The Sword and the Trowel.
The sea is calm and quiet, blue as the sky above it, not a wave, not a
ripple is to be seen; it is smooth as polished silver, shining like a
mirror, and peaceful as the still lake amongst the mountains. On the sea
is a boat, floating along as quietly and as gently as on a river. The
man in the boat is having an easy time, as he rows out to sea, almost
without an effort.
But what is that in the far distance? It is a black cloud, rising from
the sea. In a little time the wind begins to moan and sigh, white lines
are seen on the distant water, a storm is coming, and coming both
swiftly and surely. The man in the boat at once rouses himself and
prepares for action; it was an easy thing to go forward when all was
still, he will find it a very different matter to meet the rising storm.
So found Nehemiah the governor. Up to this time all had gone smoothly
and easily, the king had granted his request fully and freely, Asaph had
given him the wood from the royal paradise, the committee, composed of
the leading men in Jerusalem, had at once fallen in with his scheme, the
people, great and small, men and women, old and young, had responded to
his appeal, the walls were being rebuilt, the trowels were busy, the
rubbish was being cleared away, and all was bright, cheerful, and
encouraging. As Nehemiah walks round the city directing the builders,
dressed, as a Persian governor, in a flowing robe, a soft cap, and with
a gold chain round his neck, he feels his work both easy and pleasant.
It is always a light task to direct and superintend those who have a
mind to work, and Nehemiah for some time went peacefully on his way, as
the man in his boat rowed easily along in the still, untroubled water.
But what is that dark cloud rising north of Jerusalem? What is that
moaning, muttering sound in the far distance? Can it be a storm coming,
a terrible storm of opposition and difficulty? Surely it is, for we see
Nehemiah rousing himself, and preparing to row his frail boat through
troubled waters.
Signs of the approaching storm had indeed been seen by him, before the
first stone had been placed on the city wall. No sooner had he revealed
his plans to the people of Jerusalem, no sooner had they responded, 'We
will arise and build,' than something had occurred which might well make
Nehemiah feel uncomfortable. A messenger had appeared at the northern
gate, bearing in his hand a letter, written on parchment, and addressed
to the Tirshatha, or governor. Nehemiah opened the roll, and found it
contained an insulting message from Sanballat, the governor of Samaria,
a message which was evidently expressed in very scornful and unpleasant
words. The upshot of the letter was this (ii. 19):
'What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?'
Do you, Nehemiah, intend to fortify Jerusalem, and then set up the
standard of rebellion against Persia? Our master, the king, may be
deceived by you, but I, Sanballat, see through your hypocrisy and your
wicked designs.
Nehemiah's answer was clear and to the point. Three things he would have
Sanballat know:
(1) We have higher authority than that of man for what we do.
'The God of heaven, He will prosper us.'
(2) We intend to go on with our work in spite of anything you may say or
do.
'We His servants will arise and build.'
(3) It is no business or concern of yours. You, Sanballat, have nothing
whatever to do with it.
'Ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.'
Be content then, Sanballat, to manage your own province of Samaria, and
to leave Jerusalem and the Jews to me and to their God.
No answer came back to Nehemiah's letter, and perhaps he and his
companions fondly dreamed that this was an end to the matter, that the
storm had blown over, and that Sanballat, when he saw that they were
determined, and that they did not heed his threats or his ridicule,
would in the future let them alone.
But one day, quite suddenly, the clouds returned, and the storm rose.
The work is progressing splendidly. The priests and the merchants, and
the goldsmiths and the apothecaries, the daughters of Shallum, earnest
Baruch, and white-headed Shemaiah, are all at their post, when suddenly,
as they look up, they see an unexpected sight. A great crowd of
Samaritans is gathered together outside the northern wall, and is
standing still, staring at them, and watching their every movement as
they build the wall.
Sanballat the governor is there, Tobiah the secretary stands by his
side, his chief counsellors have come with him, as have also the
officers of his army. Dark and thick the storm is gathering, and surely
the builders feel it, for the trowels cease their cheery ringing sound,
and all are listening, waiting and wondering what will come next.
