June 13, 2023

Nehemiah 4:15-23  (HCSB)
Sword and Trowel 
15 When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor.  The officers supported all the people of Judah, 17 who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. 18 Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the trumpeter was beside me. 19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people:  “The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall.  20 Wherever you hear the trumpet sound, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”  21 So we continued the work, while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out. 22 At that time, I also said to the people, “Let everyone and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.” 23 And I, my brothers, my men, and the guards with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing.

Casey Morton
Here, Nehemiah changes strategy. He gets his people into groups; workers (some working with weapons in hand), watchmen to stand guard, and others stationed with trumpets, to sound them as an alarm at the first sign of trouble. It appears they worked and slept without even changing their clothes, so to remain diligent. I can only imagine how the work and constant “standing guard” must have taken a toll on them. When we face hardships and problems in doing good or doing the Lords work, it is easy to become discouraged (at least for me it is). Remember Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:58 “therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”