Date: March 15, 2023|Series: Youth for Jesus|Number: Vol. 5, No. 44
“But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?” I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”” (Neh 2:19-20NIV)
Why were Sanballat and the people with him not happy that someone with authority and brains had come to help the Israelites? Though we are not given any direct reasons in Scriptures, it must have been because they were happy seeing them wallow in poverty, misery and insecurity. Apart from that, they must also have been benefiting from their miseries.
See, when people are profiting from your poverty, shame or illness, they will not want you out of it. Instead, they will want your condition to remain the same or permanent. So, if such people should begin to see you rise above that situation or should see someone coming to help you out of it, they may get seriously offended.
Also, if people have been happy seeing you wallow in misery, stagnation or shame, probably because you have offended them in the past or because they are just jealous of you, they will not be happy, if you should begin to take steps to move out of that situation. Then if people have been together with you at a particular level of life, not necessarily that of extreme poverty, and have become used to it, they may not be happy for you, if you begin to take steps that will make you rise above them or if things begin to happen in your life that are taking you above them.
But then, it is not everyone that is unhappy about your progress that will take steps to speak against it or to stop it. Some will only be angry with you for a while and then get over it. Whereas some will go beyond being angry with you to actually doing things that will discourage you or stop you in your path of breakthrough and advancement.
Now people like that are just like the Sanballat and Tobiah of Nehemiah’s days. And you have to be ready for them, if you are praying to God to elevate you and also working hard towards being elevated. You have to be ready for their taunts, mockeries and even physical or spiritual attacks. Otherwise, they will frustrate all your attempts and steps towards rising above your current level or situation.
As we see Nehemiah’s account, even though Sanballat, Tobiah and the thugs with them knew quite well that Nehamiah had the authority of King Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and establish the people there, they still made up their minds to do all they could to discourage and stop him. They abused him and the people of God with him. They said the work they were doing was nothing, something that a fox could easily pull down by climbing it. They equally made attempts to attack Nehemiah and all the people working with him.
But did they succeed? No! Why did they not succeed? First, it was because Nehemiah did not show himself to be a weakling, someone that could easily be frightened or threatened through some small talks from some thugs (Neh 2:20). Second, it was because Nehemiah led the people to put their trust in God for their success and protection (Neh 4:4 & Neh 6:9&14). Third, it was because the man and his men were vigilant all the time. The moment they knew that Sanballat and his men would do anything to harm and stop them, they put everybody on red (danger) alert. So, while each of them was working with one hand, he was also holding his weapon in another hand (Neh 4:16-23).
In like manner, if you don’t want people like Sanballat and Tobiah who want to see you make no progress in life but to die in misery to succeed, you must first of all show them that you are not a weakling, one that they could easily frighten or discourage with some words of threats or mockery. Second, entrust your success and safety into God’s hands always. In other words, be devoted to praying and to proclaiming the good word of God concerning your life.
Then be always watchful and ready to do whatever lawful thing that is within your power to do to frustrate anyone that is trying to pull you down or hinder your progress. And just as God gave Nehemiah success and also protected him, so that he completed the wall of Jerusalem in just 52 days, He will give you too success and protect you, so that you will accomplish what you set your heart on accomplishing in record time.
Cheers!