Fear the Lord, Not the Enemy: Wisdom from Nehemiah

By Matt Watson

The more I read Nehemiah, the more I am struck by his wise leadership. He knows what he is about, he knows the work that needs to get done, and ain’t nobody gonna stop him from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

And he did it against constant opposition, both direct and indirect. Direct opposition included Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and “the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites” threatening Nehemiah, making false accusations about him and his work, and casting doubt about the legality of rebuilding. When they threatened the work with violence in Nehemiah chapter 4, he stationed sentries with spears and had the workers carry a load in one hand while keeping their sword accessible with the other (always keep your gun hand free). Then he charged the nobles and officials:

“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
Nehemiah 4:14b ESV

The indirect opposition may have been worse because it came from an “enemy within.” Sanballat and his ilk were not from Judah, but the nobles and officials were. That made their treachery worse. Like payday loan sharks, they were exacting high interest on their own people, leading the people to sell their children as slaves in order to survive. Rebuilding the temple and the walls was the way Judah was able to rebuild as a nation, rescuing their people out of slavery and bringing them back home … only to face cruelty and usury from their leaders.

How did Nehemiah respond to this?

“I brought charges against the nobles and the officials … And I held a great assembly against them. They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, ‘The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?’”
Nehemiah 5:7-9 ESV

He rebuked them. He brandished the Sword of Truth against them. He may have done so privately at first before holding the great assembly, or he may have done it all at once publicly because they were public officials. Specifically, he rebuked them by exhorting them to fear the Lord.

Later in the chapter, we read what was likely an entry from Nehemiah’s journal, which said he had forgone the governor’s salary and paid expenses from his own pocket.

“Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.”
Nehemiah 5:18-19 ESV

He had the right to take a salary, but due to the abuse of the public officials, he didn’t want to burden the people further, and so he sacrificed his own funds for them.

For the church, we have a model for church discipline in Matthew 18. We start one-on-one, then add one or two, and a pastor, and only then do we go public if the issue is unresolved and the parties are unrepentant. That’s for the church. But what about for people outside the church walls? What about our city officials and the lesser magistrates who are supposed to serve their people but instead serve themselves?

We remind them to fear the Lord.

Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can change hearts and minds. Not only has His death paid for our sins, but it has also “delivered me from all the power of the devil” and “wherefore by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready, henceforth to live for Him” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q/A 1). Therefore, if our city officials feared the Lord, at least with true repentance and faith, they would “henceforth live for Him” too.

In Glenn Sunshine’s Slaying Leviathan: Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition, he says that the most important weapon we have against unfaithful government leaders is prayer. We just came off of a season of 40 days of prayer as a church. Guess what? Keep praying! Pray until God answers or calls you home!

Like the men on the walls, wield your swords in one hand and keep working with the other. Rebuke, challenge, and exhort, but also pray and stay focused on the work God has called you to do.

This article was originally published by Matthew Watson with Awake! Put on strength!, and is used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.