rebuilding the walls was great, but Nehemiah knew it was time to be extra careful about
the attacks of the enemies. - Why was it necessary for guards to be posted around the walls of Jerusalem? (6:17-
7:3) There were still threats of attack, and Judah was still vulnerable to outside forces
that had some level of support from family members and fans of Tobiah on the inside of
the city. Nehemiah’s entire plan was still at risk. It was not time to relax their guard or
forget that the enemy’s threat was real. Victory is not permanent; it is day by day,
and sometimes moment by moment. Double the guard, the enemy is near! - Why did Tobiah continue to send letters, and what reports was Nehemiah getting
about Tobiah? (6:19) What can we learn from this about people in our lives?
19 They kept telling me about Tobiah’s good deeds, and then they told him
everything I said. And Tobiah kept sending threatening letters to intimidate
me.
Tobiah was no fan of Judah. He saw them as an enemy of his people. As long as Judah
was doing well, his people were at risk. Tobiah had relatives living in Jerusalem. In
fact, his father-in-law was a gatekeeper. His friends and family were keeping him well
informed about the progress in Jerusalem, and they continually told Nehemiah about all
the good deeds Tobiah had done.
Talk about a danger lurking nearby! People on the inside of Jerusalem were fans of
Judah’s enemy. This reminds me of the lady who said that her boyfriend was a really
nice guy when he wasn’t drinking or beating her. These reports of Tobiah’s good deeds
was great cause for alarm. All our enemies don’t have horns growing out of their
heads and carry a pitchfork. Sometimes they are just normal folks who influence
us in the wrong direction. - How is the city of Jerusalem described? (7:4) What does this imply about work still to
be done?
4 At that time the city was large and spacious, but the population was small,
and none of the houses had been rebuilt.
Nehemiah described Jerusalem as large and spacious with a small population and houses
in disrepair. There was much work yet to be done if Judah was going to carry the
banner forward for the cause of the coming Messiah. The houses had to be rebuilt and
populated with people who shared the cause of telling the world about their God. - What motivated Nehemiah to organize the genealogical record of the Israelites? (7:5)
He knew the importance of ferreting out divided loyalty. He wanted Jerusalem to be
occupied by true Jews. He understood what would likely happen to Jerusalem if it was
populated by people who had intermarried with other religions and cultures. His fears
and concerns would later be proven to be significant as we will in chapter 11 and
beyond.
So how does this apply to us?
Don’t let the sweetness of victory lull you to sleep. Victory might be a reminder to
double your guard.
Know who is helping you stay on the right path and who is not. Spend time with
those who help you do what is right, and stay away from those who are likely corrupt
you.
You live once. Make it count for the Lord!