Bible Lesson: Answered Prayer:
Nehemiah Prayed For Protection From His Enemies.
Subject Of Prayer: Nehemiah Prayed
That Sanballat And Tobiah Would Reap The Plans They Had Made For The
Jews.
Bible Text:
Nehemiah 4:1-23 NLT (Enemies
Oppose the Rebuilding.)
1 Sanballat was very angry when he
learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and
mocked the Jews,
2 saying in front of his friends and
the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble
Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in
a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually
think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and
charred ones at that?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was
standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if
even a fox walked along the top of it!”
4 Then I prayed, “Hear us, our
God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their
own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land!
5 Do not ignore their guilt. Do
not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in
front of the builders.”
6 At last the wall was completed to
half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked
with enthusiasm.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and
the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going
ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired,
they were furious.
8 They all made plans to come and
fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion.
9 But we prayed to our God and
guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.
10 Then the people of Judah began to
complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much
rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by
ourselves.”
11 Meanwhile, our enemies were
saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on
them and kill them and end their work.”
12 The Jews who lived near the enemy
came and told us again and again, “They will come from all
directions and attack us!”
13 So I placed armed guards behind
the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the
people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and
bows.
14 Then as I looked over the
situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people
and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember
The Lord, who is Great and Glorious, and fight for your brothers,
your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”
15 When our enemies heard that we
knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all
returned to our work on the wall.
16 But from then on, only half my
men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields,
bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the
people of Judah
17 who were building the wall. The
laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load
and one hand holding a weapon.
18 All the builders had a sword
belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the
alarm.
19 Then I explained to the nobles
and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and
we are widely separated from each other along the wall.
20 When you hear the blast of the
trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for
us!”
21 We worked early and late, from
sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard.
22 I also told everyone living
outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their
servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day.
23 During this time, none of us—not
I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with
me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all
times, even when we went for water.
Oh the many prayers that have been made
at time of war! Some one long ago has said, “there are no atheists
in a fox hole,” and how true.
Nehemiah and the Jews were constantly
taunted by the Samaritan leader Sanballat, and Tobiah an Ammonite,
saying, “
Nehemiah 4:2,3 NLT
2 ...“What does this bunch of
poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build
the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they
actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish
heap—and charred ones at that?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was
standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if
even a fox walked along the top of it!”
Nehemiah prayed....
4 ...“Hear us, our God, for we
are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads,
and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land!
5 Do not ignore their guilt. Do
not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in
front of the builders.”
6 At last the wall was completed to
half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked
with enthusiasm.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and
the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going
ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired,
they were furious.
8 They all made plans to come and
fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion.
But Nehemiah prayed!
9 “...we prayed to our God and
guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.
11 Meanwhile, our enemies were
saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on
them and kill them and end their work.”
Nehemiah 13 “...stationed the
people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and
bows.
Then Nehemiah 14 “...called
together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them,
“Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember The Lord,
who is Great and Glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons,
your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”
What happened? God answered their
prayer!
15 When our enemies heard that we
knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them,
we all returned to our work on the wall.
Vigilance:
16 But from then on, only half my
men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields,
bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the
people of Judah
17 who were building the wall. The
laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load
and one hand holding a weapon.
18 All the builders had a sword
belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the
alarm.
19 Then I explained to the nobles
and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and
we are widely separated from each other along the wall.
20 When you hear the blast of the
trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for
us!”
21 We worked early and late, from
sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard.
22 I also told everyone living
outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their
servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day.
23 During this time, none of us—not
I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with
me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all
times, even when we went for water.
Ladies and gentlemen, do you hear the
trumpets?
Everyday the ramparts of righteousness,
Truth and honor are being besieged by the enemy. What is needed are
Christian Workers, willing as the dedicated workers of Nehemiah's
day. Workers willing to stand guard, to protect decency, marriage,
infants, family, the church, our country and The Word Of God. The
hour is late, but now is not the time to leave our posts! The enemy
as a prowling lion, seeks to destroy, destroy, and to destroy.
But …
I John 4:4 KJV
"... greater is He that is in
you, than he that is in the world.
Dear Christian, we are on the Victory
side,...
