Nehemiah 2:9-20: A God Who Is Greater

Nehemiah 2:9-20: A God Who Is Greater

Please turn with me in your Bible to Nehemiah 2. If you’re using one of the Story Bibles we provide, that’s on page 320. We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of Nehemiah, and today the next passage we come to Nehemiah 2:9-20. God has laid it on Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. And as we saw last week, Nehemiah has obtained the king’s permission to do so. But even with the king’s permission and the king’s resources, the task is still easier said than done, as we’ll see. Nehemiah 2:9-20:

9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. 11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work. 17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” 

For whatever reason, there’s something within us that likes to root for the underdog. We love stories where the underdog wins. I think of the famous hockey game in the 1980 Olympics between the United States and the Soviet Union. Just about everyone expected the Soviets to win by a landslide. They had won the gold medal at five of the previous six Olympic games and were the favorites to win once again. This Soviet team consisted primarily of professional players with significant experience in international competition, while by contrast, the US team consisted exclusively of amateur players, most of whom had only played in college. It was actually the youngest team in US history ever to play in the Olympics with an average age of only 21 years old. Many people wondered whether the US team would even be able to score a single goal against the Soviets. And yet, against all odds, the US team somehow pulled ahead of the Soviet team in the final period of the game and ended up winning 4-3. It was an iconic victory—so iconic that a movie was later made about the game called “Miracle on Ice.” Also, in 1999, Sports Illustrated magazine would refer to the game as the top sports moment of the twentieth century. The underdogs had won.

And here in our text, we see another underdog story—with the underdog, of course, being Nehemiah. The challenges against Nehemiah are enormous as he attempts to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. And yet, in the midst of these significant challenges, Nehemiah puts his hope in a God who’s greater than anything. That’s the main thrust of what this text teaches—the main idea. In the midst of significant challenges, Nehemiah puts his hope in a God who’s greater than anything. So number one, I’d like to look at Nehemiah’s challenges. Then, number two, we’ll look at Nehemiah’s hope.

Nehemiah’s Challenges

So first, Nehemiah’s challenges. The main thing I want us to see here is that Nehemiah wasn’t ignorant of the challenges he faced. He understood very well how dismal the situation was and how challenging it would be to rebuild the walls. From pretty much the first day he arrived in Jerusalem, he faced opposition from some very powerful people. Verse 10 identifies them as Sanballat and Tobiah and states that “it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.” It’s likely that Sanballat and Tobiah were governors of nearby territories in the Persian empire and didn’t want to see Nehemiah rebuild Jerusalem because then the city would become much more prominent and their own status would then be reduced. There’s a good chance these two men were also profiting economically by being able to keep Jerusalem under their thumb. So they vehemently oppose Nehemiah’s endeavor. And Nehemiah’s very much aware of this. He also seems to be aware that these men have spies living in Jerusalem. That’s why verse 12 states that he made the strategic decision to inspect Jerusalem’s walls by night, so that Sanballat and Tobiah wouldn’t know exactly what restoration project he intended to pursue in Jerusalem and have an opportunity to put a stop to it right then and there before it even got off the ground. So Nehemiah has a very realistic understanding of what he’s up against. And then, he acquires even more of an understanding as he inspects the damage to the walls. Verses 13-15 record him riding around to the different gates of Jerusalem and seeing how bad the damage really is. In one area, the damage is so severe that Nehemiah can’t even get through and has to go another way. So it’s not like Nehemiah’s living in blissful ignorance of how bad the situation in Jerusalem is or how difficult it will be to rebuild the walls. Rather he goes out of his way to look his challenges square in the face and observe them in great detail. He documents exactly what he’s up against. 

