The people had agreed to build the wall, but now the work had to be done. Nehemiah organizes his workers around the wall of the city and they begin to work. However, they had not gotten far before opposition came. Sanballat and Tobiah mocked them and when that did not work, they planned a surprise attack on the workers. When Nehemiah heard of their plans, he organized the people to fight. But the work did not stop for long. Soon, the people went back to work with weapons ready in case they needed to fight. The wall would be finished.
The work on the temple has stopped because of opposition. However, even when the opposition has died down, the people do not get back to God’s house. They are concerned about building their own houses, working their own fields, taking care of their own stomachs. But things are not going well. It seems that no one can get ahead. Now comes two prophets of God: Haggai and Zechariah. They point out the real problem: they left the work of the Lord to feed themselves. Therefore, God has not blessed them. The answer is to return to the original work to which they were called: the rebuilding of the temple. The people hear the words of the prophets and they respond. The work on the temple resumes.
In this chapter, we see the call of Jeremiah. He complains that he is just a child and therefore too young to do such a great work. Jeremiah served as a prophet for the Lord to Judah for over 40 years. He wrote the 52 chapters of Jeremiah and the five chapters of Lamentations.
In this chapter, we see a great miracle performed on Hezekiah’s behalf in giving him fifteen additional years of life.
This lesson shows the Lord to be in charge even against unthinkable odds and in the most difficult of circumstance. Whether it be an army surrounding you or a horrible famine, God’s grace is sufficient.
