“Then I sent to him, saying, ‘No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.’ For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’
But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”
Nehemiah 6:8-9 ESV
Last time we saw the end of Sanballat’s 5th appeal for Nehemiah to leave the work and meet with him, using false rumors the king might hear about our governor wanting to become his own king. Today we see the response Nehemiah gave to the enemies of God’s work.
“I urgently sent away (shalach) saying, ‘No such (elleh) things (dabar) have been done, for surely (ki – because, since) you yourself are inventing (bada – devise, feign) out of your own mind (leb – inner man, will, heart, one’s own mind, the center of anything).'”
Or: I urgently sent away that no such reports are true for surely you yourself are making it up out of your own mind.
Don’t you love that reference to leb – our inner man, the center of everything? We can know based on experience and the authority of God’s flawless Word that whatever is on the throne in that place is what drives our lives. It is what we think on, what our affections delight in, and what drives our actions. Leb matters my friends.
Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
Everything you do flows from it.
Let’s make sure what is on that throne can sustain the weight of all our thoughts and affections and worship. No thing can, no fellow human being can. Only the One worthy of all reverence and awe, our Consuming Fire, can sustain our ultimate delight. And only He consumes our lives without torching them to ashes.
If we find something else has been placed on that throne, we don’t have to fret or scramble to do PR. We can simply repent beginning today and ask Him for help to put Him back in His rightful place. He created that place for only One Thing and He’s too good of a Creator to let anything else there satisfy. So today, in your heart, set Him apart as Lord. Every hour if you have to. The entire direction of your life depends on it.
For they all wanted to frighten (yare – affright, reverence) us thinking, “their hands (yad) shall slack (raphah – fail, abandon, lose courage – as seen before), and the work (melakah – work, business, cattle, craftsmanship) will not be accomplished (asah).
Or: They wanted to put wrong fear in us thinking our hands would get discouraged and slack, and the work would not be accomplished.
Funny thing when our leb is not focused on what is focus-worthy how easily we’ll fall into the wrong kind of yare. Fear of approval, fear of scarcity or change, of losing love or security or reputation. But how interesting it is we can still experience and grieve those same things, but they’re not a snare that causes us to abandon purpose or hope when our yare is securely focused in Him. Our reverence and healthy fear of Yahweh keep all other fears at bay. What a beautiful reality to grow in.
Finally in these verses we see our governor ask for the courage he will need to continue on in the task:
“But now, O God, strengthen (chazaq – firm, strong) my hands (yad).”
The work is still daunting. Fears still can nag at us and doubts creep in. We fall into pleasing others and temptations still have their sway. We want control or security or our desires fulfilled more than we want to move forward. And that’s why we need a perfectly-faithful, Covenant-keeping God to supply the power. Our weakness an infinite canvas upon which He can paint His strength.
In His hands – yad, powerful help alongside – we have all we need. Moment to moment, not just down the road or for certain tasks. For our all-encompassing life. He wouldn’t ask for our total allegiance and worship if He didn’t intend to give us power for all of our days. There is no down side with His ways, no reason to hold back bits of our hearts, though we still do. As we allow Him to take over more and more we only see Him come through increasingly. What a Savior!
Are there areas in which you doubt He will come through in your life right now? In your community or our nation or a particular setting? Me too. But we serve the God of Hope. We can know He is up to only the good and beautiful in our surrendered lives and corporate communities. Astonishing splendor is awaiting us in a future too exquisite for us to now comprehend. The ultimate way He has promised to come through can keep us focused on our disappointments in the here and now.
Life is hard and the work challenging. But He makes it all worth it.
Now, O God, strengthen our hands.