And I believe that’s something we also would benefit from doing as we think about the mission God’s given us here in Pittsburgh. Because I believe that, like Jerusalem, Pittsburgh also is in a state of disrepair. Of course, I’m not primarily talking about physical disrepair, although with all of the potholes this time of year, some streets may come close—I’m not sure. In some places, the potholes are so bad you may feel like Nehemiah with his donkey having to turn around and go another direction. But the greatest way in which Pittsburgh is in a state of disrepair isn’t physical but spiritual. The spiritual disrepair of our city is heartbreaking. I think of one family my wife and I know very well. Both the husband and the wife were raised in church but eventually decided that church just wasn’t for them. So now, while they appreciate a few of the moral values of Christianity, they’ve chosen to live very secular lives without any real regard for Jesus or the Bible. They view the Bible as merely one helpful book among many helpful books and Christianity as merely one valid religion among many valid religions. And the reason I mention them is because I think they’re representative of a strong majority of the people in Pittsburgh. And the great tragedy is that even though this husband and wife apparently had some kind of a religious upbringing, I don’t think they’ve ever really had significant exposure to the gospel before. In other words, based on conversations I’ve had with them, I don’t think they were taught the gospel and then rejected it. I think they somehow were never really taught the gospel in the first place. I don’t think anybody ever helped them understand who Jesus is and what he’s done to save us. And so, they’re almost entirely ignorant of what makes God so wonderful and what makes the gospel so glorious. They just…don’t know. They don’t know. And you can multiply that story over and over and over again almost endlessly, and that’s the kind of spiritual disrepair Pittsburgh is in.  

I think of that picture we’re given in Ezekiel 37 of a valley of dry bones. Basically, a prophet named Ezekiel has this vision of a valley that was full of human bones scattered all around. And the text specifically says that these bones were “very dry.” So there was no sign of life in this valley—only death. And that’s what the Bible says we’re like before God rescues us. Even if we’re walking around and doing the regular things people do, any appearance of life we have is only skin deep. The sobering truth is that we’re actually dead. We’re dead in the sense that we’re separated from God, the giver and source of life. We’re dead in the sense that our hearts are void of any love for God or delight in God. We’re dead in the sense that we have no ability to live in a way that pleases God even if we wanted to. And finally, we’re dead in the sense that we stand condemned before God because of our rebellious way of living. It’s a very sobering thought, but that’s the state of countless people in our city. And just like a physical corpse can’t raise itself from the grave, the spiritually dead also are powerless to do anything about their condition.

Nehemiah’s Hope

And yet…there’s hope. Let’s examine the hope Nehemiah had. Remember: Nehemiah was realistic about the challenges he faced in rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. He was very aware of those challenges. Yet he was also remarkably confident that his project would succeed. So having first looked at Nehemiah’s challenges, let’s now look, number two, at Nehemiah’s hope. He expresses it quite clearly in his response to the taunts of his enemies. Verses 19-20: 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” So Nehemiah was able to look his enemies square in the face and tell them plainly that this project was going to move forward. And what was the source of Nehemiah’s hope for it moving forward? Was it his own cleverness or determination or ingenuity? No, he says, “The God of heaven will make us prosper.” Think about that phrase “the God of heaven.” It’s the same phrase Nehemiah employed back in verse 4 where he said, “I prayed to the God of heaven.” That phrase, “the God of heaven,” speaks of the greatness of God. God isn’t just another local deity of the sort worshipped by Israel’s pagan neighbors. No, he’s a God who’s unrivaled in his glory, unsurpassed in his power, and unhindered in his ability to do what he wants where he wants and with whom he wants to do it. 

He’s the same God Isaiah describes in Isaiah 40:12-26: 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? 14 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. 16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. 18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? 19 An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. 20 He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move. 21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. That was Isaiah’s God. Back in our main text, that was also Nehemiah’s God. So the question is, “Is that your God?”

Many times, I think the reason we feel so overwhelmed by our problems and circumstances is because we frequently lose sight of that kind of God. We frequently forget who he really is. And so, without that understanding of the greatness of God, our circumstances can seem overwhelming. Maybe some of you find yourself feeling that way a lot. Listen to me: stress management techniques are great and breathing exercises can be helpful, but what you need more than anything else is to acquire a vision of the greatness of God. Because when you see how great God is, it puts everything else into perspective. All of a sudden, those circumstances that once seemed so overwhelming now seem entirely manageable—because you understand that God is greater than any problem you could ever face. He’s able not only to work in the midst of your challenging circumstances but even to use the circumstances themselves to accomplish his purposes in your life. He’s that great. 

