Key Verse: Nehemiah 4:1-3, "When Sanballat heard
that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He
ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of
Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their
wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the
stones back to life from those heaps of rubble —burned as they are?” 3 Tobiah
the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox
climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”
The checkout line is littered with them...gossip magazines and bizarre tabloids. Cheap photo tricks, made up news, shocking headlines, and heartless jabs. These magazines aren't concerned with journalistic integrity to say the least; they're out for blood and money. It doesn't matter who gets hurt in the process, as long as you buy into the hype. The paparazzi are like snipers, poaching celebrity privacy in hunt for some juicy scandal or dirty little secret. If they can't dig one up, they'll create one. Relations, body image, steroids-whatever. The worse, the better. If a public figure is going to survive today' media-saturated climate, he or she needs to learn how to tune out the noise. (It also helps to actually stay out of trouble!)
First read Nehemiah 4:1-3. God's people endured some real critics. The harshness of the ridicule may get lost in translation, but the Jews were seriously harassed. Sanballat led the charge, rallying support form the wealthy and influential establishment. But Nehemiah was not discouraged. Now read Nehemiah 6:5-9. When mockery didn't prove to be a sufficient deterrent, Sanballat began writing lies. Again, Nehemiah ignored the lies, dismissing the false accusations as existing only in his enemies' mind. Instead of giving up, Nehemiah rose to meet the challenge, praying for God's strength. The result: He saw the impossible made possible.
Whether you like it or not, whether you think it's fair or unfair, people are watching you. If you start taking this "God thing" seriously, people aren't going to be cool with it. But when insults and rumors begin spreading about your radical lifestyle and impossibly idealistic perspective, what will you do? Will you cave, crumbling under the pressure like the rubble of an old wall, or will you pray for God's strength to complete the mission He has given you?
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