The silence is broken by a loud scornful voice, loud enough to be heard
down the line of workers, and by Nehemiah as he stands among them. He
knows that voice well; it is the voice of Sanballat the governor. In
scoffing disagreeable words he is speaking to his companions, but he is
talking about the builders, and is talking for their benefit too, that
they may feel the full sting of his sarcastic words.
'What do these feeble Jews?' A poor weak, miserable down-trodden set of
men; what can _they_ do?
'Will they fortify themselves?' Do they fondly dream they will ever
finish their work, and fortify their city?
And how long will it take to build walls like these? Do they think it
will be done directly? 'Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a
day?' Do they expect to offer the sacrifice at the commencement of their
work, and then the very same day to finish it?
Why, they have not even the necessary materials. Where will they get
their stone from? Are they going to do what is impossible, to make
good, solid building-stone out of the heaps of rubbish, the crumbling
burnt masses which are all that remain of the old walls?
'Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are
burned?'
Then when Sanballat had done speaking, there follows the loud coarse
sneer of Secretary Tobiah. Why if a fox (or jackal) tries to get over
their miserable wall, even his light foot will break it down.
'Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down
their stone wall.'
We can picture to ourselves the burst of laughter with which this speech
would be hailed by the bystanders, the officers and courtiers of
Sanballat.
What does Nehemiah answer? How does he reply to this cruel ridicule,
these sharp, cutting, insolent words, that provoking laughter?
If we study Nehemiah's character, we shall find that he was a man of
quick feelings and of a sensitive nature. He was not one of those men
who are so thick-skinned that hard speeches are not felt by them. He was
moreover a man of great power and spirit. He must have felt much
inclined to give Tobiah the bitter retort he so richly deserved, or to
call upon his men to drive Sanballat and his party from the walls.
But Nehemiah speaks not. He does not utter a single word to Sanballat or
to his friends. He remembers that this is God's work, not his; and he
therefore complains to God, not man:
'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.'
Then, quietly and steadily, as if nothing had happened, he takes up his
work again, and the people follow his example; they take no notice of
the jeering company below, but they build on in silence, all the quicker
and the more carefully for the scoffs of their enemies.
Sanballat and Tobiah soon tire of laughter and mockery, when they see it
is of no avail; they move off discomfited, and the work goes on as
before.
Satan, the great enemy of souls, is the same to-day as he was in
Nehemiah's time. He never lets a good work alone; he never permits
Christ's servants to row in smooth water, but immediately he sees work
done for the Master, at once he stirs up the storm of opposition.
The young man who is careless about eternity, who is living simply to
please self, has an easy time; he will not come across even a ripple of
opposition, his sea will be smooth as glass. But let that young man be
aroused, be awakened, be converted to God, let the good work of grace
be begun in his soul, and at once Satan will stir up the storm of
difficulty and opposition. Very often it begins, just as Nehemiah's
storm began, in laughter. It has been said that laughter hurts no one.
That statement might be true if we were all body, but inasmuch as we
have a spirit within us, it is not true that laughter cannot hurt.
Surely it stings, and cuts, and wounds the sensitive soul, just as heavy
blows sting, and cut, and wound the body. Satan knows this, and he makes
full use of the knowledge.
The man who sets out for heaven will scarcely fail, before he has gone
many steps, to come across a Sanballat. He will have his taunt and jest
all ready. 'What is this I hear of you? Have you turned a saint? I
suppose you are too good for your old companions now; you are going to
set the whole world to rights.' Or, if the words are unspoken, Sanballat
has the shrug of the shoulders, and the scornful gesture, which are just
as hard to bear. Nor must the man who has his face heavenwards be
surprised if he hears Tobiah's sneer. 'Ah, wait a bit,' says Tobiah;
'let us see if it will last. Even a fox will throw down that wall; the
very first thing that comes to vex him, the very first temptation,
however small, will be sufficient to overturn the wall of good
resolutions, and his religious professions will lie low in the dust, and
will be shown to be nothing but rubbish.'