I love the story of the prophet Elisha recorded in 2 Kings 6. God was giving Elisha supernatural revelations of the battle plans of Israel’s enemies, the Syrians. Every time Syria devised a secret plan to come against Israel in a certain way, God would reveal the plan to Elisha so that Elisha could then alert the king of Israel. And this kept on happening. So finally, the Syrians get tired of it and decide to come after Elisha. They discover he’s staying in a city called Dothan, so they send a huge number of soldiers and horses and chariots to Dothan at night and completely surround the city, intending to kill Elisha when he comes out in the morning. Then when morning comes, Elisha’s servant wakes up and goes outside and just about wets himself when he sees this massive army surrounding the city for the express purpose taking out Elisha. So the servant runs back inside and says to Elisha, “What are we gonna do?” And Elisha responds with these words in verse 16, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then verse 17: “Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” So the reason the servant was freaking out at first was because the only thing he saw was the army of Syria that was about to pounce on him. But when God opens his eyes, all of his fear immediately vanishes because he sees that God’s angelic army is way bigger than the army of Syria. He just needed to have his eyes opened to see that. And in the same way, when we’re feeling overwhelmed by our circumstances, that’s what we need also. We need a vision of the greatness of God. We need a vision of God sitting on the throne of heaven, sovereignly reigning over everything, clothed with infinite power, and present with us through whatever it is that we’re facing. 

And let me also bring this back around to the hope we should have for our city. I mentioned earlier that just like Jerusalem was in a state of physical disrepair, Pittsburgh I believe is in a state of spiritual disrepair. I compared it to the valley of dry bones described in Ezekiel 37. That valley and those dry bones are similar to Pittsburgh in many ways. And just like Nehemiah was realistic about the challenges he faced, we should be mindful of our challenges also. However, the challenges are only part of the picture. How I pray that God would open our eyes to see that he really is “the God of heaven” and give us the same unshakeable confidence he gave Nehemiah that those challenges can be overcome. Because although the challenges may be great, God is even greater. He’s able to soften even the hardest of hearts and raise people out of their spiritual deadness into spiritual life. He’s able to bring the spiritual awakening to Pittsburgh that we as a church have been praying for.  

After all, isn’t that the message of the dry bones passage in Ezekiel 37? Isn’t that what the passage is really saying? Let me read it to you—Ezekiel 37:1-10: 1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 

Here’s the point: God’s able, with almost no effort whatsoever, to take what’s spiritually dead and make it alive. He can do that for your coworkers, your neighbors, your friends, and even your family. He can raise them to spiritual life. He’s doing it all the time. And he can even do that for you this morning. Maybe you’ve been sitting here listening to this message and God has been showing you that you’re among the spiritually dead. You don’t have any of the spiritual “vital signs” that would mark someone who’s been raised to life. You don’t have any true desire for God or delight in God or love for God. You may desire his gifts, but you don’t desire him. That’s a sign of spiritual deadness. That’s a sign that your heart’s never truly been changed—that you’ve never truly been born again. But there’s good news. You don’t have to continue in that state of spiritual deadness because Jesus has won ultimate victory over death. You see, when Jesus came to this earth, he lived a perfectly righteous life without sinning even a single time. Then he voluntarily allowed himself to be crucified on the cross in order to make atonement for our sins. That means Jesus’ death satisfied the righteous wrath of God against sin. He took our punishment. Then, in a climactic display of his victory, Jesus rose up out of the grave in order to triumph over sin and death and everything that was against us. And the thing that makes this such good news is that we can share in his victory as we look to him for rescue. That involves turning away from our sinful way of living and putting our trust in Jesus alone as our only hope of being right with God. It means realizing that there’s absolutely nothing we can do to rescue ourselves and that Jesus alone can rescue us. And if you’ll do that, God will forgive your sins, transform you into a new person, and even adopt you as his own son or daughter. You may feel a lot like Jerusalem right now with its walls broken down and its gates destroyed with fire—a city lying in ruins. But just as God sent Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem, he’s sent one infinitely greater than Nehemiah to offer you hope and rescue from your sins. Will you embrace the rescue he offers?