Let's open our Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Nehemiah, chapter 4. Nehemiah, chapter 4. Lord willing, I'm going to be bringing two messages this afternoon. I'm not even going to get to finish what I had actually planned, but I'm going to bring two more, and both of them will be from the book of Nehemiah. This message is biblical mandates for defense. And the second message will be biblical mandates for the events part two. So if you look in Nehemiah chapter four, let's read the first five verses. The Bible says, but it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was wroth and took great indignation and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren in the army of Samaria, and said, What to these feeble Jews? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now to Abiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. Hear, O our God, for we are despised, and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey into the land of captivity." The remnant had returned from Babylon and from the Babylonian captivity, and they were now endeavoring to rebuild in Jerusalem to build the temple and to build the wall. And they were trying themselves basically to what you and I would call get on with their lives. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah gives us a glimpse into the problems that existed during this particular time. Not only their problems, but their sins and their struggles as well that fell upon the remnant. There were personal sins as well as societal sins that had to be dealt with and resolved. Seemingly, many of these sins stemmed from what you and I would call personal corruption and greed. because they were refusing to abide by the law of God. Obedience would have headed off much of this sin and much of this suffering, but unhappily, the depraved nature always wishes to benefit at the expense of others. Now, Ezra, the Bible tells us, was a ready scribe in the law of Moses. And he was concerned more with building the temple and with the worship of God. Nehemiah, was the Tershatha. You'll find that word several times in the book of Nehemiah. And the word Tershatha just simply means the governor. So Nehemiah, the Tershatha, or the governor, was more concerned with the safety and of the building of the wall round about Jerusalem. However, both of these men, Ezra and Nehemiah, were concerned with the law of God. Both were concerned with teaching the law of God. If you'll look in your Bibles, to the book of Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 9, to show you this word and also the truth that I've just enunciated, Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 9, the Bible says in Nehemiah, which is the Tershatha, or the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites, that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God. Mourn not, nor weep, for all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Ezra was the priest and the scribe, Nehemiah the governor, but both were concerned with teaching the law of God, that is for sure. And the interesting thing is you read through the book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah, both of these men had to hesitate in their work and pause in their work just to deal with the sins of the people. Now it was the prophets Haggai and Zechariah that encouraged and motivated and preached to the remnant and encouraged them to build and of course they taught the Word of God and they rebuked their sins as well. So if you'll look in the book of Ezra, chapter 5, Ezra and Nehemiah, right before Notice if you would Ezra chapter 5 in verse 1, right before Nehemiah, the Bible says then the prophets Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Edo prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel even unto them. So we have Haggai and Zechariah who were preaching during this particular time as well. Both Ezra and Nehemiah were doing the work of God, and both were doing that which God had ordained for them to do, and they were doing that work according to the will of God that had been revealed to them. Now, to me, it's absolutely astounding, when you read through the book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah, at the number of enemies that an individual can a crew just by doing that which is biblical and right. Anyone that serves the flesh, the world, and the devil will automatically be against anyone who is doing that which is right and holy and just. And of course, you're going to find out as you read through Ezra and Nehemiah that these enemies not only mocked, but they threatened and ridiculed and even offered to sue those who were doing the work of God. So I want you to look in Nehemiah chapter 4 at verses 7 and 8. Just look at some of these enemies very quickly. Nehemiah chapter 4 verse 7. The Bible says, But it came to pass that when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashtodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth and conspired all of them together to come in to fight against Jerusalem and to hinder it." So, notice if you would, these men now did not want the work of God to go on. And so now they're conspiring to try to stop this work and look at it. It's not just Zimbalad and Tobiah, but now it's the Arabians, the Ammonites, the Ashtautites, anyone who was allied with them. Now, I want you to look in the book of Nehemiah chapter 6, if you would, very quickly, at verses 