Nehemiah 2:10
“When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.”
Anytime you do a work for God, you will find that you will acquire enemies. Nehemiah figured that out early on in the project to rebuild the walls. His chief enemy was Sanballat and Tobiah. These men did everything in their power to stop the rebuilding of the walls. When you study this event, you see there were three things that angered them. The three things that angered them are vital to a work going forward. If the work of God is going to go forward, then these three things must be present. Let me show you these three things and their importance to the work of the LORD.
The first thing that angers the enemy are leaders who seek the welfare of the people. It says that Nehemiah “was come…to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.” This angered them because they knew that if a leader didn’t lead with his own agenda that the work of the LORD would go on.
Every work always starts at the top. If God’s work is going to grow, then leaders must seek the welfare of the people. Leaders cannot seek their own agenda, but they must seek God’s agenda. Leaders must not be worried about what people think of them, for if God’s work is going to go forward then the leader must not make themselves the issue. One of the greatest hindrances to God’s work is that too many leaders are in the work to see what they can get out of it instead of seeking the welfare of the people. Leaders must stop using their people to build the work and use the work to build the people if God’s work is going to go forward.
The second thing that angers the enemy is a work where the people are working together. It says that Sanballat “was wroth, and took indignation” when he heard “we builded the wall.” Notice, it wasn’t just Nehemiah building the wall, but the people were building the wall with Nehemiah. One of the greatest reasons the enemy tries to cause division in the God’s work is because they know that great things can be done when God’s people are working together. No great work will be done without people working together. You cannot build a great work when people are sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else do the work, but great works are done when everyone jumps in together and builds the work of the LORD.
The third thing that angers the enemy is when breaches are stopped. When the breaches were being stopped in Nehemiah 4:7, Sanballat and Tobiah became angry. When people start standing in the gaps for others, then the enemy knows God is going to do something. In other words, when people stand in the gap with prayer for others, God is going to do something mighty. Yes, leaders need to seek the welfare of the people and everyone must get involved, but standing in the gap with prayer is the answer that finishes the work of God. You will never see a great work without people making up the breach through prayer.
In which area do you find yourself? Are you a leader? Then be sure to use your position to meet the needs of people. Are you a lay person? Then jump in and help build the work of God. Most of all, make up the breach through prayer for others. These three things are imperative for God’s work to go forward in a great way.