It is well to be prepared for Sanballat and Tobiah, for any day we may
come across them. How shall we answer them? Let us follow in Nehemiah's
footsteps, let us turn from man to God. He hears the taunt, even as it
is spoken, and He says to each of His tried, tempted children:
'For My Name's sake, canst thou not bear that taunt,
That cruel word?
Is not the sorrow small, the burden light,
Borne for thy Lord?
For My Name's sake, I see it, know it all,
'Tis hard for thee,
But I have loved thee so, my child, canst thou
Bear this for Me?'
Sanballat and Tobiah have moved away from the walls of Jerusalem, and
the work goes on prospering; the gaps are being filled up, and already
the wall is half its intended height (iv. 6), for the people had a mind
to work, and much can be done in a short time when that is the case.
Not a word more has, for some time, been heard of Sanballat, and perhaps
the builders fancied and hoped they had seen the last of their enemies,
when one day, suddenly, dreadful news is brought into the city.
Sanballat and his friends, having failed to stop the work by laughter
and mockery, are going to take stronger measures, and have agreed to
resort to force. Dark secret plots are being formed to gather an army
together, and to come suddenly upon the defenceless builders and kill
them at their work.
All the surrounding nations are invited to join Sanballat in his
enterprise. Not only the Samaritans in the north, but the men of Ashdod
from the west, the Arabians from the south, and the Ammonites from the
east, are gathering together against Jerusalem. Psalm lxxxiii. is
supposed by many to have been written at this time, and describes the
great storm as it arose, and threatened to destroy the defenceless city
(Psalm lxxxiii. 1-8).
Poor Nehemiah! he sees the raging of the waters, and he feels that the
little boat needs a careful hand at the helm. He has a double receipt
against this new opposition--a receipt which may be summed up in the two
words which the Master has given us as our watch-word--Watch and pray.
'Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against
them day and night.'
But the billows rose higher. Three mighty waves came sweeping on, and
threatened to swamp Nehemiah's frail vessel.
(1) The builders grew discouraged and tired. The cry was raised inside
the city, 'We had better give up attempting to work, the rubbish is too
deep, it will never be cleared away, the men who are carrying it away
are worn out, we cannot build the wall, it is of no use to try any
longer.'
Ver. 10: 'And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is
decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the
wall.'
(2) News was brought in from all sides, that any day, any night, at any
moment, a sudden attack might be expected, for their enemies were
boasting loudly to all they met that they were confident of taking the
builders by surprise.
Ver. 11: 'And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see,
till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work
to cease.'
And not only was there discouragement inside the city and threatened
danger without, but the number of hands was lessened upon the city wall,
for (3) men arrived from different parts of the country, saying that it
was absolutely necessary that their brethren who had come up to work on
the wall should at once return home. They were needed to guard their
families and their homes from the approaching foe. Ten times over
Nehemiah received deputations of this kind (ver. 12); and the spirits of
the builders sank lower and lower.
But Nehemiah, like a true leader, rises to the occasion, and does not
allow himself to be cast down. He did not make light of the difficulties
he saw around him, but he manfully faced them, and in the hour of trial
his people did not desert him.
One day, ver. 14, looking towards the north, Nehemiah suddenly saw the
enemy coming. But all was ready; the weapons were laid where they could
be taken up in a moment. No sooner is the alarm given than the work
ceases, and the whole company of builders is changed into an army of
soldiers, and swords, and spears, and bows are to be seen on the walls
instead of trowels and hammers. Nehemiah had carefully arranged the
position which each man was to occupy; he drew up his soldiers after
their families, probably giving to each family the part of the wall
nearest to their own house, that they might feel that they were fighting
for their homes, their wives, and their children. Then when all were put
in readiness Nehemiah called upon them to be brave in the defence of
their city, and not to fear the foe.
'Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and
terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters,
your wives, and your houses.'
The enemy approaches; but instead of taking Jerusalem by surprise, as
they had boasted they would, they find they are expected, and will meet
with a warm reception if they advance farther. They are afraid to make
the attempt; God guards the faithful city, and Sanballat and his allied
forces withdraw discomfited. No sooner has the enemy beaten a retreat
than the work begins again.