1 through 9. And I want you to notice, if you would, how that Those who are doing the work of God are always called names. They're ridiculed. They're mocked. For instance, today, I hope you read or heard how that the government now has been tracking anyone who recently has bought a Bible. That's a fact. It was on the news, I heard it last night, I heard it today. They're not only tracking anyone who bought a Bible, but they're also tracking anyone who happened to give an offering to Trump, and they're also tracking anyone who bought anything online through Bass Pro. You know why? Because if you believe the Bible, now you're classified as a white supremacist or domestic terrorist. That's exactly what they're doing. So here's what I want to show you. From the book of Nehemiah, look at it, if you would. Chapter 6, beginning there at verse 1. Now, it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard that I had builded the wall and that there was no breach left therein, though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates, that Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I'm doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort, and I answered them after the same matter. Then Samballath, then sent Sambal and his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand." Now watch this. "'When it was written, it is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel, for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king according to these words. And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee in Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah. Now shalt thou be reported to the king according to these words. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together. Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou faintest them out of thine own heart. For they all made us afraid, saying their hands shall be weakened from the work that it be not done. Now, therefore, will God strengthen my hands? Now, we need to learn a very pointed lesson at this point. Here is a truth, and that is this. The world, the unsaved and the humanist will never love, appreciate or help anyone that's really, truly doing the work of God. They will never, ever appreciate the men, their character, their courage, their consistency. In fact, what they will do, they will lie about them, they would slander them. It's just like they said to Nehemiah, you're planning to rebel. You want to proclaim yourself king. We're going to report this to the king. Remember now that Nehemiah was the cuckbearer to Ahasuerus, who happened to be the king. And it was Ahasuerus who gave him leave to come to Jerusalem and do this work. And now they're saying, we're going to report you. You are a rebel. You are a seditionist. You are an insurrectionist. You're planning on doing this just for yourself. And you're going to take over. Please understand this, that when you're doing the work of God, you are going to be called all kinds of names. You will be called anything and everything, you will be mocked and you will be ridiculed as well. You remember what our Lord said in John 15? He said, if the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, The world would love his own. But because you're not of the world, because I've chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hated you. And then he went on to say this. Remember, he said, the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than the master. If they've persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they've kept my saying, they will also keep your saying. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, Listen, because they know not him that sent me." Now, listen to me very carefully. If you understand this truth, you're not going to get bent out of shape just because somebody criticizes you. You're not going to get bent out of shape just because someone speaks ill of you. You've got to understand that is par for the course. Now, my name has been slandered. All you have to do to read about me is go to the Southern Poverty Law Center's website and you can find out all about me. And the only thing is, the only thing true that they say, and it's really not true, they say that I am a Neo-Confederate. I tell them, I'm not a neo-confederate. I'm an old confederate. I believe the same things my forefathers believed. I believe in states' rights. I believe in liberty. I believe in freedom. I believe in the right of self-defense. That's an old confederate, brother. That's not a new confederate. I'm just simply saying, these people were absolutely insane. But I'm just simply saying, you just might as well point it out and write it down, If you do anything for Jesus Christ, if you stand for truth, you are going to be hated. You're going to be ridiculed. That's all there is to it. Now, notice if you would. There are several biblical principles that I want to bring out. And they're from Nehemiah chapter 4. So the second message is actually going to be based upon this as well. But I want you to look once again at verses 1 through 5. Because the first part of the truth is actually going to come from the enemies of the Judahites themselves. Look at verse 1. But it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was wroth. and took great indignation and mocked the Jews or the Judahites. And he spake unto his brethren in the army of Samaria. Now note, if you would, he has an army. So Sanballat has an army. So he spake before his brethren in the army of Samaria and said, What do these feeble Judahites? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, even that which they build, if a fox go up on it, he shall break down their stone wall. Now let me stop right there just for a moment. I want you to note, if you would, several things. First of all, I want you to note that Sanballat referred to Nehemiah and those that were with him as these feeble Jews or Judahites. His statement indicates that he actually believed that they were weak, they were feeble, and they were worthless. Now, what was Nehemiah doing? Nehemiah was trying to build a wall around Jerusalem so Jerusalem would be safe. In other words, they would have the opportunity to defend themselves if they were attacked. So let's learn this principle right now. The work of defense is not for weaklings and for those who are not determined. That's why he said, what do these feeble Judah ites that they're weak, they're worthless. In other words, You have to understand it takes strength and it takes determination to do a task and to fulfill and finalize that task. Now the wall of Jerusalem was so broken down It was literally in rubble. And much of it had to be cleared out of the way for Nehemiah even to begin his work. So if you'll look back to Nehemiah chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 12. Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 12. Look at this. Nehemiah said, well let's read verse 11. So I came to Jerusalem, was there three days. And I rose in the night, and I and some few men with me, neither told I any man what God had put upon my heart to do at Jerusalem, neither was there any beast with me save the beast that I rode upon. I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well into the dung fort, and viewed the wall of Jerusalem which was broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain into the king's pool. Now look what he says, but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. So when you and I begin to look at the task of defense, it is seemingly a great task, one that is very difficult to undertake. So how in the world does one begin? How did Nehemiah begin? Well, I'm going to point out, he had to begin by removing the rubble. You have to remember that these Judahites had been in Babylon for 70 years. 70 years, the wall had been broken down. There were stones that were crumbling. Everything had been burned. So you cannot begin to work until you remove the rubble and the trash that's in your way. You have to remove the rubble and the trash that's in your life before you can actually begin to build. You have to remove anything that's going to impede you, to hinder you, thwart you, and to stop you from building a defense in your life and for your family as well. Now, the truth of the matter is this. There's got to be an awful lot of rubble moved. There's got to be an awful lot of work done. And it may be a sin issue. It may be a character issue. It may be a determination issue. It may be an unbiblical work ethic. It may be a lack of understanding or it may even be a lack of knowledge. In other words, all of these things have to be cleared up and cleared out before you can begin. You know, David said in Psalm 66 and verse 18, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord's not going to hear me. So if there's a sin issue, if you don't deal with that, it's not, you're not going anywhere. And if it's a work ethic, if you're not willing to work, you're not going to go anywhere either. If it's a lack of determination or like I preached earlier, a lack of a biblical mindset, you're never ever going to accomplish it anyhow. In other words, all of this trash, all of this rubble has to be cleared out of the way before you can begin to build. all the rubble, all the trash, and listen to me, everyone who always criticizes you and condemns you for trying to do that which is right, please understand this, they're never going to like you, they're never going to help you, they're never going to appreciate you, so you might as well forget them. You can't please them, you can't placate them, you can't satisfy them. Just live your life and get on with it. You know, I tell people, and I had a lot of people ask me this, and I've said it so many times, but here are the two hardest lessons I've ever had to learn in 59 years of preaching. Number one, you can't help everybody. And number two, which is even harder, sometimes those you can't help are your own family and your friends. And that's the truth. And so the only thing you can do is clear the rubble out of your life, and you get on with your life, and you do what needs to be done. Forget the rest of them. Don't listen to their criticism. Don't listen to their condemnation. You just do what needs to be done. Here's the second thing. Look, if you would, back in Nehemiah chapter 4, because he not only referred to them as feeble Judahites, He asked this question, look what he said, what do these feeble Judahites, will they fortify themselves? Now, interestingly, the Hebrew word for fortify is the word Azab, and it is only translated as fortify two times in our Bibles. All the other times, this same word is translated as forsake, leave, leave off, fail, abandon, desert, or be destitute. So, the word could have reference to will they fortify, would they build a wall, But moreover, it could also be a reference to the fact that he called them these feeble Judahites. He's saying that they do not have the character. They do not have the determination. They do not have the grit. They do not have the mindset to really build this wall and defend themselves. They will quit. They will desert. They will be destitute. They will not accomplish it. So, it could be the very fact that He is now continuing with an assassination upon their character as well. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Luke, whole Nehemiah 4. Please, we're coming right back there. But I want you to see how our Lord spoke about this very concept that I'm just mentioning. about individuals who begin and then quit. Look what our Lord said, Luke chapter 14, beginning there with verse 28. Look at this. Luke 14, verse 28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether ye have sufficient to finish it? Have you ever built a house and didn't know how much everything was going to cost? and whether or not you have enough money to pay everybody and buy all the material? Look what he says. For which of you intended to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether ye have sufficient to finish it? Lest, haply, after ye have laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Then he asked this question. or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand, to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand, or else, while he is the other's yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So he says, you better make sure that you count the cost. You better make sure that you have a determination. You have a mindset that you're going to finish exactly that which you start. You are not going to be mocked. You're not going to be ridiculed. And so the truth of the matter is this. It takes character to see a project all the way through. I suppose that everyone in this room has started a project and you get into that project and all of a sudden, It's harder than you thought. It's more expensive than you thought. And you decide, well, maybe I should quit. No. Alice and I, so many times up the road have passed the beginning of a castle. Part of it's still standing. It never was finished. I've seen buildings like that. that had been left. In fact, there's one on this road that we live on. Never it was moved there and was never ever finished. I don't know who owns the building. I have no idea. But our Lord is talking about this. And he says, Look, You need to finish what you begin, because it takes, once again, a mindset and determination as well. Now, go back to Nehemiah chapter 4. Again, look at verse 2. Watch this. I'm just showing you these principles are coming now from the enemies, from those who hate God's people. Look what he says in verse 2. And he spake before his brethren, and the army of Samarians said, What do these feeble Judahites? Will they fortify themselves? What's his next question? Will they sacrifice? I want to tell you something. This is the most important question when it comes to defense. And I'm talking about biblical defense. Will they sacrifice? Here's what he's saying. Are you willing to give up your pleasures, your conveniences, and whatever it takes in order for you to build the wall? In other words, how much does the defense of your life and your family and your neighbors matter to you? What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you willing to give up? Are you willing to give up a newer automobile? Are you willing to give up a vacation? Are you willing to give up that expensive cup of coffee that you have every day? I had a good friend years ago. I was out preaching for him. And he said, do you drink coffee? I said, yes, sometimes. And I didn't drink it that much back then. He said, well, come on, I'll buy you a cup of coffee. And we're talking about probably in the 70s, 80s anyhow. And he pulled up to this coffee shop and he ordered two coffees. They were five bucks each. This was back then. Was it good? Yeah, it was good. Then he looked at me and said, I get a cup of this every day. I looked at him and I said, do you realize that's 150 bucks a month just for a cup of coffee? Wow. Now, when you stop and think about your pleasures and the things that you enjoy and yet the things that you actually need. So many people let the pleasures get in their way. They're just not willing to sacrifice for their families and for their neighbors or even for themselves. So are you willing to give up the TV? Are you willing to give up the coffee? One of the main objects for preparations. All right, let me rephrase that. One of the main objections for preparation is money. Someone says, well, I just don't have the money to put up a year's worth of food. I don't have the money to buy 2,000 rounds of ammo. I don't have the money to buy my medical supplies. I don't have the money to do this and do that. You know, the truth of the matter is, you only have what you have. And once you have to prioritize your time, you also have to prioritize what you buy. I tell people, you know, when it comes to money, you can only do two things. You can either make more or you can cut your expenses. The folks who can't make more, the only thing they can do is cut their expenses. And that means you have to learn to do without. You have to learn to sacrifice. And if you're not willing to sacrifice, you're never, ever going to build up anything. That's all there is to it. I'm going to