Nehemiah 4

This is a very transparent post. It’s a bit raw and vulnerable. And, I hope, it will be helpful to someone. I want to talk about what we allow to enter through the front doors of our homes. And I want to explain how it is so easy to let our guard down and leave room for our enemies to come right in. Sometimes, we even invite the enemy in.

First, let me define who and what our enemies are. Paul writes to the Ephesian believers from prison and identifies our enemy. It isn’t a flesh and blood enemy, but rather a spiritual one, unseen, intangible, but real nonetheless (Eph 6: 12). Paul begins this section by exhorting his readers to “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Eph 6:11). So we see one of our enemies is the devil.

Another enemy that has been conquered by Christ already is the grave, death. When Jesus rose victorious over death, He conquered that foul enemy. Jesus will destroy death once and for all when He comes to reign on earth as King.

“For He must reign until He has put all of His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

I Corinthians 15:25-26 ESV

So now we see that we have two enemies: the devil and death. Is this not enough? Can we be done with the list? Sadly, we have other enemies. John reminds us that we are at odds with the philosophies and false wisdom of the worldly system. We live in it without being overcome (by God’s grace!). The three enemies mentioned in John’s first letter are “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life.” (1 John 2:15-17). Finally, we get to an enemy we can look in the eyes – in the mirror. Here we find the battle against our own sinful desires. Our desires are at war with the Spirit inside of us. This is an exhausting battle, but it is also a holy struggle against sin.

This is where I want to talk about protecting your own front door. Home defense, but not in the 2nd Amendment way, not in a self-defense class at the local dojo way. This is not a physical battle at all, even though it feels like it many times. But first, a memory.

I remember very clearly the first and only time I ever laid eyes on a Playboy magazine. I was eleven years old, and completely naïve to the reality of the types of magazines a person could pay to have delivered to their front door or mailbox (wrapped discreetly in brown paper, of course). The magazines I saw were not wrapped in brown paper anymore. There were hundreds of them, maybe a thousand, years of magazines in cardboard boxes in the attic of my friend’s house. Somebody in her household packed those magazines in boxes and carried them up to the attic. Somebody in her household ordered those magazines regularly, paid the subscription fee, unwrapped the brown paper and looked at each page.

Thank God, my brain has not held the details of the pictures my friend showed me in those attic magazines. But innocence was marred, and the false idea was planted that day – women’s bodies are meant to be photographed and looked at, added to glossy magazine pages, paid for, shipped to a person’s front door, viewed page by page, and then stored for years in an attic like a family heirloom. I was shocked, disturbed, rattled, sick in my stomach, and suddenly curious about something I hadn’t considered before. Another confusing fact was that some of the boxes were left opened, and the contents laid about as if the magazines were visited now and again, reviewed.

If I could go back in time to that day, to the moment my friend said, “look at this,” I would have gently turned my own little girl face away and told her not to look. I don’t have a time machine, so I’m telling you to tell yourself and your kids, and I’m telling my own kids repeatedly – don’t look. And I would say the same about any tempting, possibly besetting sin – don’t even look at it! Run the other way and fast!

I know Nehemiah 4 is not about images we should not look at or sins to avoid. I know it’s about a broken wall, broken, sinful people, and a big God Who cares for them in all the details of their lives, a holy God Who has a sovereign plan. But when I read it, I am reminded that the enemies we face are persistently trying to break through the walls, the windows, the doors to afflict us and tempt us to sin. Fighting every temptation that steps foot on the front porch feels like an impossible situation! A “Kobayashi Maru” if you will. Especially now in the year of our Lord, 2026. Now, when the magazines are online, and the pictures move, and the pop-ups are like a swarm of bees, and our sons are targeted as soon as they have an online presence, and our daughters are bombarded with messages of self-worth being tied up in what they LOOK like. I’m weeping now just thinking of the onslaught. And this is only one type of the many temptations that cause us heartache in this world. Who will deliver us from this body of death?! Only Jesus (Romans 7:24-25).

If you haven’t done so already, please take this moment to read the whole chapter of Nehemiah 4. It helps to know what God’s Word says, and really, that’s what matters most. If you can, read it out loud. I’ve found this very helpful in understanding what I’m reading.

