A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (September 15, 2017)
Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. (Nehemiah 2:18)
Nehemiah went to Jerusalem and surveyed the situation and found a city in complete ruin. The gates were burned and the wall was broken down. After surveying the situation, Nehemiah announced to the people of Jerusalem the king’s words that were spoken to him and Nehemiah’s vision to rebuild the wall and the city.
Now, you have to realize that the enemy is always going to try all he can to throw up road blocks to a vision from God. Sanbalat, Tobiah and Geshem were exceedingly grieved that a man would come to seek the welfare of the Israelites. It is very important for us to understand who these three men were and to understand their methods because the tactics of the enemy have not changed.
I call Sanbalat, Tobiah, and Geshem the devil’s trinity. Satan cannot create anything, so what he does is copy God. If God has a trinity, then Satan wants a trinity. Let’s look at each one of these individuals.
Sanbalat was a Moabite (arch enemy of Israel) and his name means “strength” or “strong man”. He was the apparent leader of this demonic trio. A strong man is defined as one who is boisterous and furious. We see this played out over and over in the Book of Nehemiah when Sanbalat becomes very furious and angry. A strong man rules by fear, force, and violence. We see this in today’s culture with heads of drug cartels and dictators. Jesus referred to a strong man in the New Testament when he talked about binding the strong man which referred to demons (Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21).
Tobiah was an Ammonite (arch enemy of Israel) and his name means “the goodness of Jehovah”. Tobiah was the one that came using religion to deceive. He was the one that hired false prophets and prophetesses to try to put Nehemiah into fear. The enemy does not come with horns, a pitch fork, and wearing a red t-shirt with Satan written on the front. No, he will come looking like an angel of light and wearing a white t-shirt with the name of Jesus on it. Satan does not play fair. He is very deceptive.
Geshem, also known as Gashmu, was an Arabian and his name means “rain or weather”. He was the one that tried to start storms and confusion with fake news (amazing how things never change). Gashmu was the one that was responsible for coming up with the fake news that Nehemiah was doing all this so he could announce that he would become King. They threatened Nehemiah that they would report this to King Artaxerxes if Nehemiah did not meet with them. Now how important is Nehemiah’s personal relationship with the King?
For where envy and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work. (James 3:16)
Wake up Church! Anytime you are on a major mission for God these forces will come against you. You can’t let them get you into fear or weaken your hands for the work. You can also not negotiate with them. I heard a wise preacher once say, “You can’t cast out a person’s will, and you can’t disciple a demon”.
Stay tuned for Part 3 tomorrow where we will start reviewing how Nehemiah overcame all the challenges of rebuilding the City of Jerusalem!!