Galatians 6:9 KJV
“...let us not be weary in well
doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Romans 8:31 KJV
What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
“Don’t be afraid of the
enemy! Remember The Lord, who is Great and Glorious, and fight for
your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your
homes!”
our God will fight for us!”
We
Serve A God Who Answers Prayer!
Joshua
10:14 KJV
And there was
no day like that before it or after it, that The Lord hearkened unto
the voice of a man: for The Lord fought for Israel.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
I Chronicles
16:11 KJV
Seek The Lord
and His strength, seek His face continually.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
Job 22:27 KJV
Thou shalt make
thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee..."
Psalm 6:9 KJV
The Lord hath
heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.
Psalm 55:17 KJV
Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear
my voice.
Psalm 65:2 KJV
O thou that
hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Psalm 66:19 KJV
But verily God
hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalm 88:1,2 KJV
1 O lord God of
my Salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer
come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Psalm 91:15 KJV
He shall call
upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him, and honor him.
Psalm 99:6,8 KJV
6 "...they
called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
8 Thou
answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest
them..."
Psalm 102:17 KJV
He will regard
the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
Psalm 122:6 KJV
Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Proverbs 15:8,29
KJV
8 The sacrifice
of the wicked is an abomination to The Lord: but the prayer of the
upright is His delight.
29 The Lord is
far from the wicked: but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Isaiah 38:5 KJV
“...I have
heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears...”
Isaiah 56:7 KJV
"... for
Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 58:9 KJV
Then shalt thou
call, and The Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say,
Here I am...:"
Isaiah 65;24 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they
are yet speaking, I will hear.
Jeremiah 29:13
KJV
And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart.
Jeremiah 33:3
KJV
Call unto Me,
and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which
thou knowest not.
Zechariah 13:9
KJV
And I will
bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver
is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My
name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they
shall say, The Lord is my God.
Joel 2:32 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of The Lord shall
be delivered..."
Matthew 5:44 KJV
But I say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;
Matthew 6:6 KJV
But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 7:7,8
KJV
7 Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
8 For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 18:19,20
KJV
19 Again I say
unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any
thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father
which is in heaven.
20 For where
two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the
midst of them.
Matthew 21:22
KJV
And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 26:41
KJV
Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.
Mark 11:24,25
KJV
24 Therefore I
say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye
stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:9,10 KJV
9 And I say
unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 18:1,7,8
KJV
1 And He spake
a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint;
7 "...don’t
you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry
out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?
8 I tell you,
He will grant justice to them quickly! But when The Son Of Man
returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 21:36 KJV
Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before The Son
Of Man.
John 14:13,14
KJV
13 And
whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that The Father
may be glorified in The Son.
14 If ye shall
ask any thing in My name, I will do it.
John 15:7,16 KJV
7 If ye abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you.
16 Ye have not
chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of The Father in My name, He may give it you.
John 16:23,24
KJV
23 And in that
day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask
The Father in
My name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full.
Romans 10:12
KJV
For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all
is rich unto all that call upon Him.
Ephesians 2:18
KJV
For through Him
we both have access by one Spirit unto The Father.
Ephesians 6:18
KJV
Praying always
with all prayer and supplication in The Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Philippians 4:6
NLT
Don’t worry
about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
need, and thank Him for all He has done.
Colossians 4:2
NLT
Devote
yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
I Thessalonians
5:17 KJV
Pray without
ceasing.
I Timothy 2:8
KJV
I will
therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting.
Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Let us
therefore come boldly unto The Throne Of Grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:19
KJV
Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by The Blood
Of Jesus,
James 1:6 KJV
But let him ask
in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
James 4:8 KJV
Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw nigh to you
James
5:13-16 KJV
13 Is any among
you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick
among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of The Lord:
15 And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and The Lord shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.
I Peter 4:7 KJV
But the end of
all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
I John 3:22 KJV
And whatsoever
we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in His sight.
I John 5:14,15
KJV
14 And this is
the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing
according to His will, He heareth us:
15 And if we
know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of Him.
Revelation 8:3-5 NLT (Prayers heard and kept)
3 Then another
angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a
great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of
God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of
the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended
up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.
5 Then the
angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar..."