Nehemiah and the remnant who are rebuilding the wall are verbally assaulted and physically threatened by enemies who want them to fail. Sanballat and Tobiah stir up the armies of Samaria, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites against the remnant who are rebuilding in Jerusalem. These groups plot together to fight against Jerusalem and cause chaos so the building can’t continue. But Nehemiah and the people respond in the only way possible. They pray. They bring the taunts, the words of scorn, the threats to the Lord, and they trust in Him to fight for them.

As their enemies try to discourage and make them afraid, the builders pray and trust the Lord. Verses one through five record Sanballat and Tobiah’s mocking words – the wall they are building is so weak, a fox will knock it down if it climbs on it! But Nehemiah and the people turn to the Lord (v5), and call on Him for strength, protection, and vindication. And here is the cool part – the builders get back to building (v6). They pray, and then they keep moving forward in obedience! How often do we get discouraged by temptation and failure, or by challenges and roadblocks, and we just stop moving forward. God is with His people! He strengthens Nehemiah and the builders to keep on building. And He strengthens us to keep on walking in the Spirit, trusting Him, obeying His word. Pick the hammer back up, friend!

“So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

Nehemiah 4:6 ESV

The more determined Nehemiah and the people were to build, the stronger the opposition became. The armies gathered together against them! Again, the remnant goes to the Lord. They pray to God for protection and deliverance, and they set a guard to keep eyes on any attacks during the day, and at night (v9). Here is the sad part – their countrymen and neighbors join in on the discouraging words towards the builders. The people of Judah say there is too much work, too much rubble, the job can’t be done. Their enemies continue the onslaught of threats. And then their neighbors try to get them to give up and move closer to them -the work is too much, too hard, nearly impossible. I love Nehemiah’s response and instructions to the builders. First, he organizes protective details by clans with weapons for defense – swords, spears, and bows – then, he fortifies them with these words:

“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 4:14 ESV

This is a golden verse. No fear. Remember your awesome God. Fight for your family! What a beautiful call to action. The builders were determined to persist, and God strengthened them to do the work. In our struggle against sin, temptation, and discouragement in the work, remember the Lord! So far, we’ve identified some enemies, and we’ve discussed the first response in an attack – run to the Lord; cry out to the Lord; trust the Lord! This account in Nehemiah shows another smart move, community. I have to share the whole section from the chapter; it’s just too good.

“When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, ‘The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.’”

Nehemiah 4:15–20 ESV

Rally to us there! That’s a fight song, for sure. In our struggle against sin and temptation, we are not alone. Nehemiah didn’t build alone; he didn’t obey alone. He had community around him, a trumpet to call for aid, and support from his brothers and sisters who built beside him. Who is listening for your call for help? Who do you have on deck to step in and lift you up when you fall? Get your team together in the fight against your enemies, your fight against sin. We are people who belong in covenant community. We have a household of faith around us, church family, near and far, who can step in and speak truth (even when it hurts), and offer comfort to us in the fight. Get your people. Don’t wait on this. Notice the weight of the victory isn’t placed on the individual or on the community; “God will fight for us.” This is a repeated theme. He has equipped His children with weapons to win against temptation and sin, and He has empowered us to follow through, obey, hold fast. Consider the following orders from Ephesians 6.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…”

Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV

Friend, I hope you are encouraged to step back into the fight against sin in your own life and for your household. We have this one amazing life where we get to obey in the midst of suffering, follow when it seems impossibly far, rebuild when the pile of rubble looks too overwhelming. Don’t give up now. Our God will fight for us.

• Here are some key takeaways:
  • In the midst of temptation – cry out to the Lord.
  • Trust God to strengthen you and fight for you.
  • Get your people – build a team for accountability and support.
  • Call for help from your team! Don’t sit on that resource – sound the alarm!
  • Put on all of God’s armor by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in you.
  • Do it all again when you fail…again and again. God is faithful. God forgives.

One final thought: Know where your kids are. Know the people they hang around. Know the families in the houses they visit. Talk to your kids about what goes down when they are away from home. Make space to hear them. Leave room for them to confess mess-ups and sins. And for the love of all that is holy, get your kids off of the internet unless they are securely monitored. Like I said, I don’t have a time machine, but I sure wish I did.