Nehemiah 4:11 – And our enemies said, “They will not know or see til we come among them and kill them and stop the work.”
Nehemiah has a God-given vision, military covering, and financial backing from the king, moved from the city of Susa to Jerusalem, and has the support of a small but growing group of people who are trusting him to lead them. Like every spiritual war, enemies show up seeking to break everything Nehemiah and the people are trying to build. From the first day Nehemiah arrived in town, some hated the man, his message, and his mission (2:10). What began as the equivalent of critics on blogs and social media escalates into a dangerous mob that never goes away so long as Nehemiah obeys the Lord instead of the mob.
Whenever God is for you, it is certain that Satan and others will be against you. When God places His hand upon you, it is certain that Satan and others will raise their fist against you. When God provides for you, it is certain that Satan and others will try and steal it from you. When you share your vision, it is certain that Satan and others will mock you with derision.
Regarding the motives for undermining a work of God, I’ll end with a list of people who become opponents for a variety of reasons:
- Insecure people are threatened by the success of a leader/organization
- Jealous people covet the success of a leader/organization
- Enemies have an agenda that conflicts with the mission of a leader/organization
- Entitled people demand control over a leader/organization
- Inflexible people oppose change and attack any leader/organization promoting change
- Demonic people attack anything and anyone that is doing good for God
- Unrepentant people attack a leader/organization that has told them truth that they despise
How does Nehemiah 4 help you to not jump into the latest Christian gossip or speak ill of other Christians?