stop. I'm going to tell you a story. Alice and I just celebrated our 61st wedding anniversary, okay? When we married, I started working at a job and I was being paid 65 bucks a week. You say, that's not much money. Oh, it was back then. Jack Roper, who was a motorcycle cop, and a friend of mine, he'd been with the city for 10 years, and he was only making 60 bucks a week. I started out as an 18 year old at 65 bucks a week. And then guess what, I got a raise a five buck a week raise every quarter. What we had more money than a lot of people. And so Alice and I just bought what we wanted. And if I didn't have the money, guess what? I would charge it because I had money coming in. You know, one day it dawned on me, wait a minute, wait a minute. All the money that I'm getting is now going to pay for all these credit things that I've charged and we don't have anything to live on. So I said, I know what I'll do. What I'll do is I'll go down to the bank. I'll borrow the money. I'll consolidate all these debts. I'll have one payment. It'll be much lower. And then I'll have money left over. And I did exactly that. And since, you know, we were young, I then turned around and she turned around, and since we had money left over, we went out and bought other things and charged other things. And next thing I know, I now owe the bank, I know everybody else, and we don't have enough to live on. You know what Alice asked me? She said, are you going to go to the bank and barter some more money? I said, no, I am not. I said, we are absolutely, insanely stupid. I said, what we're going to do is we're going to tighten our belts We're going to do without. We're going to pay our way out of debt. We're going to stay out of debt. And from henceforth, whatever we want, we will save up enough money and pay cash for it. And if we don't have the cash, we will do without. That's exactly how we've lived the rest of our lives. I'm just simply pointing out the fact, folks, when it comes to your family, when it comes to your lives, you have to organize and you must have your priorities. And here is the question on money. Will these people sacrifice? Let me tell you, defensive weaponry costs money. Food supply costs money. Medical supplies cost money. There's no way in the world that you can have everything that you need without sacrificing. Now, I just saw a wonderful sale price on some tourniquets. I thought it was a wonderful price. I love the cat tourniquet, and everybody ought to have two or three tourniquets everywhere you turn. But I'm just saying, you can't buy a good tourniquet usually for under 30 bucks. And just stop and think, if you have six, that's 180 bucks right there. Think about your suture kits. Think about any medical supplies. I'm just simply pointing out the fact, you better think about sacrificing. If you don't have a year's worth of food stored up, you should have. If you don't have medical supplies laid up, you should have. If you don't have plenty of ammo laid up, you should have. In fact, we've gotten word that prices are going to rise again this year. Why? Not only is the powder low, but all the ammo and everything's being sent over to Ukraine and to Jerusalem, and they're fighting all these wars. Yeah, it's gonna go up. It can't help it go up. So the point I'm trying to make is you've got to understand whether or not you're going to sacrifice. You cannot get the necessary equipment or the necessary materials you need to survive as a family without sacrificing. That's all there is to it. I want you to look in your Bibles, whole Nehemiah chapter 4, but look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 6. Look at this. Proverbs chapter 6. And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Proverbs 6 and verse 6. I want you to see what God says. Proverbs 6 and verse 6. Look at this. He says, Go to the aunt thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise. which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provided their meat in the summer, and gathered their food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou rise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man. A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a forward mouth. Notice it. Go to the ant, thou sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise. Now, what does that ant do? That ant puts up in the summer so she can have everything during the winter. Yeah. God sends us to the insects to learn how to sacrifice and to prepare and to put back. Wow. So, Sam Ballant asks, will they sacrifice? So that's a good question to ask you. Are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to do whatever is necessary to acquire what you need to survive? It's just that simple. Here, if you would, notice the fourth thing. Look in verse 2. Nehemiah chapter 4, verse 2. He said, and he spake before his brethren in the army of Samaria and said, what do these feeble Judahites? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Now look at this next one. Will they make an end in a day? Now, in one sense of the word, this statement by Sanballat was an assessment of what he believed was the inability of Nehemiah and those people to actually build the wall and to finish the wall. involved in this assessment was also an implied threat. Now when he asked this question in verse 2, will they make an end in a day? What he is saying is the work has to be done quickly if they are going to keep the feast of dedication. And according to Sanballat, he knew that that work could not be done in a day. He understood that. He knew that they could not finish that work in a timely manner like that. The threat arose when it was implied by Samballot, if they don't get it done quickly, if they think that we are going to sit around and allow them to build this wall, they are mistaken. Remember, he's speaking to the army of Samaria. In other words, we will stop it. We're not going to sit by and watch them do that. Have you ever stopped and thought about this? Why was not all that weaponry that was left in Afghanistan not brought home and given to the Americans? I want to tell you something. I have seen pictures, not just of the weaponry, but I have seen pictures of stacks and stacks and stacks of $100 bills in bundles that would have filled this room from the floor to the ceiling that was left there for the hell man. I'm just simply saying when you stop and think, Sanballat said, if you think for one minute, we're going to let you finish this. If you don't do it quickly, we will intervene. We'll do everything we can to stop this work. Now, look at it again in verse two. He asked another question. He asked, what do these feeble Judahites, will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Now look at this. Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubble? and the rubbish which are burned. Remember I told you earlier, the Judahites had been in the Babylonian captivity for 70 years. 70 years the wall has been in a mess. Think of all the animals that are under the stones. Think of all the grass, all the trees, all the roots, everything that's there. Everything is in the way. Moreover, everything had been burned. Wow. So here's what he's asking. Will they revive the rubbish? Will they revive the heaps of stone? Will they have some type of glue where they can glue these stones back together? Where in the world do they think they're going to get the stones to finish this wall? Clearly, Sanballat and his cronies, they were not going to help them. They were not going to furnish anything for them. If you think your government is going to furnish anything for you, you're mistaken. If you really want your government to furnish something for you, the only way that I know that you can do it is to leave the country, cross the river illegally, Come back in and you can get a $5,000 gift card and a plane ticket to wherever you want to go and all the free medical care and education that you want. Other than that, they don't give a flip about you. When you think that these illegal immigrants in New York are getting rent-free brand new apartments for two years when our homeless vets are sleeping on the street. And in Massachusetts, the governor of Massachusetts has already asked the citizens of Massachusetts to take these people into their homes. Really? Especially when Venezuela is opening the prison doors and letting all of their prisoners out so they can come to America. I don't think so, but I'm just simply pointing out the fact you're not going to get any help from anyone outside of the Lord and his people is what it amounts to. So Sam ballot is persuading himself. He's also persuading his cohorts. that these Judahites are facing an impossible task. It cannot be done by these feeble, weak, and despised men because they're not going to be able to glue these stones back together. They're not going to be able to make this wall. But one thing that he overlooked, and that is the sovereign providence of God. Because with God, everything is possible. Now, I want you to look at verse 3. Hang on. We're not through. Here's the sixth thing. Look at it. Now, to Abiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. Wow. Even if a fox go up. You know how light-footed a fox is. He said, let him build a wall. Now, this is Tobiah. Let him build a wall. If a little light-footed fox walks across that wall, it's going to fall down. So Tobiah mocks and impugns the quality of any work that was being accomplished by Nehemiah. So the question is this. What kind of work are we going to build for our families and for our friends, for our neighbors? Is it going to be a shoddy piece of work? Years ago, when I was much younger, I started helping a man who was skilled in masonry. And he was just a neighbor. He's just a friend. And I just helped him to be helping him. I wasn't really getting paid. And I mixed all kind of mud for him, and I watched him build. And I decided one day I was going to build me a barbecue pit. And I had a stone wall around it and all this kind of stuff. And so I mixed the mud, and I laid the stone. And I thought I'd done a pretty good job. And so I called my friend, and Glenn came over. And he put his hand on his chin. and looked at my wall. Then he said, and he took his foot and kicked it and it all tumbled down. Then he said, I'll build it. Well, you know what I did was the best I could do, but the best I could do was not right. And the truth of the matter is this, if we do shoddy work when it comes to defending ourselves, you buy shoddy weaponry, you buy shoddy tourniquets, you buy shoddy medicine, you buy shoddy whatever, you're gonna be the one that suffers. You're gonna be the one that fails. Now the truth of the matter is this, even if a fox goes up, They didn't think much of the work of Nehemiah. By the way, if you read through the book of Nehemiah, you'll find the wall was