Nehemiah 4:15-23 The sword and the Trowel (Work and War)
I did some digging and found that one of my favorite preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, named his magazine “The Sword and the Trowel” after the passage of Scripture we will be looking at today.
“Paul tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds. He probably had in his mind's eye the corvus, which the Romans employed in destroying fortifications, and certainly it aptly sets forth the work of Christians when attacking the citadels of error. We must sharply grapple the false doctrine, driving the sharp hook of truth between its joints; we must clearly understand the error, and study the Word of God, so as to be able to controvert it. The great corvus of Scripture is a mighty puller down. Then unitedly with earnest tug of prayer and faithful testimony, we must throw down piece by piece the mischievous system of falsehood, be it never so great or high. Stone by stone the wall comes down, it is long and arduous work to destroy error; many hands and hearts must unite, and then with perseverance all must labor and wait. Tracts, sermons, lectures, speeches, prayers, all must be ropes with which to drag the bulwarks down. God's blessing rests on the faithful endeavors of those who overturn the castles of error, and though their work may not speedily succeed, the great result is sure. A Reformation is as much needed now as in Luther's day, and by God's grace we shall have it, if we trust in him and publish his truth. The cry is, "Overturn, overturn, overturn, till He shall come whose right it is.” Reader, are you doing service in the Lord's war, which he is now waging? You know the errors of Rome, are you doing anything to withstand them? You see the Popery and iniquity of the National Establishment. Are you in your measure exposing it? Infidelity is still mighty, do you contend for God and for his Word? Sin still reigns over millions, do you seek their salvation? If not, why not? Are you yourself on the Lord's side? Oh may the grace of God lead you to trust in the great bloodshedding of Jesus, by which he has put away sin; and then may his love constrain you to aid in dragging down the ramparts of evil.” CH Spurgeon
I give you this quote not so much for the exact nature of what Spurgeon was addressing but for the heart that is pushing the content and tone. It is the heart that is unseen but sternly felt.
It is the heart of Nehemiah in 4:15-23: alert, engaged, working hard, ready for war, radical trust in God, a love for the church (people of God), a heart with sword and trowel.
The work of God’s kingdom, the war against the evil one, sin and unbelief are not separable and do not have clean boundaries. When we work, there is always the threat of war. When we are fully engaged in war there is work to be done.
Verse 16, 17, 18 Diversity in function and gifts is vital
In building the city there was someone for every task and every task was important.
In building the church there is someone for every task and every task is important.
The work was well defended. Hands were pulled off of laying brick to wield the sword, but this meant the work was well covered with defenders to prevent work stoppage and loss of life.
A. There was a construction crew verse 16a
B. There was a defense crew verse 16b
C. There was load carriers verse 17a
D. There was a trumpeter to call all to war verse 18
1. In our work there are hands on ministry people
2. In our work there are prayers who intercede
Ephesians 6:10 talks about spiritual warfare and the armor and weaponry
we have. It tells us that prayer takes up this armor and weaponry.
- We must defend the work we do with prayer that puts on armor.
3. In our work there are leaders who discover the work and
call the people together for the task
4. In our work there are prophets who speak a word of
encouragement or warning
Verse 22 Community is vital defense
“Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem”
Being together and not spread thin was vital for the work and for defense.
1 Corinthians 5
Verse 5 and 9-12 help us understand the nature of church discipline that is effective. It is the person in unrepentant sin that is excluded from fellowship that is “delivered over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”
In other words, the defense of the community is a strong defense against the Evil one.
Father, Son and Spirit are in community. We are to be imitators of God, who is in community. When we do not imitate that we are virtually defenseless.
Hebrews 10:24, 25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
1. People out of community are susceptible to attack
a. Pride at one’s theological superiority (can’t find a church to be part
of)
b. Continually giving in to sinful impulses
c. Temptation to give up the biblical ideal for an inferior solution (how
do we support the right? How do we keep marriages together?)
2. Get involved in community inside the local church
a. Not just bible studies comprised of people from various churches
1. This leads to spiritual fatness and a lack of work
b. Community that is pointed in a very clear direction
1. This leads to spiritual health that is designed for
strong work
Verse 19, 20, 21 Faith and works go hand in hand.
The trust that God would fight for them was not divorced from the work building the wall.
1. We have to trust
a. We must build our confidence through bible study
b. We must build our confidence through the study of saints lives
2. We have to go after hard works
a. We must test our trust with great ventures for God’s glory
Verse 23 Always be ready for work and war
“So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our cloths; each kept his weapon at his right hand (each his weapon the water).”
Every man was always ready to fight, even while getting a drink of water. They did not take plays off, the work and the war was too important.
A. Always be on task physically (in work or intentional rest; be intentional)
1. It’s when one becomes idle that they get into trouble.
B. Always be on task mentally and spiritually (don’t let your mind wander)
1. It’s always at night before I go to sleep or when I wake early that
I’m most vulnerable.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
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