'We returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.'
But, from that time, the sword and the trowel must never be parted. Each
builder worked with a sword hanging by his side; each porter held a hod
in one hand, and a weapon in the other. They were always on the alert,
ever ready for action.
Nehemiah had brought with him from Shushan a large following of
faithful servants or slaves; on these he could thoroughly rely. He
divided them into two parties, half worked at the building, filling up
the gaps left by those who had returned home; the rest stood behind
them, guarding the weapons, the shields, and the spears, and the bows,
and the swords which were laid ready for immediate use. By Nehemiah's
side stood a trumpeter, ready to blow an alarm at the first sight or
sound of the enemy.
For, says Nehemiah, 'I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to
the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are
separated upon the wall, one far from another. In what place therefore
ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God
shall fight for us.'
So the work and the watching went on all day long, and when the sun set
over the Mediterranean, and the stars came out in the quiet sky, and
darkness made the work impossible, still the watching went on as before.
Those who had laboured at the building all day lay down and slept,
whilst others kept guard on the wall. The workmen who lived outside the
walls were requested by Nehemiah to stay in the city all night, in order
to increase the strength of their force. As for the governor himself and
the little body of faithful servants, they gave themselves hardly any
rest, either by night or by day. They were almost always on duty, not
one of them even undressed all that long time of watching; if they laid
down to sleep, they laid in their clothes, ready at any moment for the
attack of the enemy (chap. iv. 28).
Thus, day by day, the work grew and the walls rose higher, strong lines
of defence once more encircled the city, and the prayer of the captives
in Babylon, offered so earnestly and amongst many tears, was already
receiving an abundant answer.
'Do good in Thy good pleasure to Zion, build Thou the walls of
Jerusalem.'
The scene changes. Nehemiah and his workmen fade away; the walls of
Jerusalem become dim and obscure, and, in their place, we see coming
out, as in a dissolving view, other figures and another landscape. We
see the Master, Christ Jesus, standing in the midst of His countless
labourers and workmen, the great company of His faithful servants. We
notice that each one is working busily at the special work the Master
has given him to do, we see that this work is very varied, no two
labourers have exactly the same task. But in one respect we notice that
all the Master's servants are alike, they all carry a sword, for it is
not possible for any one to be a worker for Christ without also being at
the same time a soldier.
Nor is it difficult to see the reason of this, for, if we serve Christ,
we are certain to meet with opposition. The mighty hosts of hell will
come against us, to hinder and to oppose us.
Let us, then, be prepared for their attack. Let us set a watch against
them. Satan and his forces always watch for our weakest point. Let us
find out what that point is. What is the weak part of our defences? Is
it selfishness? Is it pride? Is it prayerlessness? Is it temper? Is it
an unkind spirit? Whatever it is by which we are most easily led astray,
that is our weak spot, and there we ought to set a double watch. David
had his weak spot, and he knew it: unguarded, hasty words were ever
coming out of his mouth, but he found out the weak point in his
defences, and there he set a strong and powerful guard. He called upon
God Himself to keep out the enemy at that weak place:
'Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips.'
Let us not only watch, but let us ever be ready to fight. Never let us
lay down the sword of the Spirit, or the shield of faith. Never for a
moment let us put off our armour, for we never know when the next attack
may come. The unguarded moment is the moment for which Satan always
watches, and which he knows only too well how to use.
Above all, let us pray, for the watching and the fighting will be of no
avail unless we ask and obtain strength from on high. 'Our God shall
fight for us,' cried Nehemiah to his discouraged men. But they had
prayed day and night for the help which bore them safely through. 'Ye
have not, because ye ask not. Ask, and ye shall receive.'
'Christian, seek not here repose,
Cast thy dreams of ease away,
Thou art in the midst of foes,
Therefore, Watch and pray.
Gird thy heavenly armour on,
Wear it ever night and day,
Near thee lurks the evil one,
Therefore, Watch and pray.