built, and when it was built, at the end, all the people of Jerusalem walked on top of that wall, singing praises to God and thanking Him. It did not crumble. It did not tumble. It did not fall. But here's the seventh thing. I want you to watch this. I want you to think about the response of Nehemiah to all of this ridicule. By the way, when he was ridiculed, he did something very, very profound. Something that most of us never ever think about doing. But if you look in Nehemiah chapter 4 and verse 4, after they are ridiculing and mocking the people and the work, Here's what Nehemiah does when he hears it. He prays. Hear, O our God, for we are despised, and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity. In other words, he prays an imprecatory prayer. He just asks God to return all this cursing and all this mockery and all this ridicule upon their own heads and let them be a prey in the land of captivity." Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles over, if you would, to Psalm 9. I could show you this in so many of the Psalms. It's so wonderful. It's so beautiful. But look in Psalm 9, if you would. And notice there, beginning with verse 11. Psalm 9, verse 11. Psalm 9, verse 11. I think that's the right verse. Let's see, Psalm 9. OK. I've got the wrong passage. All right, let me read it for you. Psalm 9, I thought it was in verses 11 through 16. But yes, that's it. Psalm 9, verse 11. Sing praises to the Lord which dwelleth in Zion. Declare among the people his doings. Now watch. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them. He forgetteth not the cry of the humble. Remember what Nehemiah is praying. Have mercy upon me, O Lord. Consider my trouble, which I suffer of them that hate me. Thou that lifted me up from the gates of death. that I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the door of Zion. I will rejoice in thy salvation. Now look at this. The heathen are sunk down in the pit which they made, in the net which they hid as their own foot taken. The Lord is known by the judgment which he executed. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Wow. Well, this is exactly what Nehemiah is praying. Nehemiah is saying, Lord, let it go back on their heads. Let it come back upon them. So he doesn't get bent out of shape. He just looks to the Lord and says, Lord, you handle it. You take care of it. Now, let me make a couple of applications. First one is this. The first thing you and I should notice and we should actually learn is the power of ridicule. Ridicule is mockery. Ridicule is decisive and derision and taunting. Hatefulness is what it amounts to. It's malicious belittling. It is a contemptuous scorning. It is a jeering and provocative insult. So after Sanballat is talking about these weak and feeble people, how they can't do anything, and then Tobiah joins in, and he says, even if a fox goes up, he'll tear it down. You know, what we do not understand, even with our children, is peer pressure. When somebody comes along and says to your child, don't be a chicken. Do this. Everybody else is doing it. And you know, humans, adults, do the same things. We laugh and we mock and we make fun if you don't do it exactly the way somebody else does it. And we've just never really understood the power of ridicule. And when Sam Ballard began to ridicule and say everything he did, then the next thing you know, Tobiah joins in and he's making it even worse. So when one person starts ridiculing and mocking, it encourages someone else to ridicule and mock as well. No one wishes to be different. But we should be different. So the truth is, ridicule always displays animosity and hatred toward those with whom they disagree. And therefore, ridicule and mockery, listen carefully, is a means of manipulation and control. If I can manipulate you, I can control you. So in order to survive and live a holy and useful life, we must learn to ignore ridicule and do what is right before God and for our family. Here's the second one. You're responsible for your life, your family, and you must do whatever is necessary to protect them. You must make the preparations. You must learn from the end. You must learn to work and to sacrifice and to lay up, and you must have the character to finish what you start. If you don't finish what you start, not only is a source for mockery, but it's your family that's going to suffer in the end. So make sure you understand this simple truth. Not only must we do what is right, we must also trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to make what we do prevail. For without him, we can do absolutely nothing. It is our responsibility to be responsible. It's our responsibility to respond to any potential threat or situation in a biblical manner and to make sure that we honor the Lord in it, trusting in Him and in Him alone. So here's the first biblical mandate, and that is we are to ignore all the ridicule, all the mockery. We just need to do what needs to be done and trust in the Lord. Think and plan ahead by the grace of God. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We ask, Father, for your grace, for your mercy, for your goodness and kindness in our lives. We pray, Lord, that you would indeed build us up in the most holy faith. Give us, Lord, the character and the courage, Lord, that we need to do that which is right in your sight. Help us now, Father, and give us your mercy. In Christ's name we pray, amen.